What That Death Means For Jimmy In Shrinking Season 2

Warning! This article contains spoilers for the Shrinking season 1 finale.The Shrinking season 1 finale featured a shocking cliffhanger death that could have a disastrous effect on Jimmy’s career in season 2. Following a successful first season on Apple TV+, Shrinking was renewed for season 2. The comedy-drama series stars Jason Segel, also one of the show’s creators, as Jimmy, a therapist whose grief over the unexpected passing of his wife causes him to become more unconventional in his work. Just as everything was looking up for Jimmy in Shrinking, a death in the season 1 finale could reverse all the progress he made.

Shrinking has seen Jimmy go from struggling to navigate life without his wife to finally accepting her death and repairing his relationship with his daughter. The Shrinking season 1 finale mainly revolved around his best friend’s wedding, and seemed to be setting up a happy ending for all in attendance. A montage that featured all of Jimmy’s patients who were on the receiving end of his unorthodox therapeutic efforts showed them on a positive path, until the unexpected ending to the Shrinking season 1 finale turned everything on its head.

Donnie’s Death Could End Jimmy’s Career As A Therapist In Shrinking Season 2

One of Jimmy’s patients in Shrinking was Grace, a woman struggling with an abusive husband named Donnie. Jimmy has varying degrees of success with Grace through his new approach to therapy, which at first seemed to be a success, causing her to leave Donnie. Grace eventually went back to Donnie, but employed Jimmy’s unconventional “boop” method, which ultimately led to her killing him. This is something that Jimmy had jokingly encouraged in one of Grace’s sessions earlier in the episode. If Grace’s motives are traced back to Jimmy, it could certainly end his career as a therapist in Shrinking season 2.

There was a lot of foreshadowing of a disaster in the Shrinking season 1 finale. During a conversation between Paul and Jimmy, Paul admitted he was “surprised [Jimmy] didn’t burn the whole practice down,” to which Jimmy replied that he “got really lucky.” His luck ran out in the final moments of Shrinking season 1 when Grace pushed Donnie off a cliff in her final “boop,” and Jimmy’s unorthodox therapy advice could be found at fault for indirectly causing Donnie’s death.

Could Jimmy Really Be Liable For Donnie’s Death In Shrinking?

Though Jimmy was only joking when he told Grace that she should “boop” Donnie off a cliff, he could still be held liable for Donnie’s death in Shrinking season 2. In dealing with his patients in his new, unconventional ways, Jimmy did not always say the correct things, which could occasionally send the wrong message. In Shrinking season 1, episode 4, for example, Jimmy’s visit to Wally’s home to help her with her OCD led to her mistaking his support for attraction. While Jimmy’s intentions were always good, therefore, the outcomes were not, and could potentially be deemed as unprofessional.

Jimmy’s closest and most inappropriate relationship with a patient has been with Sean in Shrinking. His involvement in Sean’s personal life even landed Sean in jail briefly, which Jimmy could have been liable for if Brian had not stepped in. As Jimmy navigates his own issues, he sometimes forgets that some of his patients will not react the way he expects because they are dealing with different mental health issues, and Grace is no exception. It was not totally surprising that Grace took Jimmy’s joke literally, and it could lead to Jimmy being deemed liable for Donnie’s death in Shrinking season 2 due to professional misconduct.