Warning: There are spoilers for Shrinking Season 2 Episode 7, ‘Get in the Sea.’
Shrinking Season 2, Episode 7, ‘Get in the Sea’ changes the status quo when Jimmy (Jason Segel) sees Alice (Lukita Maxwell) with Louis (Brett Goldstein). Goldstein Shrinking The character is introduced early in the season when it is revealed that he is the drunk driver involved in the car accident that killed Jimmy’s wife and Alice’s mother, Tia (Lilan Bowden). In Louis’ first scene, he goes to see Jimmy to apologize to him, which leads Jimmy to angrily yell at Louis to leave.
Since Louis’ introduction, he has gradually met more Shrinking characters. Alice angrily confronts Louis at the coffee shop where he works and when Brian (Michael Urie) meets Louis and sees that he is in pain, Brian quickly becomes friends with him. Brian helping Louis paves the way for Alice to speak to Louis again on better terms. This causes Alice to forgive Louis and even choose to spend more time with him. However, the future of Alice and Louis’ friendship is now in question after the end of “Get in the Sea”.
He finds out in a disturbing way
After helping his patient, Dan (Mike C. Nelson), become more comfortable around strangers, Jimmy feels better than ever with his “hot sequence” to help patients keep going. Those positive feelings quickly dissipate when he sees Alice, Brian and Louis together in a restaurant, laughing and clearly enjoying each other’s company. Jimmy doesn’t know that Alice confronted Louis at the coffee shop, much less that she befriended Louis and forgave him. To make matters even worse, Jimmy also didn’t know about Brian’s friendship with Louis.
To be honest, Alice managed to make up with her best friend, Summer (Rachel Stubington), even after sleeping with her boyfriend, Connor (Gavin Lewis). This helps Alice realize that she, too, wants to be honest with her father about the time she spends with Louis. Before Jimmy unexpectedly sees them through the restaurant window, Alice expresses her desire to be honest with Louis and Brian. Louis agrees, while Brian is more hesitant. Unfortunately for Alice, she doesn’t have a chance to reveal the hard truth now that Jimmy already knows they’re friends.
Why was Jimmy so upset to see Alice and Brian with Louis
Jimmy feels betrayed by his daughter and best friend
Jimmy is devastated because he feels like his daughter and best friend betrayed him. As can be seen by the unorthodox methods he uses with his patients in Shrinking season 1 and season 2, Jimmy is a relatively open-minded person. At the same time, he can’t keep an open mind when it comes to the man he holds responsible for his wife’s death. Seeing your daughter and best friend spending time with that man feels like the ultimate betrayal. If Alice and Brian had told Jimmy what was going on, he probably wouldn’t have been okay with it.
Now, Jimmy may feel that his current relationship with Alice and Brian is not as strong as he thought.
However, Alice and Brian’s actions were even more hurtful because they kept their friendship with Louis a secret. After not being a good father to Alice in the year following Tia’s death, Jimmy seemed to feel that the relationship between him and Alice was going well, including when they got matching tattoos. Jimmy and Brian also resolved some of their personal issues and strengthened their friendship. Now, Jimmy may feel that his current relationship with Alice and Brian is not as strong as he thought.
Did Alice and Brian cheat on Jimmy by dating Louis?
Betrayal was never your intention
Alice and Brian demonstrate significant emotional maturity through the friendships they have established with Louis, but Jimmy’s feelings of betrayal are still justified. Jimmy had already talked to Alice about Louis’ unexpected arrival at his office. He probably hoped that he and Alice would navigate Louis’ situation together. Instead of being a united father and daughter, Alice’s big scene with Louis in Season 2, Episode 6 shows her finding forgiveness while Jimmy is left alone with his own unresolved feelings.
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Episode # |
Episode title |
Release date |
|---|---|---|
|
8 |
“Last Drink” |
November 27th |
|
9 |
“Adult Face” |
December 4th |
|
10 |
“Changing Patterns” |
December 11th |
|
11 |
“Drugs don’t work” |
December 18 |
|
12 |
“The Last Thanksgiving” |
December 25th |
Jimmy fails to recognize that Alice and Brian are honoring Tia’s memory through the forgiveness they extend to Louis and the joyful friendship they now have with him. In that sense, what Alice and Brian did isn’t a betrayal, but it doesn’t negate Jimmy’s valid feelings. Jimmy will need to work through these complex emotions regarding Alice, Brian, Louis and his own unresolved trauma in the second half of Shrinking season 2 continues.