Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers
Shrinking fans feared the fate of Paul (Harrison Ford). Season 3 of the acclaimed Apple TV series revealed that Paul and Dr. Julie (Wendie Malick) planned to move from California to Connecticut to live with Meg (Lily Rabe), Paul’s daughter, to help manage his advancing Parkinson’s.
In the Season 3 penultimate episode, “The Bodyguard of Sadness,” Paul and Dr. Julie made the big move, and Paul and Jimmy’s (Jason Segel) relationship was in peril. If anything, it just heightened the fear over how Paul would fit into the already-announced Shrinking Season 4.
Apple TV’s January renewal announcement stated that Ford, Segel, and the entire ensemble cast would return for Season 4. Still, Paul’s character arc in Season 3 fueled doubt. But that panic can be put to bed, as Variety reported that “the same stars will be playing the same characters next season.”
On Tuesday, Ford and the Shrinking cast held a panel at PaleyFest at Hollywood’s Dolby Theatre, where Ford said his role of Paul on Shrinking is “one of the most pleasurable experiences of my life” (via Gold Derby).
The third season finale aired on Wednesday, and Paul’s move to Connecticut was handled seamlessly. He even flies across the country for “just a couple hours” to see Jimmy after Jimmy called Paul to apologize for blowing up on him and refusing to say goodbye before his move.
Jimmy thought he was arriving for a make-up “goodbye breakfast” with Paul, but instead, Paul set Jimmy up to have breakfast with Sofi (Cobie Smulders), whom Jimmy abruptly broke up with after his estranged father (Jeff Daniels) triggered him by saying Sofi was better for him than Tia, his deceased wife, ever was.
“You [expletive] Jimmied me!” Jimmy says, referring to the phrase for his unconventional approach to treating his patients.
“That’s right!” Paul yells back. “I [expletive] Jimmied you!”
And then, we got an all-time Paul monologue: “Look, kid, if you’re ever gonna move forward, you’ve got to let go of the past. And I know that’s scary. But you’re never gonna forget Tia. Hell, you’re never gonna forget me. No one will. Letting go of the past just means you don’t allow your scars to hold you back anymore.”
An emotional Jimmy mutters, “I’m covered in ’em, Paul.”
Paul stays the course: “Good! What a shame to be 42 years of age and not completely covered in scars. They’re the evidence of a life fully lived.”
Jimmy says he doesn’t want to be a burden to Paul, and then he finally hears from Paul what he’s longed to hear since Shrinking premiered in January 2023.
“You’re not,” Paul says. “You’re more of a son to me.”
Paul tells Jimmy he’ll always be there for him because “I love you.” Emboldened Jimmy has breakfast with Sofi.
Same ol’ Paul. What were we ever worried about?
Stream the Season 3 finale of Shrinking on Apple TV.
