"The Long Goodbye" brings Shrinking's third season to an emotional close. Not with grand dramatic gestures, but with quiet moments of connection—exactly the way this show does things best.
Let's break down everything that happened in this beautiful finale.
Alice's Departure
The centerpiece of the finale is Alice leaving for college. The show has spent all season building to this moment, and it earns every bit of its emotional payoff.
The goodbye itself is simple. No long speeches, no dramatic declarations. Just a father and daughter at an airport, doing what families do: holding on and letting go at the same time.
"You good?" Alice asks. "I will be," Jimmy says. "Are you?" Alice's response: "I will be too."
It's perfect because it's honest. Neither of them is fully okay, and neither pretends to be. But they trust—in themselves, in each other, in what they've built—that they will be.
Paul's Decision
Paul's arc this season has been about acceptance, and the finale delivers his resolution with grace. He announces he's reducing his practice to just a few patients—the ones he's seen for years, the ones who specifically need him.
The scene where he tells Jimmy is the episode's other emotional peak. "You're ready," Paul says. "I trained you for this." Jimmy's response—"You trained me for everything except saying goodbye to you"—hits hard.
But this isn't goodbye. Paul isn't retiring completely. He's just... adjusting. Learning to be what he can be instead of mourning what he was. It's the lesson he's been teaching all along, finally applied to himself.
Gaby's Crossroads
Gaby's season-long subplot about the prestigious job offer comes to a head. The position would mean leaving the practice, leaving her friends, starting over somewhere new.
The show doesn't resolve this definitively—Gaby is still weighing her options as the finale ends. But her conversation with Jimmy about the decision is illuminating. "Growth isn't always about leaving," Jimmy offers. "Sometimes it's about going deeper where you are."
Whether she stays or goes, Gaby's arc this season showed her becoming someone who makes choices for herself, not just in reaction to others.
The Final Scene
Shrinking's finale ends where so many of its best moments have happened: the pool house. Everyone together—Jimmy, Paul, Gaby, Liz, Brian, Derek—for no particular reason.
They're not celebrating anything. There's no crisis to manage. They're just... together. Being present with people who have become family.
The final shot is Jimmy, alone for a moment, looking at the empty chair where his wife used to sit. He doesn't cry. He smiles. Then he rejoins his friends.
Grief doesn't end. But you learn to carry it. And you learn that carrying it is easier when you're not alone.
Finale Rating: 5/5 stars - A perfect ending to a perfect season.