Shrinking and the Sermon on the Mount

Season 2 of Apple TV’s Shrinking finished over Christmas, but the season’s themes made me think less about Jesus’ birth and more about a later point in his life.

The show focuses on Jimmy (Jason Segel), a psychologist who offers unconventional treatment to his patients after his wife is killed by a drunk driver. Across Season 1, Jimmy’s growth—from drug binges with prostitutes to becoming a whole-hearted and attentive father—made for a rewarding viewing experience, on both a spiritual and artistic level. It feels rare for a television comedy to embrace growth and real change in its characters, but Shrinking has managed to do so from its inception. The ensemble cast—including Jessica Williams, Lukita Maxwell, Christa Miller, Ted McGinley, and Harrison Ford as Jimmy’s irascible supervisor, Paul—is delightful, with sparkling chemistry. The characters—psychologists, their family members, and their friends—have all grown and deepened their relationships over the course of two seasons. Show co-creator Bill Lawrence (known for Scrubs and Ted Lasso, among other series) is no stranger to television that manages to be hilarious and heart-wrenching nearly simultaneously.

In an interview with Deadline, Lawrence describes forgiveness as the major theme of Season 2: “It’s based on real stuff, a couple sad stories that are connected to us on the show, and one that you can certainly go and read a thousand versions of: when a kid drinking and driving kills another kid, and the families stay together because you don’t want to lose two lives from it. . . . [W]e can’t all move forward unless each one of us moves forward.”

Forgiveness truly does suffuse the entire season, bringing to mind Jesus’ meditation on forgiveness in the Sermon on the Mount. In Matthew 5, Jesus describes the necessity of forgiveness for our own well-being, saying, “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift. Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison.”

Every character in Shrinking confronts (or is confronted by) forgiveness at some point in the season, struggling with how it looks and feels. (Spoilers ahead.) Episode 8, “Last Drink,” forcefully illustrates the challenges of forgiveness. Derek (Ted McGinley) deals with how to forgive his wife, Liz (Christa Miller), after a dalliance with another man. While talking with Gaby (Jessica Williams), Derek realizes how much he has taken his wife for granted and allowed her to feel adrift. Gaby encourages Derek to find room for mercy in his heart, despite the magnitude of her transgression. In many ways, Derek epitomizes the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount. He is incredibly merciful, pure in heart, and peace-making. At the end of the episode, after bringing their children to visit Liz, he quietly holds her hand, indicating his forgiveness.

In contrast, Jimmy is struggling with forgiving himself for his poor parenting of his daughter Alice (Lukita Maxwell). He is also confronted with the possibility of forgiving Louis (Brett Goldstein), the driver who killed his wife. Although Jimmy is now giving Alice the care she needs and deserves, he is bearing the weight of his previous failures and he is afraid he will fall into bad habits again. Ultimately, Jimmy is struggling with meeting the expectations that Alice places on him, including forgiving Louis, with whom she has become friends. Near the end of the episode, Jimmy visits Louis and manages to say the words, “I forgive you.” However, every aspect of Segel’s performance counteracts that statement, as he squirms and avoids eye contact. Jimmy then immediately follows it up with his demand that Louis “disappear from my life” and never see Jimmy, his friends, or Alice again.

Jimmy, a mental-health professional, should know better than anyone the power of forgiveness. He should be a light for others, demonstrating how “a lamp . . . gives light to all in the house.” Instead, he continues to allow his best self to be covered by his own pain and self-loathing, preventing both Louis’ healing and his own. By the season finale—and with the help of Paul—Jimmy is able to find his way again, providing genuine forgiveness to Louis when he needs it the most.

It is difficult to find our way to right living. The Sermon on the Mount gives us a blueprint, beginning with the Beatitudes, a list of counterintuitive blessings, and ending with Jesus saying, “Be perfect, therefore, as your heavenly Father is perfect.” No small task! Shrinking illustrates the challenges we all face, even when we know precisely what we need to do in order to live at peace with ourselves and others. Perhaps best of all, it shows how much we may need not only expert help, such as a skilled therapist or mentor, but friends and family too. As we enter a new year, may we find forgiveness for others, and for ourselves, as we shine Christ’s light in the world.

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At Think Christian, we encourage careful cultural discernment. We recognize and respect that many Christians choose not to engage with pop culture that contains particular content, such as abuse, sex, violence, alcohol or drug use, or that employs the use of coarse language. To that end, we suggest visiting Common Sense Media for detailed information regarding the content of the particular pieces of pop culture discussed in this article.