Grief lands quietly in Shrinking Season 3, Episode 8, and for Gaby, played by Jessica Williams, the loss of her patient Maya becomes more than a professional setback. It shakes the very foundation of who she is and what she believes she’s capable of. The third season follows the show’s deeply personal stories and a character makes a quiet exit, one that is going to have a deep impact on Gaby.
Maya, her patient who loses herself to her mental health struggles in this episode, has had a deep relationship with Gaby in the past episodes. Her death is confirmed through toxicology reports showing alcohol, Xanax, and OxyContin, exist in an unsettling gray area and no one knows if it was intentional or accidental and that uncertainty makes things even heavier.
Speaking to TV Line, Williams opens up on how Maya’s loss will shape Gaby’s life as she states:
“In the beginning of the season, we mentioned that Gaby is trying to move forward and she’s thinking about this idea of getting into trauma work. This is sort of her experimenting with ‘Jimmying’ and getting involved a little bit in this patient’s life and not really breaking through and then starting to break through. “
She then adds how this loss is a “real learning curve” for Gaby as she continues:
“I think that that’s a real learning curve for her and a steep one. It makes Gaby want to quit and she’s in a really dark place. But what is nice is that she then has to lean on her tribe to help pull her out of it, and that comes through in the way of Paul.”
More details about Shrinking Season 3
Shrinking Season 3 leans deeper into grief, healing, and the terrifying act of moving forward- three things the show is notorious for. Created by Jason Segel, Bill Lawrence, and Brett Goldstein, for Apple TV+, the dramedy continues to balance it’s brand of fresh humor with deeply intimate stories that explore people and their struggles with life.
At the center, we have Harrison Ford who delivers one of his most acclaimed performances yet as Paul, confronting the realities of Parkinson’s disease. He is joined by Jason Segel as Jimmy, Christa Miller as Liz, Jessica Williams as Gaby, Luke Tennie as Sean, Michael Urie as Brian, Lukita Maxwell as Alice and Ted McGinley as Derek. Returning guest stars also include Devin Kawaoka as Charlie, Brett Goldstein, Damon Wayans Jr., Wendie Malick and Cobie Smulders.
Shrinking is available to stream on Apple TV.
Edited by Nibir Konwar