As Brian's wedding approaches, Alice takes issue with how Jimmy is living his life. Liz learns a secret.
Marriage is difficult for Jimmy to talk about. And yet, it's something he must do because he's officiating Brian and Charlie's wedding. He has a panic attack before the ceremony. He opens with an awkward dad joke. He eventually finds poignancy. He directs Brian and Charlie to look out at their guests. He passes along the wisdom that their friends will offer unconditional love and support no matter what. That's the advice Jimmy needed in order to survive the past year of his life. It's his big cathartic moment. It's basically what this show boils down to as well. This collection of characters can overcome anything because they have friends who will be brutally honest with them. As a result, the ceremony becomes less about Brian and Charlie. It's about delivering that overall message for the show. This finale largely provides resolution to the few elements that weren't touched upon in the penultimate episode. "Moving Forward" did a tremendous job bringing Jimmy and Paul's stories to their respective conclusions. As such, they just get to live in their lives while everyone else receives those same moments of clarity here. It's difficult because Jimmy and Paul's conflicts have defined so much of the season. And so, the final result is one that just reaffirms the message the show has already been so excellent at delivering. It's because of Jimmy that Brian got his father to serve as his best man. Jimmy understood how much that meant to his best friend. And so, he made it happen. He offers that support. Everyone is right to worry if he can handle this massive responsibility. But he also received peace by finally being able to reflect back on his marriage. He was no longer overwhelmed by those emotions. That burden passes onto Alice. Jimmy was so concerned about arriving at that personal understanding that he didn't realize how his actions would impact his daughter. Alice wants to go through her mother's belongings as well. She has her own memories tied up in these items. She's excited to share those stories with others. Jimmy doesn't need to be a part of that. He does need to provide his daughter with the access to address these deeper feelings. He did the hard work himself and then boxed everything up. He did so without considering how Alice would feel. She loved Tia just as much as Jimmy did. Their loss is the same. Jimmy proclaims himself as a good father now. He does deserve that honor to a certain extent. It's not something worth bragging about. He's doing what is expected of him. It's ultimately rather easy for him to do so. The bar is so low. Plus, the other characters have done a lot of the work themselves to deserve these endings for the season. Alice finds that peace through a pair of high heels.
Elsewhere, Gaby admits that she views Jimmy as more than a safe hookup while Liz voices her interest in partnering with Sean for the food truck. These developments occur to set up stories for the future. This has become a nice hangout show where the characters enjoy each other. They want to spend time together. Sure, Gaby complains how Liz needs a lot of reassurance. And yet, their friendship is incredibly strong. Liz gifts Gaby a rock. That showcases how much she matters to her. They share everything now. Gaby can't hide anything from Liz. As such, she is forced to confront what these feelings have developed into with Jimmy. Meanwhile, Liz stands up to Paul to convince him to better support Gaby in her professional endeavors. He loves being aloof and stubborn. He admitted that he needs help. Gaby was a crucial part of getting him to that point. She cares about him. The practice thrives because of the work the three therapists are doing. Sure, it's still easy to say Paul and Gaby are more skilled and professional. Paul has also being more emotionally giving to Jimmy. It's a critique of the fragile male ego that must always be coddled. Gaby is more than capable of getting this job as a professor on her own. It matters that Paul storms into the interview to say how accomplished she is. She has become a trusted friend. She needs to hear this. The words are meaningful to her. They are an expression of how Paul views his colleague. He can only push people away for so long. He welcomes a hug even though he expects Jimmy to be more cool about it. This newfound understanding allows everyone to essentially forgive Jimmy for the massive risks he took in his profession. That was a major issue for Paul in the early going. Jimmy is even willing to admit that he got lucky. He didn't face any serious consequences for his actions. The final montage intercuts the happy wedding reception with how well Jimmy's patients are doing. It still takes a turn when Grace decides to push Donny off a cliff. The structure of the season provides that moment of symmetry. How Jimmy handled Grace in the premiere is mirrored in the finale. Jimmy saw speaking his mind to Grace as the thing that actually motivated his patients to do better in their lives. It worked for Sean to the point where no one looks at him as one of Jimmy's patients. Instead, he's just naturally one friend amongst the core ensemble. That's how accepting everyone became. They bought into that relationship. It didn't need to be more complicated than that. The story still ends with that fateful action on a cliff. It's a fantasy Grace talked about in her session with Jimmy. He saw that as progress. Her power was no longer being taken away from her by her abusive partner. She still hit a breaking point. That too provides storytelling complications for the future. It ensures that Jimmy's actions will always remain central even though everyone acknowledges that he's made a ton of progress in his personal life as a friend and father.
