Shrinking Season 2 Soundtrack Guide: Every Song From Every Episode

Warning: This article contains spoilers from Shrinking season 2, episodes 1-7.The Shrinking season 2 soundtrack contains a wide range of songs that tie into the themes and plot twists of the Apple TV+ comedy series. Shrinking season 2’s story sees therapist Jimmy Laird (Jason Segel) continuing an unorthodox approach to how he helps his patients while also continuing to grieve the death of his wife, Tia (Lilan Bowden). Jimmy’s approach is challenged by his mentor, Dr. Paul Rhoades (Harrison Ford), who insists on establishing boundaries between therapists and their patients.

After the Shrinking season 1 ending, which saw Jimmy’s patient, Grace (Heidi Gardner) push her emotionally abusive boyfriend off a cliff, both she and Jimmy must grapple with the fallout of her actions. Meanwhile, Jimmy and Paul’s colleague, Gaby (Jessica Williams), has to balance being a therapist alongside her new teaching job, along with deciding what to do about her relationship with Jimmy. The songs in each of Shrinking‘s episodes elevate the various storylines and challenges that the characters face in season 2.

Shrinking Season 1, Episode 1 Songs

“Jimmying”

“Born Under A Sun” by Albert King: Shrinking season 2, episode 1’s first song can be heard when Paul and his girlfriend, Dr. Julie Baram (Wendie Malick) are seen dancing to it. They are interrupted by Gaby, who picks up Paul every morning to drive him to work. She is ecstatic to see the private and gruff Paul enjoying an intimate dance with his girlfriend, leading Gaby to take pictures of the dance so she can forever immortalize this memory.

“Your Love” by The Outfield: “Your Love” can briefly be heard when Gaby is driving Paul to work. As she asks him increasingly personal questions about his relationship with Julie, including whether they are going to get married, Paul tries to distract from the conversation by turning on the radio and singing along to “Your Love.” While Gaby usually enjoys singing along with Paul during their morning car rides, she quickly turns the radio off this time, as she is more interested in discussing his relationship with Julie.

“Hollow Heart” by C. James: Toward the end of the episode, the song “Hollow Heart” plays when Paul goes to Julie’s house and admits that he loves her, a difficult thing to admit for a man who usually does not allow himself to be emotionally vulnerable around others, even around his loved ones. The song continues when Jimmy comes home and discusses with Sean (Luke Tennie) how Paul will be his therapist now, with Paul helping Jimmy realize that this is what is best for Sean.

“Looking Too Closely” by Fink: The final song that plays into the credits of Shrinking season 2’s first episode is “Looking Too Closely”. The song begins as Sean begins his first session with Paul, which is a significant, but important change in his therapy. The music continues as Jimmy walks into the waiting room and is both shocked and angered to see Louis (Brett Goldstein), who was the drunk driver involved in the accident that killed Tia.

Shrinking Season 2, Episode 2 Songs

“I Love Pain”

“Never Been Better” by Ben Abraham: “Never Been Better” begins to play when Jimmy throws his car keys toward his daughter, Alice (Lukita Maxwell), and films it so he can turn the moment into a sentimental father-daughter video. The song continues to be heard when Paul goes to meet a former patient, Raymond (Neil Flynn) at a bar, a surprising and momentous sign of Paul blurring some of the boundaries he insists on maintaining between his personal and professional lives. “Never Been Better” continues to reflect the characters’ attitudes as Sean returns home in a good mood after working through his feelings with Paul.

“Cope” by AKA lisa: “Cope” helps reveal where Alice took the car and that she is struggling more with news of Louis’ visit than she let on to Jimmy. Alice sits on top of her father’s car after parking it outside of Louis’ house. She peers into the window at the man involved in the death of her mother, a man she holds responsible for the devastating loss she has endured, and whose presence now troubles her – a potentially significant moment of foreshadowing for the rest of Shrinking season 2.

Shrinking Season 2, Episode 3 Songs

“Psychological Something-ism”

“Seasons” by Bebe Rexha and Dolly Parton: “Seasons” plays on the radio in Jimmy’s car when Alice drops off her best friend, Summer, (Rachel Stubington) at home. Alice’s mind is elsewhere as she dwells on a memory shown via flashback of her mother dropping her off at soccer practice and proudly yelling about how much she loves her daughter. The song revolves around struggling with change and the passing of time, both of which Alice is struggling with in the aftermath of her mother’s death. These challenges are further heightened as she tries to figure out what she is going to do about Louis.

“Letting Go” by Angie McMahon: Shrinking‘s cast of characters let go of the things holding them back, beginning with Grace realizing she can forgive herself as she and her sister drive away in a moving van. Paul attends an appointment with his new neurologist alongside Julie, allowing himself to be vulnerable around his girlfriend. Jimmy then goes over to Brian’s (Michael Urie) for dinner, and they start a new weekly tradition as they let go of the resentment that led to their fight earlier in the Shrinking episode. The song also plays as Alice lets go for the wrong reasons and kisses Connor (Gavin Lewis).

Shrinking Season 2, Episode 4 Songs

“Made You Look”

“Bad Decisions” by The Strokes: “Bad Decisions” plays from the moment that Shrinking season 2, episode 4, “Made You Look” begins. It is a fitting song choice, as the first scene shows Alice and Connor waking after making the bad decision to have sex together the night before. Sleeping with her best friend’s boyfriend, who Summer described as the best thing in her life right now, is the ultimate bad decision that Alice could have made. The song appropriately resumes as Alice tries to quietly leave Connor’s house, which involves her falling off the balcony and into her backyard.

“Age of Anxiety I” by Arcade Fire: “Age of Anxiety I” begins to be heard as Paul tells his daughter, Meg (Lily Rabe), that after years of being a therapist, he has a sense of when bad things are about to happen. As he continues to explain this, Gaby ignores a call from her sister, Courtney (Courtney Taylor). It is later revealed that Courtney was calling about their mother being in a car accident. The song also includes shots of Louis looking sad and conflicted while he holds the wallet that Alice accidentally left behind at the coffee shop.

“Give Us The Precious (Lord of the Rings Trap)” by 2Padre$: When Damon Wayans Jr.’s Shrinking season 2 character, Derrick, came over to Gaby’s house for a morning date, she told him that she had this remix queued up to play and that it would last 30 minutes long. Gaby did not get much of a chance to listen to it due to her sister, Courtney, calling and Gaby finding out their mother was in the hospital. She enjoyed the music temporarily before heading out, leaving Derrick to both enjoy and question who created this strange remix as he helped finish a few household matters for Gaby.

“Iris” by Goo Goo Dolls: “Iris” briefly plays while Jimmy watches the video he made of throwing his car keys to Alice when she asked to drive his car. Jimmy wanted to turn it into a sentimental father-daughter moment, with “Iris” being the perfect sentimental song for such a video. After not being there for Alice during the year after Tia’s death, Jimmy is trying to make up for it, and that includes making a big deal out of small moments, as he treats her taking the car keys as a major milestone to be celebrated far and wide.

“Your Mind Is Not Your Friend” by The National: The final song in this Shrinking episode begins to play as Louis walks away from Jimmy and Alice’s house. Despite Louis saying that he is doing okay, he is clearly in pain. Louis’ mind and imagination have not been kind to him since the car accident, as he has continued to punish himself for what happened that night. Brian knows he should leave the situation alone, but he goes after Louis, because he can see how much pain Louis is in and wants to help.

Shrinking Season 2, Episode 5 Songs

“Honesty Era”

“Bittersweet” by Marc Sibilia: Shrinking season 2, episode 5 is light on pre-existing music, except for “Bittersweet” kicking in when Jimmy goes to be a supportive friend to Gaby as she wrestles with family dilemmas. Seeing their friendship rekindled is sweet, as are other moments that occur as the song continues to play, including Paul reconciling with his ex-wife, Susan (Kelly Bishop) as they drink from a flask at Meg’s lecture, and Alice making peace with Liz (Christa Miller) after the drama with Connor. The bitterness comes when Sean gives in to his inner demons by antagonizing the construction workers and getting beaten up.

Shrinking Season 2, Episode 6 Songs

“In a Lonely Place”

“One (Remix)” by Alexis Ffrench: “One” begins to play when Sean is visited in the hospital by his father, Tim (Kenajuan Bentley). After talking with Jimmy and Paul, Tim has a better understanding of how he let Sean down, but he also better understands how to help his son. “One” is a song about rekindling unity, which works well with Tim going to Sean, admitting to the mistakes he made, and making it clear that he is now here to support Sean however he can.

“Escape (John Summit Remix)” by Kx5, deadmau5, & Kaskade: The episode concludes with this song playing when Liz goes to see her old friend, Mac (Josh Hopkins), and continuing into the end credits. The song lyrics refer to the narrator escaping with the person they are addressing, and how they are grateful that this person does not make them feel invisible. This embodies how Liz is feeling invisible to her husband, Derek (Ted McGinley), and to everyone else, but Mac offers a potential escape from this feeling in Shrinking season 2.

Shrinking Season 2, Episode 7 Songs

“Get in the Sea”

“Somebody Else” by The 1975: “Get in the Sea” follows through on the tease of Liz cheating on Derek as she goes to Mac’s microbrewery and kisses him while “Somebody Else” plays in the background. The kiss is brief, and Liz immediately realizes she made a mistake and quickly leaves, but the damage has already been done. She spends the rest of the episode trying to figure out how to deal with this infidelity, as she does not want to destroy her marriage with Derek.

“Into the Ether” by Leif Vollebekk: “Into the Ether” accompanies two difficult reveals at the end of Shrinking season 2, episode 7. Liz tells Derek about kissing Mac, which deeply hurts him, as he explains that he does not ask for much in their marriage, since he always thought their relationship was solid. Meanwhile, Jimmy sees Alice, Brian, and Louis having dinner together, and realizes that they have been keeping their meetings from him, a revelation that visibly wounds him.

In this series, a therapist grappling with personal tragedy begins to employ a radically candid approach with his clients and in his personal life. As he navigates his roles as a father, friend, and professional, his newfound method leads to unexpected consequences and self-discovery.

Cast

Jason Segel , Luke Tennie , Michael Urie , Lukita Maxwell , Harrison Ford , Jessica Williams , Christa Miller , Ted McGinley , Heidi Gardner , Devin Kawaoka , Lilan Bowden , Kimberly Condict , Lily Rabe , Tilky Jones , Rachel Stubington , Wendie Malick , Sawyer Jones , Mike C. Nelson , Matt Knudsen , Kenajuan Bentley , Adam Foster Ballard

Release Date

January 26, 2023

Seasons

2

Directors

Bill Lawrence

Showrunner

Bill Lawrence

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