In “The Breakthrough” The Shrink Next Door finally shows us how Marty breaks with the toxic relationship he has with Ike while we understand the end of episode 1. Time for a review!
Here we go!
The Shrink Next Door is unique to make your hair stand on end. At the beginning of "The Breakthrough" Ike continues to manage Marty's life and properties at will, even though something inside Marty is waking up with more and more force, it’s not enough to face Ike and his handling.
But everything changes soon.
Marty must have an intervention in the hospital and when he wakes up he…is alone. No one visits or calls him. Marty moved away from his family to become more attached to Ike, to keep him in his life, he chose him over them, and he missed many important family moments because of it. And the least that Marty expects after he chose him over his family is that Ike is there with him, next to him, that Ike chooses him or, at least, calls him.
But Ike doesn't.
This fact leads Marty to realize that Ike is not able to choose him over anything because Ike doesn't care about him. Marty is reaffirmed in his belief when he realizes that Ike is happy at his house enjoying a new party. Without worrying about his health. Without giving a damn about Marty.
This is the moment when we see Marty pluck up his courage and face Ike for the first time. But Ike neutralizes the threat quickly. He convinces Marty that he cared for him even though he never called and visited him and that, in reality, is Marty's fault for not asking.
The problem with this logic is that if you care about someone, that person doesn’t have to ask you to visit, you just do it. Because you care about him or her. Also, material things like a more comfortable room or faster operation don't mean you care about someone.
But Marty is not ready to realize this, to understand that all this verbiage is a new manipulation. On the contrary, Marty ends up apologizing to Ike and agreeing with him in everything. Ike regained control.
But not for much longer.
Surprisingly, what makes Marty wake up is the death of his fish, a fish that he buries as if it were a person. But if we think about it, it's not surprising that things turned out like this. That fish is the only real company that Marty had throughout those years. Marty didn’t participate in Ike's parties, he spent most of his time by that pond, talking to that fish, feeding it, and taking care of it.
When Marty realizes that the fish is dead and that Ike didn't take care of him and didn't realize that he was dead, Marty realizes that Ike never cared about him.
If he had cared, he would have realized that this fish was important to him and would have cared for it. But Ike let it die, he didn't even realize that it was dead. Because that fish didn't matter to him. Because he doesn't care.
That's when Marty can't take it anymore, he can't pretend that everything is fine and turn off that alarm in his head that tells him that Ike is just taking advantage and that he doesn't care how he feels. He can no longer believe Ike simply because he is desperate to do so.
It’s over.
That’s the turning point. At that moment, Marty takes over his life for the first time in years and he decides what to do as he begins to rebuild his life away from Ike. But, most importantly, when Ike goes to claim him, Marty doesn't step back and doesn't back down. Ike is no longer in control and cannot manipulate Marty even though he tries.
Marty finally reacts and breaks the chains that bound him to Ike, to that toxic relationship full of manipulation and control. And I'm tremendously proud of him for doing it.
As a last note, I think Bonnie's reaction is worth mentioning. I think she decides to close her eyes to what Ike does, she decides to go blind because it's the easiest thing to do. But Bonnie cares about Marty. Not enough to stand up to Ike but she does care. Maybe it's because she feels sorry for him but Bonnie can't help but feel bad for Marty and worry about him, especially when she sees him so down, so broken.
Bonnie knows that Ike is not making the best decisions. Ike feels too confident, too in control…and he's making mistakes because of it. He no longer has limits. And Bonnie tries to stop him…but it's too late.
I find it curious that Bonnie makes this distinction that the friends at the party are Ike's friends and not hers. She has not felt comfortable at those parties for a long time. But she doesn't do anything to stop them either, to stop him.
Next week is the season finale and I can't wait to discuss it with all of you!
Agree? Disagree? Feel free to share with us in the comments below!
The Shrink Next Door airs Friday on Apple TV+.
