Spoilers for Shrinking Season 2, Episode 9 are forward! When you aren’t caught up, you may stream the comedy with an Apple TV+ subscription and catch new episodes on Wednesdays.
Whereas it’s mentioned with a type of humorous tone, I couldn’t assist however get emotional when Brian requested Jimmy: “I would like you to assist me not be me,” within the ninth episode of Shrinking’s second season. After a gathering about discovering a child to undertake, Michael Urie’s character was feeling very self-conscious about himself, and he determined to ask his greatest pal (who can also be a therapist) for help. Nonetheless, it ended up being an exquisite and reflective scene that confirmed Brian’s immense development.
So, once I interviewed the Shrinking forged about their season on the 2024 TV schedule, I requested Michael Urie about this pivotal second Brian had with Jimmy. In response, he defined its significance and why his character acts the best way he does, which makes it much more particular to me.
To start, the Goodrich actor instructed me that when he will get a two-person scene for Shrinking he thinks about who’s appearing as therapist and affected person in mentioned second. On this case, Brian requested Jimmy for assist, which is a big deal, as he defined:
Each time I get a scene between two folks, I at all times assume, ‘Okay, which of us is the affected person and which is the therapist on this scene?’ And it switches quite a bit. You realize, even Brian is usually the therapist and generally he is the affected person. So I am at all times seeking to that. And clearly the Jimmy [and] Brian scene you’re speaking about, he is full-on saying, ‘I am your affected person. I would like your assist.’ I feel that is one thing that he would not have finished a yr earlier, six months earlier.
He’s proper, this second does present how a lot Brian has grown as a personality. Earlier than going by means of this course of and actually opening as much as Jimmy about their relationship, this in all probability wouldn’t have occurred. That alone makes the scene additional particular and emotional.
Nonetheless, Michael Urie’s background on the lead-up to this second and the significance of how Jimmy and Brian’s relationship has developed this season provides much more to the importance of this remedy scene. Persevering with to mirror on why his character requested for assist from Jason Segel’s therapist particularly, the actor mentioned:
I feel they’d an enormous second of development to start with of Season 2 when Brian says, ‘Would we now have been buddies if we met as we speak?’ I feel that is a really true sentiment amongst long-time, long-term friendships, particularly when one [friend] was within the closet firstly. And it is one thing that I’ve skilled firsthand, as a result of once we are within the closet, we’re not our true selves. So it is a very pure factor as soon as we’re out to need to re-examine the whole lot.
This level he made can also be one thing Jimmy instructed Brian throughout their dialog. He received actual along with his pal about his previous and the way it’s impacted his “the whole lot goes my means” facade that will get put up over his insecurities.
To that time, the Ugly Betty actor related that concept to the storyline of Brian and his husband discovering a child. It’s an emotional time for his character, and it has induced him to do a number of inward reflection, because the Broadway star defined:
And I feel that restart in Brian’s life, when he type of began over once more, is on the core of all of his neuroses about being a husband, about being a father, about being a pal. It is like this second the place he needed to type of develop into a toddler once more and develop up, and do it with such false bravado. I imply, that was type of his entire character was based mostly on confidence and cockiness, however that was a masks for a man who wasn’t positive who he was.
Together with addressing all of that, Jimmy additionally complimented Brian’s development as a human and the power of him and his associate, Charlie. They’re a fantastic couple, and so they stability one another splendidly. Whereas this has been an overwhelmingly optimistic improvement for Urie’s character, it has additionally induced a little bit of panic, as he instructed me:
And he is fallen in love with any individual who is aware of precisely who he’s and is aware of precisely what he needs, which is definitely superb for Brian and laborious each time. It is laborious for him to face each time.
This season, we’ve seen a number of emotional development from Brian, particularly. Between serving to Brett Goldstein’s tragic character Louis, supporting his buddies and occurring this journey with Charlie towards parenthood, Urie’s character doesn’t want to vary one bit. In reality – as Jimmy mentioned – he’s rising in a superbly optimistic course.
General, it is emotional evolution and candid conversations like this that make Shrinking one of many greatest exhibits on Apple TV+. Nonetheless, attending to study concerning the larger which means behind them makes them much more important and highly effective.