Shrinking Season 3, Episode 5 Recap: Paul’s Retirement Plans & Jimmy’s Big Kiss

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Be warned, this contains spoilers for Shrinking season 3, episode 5! In the latest episode, the characters continue to grow, with Paul starting to make plans for his retirement and Jimmy finally sharing a simple, uncomplicated kiss. Previously, Paul decided it was time to leave his job as a therapist. While his Parkinson’s symptoms had improved enough for him to return to work, he realized he was ready to retire on his own terms.

In the fourth episode of Shrinking’s third season, Jimmy attempted to move on with a date, but it didn’t go well – his date spent the entire time crying about his wife having passed away. Meanwhile, Liz had a difficult conversation within earshot of her son, Matthew, where she expressed her disappointment in Jimmy’s recent behavior.

Gaby made some progress with her patient, Maya, who started to share her feelings of loneliness, thanks to a bit of help from Jimmy’s unique approach. Derek had a surprisingly eventful time after accidentally overdoing it with cannabis gummies – it even landed him in the hospital. All of this unfolds in Shrinking season 3, episode 5, an episode that both resolves some issues and creates new ones for the characters.

Liz Is Still Trying Desperately To Get Matthew To Talk To Her

The latest episode of Shrinking starts with Liz frustrated that she still can’t get in touch with Matthew. She admits she was honest about being upset with him, even though he overheard her. The problem is, Matthew is responsible for Derek accidentally eating edibles and being hospitalized, and he didn’t even check in for hours. This follows a pattern of Matthew relying on his family for months without taking responsibility for himself.

Liz understandably feels guilty that her son overheard their conversation, but ultimately it’s up to Matthew to use this as motivation for self-improvement. Hopefully, by the end of Shrinking season 3, Matthew will grow and their relationship with Liz will be stronger. Liz also has some things to consider and learn in the process.

Sean Struggles To Break Out Of His Routine

Sean has made a lot of progress since we first met him in season one of Shrinking. He’s no longer prone to angry outbursts and has established a stable daily life and business. Now, his biggest challenge is stepping outside of his comfort zone. Even something simple, like taking a night off work with his girlfriend Marisol, makes him anxious.

Paul advises Sean to be more open to new experiences and break from his usual habits. Marisol has the potential to positively change Sean’s life, but he needs to allow himself to connect with her. Alice ultimately helps Sean overcome his hesitation, understanding his fear of taking risks after facing hardship. Encouraged by her support, Sean finally goes to the club and has a great time with his girlfriend and friends.

Gaby Comes Close To Ending Things With Derek

In season 3 of Shrinking, Gaby is happily in a relationship, but she’s having trouble fully accepting it. She’s easily scared, so she asks Derek to avoid talking about the future – things like marriage, children, or where they might live – and just focus on enjoying the present. However, in episode 5, Derek accidentally slips up and uses “we” when talking about Gaby’s goal of opening a trauma center.

Gaby, as expected, gets very anxious and calls all her friends for advice about her relationship. She almost breaks up with Derek, but her friends point out that she’s hesitant because of the pain from her past marriage. By the end of the episode, Gaby is feeling better and is even open to Derek occasionally discussing their future together.

Paul Begins Planning For Retirement

In the show Shrinking, Paul pointed out to Jimmy that retiring won’t happen overnight. As the practice owner, Jimmy has legal details to work through before he can step down. Plus, he needs to let his patients know and find them new doctors. It’s going to take a while before Jimmy can finally say goodbye.

In episode 5, Paul is relaxed about retiring, but Jimmy, true to form, is overly enthusiastic to assist. He goes to the trouble of retrieving Paul’s old patient files from storage – a difficult task – and brings them back. However, Jimmy doesn’t receive the gratitude he was hoping for, and might have to accept that helping others won’t always come with a ‘thank you’.

Jimmy Finally Gets His Uncomplicated Kiss

In the show Shrinking, Jimmy finds someone who truly understands his difficulties with Paul: Paul’s daughter, Meg. We discovered in the first season that Paul and Meg have a strained relationship, and while it’s gotten better, they still face challenges. In episode 5, Jimmy and Meg bond over this while looking through Paul’s storage unit, and they also share their own personal relationship problems.

Meg is struggling in her marriage, and Jimmy reminds her of a terrible date he had before. He jokingly says he just wants one simple kiss to build his confidence. Meg seems to understand what he means, and unexpectedly shows up at his house and kisses him. The episode ends with them sharing a passionate kiss.

It’s difficult to call this kiss simple. While it’s less intense than Jimmy’s past relationships with Gaby, the fact that Meg is Paul’s daughter and is married adds a lot of complications. We’ll have to wait until season 3, episode 6 of Shrinking to see how this kiss impacts Jimmy and Meg’s lives.

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2026-02-25 13:10