TVSquad

Psych is coming back! Starting on July 18th, the comedy starring James Roday and Dule Hill will be returning to USA Network with all new episodes. The third season of this series looks to be a very interesting one, as viewers will finally get to meet Shawn Spencer's long-lost mother as well as get to see a more dramatic side of the character ... something we got a taste of during the last few episodes of last season.

The two stars of Psych got together with the press last week to touch on a number of subjects. Topics included a preview of the upcoming season, a discussion about the duo's "Ebony & Ivory" commercial, Roday's appearance on the NBC anthology Fear Itself, and the never-ending 1980s references that the two spout during each episode.

(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

(S02E12) I don't know about you, but since Psych returned with new episodes I've noticed a bit of tweaking with the format. Nothing major, mind you, just some minor things to shake it up a bit. And, because of those tiny tweaks, the show has a somewhat different feel to it. I guess that's what happens as a show, even a crime-comedy like Psych, matures.

Gallery: Psych: The Old and the Restless

(S02E11) " I like my wine like I like my men -- white & hairy" -- Mira's mother, Phylis Gaffney, to Shawn Spencer

After a few months break (with a holiday special in-between) Psych returned to the USA Network schedule this week with a slew of new episodes that were completed long before the Writers' Strike began. This is good news because 1) it's one more scripted show in an ocean of reality programming and 2) it gives them a full episode load to air on NBC starting in March. I've always felt that this comedy has been overlooked because of the day and time it airs, and I hope that its showing on network television will give more people an opportunity to see just how good it is.

Gallery: Psych: There's Something About Mira

(S02E10, sort of) "He's going to shoot his eye out, isn't he?" -- Burton "Gus" Guster

"Yes he is." -- Shawn Spencer

Ladies and gentlemen, I give you -- The Gusters. Yes, after a season and a half we finally get to meet the people that made Burton "Gus" Guster the man that he is today. I was starting to think that we would never meet the parents who kept Gus out of one of the most prominent high schools in the area. Perhaps they would have been like Vera on Cheers -- heard and talked about but never seen. Luckily, the producers were generous enough to connect some pretty big faces to Gus' lineage.

Gallery: Psych: Holiday Special

(S02E09) So, we come to the end of the first half of the nine episode, second season of Psych, which has five letters. Other than the first episode, which I personally felt took place in an alternate universe, I thought the season overall was quite strong and actually delved a bit more into the characters. We also got to see Shawn Spencer's special abilities put to the test several times by others who questioned his powers. And, in this episode, we had a pretty significant plot point that will hopefully be carried into the next half of the season, which starts in January.

So, without more wordage, let's us push on!

(S02E07) Look, if I understood what you guys were saying I'd still be a virgin. -- Shawn

Sometime during the run of Psych I expected someone to discover that Shawn Spencer's psychic abilities were a crock of poop. I just didn't expect it to come so soon, and from a bunch of teenage super-geniuses. They were all over him this episode, saying that his powers were simply of hyper-observation rather than the ability to see into another realm. Luckily, Shawn and Gus were able to point those teeniuses (a word coined by Gus, which should be on Wikipedia any day now) in another direction. If not, the show would be over and replaced by another rerun of Law & Order:SVU.

(S0E06) Victim's Wife: I never broke two stars.

I realized something just as this week's episode of Psych was about to air. We were looking at a mini (and I mean mini) West Wing reunion with John Amos appearing as Gus' Uncle Burton. For those who don't remember, Amos had a recurring role on The West Wing as Admiral Percy Fitzwallace. His character met an untimely end during Wing's fifth season when his vehicle was caught in an IED explosion. I don't recall if Fitzwallace or Dule Hill's character, Charlie Young, ever spoke to each other while on Wing, but at least they were on the show together.

(S02E04) I'm sensing a trend here. During the first season of Psych Shawn's abilities to solve crimes the police couldn't were nearly flawless. He was full of confidence and swagger and made everyone, including Gus, sure that they knew about it. This season there's isn't so much of that. In fact, over the last three weeks, we've seen Shawn second-guess his abilities and whether they were really good enough or not.

(S02E03) Lassiter: What color is that suit?

Agent Ewing: Black.

Lassiter: Really? Really? It seems blacker than black.

Ewing: It's Washington Black.

Man o' man o' man, did Shawn have to work his arse off tonight! For the second week in a row Mr. Spencer really had to put his skills to the test to show both the Santa Barbara police department and the Federal government what he could do. And, if that wasn't hard enough, he had to compete with another 'psychic' hired by the Treasury Department. In the end he got the culprit, of course, but it was fun to watch him squirm and try to keep up throughout the episode.

(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.

(S01E14) You knew that a moment like this would eventually come up . . . a time where a father needed his son's help. I mean, even though Henry Spencer shows reluctance about his son's detective skills (especially since he masks them with a fake psychic power), inside he is extremely proud of how far his son has come. So, when an old friend of Henry's asks for help in finding his son the senior Spencer happens to drop Shawn's name. Ah, parents.

Shawn doesn't disappoint this client. In fact, he goes over the top in solving the mystery. By 'over the top' I mean going severely psychic in the presence of the father and his client. As I've mentioned in previous posts Shawn has been pretty subdued when using his psychic powers. Not this episode, though. He went whole hog just to put his Dad in an awkward position. Ah, children.