Spoilers for Shrinking Season 3, Episode 7 are ahead! Read with caution, and watch new episodes every Wednesday with an Apple TV subscription.
While Paul’s Parkinson’s has always been a challenge on Shrinking, ever since the end of Season 2, there's no question that it's forcing him to change his life in bigger ways. Now, in Season 3, we’re seeing Harrison Ford’s character take steps to prepare for what’s to come, and that includes acting on his plan to retire. So, in Episode 7, he asked a character to take over his practice, and I asked the actor who plays them how they felt about this major choice.
Paul Wants To Give Gaby His Practice
In the Shrinking installment that just aired on the 2026 TV schedule, Paul told Gaby that he’d been thinking about his legacy, and it led him to a conclusion about what to do with his practice. He then relayed that choice to Gaby, saying:
Article continues belowWell, I think the world of you. That’s why I want to give you this.
He then clarified that he really was saying that he wants Gaby to “take over Rhoades Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Center.” She was apprehensive at first, because she was wondering how Jimmy felt about all this, considering he and Paul are very close. However, Paul reassured her that her co-worker would “understand.”
However, the conversation didn’t end the way Paul probably planned it, because Gaby said she didn’t want to take over his practice. She wants to start her own trauma center. He, obviously, was very supportive of that dream, but the scene does end with them hugging and Paul looking a bit sad.
Jessica Williams Shared Her Thoughts On This Scene And Paul Offering Gaby His Practice
Now, while this request from Paul was a massive surprise to me, Jessica Williams told me she knew it was coming. During an interview with CinemaBlend, she explained that Shrinking’s co-creator Bill Lawrence had told her about this point in the story well before they filmed it. In the Gaby actress’s words:
When I found out that Paul was gonna give Gaby his practice, I knew it. Like, we’ve just – Bill [Lawrence] will be like, ‘All right, let me tell you what's going on on the season…See ya, I'm going on my four other shows.’ Like, he'll just tell you. So I kind of knew that that was happening.
Considering three of Lawrence’s shows -- Scrubs, Shrinking and Rooster -- are all airing new episodes right now on three different platforms, I can see why Williams got a quick explanation of this plot point. However, despite knowing that was coming, there were still parts of this scene that surprised her.
Recalling what it was like to film this moment with Harrison Ford, Jessica Williams explained:
But what I did not expect – I don't know why I didn't expect this – but what I was surprised by was just how beautiful that scene turned out to be. The writing Harrison was loaded and locked in, the directing was awesome. The editing was like, everything had to come together to make that work, and just the way it was done was really a highlight of the whole season for me.
It really is a lovely moment, and I love how complex it gets emotionally. That’s because, while Gaby is honored by the offer, she wants something different. Meanwhile, Paul is very supportive of Gaby’s dreams; however, he also seems disappointed that she won’t be taking over his practice. Overall, though, there's just a tremendous amount of love and care in this moment, and it's abundantly clear how much these two mean to each other.
However, the fact of the matter is, Paul’s Parkinson’s is getting worse, as his hallucinations and shaking have shown us. So, he’s going to need to figure out what to do next with his career and practice. Maybe that future will involve Gaby; it certainly seems like he wants it to.
Now, to see what happens next, you can catch new episodes of Shrinking every Wednesday on Apple TV.
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