While the first episode of season one ended with Jimmy jumping up and down in confusion, reveling in his success, the first episode of season two has an even more shocking, game-changing ending. Early flashbacks to the scene of Tia’s death set the stage for a trip down memory lane, but the arrival of Brett Goldstein’s Mr. Winston, the drunk driver who killed her, sets the stage for the next season.
Two scenes between Jimmy and Alice provide a stark contrast. They talked in his office, and she begged him to be open and honest with her, explaining how happy she was to have her father back – after he had made a shocking statement about his day by yelling at his wife’s killer. When she lies beyond belief, she risks being thrown out of the window.
It’s so awkward when he starts “talking about cars” just seconds after she tells him she passed her driving test, but in all three scenes Jason Segel and Lukita Maxwell both It’s electric. In the office, the balance of guilt and love on Siegel’s face perfectly matches Maxwell’s expression of despair. His panicked “yeah, that’s good, that’s great” is completely unconvincing, and that’s exactly the point. Siegel makes Jimmy look devastated early in the series—the lowest we’ve ever seen him—and in flashbacks, his reaction is exactly what it should be.
After Summer comes up with the only good idea, they both write a letter to Winston, which leads to a very sweet moment. It touches on the broader themes of episode two and Paul’s “desire reversal” strategy: imagine the worst possible outcome of a situation you fear, and accept it. “Pain sets me free.”
But that’s not the case. The pain of remembering her mother’s death again puts Alice in a state where she is unable to drive, and when she finally gets the keys, she goes to see Winston. They may have a great day, but facing an unforgettable past is very different than any other day. There’s a clear lack of closure in each of them, and the energy of Winston’s presence is mesmerizing. How do you deal with the reappearance of such a painful past?
This is also a topic that suddenly occurred to Sean. His job with Jimmy allows him to live his life every day, but facing his military past still terrifies him. So, he doesn’t actually see his old friends because he doesn’t want to revisit Afghanistan, and he’s worried about what to do with Liz and the food truck when a food blogger wants to do an interview.
It was great to see Sean adopt a different approach to treatment after Jimmy asked Paul to accept him as a patient, as was seeing Paul in action. Harrison Ford’s blend of caring and cynicism is so delightful, and the sense of calm and intelligence that Paul brings to his sessions is therapeutic in itself. Sean’s application of Paul’s advice worked wonders for himself and the episode, and his imagined impression of Liz’s outburst was eerily accurate.
But Paul is becoming more resilient. He may not be a fan of Jim Young, but just as his understudy can learn a lot, so can his mentor. Since Sean abandoned his patient Raymond (Neil Flynn), Paul has the same number of patients, but one less friend. So, despite telling Jimmy that he’s always right and Jimmy isn’t, Paul goes to see Raymond for a drink. The relationship between Ford and Flynn had a lot of potential, but from a character perspective, Paul’s perspective of caring for his patients was heartwarming. The same goes for his love for Julie (Wendy Malek), which has an “Oops, I was worried you’d say that” moment but is nonetheless rewarding. Considering how bad Paul’s situation is, and considering how lonely he is when we first meet him, he definitely deserves to be happy.
The same goes for Gabby. It’s been a tough few episodes for her, having to deal with issues between her mom and sister, as well as the stress of moving and her unhealthy romance with Jimmy. Their fight at the end of episode two was brutal, and Jimmy deserved it. Paul told him at the premiere that it wasn’t Sean’s job to fix him, and the same goes for Gabby. They are both traumatized by the same source, and their situation does no one any good. Jessica Williams brilliantly balances anger and pain in the final scene and earns all the sympathy.
But as we begin the season with Jimmy’s nightmare of being pushed off a cliff (here by Paul, just as patient Grace pushed her husband Donnie, though he survived), and in Winston’s Outside the House ends the second episode, a reminder of how tightly connected we—and these characters—are in the past. The new season of this wonderful show is off to a riveting, brilliant start.
