Monsters of Television

“Dude, all your permanent teeth are in, okay?  You’re playing for keeps now.”

Smooth criminal detective.

Ah, much better.

Last week’s pooch was rectified by this week’s return to form, or at least the form we recognize. Our characters are back in the slots we recognize (Juliet, of course, is totally over her touch of PTSD) and, even though they switch the dynamics a little in the first half-hour, the comedy and timing seems to be back.

Troubling, however, is Henry’s reduced role to a “nose to the grindstone” boss as opposed to his more involved auxillary role in the Psych agency. My hope was to see him more involved with cases rather than just barking for the detectives and sleuths to get back on track. Instead he’s kind of like Lou Grant but wears a suit better.

But the season is young, yes?

As shows age, characters start to take on the traits and talents of the actors that portray them. For example, Dr Eliott Reed (Sarah Chalke, Scrubs) is fluent in German and horses became part of the Dragonfly Inn during the later seasons of Gilmore Girls (Lauren Graham is an equestrian). Dulé Hill brings tap-dancing to Guster.  Shawn derides his partner for playing baby games, even when they were both younger, so we can count him out becoming involved this time around (a good thing since last week’s episode already feautured Shawn taking an almost-funny extracurricular). Instead we include the funnier candidate: Lassiter.

This show seems to being up history and past trauma only when convenient. I can’t recall Lassie being bothered by his ex-wife for some time (maybe it was just the hiatus) but it seems to color his actions this week, including his seeing a shrink that tells him to get out of his comfort zone. With Carlton taking tap with Gus and the two becoming a crime-solving duo, it gives them the opportunity to hook Shawn and Juliet up … on a case.

I thought I saw some flirting between the two of them coming a mile away, like this would be the episode they start the Shawn-Jules build (or “Shules” as the kids are calling it). The pairing wasn’t hackneyed but it was definitely obvious. So I was thrown for a loop when it amounted to nothing but re-establishing the crime-solving relationships: the Psych agency and the slow-moving, ineffectual brass that need them. Maybe Shawn hitting on the cute receptionist at the lab will come back as Juliet internalizes everything. Maybe I’m making excuses for being so blatently wrong.

Watching the two pairs play Wife-Swap reinforced things we already know, that Shawn and Gus are almost of the same mind and that Juliet and Lassie share a partnership that, while not as deft and nuanced as some of the better L&O offerings, show a slapstick version of those relationships, bouncing off each other and whatnot. This is more evidence that we come back for these characters rather than the plot.

This is an episode that worked even though it explores no new terrain nor does it shake up the dynamics in any permanent way. We get a little slice of being Gus, a new quirk for Lassie (because the dancing helps clear his head), and almost nothing for the seasonal arcs. Do you even care about the murder mystery? Not really, right? It’s the person you totally thought it was, by the way.

All in all, not a bad episode of Psych, though I’d give the mystery a B-. I hope they start to ramp up their season arcs soon. I’m curious to see what they do with Henry and hope they don’t just put him in the dark hole where they put Captain Vick most of the time. Not that I’m super-excited to see Shawn and Jules live out a James Roday/Maggie Lawson fantasy (“Our characters should totally be together, too!”) but reinstating their flirtatious relationship after the Abigail Debacle would make me feel good. Also: more Lassie tapdancing!*

* I totally just tried to search YouTube for Lassie (the dog) tap-dancing, figuring that it might have happened after Lassie jumped the shark (the show did go on for like a kabillion seasons). I can’t for sure say it didn’t happen but I couldn’t find any video proof.