‘Shrinking’ Season 3, Episode 3 welcomes the “iconic” Jeff Daniels as Jimmy’s dad Randy: “He’s just incredible”

It’s D-Day, Shrinking fans! And by that, we mean it’s Delivery Day for Brian (Michael Urie) and Charlie (Devin Kawaoka), and Dad Day for Jimmy (Jason Segel).

Shrinking‘s impressive Season 3 guest star parade is now running three weeks strong. The premiere welcomed award-winning actor, author, and Parkinson’s advocate Michael J. Fox as Gerry, a Parkinson’s patient who befriends Harrison Ford’s Paul. Episode 2 introduced Gaby’s new patient, Maya (Sherry Cola) and Sean’s ex Marisol (Isabella Gomez). And in Episode 3, aptly titled “D-Day,” we finally meet Jimmy’s dad, Randy, played by Emmy winner Jeff Daniels.

When we first meet Randy, he’s having dinner with Jimmy, Alice, and Summer. Alice admits she hasn’t seen her grandpa in forever, and Jimmy makes it clear that Randy’s visit was unexpected. (Had he known, he would have bought beer instead of serving one of Summer’s Black Cherry White Claws!) Turns out, Randy only stopped by because there was a car show in the area, which doesn’t make Jimmy feel great. Nor does Randy disapproving of the baby blue paint on his ’72 vintage Bronco, calling him “Jimbo” against his will, or telling Alice that he’s “always had trouble asking girls out.”

As Randy works the room, you can see Jimmy — ahem — shrinking. He’s noticeably quieter and more subdued at the dinner table as years of repressed trauma bubbles up. And while Jimmy is soft, vulnerable, and in-tune with his emotions, Randy proudly presents a tougher, more traditionally masculine exterior to the world. As Brian would say, their father/son relationship seems “Cats: The Musical The Movie bad” — so bad that when Alice goes to ask Randy to attend her graduation, Jimmy cuts her off and calls her into the kitchen.

“Hey, you know how I love it when you give me shit, right?” Jimmy asks. “I hate it, but my heart sings when you include me. But him? I’m glad you guys have a good relationship. I really am. For me, it’s like a little more complicated.”

Alice understands and gives her dad grace. When Randy asks what her question was before he leaves, she puts Jimmy’s feelings first and doesn’t invite her grandpa to graduation. As Jimmy vents about his dad never remembering his birthday on a hike with Paul (Harrison Ford) and Gaby (Jessica Williams) the next day, it’s clear that he and his dad have serious unresolved issues and he’s terrified of getting hurt again.

Despite Randy and Jimmy’s complex relationship, there’s no doubt that Daniels’ has the got the dramatic chops, charm, and humor needed to shine on Shrinking. With nearly 100 IMDb credits to his name and starring roles in everything from films like Dumb and Dumber to series like The Newsroom and A Man in Full, Daniels brings even more star power to the Apple TV comedy. His scenes with Summer were perfect, he believably resembles Jason Segel, and Lukita Maxwell had nothing but praise for her on-screen grandpa in an interview with DECIDER.

“He’s iconic. I remember Jeff Daniels from the first movie I ever saw him in. I was homeschooled and wasn’t allowed to watch a lot of movies, but one of the DVDs on my family DVD shelf was Because of Winn-Dixie. So Jeff Daniels was like one of the first actors that I feel like I knew was like an actor,” Maxwell shared. “He’s just incredible. He’s a cool guy on set. He walks around with a guitar and then he’ll just be doing a little ditty, and then we go for a take and he’ll crush a scene.”

Without spoiling anything, this thankfully isn’t the last time we see Daniels in Shrinking Season 3. So Maxwell left us with the following tease: “Oh my god, watching him and Jason work together? Amazing.”

New episodes of Shrinking Season 3 premiere Wednesdays on Apple TV.