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(S03E06) "I'm nobody's pawn, Shawn. I'm a queen." -- Gus Guster

Since the third season of Psych began there has been an underlying theme of family. During the season premiere the focus was on Shawn and his parents. Then, a few weeks ago, we got a chance to see the relationship between Shawn and his shifty uncle. With this week's episode we move away from the Spencer family and focus on a member of the Santa Barbara Police Department, Chief Karen Vick, and her older sibling.

Siblings are rare in the Psych universe. We know Shawn is an only child (unless they introduce a half-brother or sister in later seasons) and Henry has a younger brother, and Gus may have mentioned some brothers or sisters in the past, but that's about it. So, when we are introduced to a character's brother or sister it helps to not only expand the character, but it also shows another side to them that viewers may have never seen before. Such is the case of Chief Vick, who showed a mean and petty side to her that we have never encountered in previous episodes.

Then again, we barely know anything about the Chief other that she's married and had a baby somewhere in the first season. We know she's tough, she doesn't take much crap from anyone and, despite the fact that she probably knows that Shawn's "psychic" powers are a fake, she tolerates him and his little moments. But that all changed with this episode as we saw a more human side to her than we did when she hired Shawn and Gus to take on a case last season.

That is thanks to her older sister, Coast Guard Commander Barbara Dunbar. Where Henry Spencer and his younger brother didn't really look like siblings, Kristen Nelson and Jane Lynch (Karen Vick and Barbara Dunbar, respectively) really looked they could be related. That probably helped set up the interactions between the two. Which, even for a person like Shawn whose hobby it is to argue with his father, was pretty intense. Yet, it was fun to watch for some strange and freakish reason.

The sibling rivalry also caused something that is unique in the world of Psych -- Shawn was placed in an awkward situation. Normally, it's Shawn himself who makes the situation uneasy, which means he's not used to being on the receiving end. He was actually in two unusual situations in this installment -- both dealing with family. In addition to being in a battle between Vick and Dunbar, he was in the middle of a small disagreement between the owner of the oil rig (played by Barry Crobin, who has aged very poorly) and his daughter, whom he treats like a wife from the 1950s.

Actually, the little disagreement between the oil rig owner and his daughter was something Shawn could relate to: another example of a father not seeing the full potential of their offspring. This is the avenue he took when he attempted to get Ashley to put down the gun and go quietly with the police. This has been a recurring theme with Shawn this season as he has used this avenue many times when it has come to a reveal. Perhaps it is a form of therapy for Shawn.

Overall, this episode of Psych had the feeling of an installment from the first two seasons. There were some really good lines between Gus and Shawn, plenty of pop references, and a good bit of interaction between the Psych detectives and the SBPD. There was even a smarmy quip from Lassiter when he had to admit that Shawn was right about something. The only thing that was different was the shoot-out scene between Ashley and the police/Coast Guard contingent. This may have been the first time viewers have seen this much shoot-em-up action on the show.

Which brings me to the following point: Uh, oil rig? There is a ton of sensitive equipment underneath those powerful ocean platforms. You don't go pumping bullets around there just because you can. One mis-directed bullet and -- poof! -- no more oil rig. For some reason, the whole scene reminded me of the climactic final scene of The Hunt for Red October.

Because the focus was more on Vick and her sister this week, the case in this episode was a bit weak and predictable. There was never a moment where Barry Corbin's character was considered a suspect -- he didn't have that look about him. Ashley was the suspect as soon as she brushed-off Shawn and Gus on the rig. There is one thing that was noticeable in this week's episode that has become an underlying plot point in other episodes. it seems that Shawn and Gus are solving more than one mystery in each installment this season.

Before we go, a brief look at the other good lines and pop references this week:

• "Me, Getty, Clampett,Crisco, and Wesson" -- Young Shawn's list of advantageous oil people
• "You know that fungus is my bread and butter" -- Gus
• "You know what my bread and butter is? Bread and butter." -- Shawn's response to the line above
• "Gus, don't be a myopic chihuahua" -- Shawn
• This week's fake names: Shawn as T-Bone Turner; Gus as Chesterfield McMillan & Wife
• This week's pop references: the movie Night Shift; Craig T. Nelson; The Brady Bunch (where he was able to commiserate with Chief Vick about older sisters); MC Hammer (again); Fawlty Towers; Dr. Dre, Dr. Pepper; Silkwood

Next week on Psych -- we take a break due to the U.S. Open. Enjoy the Labor Day holiday and see you on the 5th of September.