(S01E15) Exactly twenty years later . . . give or take ten minutes.
And so, with heavy heart, we come to the conclusion of the first season of Psych. What at first seemed like a quirky little comedy-mystery hybrid (I call it mysterdy) featuring a Tom Cruise lookalike, the guy from The West Wing, and Arnie Becker, has become an amusing show full of snappy banter, decent character development and references to 227. Yes, Psych has come a long way in a very short time and I'll miss it while it's away on vacation. In the meantime, though, let's take a gander at this week's show.
Pretty strong for a final episode, although a bit different. That's because it was co-written by Shawn Spencer himself, James Roday, and directed by one Mr. John Landis (Animal House, Blues Brothers). The tone of the show was a little less humor, a little more tension. As Roday put it in his blog, it was a "thriller" episode of Psych.
Actually, James put it this way about this week's episode, 'It meant an opportunity to stretch the boundaries of our show without compromising the elements that make us what we are; an opportunity (in the first season mind you) to show that Psych's winning formula can transcend genre to an extent and hopefully keep viewers chuckling and chortling even when there are "spooky" set pieces and a little more tension than usual.' It actually worked pretty well, There were enough laugh out loud instances (Shawn and Gus running out of the sorority house screaming their heads off) and scary moments (the doctor jumping onto the hood of Henry Spencer's police cruiser at the beginning of the show) to keep it interesting.
What I enjoyed the most this week was the amount of screen time Maggie Lawson had. She has been getting more and more screen time during the second half of the season and this episode was a nice way to culminate her role on the show. She even got to be in the climatic ending, which featured a confrontation between her and the psycho friend of the murdered victim shown at the beginning of the program. Should she and Shawn get romantic next season? I don't think so. I like the sexual tension that they have going now.
Speaking about Shawn, he was quite serious this week; thus showing us another facet of his personality. If there has been one character that has grown a great deal over this entire season it's Shawn. It may not seem so on the face of the program, since there really is no continuity of plot. However, Shawn has definitely matured into an effective private investigator.
A brief mention before I go about the other main players on Psych. Lassiter: his story this week was hilarious. I felt sorry for him as he was paired up with that slightly more mature rookie detective (played by Mercedes Ruehl). It may sound weird, but I thought it was funny that she had a cardiac incident chasing that innocent butcher boy. Gus: I've said it before and I'll say it again . . . Gus has really done well for himself the second half of the season. He is really picking up on his investigative skills and finding things first before Shawn does. Plus, he looks like Bud from The Cosby Show. Henry: The senior Spencer has certainly thawed since we first saw him. He may have been a bit tipsy at dinner this week, but he definitely has more of a bond with his son then he did in earlier episodes.
That's it for now, kids. I hope to be back with you in July for a new batch of Psych episodes. Thanks for sticking around.
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
3-03-2007 @ 11:31AM
Dennis said...
Bye bye Psych, You were great. I can't wait untill we meet again!
/me holds out his fist.
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3-03-2007 @ 11:43AM
jq said...
fantastic season finale.
i could watch this show forever.
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3-03-2007 @ 12:59PM
Bill said...
I loved the joke about Bud. When Deon Richmond showed up in that show Teachers last year, I was totally confused as to why the guy from the West Wing looked a little different. Took me a while to figure out that they were different people.
http://popculturejunk.blogspot.com/
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3-03-2007 @ 1:34PM
innamorata said...
Pretty good finale. Congrats to Franks and Roday.
I absolutely loved Gus and Shawn running away from the house (the kicker was Gus passing his hand through his window) and right after Lassiter's gun falling apart. Two laughs in a row that rarely happens or at least it hardly workd on me but here they did.
Jules' legally blond persona was hilarious on the phone with Shawn babbling while at the same time checking her gun.
And do my eyes betray me or was that Dirt's Willa as one of the sorority girls?
It was nice to see Gus on detective mode. I don't remember any Bud on the Cosby Show so that joke fell flat for me.
I wonder how the guilty girl made the lamp and the vase fall but anyway I don't care since it made Gus and Shawn scream and run for their lives like little girls.
Ruhel was great as the dead beat rookie. "I'll show you how to make this little pig squeal." Heh.
Very little of Shawn's dad but it was nice to see the three guys together. Shawn and Gus' pride over starting an urban legend was silly sweet. "That's dope!"
Shawn eating that cup cake was funny too. So....Shawn. "I've got to set this thing on vibrate". Duh!
Why Lassiter didn't *arrive* with back up I'll never understand but that's alright. "You're under arrest you crazy, crazy, CRAZY bitch!" Hee!!
How did Shawn and all pass by Gus when coming down with the crazy bitch? I mean that way that lit up with candles, you would think they would walk that way but again: alright.
Shawn tossing Lassiter a fortune cookie at the end was sweet. They're an unlikely team but a good one nonetheless.
Pretty fun show and season, I'll look forward the summer return.
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3-03-2007 @ 2:26PM
LadyOracle said...
This was a spectacular episode. I was duly impressed with the theatrics in this episode being performed mostly by Gus. Incidentally, Mrs. Pickles is becoming my favorite pivotal non-existent character.
I hate that I have to wait until July to get my Psych fix, but I'll survive
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3-03-2007 @ 2:35PM
Erica said...
Bud was Rudy's best friend on the Cosby show. She had a way of saying is name that was drawn out and funny. Bud had an older brother, who I don't think we ever saw, but gave him "advice" about woman. It was terrible advice and usually got him in trouble especially with Clair.
The actor who played Bud was in "not another teen movie" as the "token" black guy a few years ago.
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3-03-2007 @ 4:33PM
innamorata said...
Thanks Erica. I think I may have stopped watching the Cosby Show before the character even appeared because he really doesn't ring any bell in my memory. Oh well...still a good Psych finale. :)
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3-03-2007 @ 9:57PM
Erica said...
"Bud's" real name on the show was kenny, but Rudy nicknamed him Bud. His real name is Deon Richmond and he was also recently a cast member of the NBC show "Teachers" Thank you wikipedia!
He would appear when the show would be Rudy centric. He went with them to the "fancy" dinner where cliff eventually bought them all hambergers.
But if it makes you feel better, my husband who can remember everything he has ever seen on television doesn't remember Kenny either. Makes me wonder if Kenny was even real or just in my imagination. :)
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3-03-2007 @ 11:29PM
Karen said...
I think my favorite part of this episode was the characters' acknowledging that a house filled with candles takes a hell of a lot of setup time. Hollywood has long loved the candle-heavy set, and I've never been able to keep myself from thinking about how long it must have taken the person to light and place all that firepower. With Juliet and Shawn both commenting on it, I was in heaven.
Other than that, and Juliet's great job undercover, I didn't love this episode. It was all right, but there were lots of loose ends (mostly addressed in the comments above) and I have to say I really hate the episodes where Gus comes off as a dweeby wimp. His litany of things he won't do (enter a room first, enter a room last) was more pathetic than funny, and seeing him reduced almost to tears as he flailed around with his foot in the door was embarrassing. Maybe it's just me, but I don't like that so much.
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3-04-2007 @ 11:07AM
las6 said...
wait, that was a season finale?
Seriously guys, I like Psych ok and this episode was nice, but it was definately not an episode worth the title of "season finale".
Also there wasn't anything that would make you really want to watch it when it comes back. I mean I get that there's not a huge plot or anything, but series like these usually at least try to shift things a bit at the end/start of a season. Didn't see anything that would indicate that things are changing...
also, is it just me or was that "crazy crazy bitch" person really cute and surprisingly believable before the end.
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3-04-2007 @ 1:09PM
erroneous_nick said...
las6, there might not have been any kind of a cliffhanger or "hook" at the end, but I have to wholeheartedly disagree with your contention that there's not anything to make viewers want to watch when it returns. The characters have been fleshed out a great deal since the beginning of the series when they were all basically 2-dimensional. Sure, they're still not as well-rounded as other characters on other shows, but Psych is a light comedy with a splash of mystery and a pinch of drama.
Compared to a very similar show, Monk, the characters on Psych have developed more in a single season than all the characers on Monk have in its entire five year run. From my viewpoint, the producers have toned down the aspects that were most annoying and improved it in just about every way possible for a show like this. Even Lassiter and Henry are likable now, yet when the show premiered they were just sour, bitchy annoyances I wanted to see written off.
Personally, I hate cliffhangers anyway. They always make me think the producers feel their show isn't good enough for viewers to want to tune in after a season break. If a show is good enough for me to spend my precious time watching it, I'll be there watching when it returns. I don't need a cheap gimmick like an unresolved plotline to keep me loyal.
I'll welcome the return of Psych for its sophomore season, as will my entire family. And that's another reason I like this show; it's appropriate for every member of my family from my old, curmudgeonly self right down to my youngest child. Psych happens to be an unfortunately rare show that's not only appropriate for the entire family, but enjoyable for all ages as well.
I can't think of any more compelling reasons than those for becoming a loyal viewer of this series.
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3-04-2007 @ 10:05PM
Catherine said...
I am probably nitpicking but isn't the timing going to be all messed up now? If it is really "exactly 20 years later" this episode takes place Halloween 2007. So when it comes back in July are we going to be in November 2007?
I liked how in "The Red Phantom" Shawn told the chief not to come back until January - like the show actually did.
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3-22-2007 @ 11:34AM
Pam said...
I think that people have to remember that this is t.v. not real life. It's out there to entertain. You have to use your imagination and just enjoy it. Do you really want a show to be 100% true to life, we watch t.v. like this to escape reality for awhile. I think it's out there to get laughs not to be completely accurate. I personally, have liked every episode. Some are funnier than others but each one has their own great one liners, etc. I am just glad I found the show otherwise I hardly watch anything.
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