Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5, “Honesty Era,” sharpens the season’s themes of confronting the past to get the chance for forgiveness. The episode breaks new ground with Gaby, Paul, and Sean. Thankfully, it finally makes progress with Brian and Liz. Written by Zack Bornstein and directed by Jamie Babbit, “Honesty Era” finds purpose in every character’s acceptance or resistance to the change that stems from deep self-reflection.
In that regard, this season is consistent with Sean and Alice. Luke Tennie and Lukita Maxwell continue to bring lived-in depth to their performances. For Sean, Shrinking’s production (camera angles, sound mixing) supports Tennie’s work. “Honesty Era” continues to elevate Tennie by blurring the fight sequence. It creates a sensory viewing experience, but it speaks to Tennie’s talent that Shrinking doesn’t need those effects to tell the story. This show has an abundance of riches in its ensemble.
Paul and Susan Embrace Forgiveness
“Honesty Era” expands upon that by adding the iconic Kelly Bishop to the cast as Paul’s ex-wife and Meg’s mother, Susan. With a few short scenes, Bishop and Harrison Ford add color to the years that Susan and Paul shared as a married couple — and the time they spent separated after Paul cheated. Sometimes, it becomes a cheap route to say rather than show, but it’s hard to argue with it when the narrators of the two characters’ past are as skilled as Bishop and Ford. Their chemistry and banter couldn’t be better despite never working together.
Shrinking gives them plenty to work with on the page, and Bishop and Ford run away with it. Their conversation, culminating with a tearful Paul thanking Susan for the family she gave him, is incredible. It’s undeniably a turning point for Paul. Susan’s forgiveness relieves a weight from Paul’s shoulders, which Ford plays beautifully. Then, “Honesty Era” tugs on the heartstrings again, with the flask at Meg’s plays becoming one at Meg’s speeches. Including Julie is endearing; excluding Dave is hilarious – the perfect encapsulation of Shrinking’s tone.
Honestly, Shrinking Needs More of Brian
Brian’s involvement is the only aspect of Paul and Susan’s interactions that doesn’t entirely work. While it’s contextually sound that Brian has the paperwork Susan needs to sign, it still feels as though these characters don’t know each other as well as Shrinking wants them to by this point. Paul is an almost painfully private, making his admission to Jimmy in Shrinking Season 2, Episode 4, “Made You Look,” gripping. Their dynamic supports Paul finally opening up to Jimmy. Alternatively, that openness doesn’t feel earned with Paul and Brain. So, it’s odd that Paul relays intimate details of his marriage to Brian.
Even though that exchange is awkward, it works in Brian’s favor, which benefits Shrinking. This season desperately needs more Brian. Unfortunately, his relationship with Charlie only receives screen time when Shrinking raises conversations about the couple adopting a baby. “Honesty Era” can take a beat and feature more between the married couple after “Made You Look.” Instead, this episode makes room for more introspection from Brain, maintaining the previous outing’s positive momentum, at least for Brian. He has plenty to address about fatherhood; it’s good that Shrinking shows interest in that.
Gaby Turns a New Page
Similarly, Shrinking is taking its time with Gaby and her family. However, that serialized arc has more narrative consistency than Brian’s. This season, the tension with her family is an ever-present force in Gaby’s story. For example, her mother’s need for eye surgery impacts her first “date” with Derek (Damon Wayans Jr.). Even those casual check-ins (Gaby processing her mother’s wreck while showing up for her patient) make Gaby and Courtney’s more impactful. Jessica Williams plays every one of those beats with complexity — Shrinking is lucky to have her. She makes every scene of this show better.
Williams and Courtney Taylor take Gaby and Courtney’s sisterhood to another level in “Honesty Era.” After talks that never last long, their conversation about who gives up more for their mother is well done. The years that Shrinking doesn’t show are present in Williams and Taylor’s performances. It actively breathes more life into this dynamic, propelling them into a new place for the rest of the season. Likewise, “Honesty Era” makes Paul voice how tiring Gaby and Jimmy’s pattern is, which is the push mainly Jimmy needs to respect Gaby’s boundaries. Thankfully, only then can Gaby consider Jimmy as a support system.
Liz, Derek, and the Unexpected Mac
Rebuilding that trust won’t be linear. While Jimmy repairs his relationship with Gaby, he also has to do so with Liz. While Jimmy can’t know to avoid mentioning Mac in front of Derek, the introduction of Mac alone is an interesting development for Shrinking. The food truck comes in and out of Liz’s life so quickly that, expectedly, this season must introduce another moving part into her story. “Honesty Era” fills the crack between Alice and Liz nearly as soon as it forms. Shrinking Season 2, Episode 1, “Jimmying,” insinuates communication issues between Liz and Derek, and “Honesty Era” amplifies that with Mac.
Like Sean’s dad on Shrinking Season 2, Episode 3, “Psychological Something-ism,” Mac appears when necessary. It’s becoming a trend for Shrinking to introduce characters that stir the plot through orchestrated means that are meant to be casual or random. “Honesty Era” reinforces that Shrinking uses those stilted meetings to create new emotional mountains for the characters to climb. This one, Mac, gives Christa Miller, who has been amazing this season, and Ted McGinley plenty to work with as Liz and Derek move forward. Shrinking is excellent at moving the characters forward. Even if that means sitting in discomfort or taking a step back, all of it is part of the journey.
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What did you think of Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5, “Honesty Era?” Let us know in the comments below!
New episodes of Shrinking stream on Wednesdays on Apple TV+.
