Monsters of Television

Shawn: So you like tall men and fat animals.
Juliet: Yes. Yes, I do.

Juliet: in streets, hair down, smile, not standing behind Lassie.

At the end of Season 3, we saw Shawn get together with his high school sweetheart (Abigail: Rachael Leigh Cook) and manage an awkward situation when Juliet finally made a move (Shawn shot her down). Thus began Season 4’s inconsistent love affair with Abigail, where she showed up for a handful of episodes while Shawn mentioned her in absentia (so often in absentia that she sounds made up), as Juliet receded to a more background role with Lassie.

Despite making Abigail sound important in Shawn’s life (giving her a drawer, etc), her absence in the show was noticeable. Her phantasmic presence also prevented one of the quirky and enjoyable minor storylines from developing: the flirty relationship between Juliet and Shawn. While minorly interesting at the end of Season 3, the storyline had become weak, uninteresting, and a drain on the Shawn/Gus interaction since it was often plagued with obligatory mentions in order to maintain audience retention of the story. Something had to give. So they got rid of Abigail by randomly sending her on a trip to Africa for an indeterminate amount of time (0410: “You Can’t Handle This Episode”) and gave Shawn an episode to mourn the relationship (0411: “Thrill Seekers and Hell Raisers”) before giving us a closer look at Juliet. Are we being set up to create some Shawn/Juliet shippers?

I say yes.

One of the obstacles to making Juliet a paramore is, despite Shawn’s flirting with her, we know very little about Detective O’Hara. It’s hard to demand respect for the arrival of this relationship when the viewers feel little connection to the character. This episode (and much of “You Can’t Handle This Episode”) gives a deeper understanding of her character, building empathy. It feels like the three most recent episodes (and possibly the rest of the post-hiatus season) have been dedicated to not only eliminating the barriers between Shawn and Juliet but also those between the audience and Juliet.

Psych is not typically a story-arc kind of show. You can essentially plop in front of any episode and catch on. This slow build marks a definite shift in focus for this half-season, even spreading to Gus with his “secret” girlfriend from the “Thrill Seekers and Hell Raisers” episode. Creating this arc opens the door to some more drama, redefining relationships (not only Shawn/Juliet but also Shawn/SBPD, especially Shawn/Lassie) and maybe even some tension if they decide to bring Abigail back at season’s end.

Another good thing about this development is that we get to see Maggie Lawson do something other than play back-up to Timothy Omundson and arbiter between the SBPD and Psych. Here we see that Juliet has some range, outside interests, history, and feelings. She dresses in clothes that aren’t pencil skirts and oversized jackets/blazers/whatever-it-is-detectives-wear. She also has power in her relationships, something that hasn’t been demonstrated overtly before.

This episode’s story (Juliet reconnecting with an old flame previously locked away in a Witness Protection Program) reminds us Shawn has a thing for Juliet, something we might’ve forgotten with what I would term the Abigail Debacle. One of the instances where this is most noticable is a scene where he should be picking up on clues about the case but, instead, can only pay attention to the subtle touches and glances Juliet shares with her, let’s face it, weird-looking ex-boyfriend. Shawn, typically quick on his feet and able to justify his actions/words, slips up the entire episode, making faux pax after mistake after awkward gesture, something not seen since he had The Yips. He also usually has the upper-hand in relationships except here, where he appears to be looking to Juliet as she looks elsewhere. I’m not sure if I’m interested in a pining Shawn Spencer but it’ll at least be newish territory. As long as they stay true to character, everything will be just fine.

Besides being a much-needed Juliet-centered episode, the writing here felt like a return to form. Lines like “Vault of Secrets” and Lassie’s connection with his partner on Grease are what this show is all about. Character interaction was inspired and each character’s delivery was on-point, even more than usual. It hasn’t been this sharp in a while, though that might be the three-month hiatus talking.

I expect to see the chemistry between Shawn and Juliet to increase, or, at least, be focused on for the next few episodes before the end of the season. Though this relationship hasn’t really been nurtured before now, I suspect this is going to be one of the cliffhangers/important moments for the finale. The showrunners don’t seem to have to worry about the rabid fanbase as much as other shows (granted, no one had to save Psych with sandwiches) so they have the ability to play with this dynamic a little bit. Although I’m not sure, if they really want people to become invested in the Shawn/Juliet storyline, how much patience people will have for it, especially since this is a rehashing of an earlier thread, just delving deeper. This is a post-Chuck-pocalypse world; we’re just living in it. All I have is speculation.

It is a “post” world, right? Those guys are over it by now, aren’t they?