TVSquad

(S03E11) Detective Carlton Lassiter accused of murder? Say it ain't so!

Okay, it ain't so. How could it be? This is Lassie we're talking about here; not some detective like Vic Mackey! If there ever was a straight (some say too straight) shooting detective it's Carlton Lassiter. He'll do everything legally in his power to catch his man or woman or greasy-fingered monkey and put them away for a long time. And, if he exhausts all of the legal options, that's when he goes to Shawn Spencer and Gus for help.

And, that's what he ended up doing in this episode of Psych. So, let's all turn the page after the tone to see what happened to our favorite detective (well, favorite next to Jules, of course).

Our second-favorite detective did fairly well, though it was touch and go for a bit. This was a situation that Lassie probably never even thought of preparing for; especially since the evening started out so well for him. However, once those FBI agents said his suspect was going to turn state's evidence Carlton's fortunes crashed faster than the current economy.

While we fans of the show have come to realize that Lassiter has fingerprint ink flowing through his veins rather than blood, this episode really showed it was the only life that he knows. That's probably why his casual clothes are his work clothes, except with suede shoes. Now it becomes clearer as to why Carlton's wife decided to leave him: he was never home (I consider his extra-marital affair in the pilot episode outside of the current Psych continuity). For us, this kind of life is somewhat sad. For Lassiter, it's his lifetime dream and he is absorbing as much of it as he can.

If there was any good that came out of Lassie's predicament it's that he discovered (or re-discovered) the value of Shawn and Gus to the police department. Throughout these last few seasons I think that Carlton has drifted between grudging respect and utter frustration at Shawn's abilities. Now, that respect has been given a promotion in Carlton's eyes. If not, he probably would have just mumbled a thanks to them at the end of the episode rather than get Chief Vick to sign their check. True, that respect may be short-lived; nevertheless, at least the boys can bask in its glory now.

What about the boys? Since the episode began on a fairly serious note I thought that both Shawn and Gus would be a bit more serious too. They did tone the humor down somewhat this time around to reflect the seriousness of Carlton's predicament (no breakaway pants revealing a bathing suit in this episode), but it was still there. It was most prevalent when Lassiter decided to move in with, first, the boys, then with Shawn's father. There was also a running joke about Kenny Loggins that produced some amusing, if not corny, song references.

What surprised me this time around was the predicament Shawn found himself in around the last break. I can't remember ever seeing Shawn get knocked out by anyone before this episode. Usually, he does the reveal long before someone finds out that he knows something. I guess when you're a cop, and a corrupt cop at that, you try to prevent these discoveries before they happen. It wasn't surprising that Detective Drimmer (makes me think of Rimmer on Red Dwarf) was the culprit; I was more shocked that he would be so violent. I mean, he gave Jules cupcakes for crissakes! That's not usually the M.O. of someone on the till of a infamous gang.

Pineapple and pop culture time! I may be wrong here, but I believe that there was a pineapple in one of Lassiter's grocery bags. It was hard to tell since we only saw the leafy top of that tropical fruit rather than the entire object. As for pop culture references...well, there were a ton of them this week. Actually, more than there have been in awhile.

Aside from the many references to the songs of Kenny Loggins, there was a reference to Loggins' former partner Jim Messina. Also referenced were the movies Footloose and Flashdance, which Shawn got confused about when it came to title songs of movies (same on him). Other references included Thundercats, The Great Gatsby, Kojack, Boggle, Cranium, Bic and Mont Blanc pens, Funions, Combos, Howard Jones and his song 'Things Can Only Get Better", and the band Deep Blue Something. There may have been a reference to Michael Jackson as well when Shawn mentioned he and Gus go stealth mode and Gus asked him to flip the 'Jacko Switch'. Then again, I may have understood the reference.

Next week on Pysch: arson, murder, and a mention of the Backdraft ride at Universal Studios.