TVSquad

Smell that? It has the aroma of burning leaves. It must be me thinking about something again. Here's the skinny: I've noticed over the last few weeks that Shawn likes to tell people that Gus is his hero, that he looks up to his best friend. I think that most of that is just joking since it is usually preceded or followed by a false statement about Gus' skills. However, deep down, I wonder if Shawn really does look up to Gus. Gus is very intelligent (something we have just started to see), has a steady job, and seems to have his head straight on his shoulders. Meanwhile, until he began his detective agency, Shawn flitted around from job to job and girl to girl. Perhaps the younger Spencer wants to have just a bit of what Gus has. Then again, I could be blowing smoke out of my poopie chute.

I'm actually going to start off this week's review with a mention about Gus. I haven't spoken much about him even though this role on the show has expanded quite a bit over the last few episodes. I put him up top this time around because even though he was kinda, sorta missing in a few scenes this week the ones he was in he made some significant impact. One of the things I noticed is that he is starting to pick up on some of the detective skills that Shawn had drilled into him by his father. There were one or two occasions where Gus actually saw evidence first before Shawn. The other noticeable trait Gus is exhibiting is his intelligence. I couldn't really tell how smart he was in the first half of the season because he always seemed to be whining. In the second half the producers have fleshed Gus out a bit more to show his intelligence and use it in the process of an investigation.

Now let's talk about Shawn. After several weeks of subdued 'psychic' findings Spencer was showing a bit more of his crazy side. Maybe that was because Gus wasn't there to keep him under control. This was one of those investigations where he really used his powers of observation. Everytime he was in a scene he noticed something that added on to the confusion of the case. It got so overwhelming for him that he had to ask his Dad for some advice.

The scene between Shawn and his father Henry was one of the best of this week's show. Not only did it present them in a rare father-son moment but it also hearkened back to a meeting they had in the series premiere where Shawn had to close his eyes and prove to his Dad that he really did have some keen observation skills. This time around, though, Henry wasn't testing his son. Rather he was pushing his son to go somewhere else in his observations that would help him with the investigation. When Shawn realizes what the missing piece of the puzzle is it was nice to see his and his father's positive reactions.

Also this week we saw the further fleshing out of Lassiter's personality. I remember somewhere in the first half of the season I thought that the character of Carlton Lassiter was a bit pathetic (it had something to do with sending his ex-wife a gift). In the second-half I see him more of a human being who is very dedicated to his job. He also likes fishing. Who could tell from his uptight demeanor? His budding friendship with Henry Spencer, and Shawn's reaction to it, were some of the funnier moments of the episode. I also found it interesting when Lassiter later said he couldn't take Henry's constant criticism and now realized a bit more of where Shawn was coming from. It was a further connection between the two characters who grudgingly admire each other.

Quick mention about this week's mystery. Please tell me that I was not the only one who thought it was the police photographer who did it as soon as he appeared on screen and spoke to Shawn. Good Lord they telescoped that element way too early! I guess it was kind of good to do that so we, the viewers, could enjoy the show without having to think about who did it; however, sometimes it's nice to be surprised.

All done. No more to speak about. Talk to you next week.