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By Megan Armstrong
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Disclaimer: This article may contain spoilers
The Season 3 finale of Shrinking is not until next Wednesday, April 8, but the Emmy-winning Apple TV comedy-drama packed plenty of gut punches in the penultimate episode.
How much more can they break our hearts?
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Don't answer that.
In "The Bodyguard of Sadness," which aired on Wednesday, April 1, our beloved bunch is facing significant upheaval.
Charlie (Devin Kawaoka) has to work on location in Nashville, challenging Brian's (Michael Urie) comfort zone when asked to move there with him. Liz (Christa Miller) and Derek (Ted McGinley) learn they're unexpectedly going to be grandparents.
Sean (Luke Tennie) makes amends with Jorge (Trey Santiago-Hudson) and plans to move out of Jimmy's pool house.
Gaby (Jessica Williams) breaks the news to Jimmy (Jason Segel) that Paul (Harrison Ford) left her his therapeutic practice. Jimmy pretends he's fine with it, but it's eating him up inside.
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Alice (Lukita Maxwell) is graduating from high school, and Jimmy is also really not handling that well. He already abruptly broke up with Sofi (Cobie Smulders) because his dad, Randy (Jeff Daniels), triggered him.
This week, Jimmy took all of his repressed rage and sadness out on Paul, who is moving to Connecticut with Dr. Julie (Wendie Malick). One scene between Jimmy and Paul leaves their relationship — and Paul's connection to the group — up in the air.
At Alice's graduation party, Paul says his goodbyes and begrudgingly hugs everyone. Paul follows Jimmy out onto the balcony and asks where they're going for their "goodbye breakfast" before he leaves the next morning. Jimmy is terse, so Paul asks if he's alright.
It all unraveled from there.
Jimmy guilts Paul for needing Jimmy's help in managing his advancing Parkinson's. Jimmy says Gaby "warned me that I would never get any thanks from you, no matter what I did."
If that weren't a big enough zinger, Jimmy calls Paul "[expletive] arrogant" and unloads on him for allowing Gaby to turn the practice into her dream trauma center, even though Jimmy doesn't want to take over the practice. In doing so, Jimmy accidentally lets slip that he'd slept with Paul's daughter, Meg (Lily Rabe).
Jimmy is on the verge of tears when revealing how hurt he was to hear "that you're leaving me" from Meg instead of Paul, and Paul suggests Jimmy's outburst is actually meant for Randy.
Ultimately, Jimmy admits, "I'm not as important to you as you are to me. I just feel stupid it took me that long to realize it."
Paul leaves and urges Jimmy to "come and say goodbye" before he leaves for Connecticut in the morning because he doesn't want Jimmy to have regrets.
A stubborn Jimmy doesn't show up — Paul even texts him a reminder! — and Paul departs with Dr. Julie to the tune of "I Remember Everything" by Zach Bryan feat. Kacey Musgraves.
Now what?!
Luckily, we still have one more episode to tie this loose end, but it doesn't lend itself to a tidy, 30-minute resolution.
Fans can breathe a brief sigh of relief, knowing that Shrinking was renewed for Season 4 before the Season 3 premiere in January. Apple TV's official release intimated that Ford, Segel, and the entire ensemble cast will return for Season 4.
Still, Ford's exact presence as Paul in Season 4 remains to be seen. It's difficult to imagine how co-creators Bill Lawrence, Brett Goldstein, and Segel will weave Paul into the group's lives in Pasadena, California, when he's now retired and living in Connecticut with Meg.
Maybe Alice going to Wesleyan will be the plot device.
Maybe Paul will have a change of heart and come back home.
This could go anywhere.
Three seasons and nine Primetime Emmys later, they've yet to let us down. In Shrinking we trust.
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