Closure

This whole finale was fantastic. The last 30 seconds had me in complete shock. The way they made you think everything was wrapped up nicely and then just immediately pulled the rug out. This show gets extremely dark sometimes. A+ show man I don't understand the hate it gets. As someone who lost their mom like Alice this show is extremely important to me. I grew up as a fan of Scrubs. Definitely was one of my favorite shows that had a lot of moments of both extreme hilarity and deep sadness. This show carries that same ethos while having it's own tone completely. I can't recommend this show enough to anyone with a heart. If you are the type of person that look for the negatives in shows steer clear this isn't for you. I've heard people complain about the indie rock soundtrack or whatever and they just seem real soulless. The dialogue of this show is some of the most realistic ways people talk I've heard in TV. It especially works as a capsule for how we talk in the modern day. And I am definitely using grease the peach in my everyday vocabulary now.

Highly publicised on the app, and by Brett Goldstein, whose podcast I listen too, "Shrinking" was a new sitcom on Apple TV. A little less life affirming that it's stablemate "Ted Lasso", still the series is genuinely funny and utterly heartfelt.

Having gone off the rails since the death of his wife, psychotherapist Jimmy (Jason Segal) decides to get his life back on track and reconnect with his daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell). This is not an entirely welcome move as Alice has become used to useless dad and gets her parental guidance from their neighbour Liz (Christa Miller). Jimmy also decides to shake things up with his patients, and instead of coaxing them towards their own revelations decides a policy of direct interference and brutal honest is the way to go.

Interestingly, "Shrinking" is another comedy that suggested it might be one thing, when actually it was something else entirely. Much was made in the trailers of the unconventional therapy angle, though in actuality that doesn't feature in the plot much - just gives an excuse for one of his patients, Sean, played by Luke Tennie, to move in with him. From there it's quite a sweet sitcom about reconciliation, both within family members but also with the situation, as Jimmy has been drinking (and snorting) away dealing with his loss.

I enjoyed this series quite a bit, it regularly had me laughing out loud. I'll admit that a lot of the actors are playing characters similar to what we've seen from them before, so Christa Miller is a bit overbearing, Jason Segal is exasperated, and Harrison Ford is stern. The discovery (for me) is Jessica Williams, who elevates what might have been a stock supporting character into one of the highlights of the show.

Glad that a second season has been commissioned and I'm looking forward to seeing it.

Tia is still in the hearts of Jimmy, Alice, and others, but Jimmy realizes he needs to do something to move on. We see him toying with his wedding ring as he packs his wife's clothes and looks through a photo album. We realize how much love there was and the pain comes back. Alice isn't ready for this and tells him how selfish he is, even though it has been ten years. Paul (Harrison Ford) is again superb here. Liz begins a food service with Sean. Gaby and Jimmy realize there are things that don't need permanence; that they can just be fun in a relationship. And then, there is the hug. Gaby is looking for greener pastures. And, the final scene, is absolutely incredible. I hope when season two comes along, it won't be one of those dream sequences.

From being a quirky and edgy kind of show, the finale feels very flat and one dimensional, syrupy sweet and lacking in what made this show unique.

Disappointing ending. And the twist at the end does nothing to save it.

What I liked initially about the show was that it focused on individuals, not groups and couples but by the end everyone has paired up and left the viewers with only the option to cheer them on.

Will I tune in for season 2? Maybe, but only because of the unexpected ending (that does nothing to save the finale but at least adds a little intrigue to an otherwise predictable and boring ending).

At the beginning, I was honestly concerned whether or not "Shrinking" was going to keep me interested throughout. It had a fun gimmick to it at the beginning and Harrison Ford was a clear standout, but how long was the show going to be able to live on that alone? Well, with its magical powers, it managed to keep me invested throughout, and now that the first season has had its finale, it actually started to sink in what the show was actually about. It was about someone getting over their pain, and this episode is a perfect representation of that simple message.

Not only did the show find it's footing, but it seems like Jason Segal also found his own footing in the show, which has resulted in a very good leading performance from him, one that explodes on the screen in this. He's very subtle in some scenes, mostly in the moments with his daughter, but then he's explosive and full of fun in others, and that's the sign of a great performer, so kudos to Segal for really selling his role. The story of the finale is mostly centered around Jimmy's realization that he can't let his wife's death keep him in the doghouse any longer, and it makes for a really moving finale ending with a very good speech that is sure to bring the tears out in most viewers. Other tears will come from laughing, mostly from Harrison Ford who continues to be this show's clear standout, and I really hope that they get him back for the second season, as he seems like someone it could be difficult to keep along for the whole run. The only thing that kept this episode from being absolutely perfect was the lack of any real conflict that sets up things for the next season. Something does happen at the very end, but it doesn't necessarily implicate the main characters in anything, so the show doesn't seem to really have a clear idea of what it's going to be going forward. However, these writers have proven that they have real talent, and they'll surely come up with something great.

"Closure" is a very good finale to a show that took a bit of convincing, but ended up actually being quite a pleasant watch. There are some things that keep it from being great television, but the unfolding storyline came to a really great conclusion and Ford never missed his mark once, reaching full Ford-peaque in this episode.