The Shrink Next Door Episode Four: The Foundation
Starring: Will Ferrell, Paul Rudd, Katherine Hahn, Casey Wilson
Series Summary: Inspired by the true story of Marty and the therapist who turned his life around…then took it over. When he first meets Dr. Ike, Marty just wants to get better at boundaries. Over 30 years, he’ll learn all about them—and what happens when they get crossed.
If you missed our review on episodes 1-3 then be sure to check those out here.
Episode 4 and more in 5, we really start to dig into Dr. Ike, and more importantly we see his home life and how he interacts with his wife. It’s true that in previous episodes we got snippets of this but, I think that this is the first time when we really get a crystal-clear picture. The episode starts with Bonnie bringing not one but two children into the world. This clearly tests the already rocky and uneven marriage and it further highlights just how selfish and unfeeling Rudd’s Ike is. In this episode and especially the next one, we start to see the truly vile and disturbing nature of Ike and how he uses people to get what he wants. This not only means gaslighting poor Bonnie but of course, using Marty as his own personal piggy bank. Indeed, in The Foundation we see how bold and reckless Ike is with Marty’s money, something that was previously established in the third episode. We also see how Ike employs gaslighting. What is great about this specific episode is, not only does Casey Wilson finally get to flex her incredible acting range, but it’s evident that the showrunners don’t see her as merely a background character.
Yes, Will Ferrell’s Marty and Paul Rudd’s Dr. Ike are the main focus, but it doesn’t mean that you can push someone like Bonnie into the shadows. Katherine Hahn is sadly only in this episode briefly, but I was happy to see Wilson’s character come into her own. As always Rudd and Ferrell really have this strange and undeniable chemistry that is, outside of the great direction, the glue that holds this brilliant show together. Overall, this was a great episode and certainly it starts to get darker.
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Big film nerd and TCM Obsessed. Author of The Ultimate Guide to Strange Cinema from Schiffer Publishing. Resume includes: AMC’s The Bite, Scream Magazine etc. Love all kinds of movies and television and have interviewed a wide range of actors, writers, producers and directors. I currently am a regular co-host on the podcast The Humanoids from the Deep Dive and have a second book in the works from Bear Manor.
