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Oct 30, 2024

'Shrinking' Season 2 Soundtrack: Angie McMahon's "Letting Go" Needle Drop In Episode 3, Explained

Shrinking Season 2 is back, and in addition to more stellar writing, hilarious and heartfelt performances, and A+ Harrison Ford scenes, Apple TV+‘s acclaimed comedy returns with another iconic

Shrinking Season 2 is back, and in addition to more stellar writing, hilarious and heartfelt performances, and A+ Harrison Ford scenes, Apple TV+‘s acclaimed comedy returns with another iconic soundtrack.

Fans of the series know that Christa Miller stars as the equally terrifying and lovable Liz, but the actor also serves as Shrinking‘s music supervisor, so Decider made sure to ask about her favorite Season 2 music moment when catching up ahead of the premiere.

Each episode features carefully curated songs that help scenes hit harder and evoke strong emotions, but the final song in Season 2, Episode 3, “Psychological Something-ism,” is a serious standout in Miller’s mind.

“I’m really excited about one scene that was really tricky to do, because we had to go from the end of one scene that has one feeling to a totally other scene where Lukita is having some sort of breakdown,” Miller told Decider over Zoom. ” I was able to find a song, and I found it when I was sitting with my husband [Shrinking creator Bill Lawrence]. It came on by this artist, who I loved, named Angie McMahon. It’s called ‘Letting Go.’“

In an impressive move, the song spans the final four minutes of the episode, starting in Jimmy’s (Jason Segel) therapy office after Grace (Heidi Gardner) realizes she needs to leave her abusive husband for good. As Grace and her sister drive off in a U-Haul truck on the road to a better life, the song carries us to a scene in which Paul (Ford) and Julie (Wendie Malick) sit down with his new neurologist.

Then, we check in with Jimmy, who surprises Brian (Michael Urie) and Charlie (Devin Kawaoka) for dinner and makes amends after an argument. As the friends laugh and clink their wine glasses in joy, we cut to a distraught Alice (Lukita Maxwell) who’s sitting in her driveway after an emotional café confrontation with Louis (Brett Goldstein).

That’s when “Letting Go” truly works its magic.

After Alice slams her car door and screams “Fuck!” her best friend’s boyfriend Connor (Gavin Lewis) walks over and asks if she’s all right. “No. Don’t make me talk. I don’t want to talk,” Alice replies as he hugs her and McMahon’s song starts to swell, shifting emotions in time with the show. When Connor asks what he can do to help, Alice impulsively kisses him to numb her pain as McMahon aptly sings, “It’s okay, it’s okay. Make mistakes, make mistakes.”

Reluctant to cheat on Summer (Rachel Stubington), Connor initially pulls away. But when Alice asks him to kiss her, the two lock lips again and McMahon’s soft vocals get louder, mirroring their heightened passion and the severity of the move. As the mistake-making anthem blares, the camera pulls back to fully capture the neighbors’ passionate make-out session, and Shrinking fades to black as the song continues.

“To me, A. It’s such a great song. B. [Angie McMahon is] so kick ass. And C. I just had that moment with my husband so late, because we were originally going to do two songs and then this came on and I was like, ‘It can span two totally difference scenes which is kind of impossible,” Miller explained. “And we had struggled — I had struggled with that episode musically. Then it came together, and it’s one of my favorite placements that I’ve ever done.”

McMahon’s vocals carry us into the Episode 3’s end credits, bringing one of TV’s most badass, perfectly placed music moments to a close. (I actually got chills and rewound the scene the first time I watched — the song selection was that perfect.) “Letting Go” not only gets viewers in their feels and adds extra levels of understanding and intensity to Alice and Connor’s mistake, but it successfully leaves Shrinking fans unshakably hyped for Season 4, which premieres on Wednesday, October 30.

While you eagerly await Shrinking‘s return, be sure to check out Decider’s in-depth coverage of the show, including our review, interviews, and more behind-the-scenes insights into Season 2. Oh, and listen to Angie McMahon on repeat, obviously!

New episodes of Shrinking premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV+.