Shrinking: Paul-centric ep delivers a different kind of Harrison Ford hero
Shrinking was back with a new episode this week and of course it was great. Every show they’ve had so far has been. But this week we got almost a Paul-centric episode, with Harrison Ford sharing time with almost every character on the show.
And it was as terrific as you’d expect it to be.
From that first scene with Gaby showing up late to pick him up (that lead to a “woof”), to the last shot of the episode that cut right when he was about to tell his daughter about his Parkinson’s diagnosis, it was top notch television.
Harrison Ford had us laughing. From asking what the *bleep* is Switch (it’s a Nintendo video game console), to trying to pull off the hat in the park with Alice, it was all working.
We also have to talk about the amazing chemistry he has with everybody he’s on screen with. The talks with Gaby are some of the best parts of the show. He had no previous time with Sean, but Paul grabbed a beer and put both the patient and his doctor, Jimmy, back on track in a fashion that only he could
And I’ve mentioned before how great “Shrinking” has been about addressing mental health among veterans (story HERE). I continue to be grateful for that.
And let’s revisit that final scene. Paul is obviously frightened to tell Meg about his illness and his voice starts breaking. It was so powerful.
I understand that when Ford is finally done, we’ll remember him for Indiana Jones and Han Solo. But let’s pull this episode of television as well because he shows how awesome he is regardless of whether he’s saving the galaxy or just a single person.
I’ll see you next time.