NFL
By: Rick O’Donnell
News broke the other day for season 3 of Apple’s new darling Shrinking. After a very successful and emotional roller coaster of a season 2, season 3 might be looking to follow the same path in a different order. With, the latest casting announcement that none other than Michael J. Fox will fill a guest spot in the third season.
Of course that news should get fans minds racing especially in regards to a fan favorite in Paul. Harrison Ford’s character has been a mentor and, to a certain extent, a father figure to each character but it hasn’t come without warning. As we all know, both fictional Paul and real-life actor Michael J. Fox suffer from Parkinson’s Disease and it will play into future storylines.
It has been said that each season of Shrinking will follow a central theme. Season one was about grief, season 2 was forgiveness, and season 3 will be moving forward which also could be a crystal ball into Paul’s fate. By the end of season 2, Paul was starting to lose his battle with Parkinson’s, that is to say his condition was getting worse and he was saving his meds for when he really needed them.
How does that play into Michael J. Fox’s casting? There’s a good to fair chance that he’ll be brought in to further the Parkinson’s storyline and if you combine that with Paul’s previous condition, I wouldn’t bet on Paul surviving season 3.
Shrinking is a story rooted in emotion, trauma, and how to cope with those two things.So what if the “moving forward” from season 3 isn’t Jimmy’s recovery from the loss of his wife, but his moving forward after losing the person he looked up to the most.
Fans might be pissed that Jimmy has to face yet another heartbreaking loss, but when written correctly it will capture the spirit of the show. Maybe Fox’s character isn’t there to help Paul move on, but instead is there to help Jimmy move on.
If by mid season Paul does manage to succumb to the disease, I wouldn’t use Michael J. Fox to further Paul’s story. He’d be there to make sure Jimmy doesn’t spiral again. Next to his wife, losing Paul would be the most heartbreaking moment for Jimmy’s life. In a season about moving forward, what would that look like for Jimmy with Paul not there? Would he revert back to his old ways without his mentor to keep him on track?
Not if he had the right support around him, and he does. However, he might just need that extra push. Instead of Michael J. Fox being written as a character that makes Paul’s final days more tolerable, he should be the one to keep Jimmy on track.
Obviously, the audience, like Jimmy, is going to be gutted by the death of Paul. However, if after his whole life of keeping Jimmy at a distance we see just how much he was proud of Jimmy, it would be a totally different scene. If (insert Fox’s character name) sees Jimmy at any of the services for Paul and the two get to talking what could that look like?
What if Paul knew he needed support as well? What if he joined a support group? If each week he opens up about how great of a dad Jimmy has become, would it hurt as much? Or each time he shares, Paul speaks of how proud he is of Jimmy’s recovery? If all of that is revealed when he recognizes an upset and angry Jimmy and (Fox’s character) was excited to meet the man who was so strong and kept Paul alive in his journey. How much easier would it be for Jimmy to move forward?
If in that same moment, Jimmy isn’t buying it because of how much he was pushed away. Imagine Brian being right there and telling Jimmy that’s why he wanted to leave him the business, as his estate attorney (Brian’s real job), he had him draw up the paperwork? He knew that there would be no better man to follow in his footsteps than Jimmy.
Whatever the case may be for Shrinking, the casting choice is directly linked to the Paul/Parkinson’s storyline. Hopefully his character brings both the overwhelming joy at a moment of heartache these characters will need.
