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(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).

(S03E10) NOTE: No sea lions named Shabby were harmed during the writing of this review.

Welcome back, everyone! It's been a long fall without Shawn, Gus and the rest of the Santa Barbara (aka, Vancouver) lunatics of Psych to entertain us on Friday nights. However, they are now back to finish out season three. In the next few weeks, look for the return of Cybill Shepherd as Shawn's mother, some issues with Carlton Lassiter, a potential romantic moment between Shawn and Jules, and a take on the Friday the 13the movie series.

Until then, let's talk about this week's return episode.

(S03E08) "Free hugs. Who's next?" -- Shawn Spencer, after saving his "kidnapper".

Woosh! Feel that? That was the first half of this season of Psych blowing right past us to this week's summer finale. As the show has done since its inception in 2006 it is taking the fall off and, save for a holiday special sometime in December, returning at the beginning of 2009. While one side of me understands the reason for this -- survive the onslaught of the network season premieres -- the other side is sad to see the show go so quickly.

Save for the episode entitled 'Daredevils', the first half of Psych has been pretty good. They've done some experimenting with the format, some character development, but have maintained the light touch that has made this show stand out in the crowd of ever-increasing first-run cable shows. With this week's episode we saw a further example of tweaks to the format as we had an episode that was equal parts drama and comedy.

(S03E07) As we sometimes do with our reviews of Psych, let's start at the end rather than the beginning. No, not at the reveal, because that would be utterly daft of me. The end I speak of is the next to last scene of the episode. I don't know about you, but as soon as I saw Shawn wearing skates, waiting for Jules in the empty roller derby rink, my first thought was 'couples skate'. Lo and behold, a couples skate was announced, the spotlight was turned on, and 80s music began to blare from the speakers.

(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.

(S03E05) Methuselah Honeysuckle and Old Scratch Johnson -- The names Henry Spencer gave Gus and himself while Shawn was introducing them at the DA's office.

Ready for this? We are nearly three-quarters of way through the first half of the third season of Psych. After this week's episode there are only two more left until the season takes a break. Other than the annual holiday special that will air in December the next time we will see Shawn and Gus after the first week of September will be the middle of January. So, enjoy while you can.

Well, I kept wishing for an episode where Henry and Shawn would truly work together on a case. And, I got my wish this week. Not only did they work on a case together, but it was Henry's biggest case while he was still on the police force. So, there was really pressure on both the younger and older Spencer men to solve the case. Of course, this led to some tension between the two.

There was a time during the early days of television where what happened on a scripted show remained within the confines of the small screen. Then came the wonderful world of the Internet and the amazing potential that it had. Soon enough, reality and imagination began to merge. Now, it's a near given that a TV show will utilize the Internet to maximize its viewing potential.

Take Psych for example. In a conversation that took place during last week's episode Shawn made reference to the fact that his father Henry was angry because he didn't have as many friends on Facebook as his son. Of course, that signaled the purveyors of the World Wide Superhighwaynet to take a look to see if it was true. Turns out, Shawn was correct: he has more friends than his father does. Henry only has two friends -- Shawn Spencer and Shawn Spencer. Poor Henry! Meanwhile, Shawn has a total of 50 friends over two different profiles.

However, neither of them can compare to one Burton "Gus" Guster. When it comes to friends on Facebook good ole Gus has a total of 108 on two profiles. Now we really know who everyone loves on Psych!

(S03E04) "You keep a stun gun in the birdhouse? What do you keep in the garden gnome? An M-80?" -- Shawn to his dad, Henry, on his choice of weapon storage.

Ah, now the pieces of the puzzle that are Shawn Spencer are coming together! We've known for years that the younger Spencer has gotten his analytical skills from his father Henry. And, in the first episode of this season, we found out that he gained his recall abilities from his mother. Now we know where he got his sense of adventure and his ability to snow others with his "psychic" abilities.

Meet Jack Spencer -- role model, adventurer, historian...and con artist.

(S03E01) Ahhh! The Boys of Summer are back! No, not The Beach Boys, or the song by Don Henley, or the lineup for the 1955 Brooklyn Dodgers. I'm talking about Shawn Spencer and Burton "Gus" Guster. For the last two summers this fake psychic and his over-excited friend have joined us on the crime comedy Psych. Now, they are back to tackle a third season that, according to stars James Roday and Dule Hill, should be a good one.

We have already provided an early look for the season premiere, so this review is more to flesh out the events of the episode. Plus, it is also a chance to continue last year's tradition of pointing out all of the pop references spouted by the characters. And, starting this season, to let you know where the pineapple is located in each episode. Please get your mind out of the gutter!

Let me put one thing to rest before I begin this review in full. For those of you who think Psych is going to get all dramatic and ruin the show with the introduction of Shawn's mom during the season three premiere (Friday, July 18th, at 10:00 p.m.) I want you take a deep breath and relax. There are definitely some serious moments between Shawn Spencer and the rest of his family, particularly towards the end of the episode. For the most part, though, it is the same Psych that fans have come to enjoy over the last two seasons.

For those of you interested in reading a review about this episode of Psych you may want to look a the one that we did when the show originally premiered on USA. What this post is really for is to welcome new viewers to the show and give them a forum to discuss the series.

The thing about Psych, especially this second season, is that underneath the fluff mysteries and the pop cultural references (which there are many this episode) there is a story of friendship and family that flows throughout. Plus, it's funny. James Roday and Dule Hill really shine as Shawn Spencer and Burton "Gus" Guster and they have a very good supporting cast that guides them along the way.

I'm very glad that they used this episode to premiere Psych on the schedule rather as it had a very good and funny guest appearance by Lou Diamond Phillips. Should they ever air the second season premiere on NBC I give you fair warning...despite being directed by John Landis it is just not a very good episode. That being said, I'd like to know if you'll keep tuning in to Psych. Was it as funny as you thought it would be, or do you think it's a bad show with a good theme song? Your opinions are appreciated.

(S02E16) "One more time, buddy. For justice." -- Shawn Spencer

Where has the time gone? After a very short second half, the second season finale of Psych is upon us. And, despite the semi-disaster that was the season premiere, it was a pretty decent sophmore run for the show. We got to see a good bit of development from all of the characters, an easing of the psychic element of Shawn's abilities, and some extra focus on those who surround the young Spencer. One can only hope that the show's run on NBC come March will interest some more fans to the program.

Gallery: Psych: Shawn (and Gus) of the Dead

(S02E15) "First you treat a woman like a person, then a princess, then a Greek Goddess, then a person again" -- Shawn's advice on how to treat a woman.

For nearly two seasons Shawn Spencer has been 'The Man'. He could get into any place, do anything, and be with pretty much any girl he wanted. Wherever he went he was the center of attention. This week, the shoe was on the other foot as the spotlight was painfully pulled away from Shawn and pointed to some of the other members of the cast.

And, you know what? I LOVED it!

Gallery: Psych: Black and Tan

(S02E14) "Fine. I don't need you and your misplaced prepositions!" -- Young Gus to Young Shawn

"My dad is a lying, liar from Liarsburg!" -- Shawn Spencer

After speculating last week about Carlton Lassiter's feelings towards Shawn and Gus we discovered them this week: he respects them, albeit grudgingly. He could have certainly hired one of the many private detectives that he deals with on a regular basis but, fully aware of the team's reputation, he decided to go with them. Mostly for their inside contacts, so Lassiter said; however, I have a feeling it was more than that.

Gallery: Psych: Dis-Lodged

(S02E13) "Spencer, thank God you're here! Now go home." -- Detective Lassiter to Shawn

Even though it may sound crazy, one of the things I like about Psych is that it actually has an opening credits sequence complete with a theme song -- something that is extremely rare in this era of maximum exposure. While that may sound mundane at first, it actually gives the show a bit of extra character. It can also be used to set the tone of an episode, as well.

Gallery: Psych: Lights, Camera...Homicidio