What ‘Shrinking’s Jimmy and Gaby Can Learn from ‘Friends’
Anyone who has hooked up with a friend or coworker can tell you that it’s usually not a good idea, especially if the other person is a friend and a coworker. While a drunken kiss between friends can be harmless, it can also lead to some awkward tension, or worse. Last week’s episode of Shrinking ended with a twist as Jimmy (Jason Segel) and Gaby (Jessica Williams) shared a surprising kiss before the credits rolled. Episode 6 was rife with tensions that have been building over the first half of the season. Paul (Harrison Ford) has finally told his daughter that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease, and Gaby is struggling to reconnect with her sexuality after her recent divorce and finds herself unable to confide in anyone except for Liz (Christa Miller) now that their rocky relationship has blossomed into a new friendship.
What Happens in Episode 6 of ‘Shrinking’?
The episode centers around a surprise engagement party thrown by Brian (Michael Urie), who has finally decided to propose to his longtime boyfriend after many bluffs. Tension starts to build when Paul, who is struggling with new pressure from his daughter’s attempt to micromanage his illness, arrives stoned and accuses Brian of emotional blackmail via his public proposal. The event also proves to be a difficult milestone for Jimmy as he is constantly reminded of his late wife by guests he hasn’t seen in a while. When he confides in Gaby that he thinks his wife was going to leave him before she died, she comforts him and reminds him how close she was to both of them. Soon after, a drunk Jimmy ruins the proposal and abruptly ends the party by projectile vomiting across a grand piano. After sobering up a bit, he talks with Gaby again, and suddenly they are kissing as the episode ends.
This shocking moment marks a big change in one of the most central relationships in Shrinking, and Williams herself stated that “what happens in this episode affects how the last four episodes play out.” It will certainly have a huge impact, as Jimmy is already walking on eggshells in most of his relationships, and becoming intimate with such a close friend who is also intertwined with everyone else in his social circle is definitely a big risk to take. How it affects them and the people around them will be up to how Jimmy and Gaby decide to handle the potential fallout of an ensuing relationship. Their surprise encounter reminds us of another one of TV’s greatest couples, Monica (Courteney Cox) and Chandler (Matthew Perry) from Friends.
‘Shrinking’s Jimmy and Gaby Could Follow the Same Path as Monica and Chandler
For the first four years fans knew them, Monica and Chandler were just buddies aside from a few cute moments and some light foreshadowing. Then, Season 4 ended with a shocking turn of events as they wind up in bed together while in London for Ross’ (David Schwimmer) wedding. While at first, they decide to call it a fluke and go back to normal, they can’t deny their feelings for one another when they return to New York, and they begin a relationship. Although they seemed like an unlikely match, with Monica being an uptight control freak and Chandler being the goofy class clown, somehow they prove to be the perfect match.
Their situation at the beginning was very similar to what Jimmy and Gaby have, so it will be interesting to see if they go down a similar path. We can only hope that Jimmy and Gaby find what Monica and Chandler have, so what could they stand to learn from Monica and Chandler’s relationship? Like Monica and Chandler, the first step is to decide if they truly have feelings for one another and want to pursue a relationship, or if they should simply call it off and try to go back to business as usual. Either way, it’s important that they define where they stand, so they can have clarity moving forward for the sake of themselves and those around them.
One mistake Monica and Chandler made that Gaby and Jimmy should avoid is having a secret relationship. In the beginning, Monica and Chandler hid their relationship from their friends, aware that it could disturb the peace in such a tight-knit group, but in truth, it only led to more conflict (although hilarious) where they couldn’t keep track of who knew what, and the secrecy made their relationship harder than it needed to be. Given the complex nature of Jimmy and Gaby’s history and their dynamics with their mutual coworkers and friends, if they do decide to be together, it seems like they may try to keep it a secret. If so, this will inevitably lead to more conflict with Paul, who has high standards for how the people in his practice interact with one another and their patients, and Jimmy’s daughter, whose trust he is still trying to regain. Hiding a new relationship from Alice (Lukita Maxwell) can only drive a wedge further between them, especially when she hasn’t yet truly moved past the death of her mother.
‘Shrinking’ Could Learn From Monica and Chandler
If they decide to try to make things work between them, whether they do it in secret or not, it will certainly cause problems for them and their loved ones as they introduce a new romantic element to the fraught struggles with grief and forgiveness. Either way, the most important thing they can learn from Monica and Chandler is how to make their relationship work. They are a great example of always putting the other person first and doing everything they can to keep their relationship secure when conflict arises. They learned that a healthy relationship can’t involve lies, and hiding from the people closest to you. While Gaby and Jimmy are sure to have a rocky road ahead for the last few episodes of the season, if they rely on the strong foundation of friendship that they have built over the years (just like Monica and Chandler did), they can overcome whatever obstacles arise as they navigate this new dimension in their relationship. Whatever happens next, TV couples usually prove that while scary at times, friends can make the best partners, and sometimes the risk is worth the reward.
