What I’m Watching: The Shrink Next Door

The Shrink Next Door: Season 1, Episode 4 “The Foundation” (B+)

It’s incredible to see just how disconnected Ike is from reality, so intensely focused on different moments yet not processing them the way others are. He didn’t care that his wife was not happy about him filming the birth, where he proudly declared that it was a boy only to find out that he had mistaken the umbilical cord for a penis. He wasn’t paying enough attention to cancel a lavish deli catering delivery for a bris that wasn’t going to happen, and it wasn’t because he was sleep-deprived since, despite his empty offers to do what he could, he’s nowhere near as invested in being a parent as he is in bleeding Marty dry of any of his “assets.” Lowering his financial contribution to the foundation and offering to buy shots for everyone around him at the open bar were the clearest signs that he’s trying to be as minimally responsible as possible while controlling everything. Upselling the $1000 per plate to a $6000 savings for the whole table should have been appalling yet seemed perfectly in line with what he’s been consistently doing, while he can’t even be bothered to shell out money for a nurse for his babies since he doesn’t believe his wife needs the help. The $20,000 bid for the baseball was his most egregious gamble yet, and the supposed heart attack he saved Marty from was entirely of his own doing. The saddest part is that Marty met a kindred spirit who would have been good for him in Hannah, but sensing a threat to his omnipotence, Ike brought up with her for him, something that he may never know but he’ll surely be furious to find out if he can ever bring himself to see what Ike is actually doing to him.