The Apple TV+ comedy drama, Shrinking, is about a grieving therapist, Jimmy Laird, who has lost his wife, Tia, in a car accident. He gives brutally honest advice to clients and, going against work ethics, often tries unconventional methods to usher significant change in their lives. Jimmy's life turns upside down when a client, Louis Winston, visits his office one day, to tell him he is the drunk driver responsible for the accident that claimed Tia's life.
In the Season 2 finale that streams on December 25, 2024, Louis reaches his lowest point and attempts to end his life but Jimmy saves him. Read on to know more about what happened to Louis, and to understand the ending of Shrinking Season 2.
What do we know about Louis and what happens to him in the Shrinking Season 2 finale?
Throughout the season, Louis's storyline is anchored by his connection with the death of Jimmy's wife. As one of Jimmy's clients, Louis re-enters his life and stirs up deep emotions. He is confronted by Jimmy's teenage daughter, Alice, at the coffee shop where he works, even as the therapist's best friend, Brian, understands Louis is in pain on meeting him. Brian befriends him and eventually Alice, too, forgives Louis and chooses to spend time with him.
Jimmy considers these gestures of his best friend and daughter as betrayals, while Alice gets angry with her father when she gets to know that he told Louis not to talk to her. Jimmy never liked Louis' proximity to Alice or his presence in his own life, because Louis reminds him of how he has failed to support his daughter after Tia's death.
As Alice and Brian become Louis' friends, it helps the latter ease some of the guilt and trauma of what he has done to Tia. Jimmy, dealing with a rollercoaster of emotions, however, never acknowledges Louis' progress.
Meanwhile, Louis starts showing further improvement when he makes a friend at work. The new friend later cuts ties with him and uninvites him from Thanksgiving when he gets to know about Louis' past, which once again leaves the latter alone and distressed. This leads to Louis' attempted suicide in the finale of Shrinking, by jumping onto the train track. Jimmy saves him despite what happened in the past.
Why did Jimmy save Louis in Shrinking? The ending explained.
In the opening of the Season 2 finale, we see Jimmy talking to his colleague and senior therapist Paul, and accepting the mistakes he has made toward his daughter Alice, following Tia's death. Paul emphasises that Jimmy's biggest hurdle with forgiveness isn’t with the man who killed his wife but with himself after what he has done with Alice.
In Episode 11, Jimmy admits to Paul that he needs to make amends with Louis and reach the train tracks on time. This is followed by a scene where Louis and Jimmy are sitting on a bench at the station. The scene depicts the importance of forgiveness and how the protagonists are helping each other to work through their struggles and heal. Meanwhile, Alice realizes she loves her dad too much, to cut all ties from him.
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In a nutshell, the finale of Shrinking tells us the importance of forgiveness and community. The season is all about two men suffering because they are unable to forgive each other and themselves. The Episode 6 scene, where Alice forgives Louis, is a turning point in the character's life.
Even other storyline that unfolds in the series, including Liz and Derek's marriage or Sean and his father's relationship, boils down to themes of forgiveness, love, and support that one receives from loved ones. Jimmy gets emotional support from Paul who, in turn, was struggling with Parkinson's and had the support of his loved ones.
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