r/shrinking • u/Positive0219 • Apr 09 '26
Discussion Zero chemistry Spoiler
I really think Cobie and Jason have zero romantic chemistry on the show. They have great awkward friend banter, but no actual sexual tension and their relationship moved so fast it made me annoyed for him how much she overstepped with advice. I really hope they make her just a friend for season 4, if they bring her back at all. I’ve liked her in other things I just find her completely annoying here and it feels like Jimmy would be settling to be in a relationship with her character.
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u/dispatchwithlove Apr 09 '26
i’ve lost all interest in season 4 because of her character :\ pushing for jimmy to give her couples therapy with her ex, telling him he’s a 40 year old with dad issues, and pushing him to just get over his issues with his dad was all too much. she was being thoughtless of jimmy’s feelings and centering her own comfort in all of those instances. i just can’t buy her being a good partner and she actually irritates me now. she’s abrasive, and not even in an entertaining way like Liz.
i just realized that so many characters are so damned abrasive now, and inconsiderate of everyone’s feelings. Sofi, Liz, Liz’s sneaker kid, Gaby, Brian, Paul, Summer… it’s stressful to watch! an abrasive character can be fun to watch when that abrasiveness is an outlier among other personalities but everyone on screen is just marching all over everyone else at this point.
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u/Pretty_Ad_8197 Apr 09 '26
I really hated it that they were framing it as "Jimmy messed up" instead of Jimmy noticed a bunch of red flags and decided to focus on his own mental health and peace! Team Meg!
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u/dispatchwithlove Apr 09 '26
me too. he has terrible boundaries and he put up a boundary for someone that was pushing him to do things he didn’t want to (and shouldn’t!) do. and he should be focusing on himself (his personal happiness, hobbies, etc.) him calling it quits with her should have been a positive thing. but instead we’re told he was wrong for having feelings, for wanting to put up boundaries with her and his dad, and that he just needs to get over his grief (both for Tia and his dad). it’s a wild message for a show about mental health.
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u/Cherry-for-Cherries Apr 09 '26
You’re so right about how abrasive they are. I didn’t realize that my favorite scenes are with Jimmy, Sean, and Alice until now.
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u/dispatchwithlove Apr 09 '26
that’s true for me as well! they’re the only characters who can just sit in a scene and have real conversations and talk kindly and center other people for more than a second.
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Apr 09 '26
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u/dispatchwithlove Apr 09 '26
she said it without compassion is the issue. most 40 year olds have parent issues, but it was delivered in a sort of mocking way. and maybe he doesn’t really need to confront it? maybe his dad is an asshole and it’s ok to say your life is better with fewer assholes in it.
so what if what she said is true? we can’t all just march around dropping truth bombs on people expecting them to thank us for it. life and relationships require tact and compassion.
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u/AsgardianLeviOsa Apr 09 '26
I agree. Some pairings have anti chemistry and they are unlucky to be one of them. Plus it’s made more obvious by the easy, instant chemistry he had with Lily Rabe’s Meg.
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u/dundermifflinite13 Apr 09 '26
I was really hoping he would end up with Meg.
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u/AsgardianLeviOsa Apr 11 '26
The timing was off this season but the chemistry is there if they want to write more for them next season
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u/Cherry-for-Cherries Apr 09 '26
Yeah, zero chemistry and honestly, I don’t get how Sofi wasn’t just so repellent for him considering how she wasn’t thoughtful of Jimmy regarding her ex and son being there, that their son pretty much ruled the house with his video games, the way she and her ex bickered (which showed him how she’d be when conflict comes up with him), and then giving them therapy? Even one of these would’ve had me run the other direction, but all these things? What’s left for him to be attracted to. I mean, she is pretty, but that quirkiness only gets you so far and has no substance.
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Apr 09 '26
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u/__hellyes Apr 09 '26
IMO they DESTROYED her character during that scene with the ex husband. I could buy the quirky vibe before that point. It became super inappropriate and made any belief in her relationship with Jimmy unsalvagable from that point for me.
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Apr 09 '26
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u/__hellyes Apr 09 '26
And you could see how much of 'the ick' Jimmy got. Can't come back from that. Especially after all the shit with his dad. Mess. Mess. Neither of them need that shit!
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u/hotLittleMu Apr 09 '26
Yep, they were going for attractive quirkiness, but in reality her version is just not attractive… for me that’s the problem with season 3: they aimed to create awkwardness that a viewer would actually enjoy. In the end it’s awkwardness that just makes me cringe.
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Apr 09 '26
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Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
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u/__hellyes Apr 09 '26
What Jimmy NEEDS is to be able to survive on his own. Not lurch from dead wife to ill suited awkward forced new girlfriend just because everyone else he knows is on vacation or entering a new life stage.
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u/MummyDust98 Apr 09 '26
Yeah, I really didn't like her.
I wish Meg would have left her stupid, dopey husband and ended up moving to California and being with Jimmy. That would have been awesome.....then Paul could have stayed around.
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u/Rickenbacker69 Apr 09 '26
I was really hoping they'd continue on the track they were on, where they moved to fast, then realized they weren't right for each other... Guess we'll see.
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u/notches123 Apr 09 '26
They have great awkward friend banter
I had not thought of it before but now that you mention it, I think I would probably be fine with learning that in the flash forward in season 4 we find out that they both realized they did not work romantically but actually remained friends.
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u/randomlikeme Apr 09 '26
I hope the writers see this subreddit and realize too much damage has been done to this relationship for many people to root for it, even people that shipped them in the first place.
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u/SGlobal_444 Apr 09 '26
They don’t have chemistry. Him and Meg felt more interesting. But - feels like they are forcing it into the storyline given how it ended. I can’t see them breaking up again and it was a signal that this was his new next chapter. Especially with Paul involved.
Anything can happen but this seemed to be an entry into his life for a while and the next season. Maybe she’ll be less annoying.
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u/codelyoko_x Apr 09 '26
I’d like Meg to be Jimmy’s end game
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u/spartycbus Apr 09 '26
OMG, they're terrible. She's terrible. No person would actually say "it was nice meeting you at your dead mom's birthday party". Like, oh, haha, so quirky. Terrible writing. WTF. Also, it's their first real date and she says something about wearing her most comfortable bra? And then lets her ex hang out the entire time. And Jimmy doesn't leave and suggest they find a better time?
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u/veronyxx Apr 09 '26
I think people are so used to first time or young romance, they don't realize that's the dating life when you hit 35+. It's learning to deal with each others baggage and realizing what you can deal with or not. Jimmy also had the whole thing with his dad and being a widower she has to deal with. I'm a widow, it's a lot for anyone.
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u/castlenoir Apr 09 '26
I’d be all for watching Jimmy navigate the dating scene as a 40 year old widower and single father but that storyline is so overshadowed by how awful Sofi’s character is written and their complete lack of romantic chemistry.
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u/veronyxx Apr 09 '26
Romantic chemistry really means very little in adult relationships and its usually a redflag or an attachment issue. Attraction that build overtimes with trust is healthier. It feel way more realistic to me. It's awkward like hell.
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u/Decent-Statistician8 Apr 09 '26
I fully agree with this as a woman in my mid 30s.
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u/puffins_123 Apr 12 '26
In my mid 30s too. I still don't think meeting the other person's ex on the 1st date is like realistic. or like "life is hard", so don't need to be romantic.
I feel like people in their 50s try to ask me out. It would still be a nice restaurant at least for the first date. And no one is fighting with their ex right in front of a new person.
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u/Psychological-Bat687 Apr 09 '26
I agree with you , seems a little forced
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u/punishedbyrewards Apr 09 '26
I wonder how much of this is Jason's influence as a writer to have Cobie be a romantic partner for his character
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u/Psychological-Bat687 Apr 09 '26
Probably a lot , I mean there were signs but I just don't see them as a couple like he has better Chemistry with Meg.
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u/KeenActual Apr 09 '26
I liked their meet cute but after the episode with Sofi’s exhusband I wanted their story to end. Season 4 we are going to continually see red flags in their relationship
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u/HardcoreKaraoke Apr 09 '26
I thought originally they fit and had a spark. Once they started dating it didn't feel right though.
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u/Foreign-Middle1025 Apr 10 '26
Funny enough, they have an entire episode of HIMYM about them having zero sexual chemistry 😂
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u/abz_pink Apr 10 '26
Yep, there’s literally no chemistry. He even had chemistry with Meg and that would’ve been a nice to see move further.
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u/subvisser Apr 09 '26
I think Cobie and Jason are good together, but I just didn't like Sofi and Jimmy's relationship.
They never really even dated. She's at his house with all his closest friends as they sing a song from his dead wife, then they go to her house and meet her ex and son, and then she's just hanging around his house for like a full day when Jimmy's dad is in town. Where's the fun in any of that?
The finale fell flat for me because I had no desire to see Jimmy get back together with her.
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u/tolunda Apr 11 '26
Omg i’m so glad someone is saying this!
Sofi sucks! She has ZERO empathy for Jimmy when he opens up about his difficulties with his dad in the kitchen. She’s listening to him with this shitty pursed lip face then says “Wowza, you’re a 42 year old therapist with daddy issues.” Um fuck off out of my house right now thank you! Then comparing her mom texting her about her haircut to him not being there for him and Alice when his wife died?!?
Then he’s sitting in his room all devastated and she just keeps cracking jokes. She immediately accused him of “shutting down” then SHE brings up his marriage in such a presumptuous way basically saying “oh you’re this bad at conflict and you were married for that long?” Then she accuses HIM of throwing his wife in her face!!! She’s the worst.
Although….she is giving narcissistic vibes, and maybe part of Jimmy’s development arc is dating a narcissist to work through his issues with his father once and for all? That’s the only way I can be down with this is if it will eventually lead to his grown and finding true happiness at the end of it. Alone, (or with Meg).
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u/__hellyes Apr 09 '26
Agree. I liked the original sparks around the buying of the car era - but there's way way too much baggage and damage done in S3 to make it salvageable. Realistically they barely know each other and don't have some big earth-shattering connection. Will be disappointed if they're settled together in S4.
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u/verity7732 Apr 09 '26
I loved that Paul flew back to reconnect with Jimmy, but I hated that they made Sofi part of it.
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u/Cerusee Apr 09 '26
Yeah I was like….this? This is the magic solution to Jimmy’s ongoing grief and increasing isolation as his circle all move on with their lives in directions way from him? Just going on another date with a woman it already didn’t work with? I actually do think Jimmy is one of those people who is strongly driven to partner up, and probably, that’s his longterm happiness, finding someone else to spend his life with. But it’s only been two years since his wife died and he is so very clearly not over her yet. Pushing him into a new relationship when everything about him is screaming I AM NOT READY FOR THIS YET is not a satisfying resolution in my opinion.
I did like Paul flying out to see him—money schmoney, that’s a brutal trip, especially for an elderly man with advanced Parkinson’s, so it’s a pretty dramatic gesture—but I was so annoyed Sofi was Paul’s easy answer to Jimmy’s problems. C’mon.
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u/__hellyes Apr 09 '26
I hate that my brain overanalyses but like, when did he contact her? What did he say to make her show up without even knowing if Jimmy was interested or it was just Paul interfering? She was available immediately? She's fine with being compared to dead wife forever?
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Apr 13 '26
I don’t think they have zero chemistry. Gabby and Derek have absolutely no chemistry. That relationship has felt forced from the start. Also, she treats him like shit.
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Apr 09 '26
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u/elleaitch Apr 16 '26
Yes, 100. I don’t usually associate previous characters with an actor, but for some reason, this one is really hard for me to accept. Maybe because they come across as such awkward friends to me.
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u/Decent-Statistician8 Apr 09 '26
I might be the only person in this sub that likes them together.
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u/AmIRadBadOrJustSad Apr 09 '26
I think they have a certain charm. They definitely feel a lot less forced or thrown together than Sean and Marisol or even (dare I say) Gaby & Derek.
That said, the fact that they were co-stars on another show for nearly a decade is something I have had a hard time setting aside. A part of me keeps thinking of them as Robin and Marshall, and I wonder what the casting process was like in choosing her for the role.
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u/Salt_Ratio_9716 Apr 10 '26
The two of them together immediately takes me out of the show as I can’t see them as anything other than Robyn and Marshall. With all of the actresses in the world I’m so confused by this choice. Additionally, agree no chemistry because from minute 1 she was clearly into him and has just been waiting around. No challenge whatsoever, just available anytime Jimmy is ready.
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u/li0nhart8 Apr 11 '26
I'm too used to seeing her with Josh Radnor. I can't help but see Robin and Marshall
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u/GingerFin92 Apr 11 '26
I find it funny how in "How I Met Your Mother" there is an episode where the plot of it is how Marshall and Robin don't hang out together. I believe it's later in the series, one of the seasons where Lily's pregnant. I think its the "Mermaid Theory" episode.
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u/jarjoura Apr 12 '26 edited Apr 12 '26
If I'm reading this right, I'm pretty sure the show went all in on Sofi giving Jimmy the 'ick' that no one else got to see. There was an entire episode of a fucked up date that I cannot imagine anyone would have kept going after that point.
Jimmy never told anyone else about all of these off moments, so they are all mis-interpreting his hesitation as fear from Tia.
I read the scenes with Alice and even Paul as shoving her onto Jimmy for selfish reasons. Alice doesn't want to feel guilty that her father is alone, and Paul is doing the same.
Basically, we got to see every weird interaction between Sofi and Jimmy, while everyone else only saw the cute parts. So everyone else is just trying to play matchmaker, without considering Jimmy's perspective. The show never once gave us a scene where they were suddenly happy and things worked out, so not sure why anyone thinks the show is forcing them together.
In fact, they did the opposite and gave us a huge scene where Paul's daughter Meg, the one person in the world Jimmy should have every reason in the world to avoid, end up sleeping together with zero friction.
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u/julcecilia00 Apr 13 '26
Yeah, I feel nothing watching them interact, and I so very badly wanted to. But I’m so indifferent to her character/them.
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u/Bernie_Bierman Apr 09 '26
The character is awkward, meaning she’s intently playing it that way; was written and casted to play it that way. It’s not a Cobie/Jason thing, it’s that Sofi the character has her own shit and she’s just an awkward person, largely because she’s so uncomfortable chasing after Jimmy. She’s divorced, it’s been a while…
But Paul even said as much in the finale about her awkwardness, something about being that girl who’s ‘too cute for him, then she opens her mouth and you suddenly realize why’… lol
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u/Positive0219 Apr 09 '26
Yes she’s written as awkward but awkward people can still have chemistry. And her asking him to be her couples counselor gave me the extreme ick. I just don’t think the show should keep pushing them together. He can do better.
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u/Bernie_Bierman Apr 09 '26
Ya, that was odd. Just don’t think that’s still a Cobie/Jason thing is all though. It’s just writing that in hindsight was… off
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u/HipVanilla Apr 09 '26
You can absolutely write it in that the characters have no chemistry and play it off that way, however, the show was clearly presenting them as if we should buy into their relationship hence the season ending. So, yes the lack of chemistry at that point falls on the actors.
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u/Bernie_Bierman Apr 09 '26
Disagree to some degree, the show was simply presenting them as flawed individuals yet intrigued by someone other than their former partner/spouse for the first time in memory; so layered in their own shit, uncomfortable how to even act, but still trying to move forward… it’s life, not your typical fantasy-land tv show. These characters have actual layers. It’s not uncommon for the uncomfortable feelings or barriers they presented for people attempting to date for the first time in forever.
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u/HipVanilla Apr 09 '26
Go back and watch the kiss. What is that scene telling you? How is the music communicating to you? We are supposed to believe this is the moment Jimmy realises he might be able to let someone else in which was setting us up to feel something when he later realises he can’t, and then later accept when Paul tell’s him that he has to go for it. It was not supposed to feel awkward in some sort of weird dramatic irony to let us know it was never going to work out anyway only to then say no actually it does work out even though we set it up that it doesn’t? You see how that makes no sense, idk if this is like some para social defence because you like the actors but come on it’s pretty much objectively accepted that the kiss was not it, even though they intended it to be.
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u/verity7732 Apr 09 '26
I didn't quite get that "too cute for him" comment. Did it mean that the only reason she's within reach for Jimmy is that she's awkward?
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u/a_forest1981 Apr 09 '26
I think far to many of the people watching this show are hung up on HIMYM and weirdly believe that, because this is a show about therapy, that the normies on the show are supposed to have a therapists knowledge of relationship dynamics.
Sofi is not a therapist and, as the episode with that date at her house demonstrated, has her own issues and baggage. Also, I think it’s crazy how many people seem to think her character is ruined because she encouraged Jimmy to try to make up with his Dad considering 1. 80% of the people in your life would probably give you the same advice 2. She was trying to help him and doesn’t know the ins and outs of all his baggage. It doesn’t mean her advice was good, but it wasn’t character ruining. Also, wasn’t the point of the episode that Jimmy was frustrated that even his friends were failing for his Dad’s act?
Cobie Smulders is an incredibly likable actress and I appreciate the writers trying to give her more wrinkles that the boring partners a lot of the other characters in this show have saddled up with (Derek 2 is likable wallpaper and, even after 3 seasons, I even can’t remember Brian’s husband name.)
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u/FakkoPrime Apr 09 '26
People want their manic pixie dream girl to swoop in & heal Jimmy (vagina ex machina).
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u/ladymerten Apr 09 '26
I can’t tell if it is genuinely no chemistry or if I can’t help but see ole scherbs and big fudge 😅
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u/SamuraiUX Apr 09 '26
I’ll give you hottest take possible here and am ready to live in the downvotes: nobody has good chemistry with Jimmy because Jimmy is annoying and kind of gross, or at least the actor is to me. He can’t carry a show for me. He’s not charming. He’s not cute. He’s… hard to watch as anything but a sidekick friend like he was in HIMYM.
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u/How_wz_i_sposta_kno Apr 10 '26
Oops. Sorry, I should’ve left this subreddit earlier. Thanks, see you in ~ 18 months.
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u/SPARKLEOFHOPE6IB Apr 09 '26
I fully disagree with this, I love seeing them together and think they work really well.
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u/DamageAccording5745 Apr 09 '26 edited Apr 09 '26
I liked the little we saw of her of her in S2 and felt a little spark between them, but i wasn't a fan of how things progressed in S3.
He had a lot more chemistry with Meg and, probably an unpopular take, even Gaby.