What I’m Watching: The Shrink Next Door (Series Finale)

The Shrink Next Door: Season 1, Episode 8 “The Verdict” (B+)

Opening with a flashback of Marty helping Phyllis and her kids escape her previous relationship was a fitting introduction to the final encounter with these characters. It was sad to think about how much Marty missed in terms of time with his family, and his niece was understandably upset at him reaching out without apologizing. Phyllis made quite the entrance when she nearly broke down the door shouting for Marty to open it, and it was sweet to see them slowly reconnect as Phyllis commented about all the absurd changes Marty had made at Ike’s behest. Not wanting to burn Ike’s manuscript showed that he still felt a connection to him, but that changed when Ike showed up and reacted in the worst possible way. After seeing how Marty spoke to Bruce in the way that Ike spoke to him, it seemed like he was never going to escape, but showing Marty at a Passover seder with his family a year later was indicative of how he had broken free but was continually worried that Ike might show back up. Ike was still delusional during the hearing that took place almost in the present, and he was acting as if nothing had changed. Marty was right to point out that it wasn’t all good times, and having him end by saying they were out of time was perfect. This was an exceptionally well-done show, and I hope it earns plenty of acclaim come Emmy time for all its performances and production elements.

Season grade: A-
Season MVP: Paul Rudd as Ike

What I’m Watching: The Shrink Next Door (Penultimate Episode)

The Shrink Next Door: Season 1, Episode 7 “The Breakthrough” (B+)

I wasn’t sure what to make of the opening of this episode with Ike and Marty playing private eyes in black-and-white, but evidently Marty had become that engrossed in Ike’s life that he was imagining himself as the characters as his only real outlet. It’s hard to believe that we were already in 2010, and Ike’s selfishness had reached such a point that he was minimizing Marty’s very severe stomach problems. Ike not visiting Marty in the hospital after his surgery was one thing, but his failure to care for the koi, especially after he pretended that he would do it because it was just as important to him as it was to Marty, was the last straw. Suggesting that they move to a more expensive warehouse when Bruce presented a very real solution that they relocate to a cheaper option in New Jersey showed how delusional Ike was and how he was only concerned with the way things looked. It was therefore very affirming to see Marty surprise Ike for once by not showing up for his appointment, sending Ike to the completely cleaned-out warehouse. Refusing to take his call was a big power move, and telling him that they no longer had private offices was a particularly delicious moment. Marty telling Ike he shouldn’t come if it was a waste of his time and that Norman had fired him was fantastic, and that round of applause from everyone else in the warehouse was great, though I imagine that it won’t be so easy to undo all the damage he’s caused over the years in the final episode.

What I’m Watching: The Shrink Next Door

The Shrink Next Door: Season 1, Episode 6 “The Party” (B+)

It really is heartbreaking to see Marty completely cut out of his own life, chewed out by Ike for daring to tell someone that the house was actually his and not Marty’s. It doesn’t seem like Bonnie is going to be the ally for Marty that I thought she might have been, since she loves the attention and the luxury, though not anywhere near as much as Ike does. Skipping through so many years with the anchor of the party was a great way to show the perpetuation of this toxic relationship, and how Marty gradually became less and less a part of it. Convincing Marty to push Miriam into the pool made for an extremely uncomfortable moment, but it turned out that it could have been the most eye-opening moment possible for Marty since Miriam had been through the same thing where he had forced her to stop talking to her mother before she died. Unfortunately, even after Marty seemed moved to action by being asked about Phyllis, who he hasn’t seen for years. It was very tragic to see that, rather than run away from Ike, he chose to let him in on Miriam’s betrayal and then leave her at a convenience store by pretending that the bus broke down. The bus driver’s disappointment in him was most telling, and it’s hard to imagine how he’s ever going to break free from Ike now that he’s complicit in his life-ruining schemes. There’s no way for him to undo that harm to Miriam.

What I’m Watching: The Shrink Next Door

The Shrink Next Door: Season 1, Episode 5 “The Family Tree” (B+)

It’s painful to watch this show sometimes and see how expertly Ike manipulates Marty into giving up power over everything in his life, which in this case involved the physical memories of his parents and the tangible objects that made him think of them. Marty giving up the master bedroom for Ike and Bonnie wasn’t a surprise, and somehow that led to Ike pretending not to want to go back to the house because it would mean that Marty would need to give up his primary residence again. Forcing him to help with his book wasn’t kind, but encouraging him to cut down the tree that meant so much to him was downright cruel. Schmoozing with the neighbors he hated seemed like a step too far, but of course he was just working an angle, as usual. Expanding the house makes absolutely no sense, but this show still has three episodes left, and Ike doesn’t seem to be anywhere near stopping his freewheeling use of all Marty’s assets. Ike is evidently projecting much of his complicated feelings towards his father on Marty, but he’s not going to let anyone tell him that. Bruce is making every effort imaginable to warn Marty of what’s going to happen, but it’s too late for him to be able to see it, let alone do anything about it. I can’t imagine that those in Marty’s orbit will feel much sympathy for him if he’s ever able to break free of Ike’s domineering influence given how he’s treated them.

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.

Take Three: The Shrink Next Door

The Shrink Next Door: Season 1, Episode 3 “The Treatment” (B+)

It’s fascinating to watch how Ike is able to subtly suggest things to Marty and then make it seem like it’s an idea he’s not really sure about, making Marty the one to push it since he now believes it to be his own invention. Hearing about how he made a fake alter ego who helps him collect payments was cause enough for concern, but that was just the tip of the iceberg in terms of what Ike was able to get Marty to do in this episode. Connecting him to a Broadway producer who, like Marty, thought that it probably wasn’t a good fit since he didn’t want to be a guinea pig, was his latest big scheme, and Phyllis was right to be concerned about cutting costs with the fireproofing that nearly ended up sending the entire theater up in flames. The bigger issue was that Marty’s invitation for him to come to “industrial psychology” for the staff at his store came with him having to pay for all the sessions that Ike wasn’t able to conduct during that time. Offering him a full-time job is even more problematic, and Phyllis isn’t going to be happy at all with that very concerning development. Ike almost won Phyllis over when he talked to her about her feelings and how no one saw her, but inserting judgment on her behavior was his undoing, and now she has it out for him more than ever. Knowing more about Marty’s finances and treasured possessions is only going to give Ike more influence and power.

Round Two: The Shrink Next Door

The Shrink Next Door: Season 1, Episode 2 “The Ceremony” (B+)

This may be the most Jewish show I’ve ever watched, competing with “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel” for the sheer volume of expressions and references tossed around with no explanation. What this episode did that the other hasn’t is to include a heavy amount of Hebrew, and I wouldn’t have imagined I’d ever had the chance to hear Paul Rudd and Will Ferrell chant a Torah portion together. I have to commend Rudd on his pronunciation and delivery, while Ferrell is still pretty impressive, especially considering the fact that he never had a Bar Mitzvah since he’s not Jewish and that Marty is not meant to doing a terrific job. It’s fascinating watching just how enthusiastic Ike gets about everything, and how he managed to throw a huge party for himself where even the videographer didn’t care what Marty had to say when he mistook him for someone other than the Bar Mitzvah boy. Phyllis is making her opinion clear about Ike and his dangerous influence, but that just means that Ike is going to work harder to convince Marty that his sister doesn’t actually care about him even though she’s the one who convinced him to do therapy in the first place. That scene at work with Marty trying to chew Phyllis out for being late and her not taking it all was fantastic to watch – Kathryn Hahn is such a great actress. I am intrigued by the relationship between Ike and his wife Bonnie, played by Casey Wilson from “Black Monday,” and I’m curious to see how she reacts to Ike’s manipulation of Marty and the way in which he’s very unsubtly taking over his life.

Pilot Review: The Shrink Next Door

Check out my one-minute take on every new pilot, which is embedded below and you can also watch by subscribing to movieswithabe on YouTube.