A solid Shrinking explores the ups and downs of honesty

Honesty may be the easiest thing to preach when it comes to relationships (romantic or otherwise). And yet it’s surprisingly hard to practice. Not because we don’t want to be truthful with one another—but because being honest often requires revealing aspects of ourselves we dare not let out into the light. Therapy, of course, is where many of us go to find such strength, and so it’s not surprising to find that Shrinking would anchor an entire episode around the importance of being honest—with others, yes, but also with ourselves.

Alice is learning this the hard way since Summer has begun making her into an online pariah (with a very catchy “Cheater Bitch” tune on TikTok). If only she would have been honest with her BFF, then she wouldn’t need to find ways to avoid being seen in public. Alas, she soon figures out that the only way to get in front of this is to…own up to her mistakes. Which she does, making up by admitting her fault and jointly concocting a plan to get back at Connor.

Brian and Liz, though, will have harder times arriving at the same conclusion: that sometimes you have to own up to uncomfortable truths about yourself to those you love. The former, as it turns out, is going all in on the adoption process with his husband Charlie, which, in true sitcom fashion, is moving impossibly fast—so fast that he may well have a baby by the end of the week. (Ha! Imagine bureaucracy working that fast IRL!) And yet he continues to have cold feet about that, even if he’s enjoying imagining himself saying stuff like “It’s like the baby adopted us” at dinner parties. But can he keep his reservations from Charlie forever? 

Meanwhile, Liz is clearly keeping her reacquaintance with Mac under wraps. It’s why she freaks out when, saying goodbye to her old friend, she runs into Paul, who obviously would rather not have anything to do with Liz. Yet she crashes his friend date with Raymond, his former patient, all to reassure him that what he saw was nothing more than a hug between friends. Which, sure…between friends who’d rather be more—because that’s all single men would ever want to do with women they find attractive. Liz can’t handle that blunt honesty and all but leaves wanting to believe that cannot possibly be true. Mac is just a good pal who’s eager to show off his microbrewery, crack jokes with her, showcase her pup photography there, and, oh wow, yeah, okay, when he finally goes in for a kiss it’s clear Paul and Raymond may have been onto something.

Implausibly, Liz heads to Paul for help. Alice, it turns out, won’t be making her regular park date with the curmudgeon therapist, and it falls on Liz to let him know and, in the process (with Skittles in tow), coax him into helping her. He’s clearly an expert in cheating and secrets and so he offers the only advice for such a situation: Tell Derek everything. Soon. Sure, it may be hard but “secrets have a way of getting out.” And this is a story as old as time. There aren’t that many variations of it for a reason. This is not what she wanted to hear but it’s enough to force her into sitting Derek down and telling her that she’d kissed Mac for one Cincinnati and a half (he doesn’t count in Mississippi, apparently). “At least I told you,” she musters when he’s rightly outraged. But good old Derek wasn’t ever going to take this lightly, and it seems unclear whether he’ll be able to find a way to forgive her.

Elsewhere, Brian spends much of the episode trying to avoid the reality of his situation: He’s freaked out about being a father and becoming one so soon. He thought he’d have time! Nine months at least! But if he tells Charlie, then what will that waffling signal? Lucky for him, Jimmy decides what everyone needs (and this includes, oddly, Gabby and Derrick) is some clarity…while in the ocean. It’s there that Brian musters the strength to tell Charlie how he feels, and the two agree that maybe now’s not the right time to become instant-parents. (“WE’RE NOT HAVING A BABY!” they get to yell together while hugging and swimming at sea).

What a roll Jimmy is on. Sure, his daughter had gotten into an altercation with Summer before they mended their ways, and Jimmying keeps having odd kinks to it (Sean is still recovering from his attack) but he’s in a great place, and honesty seems to be working for all involved.

Oh wait, remember when it looked like Alice had learned to be honest? She had. And that meant she was ready to tell her dad all about her spending time with Louis—you know, the guy who killed her mom in a drunk-driving accident. And while she’s clearly bold for wanting to own up to that slight untruth she’s been carrying with her (which she tells Brian and Louis as they all have a very grown-up dinner out at a restaurant), the only possible worst outcome happens: Jimmy is right outside, able to see with his own eyes that his daughter and best friend are being chummy with the guy who took his wife away. It’s a devastating knock after he’d had so many wins. And it’ll be a hard pill to swallow, no doubt.

Stray observations

• • When is the “Cheater Cheater Cheater Bitch (TikTok Remix)” being released?
• • “Two Daddies Looking for a Third” working as both a Grindr bio and a same-sex adoption application title had me giggling, I’ll admit.
• • Could I have done without the regressive “men and women can’t possibly be friends!” rhetoric surrounding Liz and Mac’s subplot? Obviously. But it was voiced next to an ace Statler and Waldorf joke so it felt easier to ignore.
• • Must I be the writer who points out that you’d have to be insane to make an impromptu trip from Pasadena (of all places!) to the beach? Apparently. You’re looking at an hour (at least) of traffic before you’d hit any kind of water. This is truly the least L.A.-specific aspect of this episode. 
• • Meanwhile, “I love almost exercising as an excuse to drink” may be the most L.A. thing Gabby has ever uttered. 
• • The best line of the episode, though, goes to Brian: “He simultaneously makes me feel calm and horny.”
• • Will Gabby and Derrick No. 2 finally get a proper date next episode or will they continue their truncated wooing with more hilarious hijinks that keep them from spending time together one on one?