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Oh, man, I promised to do a Psych pimp post, didn't I? Ahhh, as usual, I have waited until the last possible moment (and to make matters worse, I took an unexpected nap this afternoon in the middle of reading. Oops). So. Uh. Here is it! Watch Psych because it's awesome. The end.

The Characters



Psych follows the exploits of Shawn Spencer, a professional slacker who finds his true calling as a private psychic detective. He doesn't actually commune with the spirits; due to a series of rather ridiculous and unlikely events, however, the cops end up believing that he does. In reality, Shawn spent his childhood jumping through hoops for his hotshot cop father, honing his extraordinary detecting skills.


Gus is Shawn's partner in crime -- err, partner in solving crime, I suppose. In addition to running the Psych office with Shawn, Gus also works as a sales rep for a pharmaceutical company. Although Gus is much more straight-laced and responsible, he and Shawn have still been best friends since childhood.


Shawn has a less than perfect relationship with his father, Henry. Henry is disappointed that Shawn never decided to follow his footsteps into the force, and naturally does not support the fact that his son has made a career out of lying to the cops. Now retired, he pretty much putters around his house on the beach and grumbles at Shawn when he's feeling lonely.


Interim Police Chief Karen Vick is the one who first employs Shawn's "abilities" in solving a case. It isn't quite clear to what extent she believes in his methods, but she certainly respects his results. Vick knew Henry back when he was still on the force.


The love of my life, Detective Carlton Lassiter. Okay, so I might be a bit biased, but Lassiter is freaking awesome. Like Vick, he works for the Santa Barbara Police Department, but unlike Vick, he has a zero-tolerance policy for Shawn's insane antics. He's quite by the book, and although he and Shawn often end up working on the same cases, Lassiter never abandons protocol and procedure in favour of Shawn's less traditional methods.


Lassiter's partner is none other than the lovely Juliet O'Hara. Don't let her youth and beauty fool you; although she may only be Junior Detective, Juliet is just as focused and knowledgeable as her colleagues. She does seem to have a bit of a soft spot for that psychic boy, though...

The Relationships


With such great characters, the writers certainly have a lot of fun playing around with their relationships, which always translates into even more fun for the audience.


As I mentioned above, Shawn and Gus have been best buddies practically since birth. Although they have vastly different personality types, their friendship has lasted so long because they really get each other. They balance each other out, really; Gus keeps Shawn's insanity in check, and Shawn keeps Gus from taking life too seriously (because when Shawn is your best friend, it is impossible to take life seriously). Even when Gus is in the frustrated throes of "Dear God, dear God, why do I even listen to Shawn? And why am I doomed to repeat this same mistake over and over again?" you know that they are each the most important person in the other's life.


Ahhh adorable flashback!Shawn!! Every episode opens with a short flashback to Shawn's childhood, usually setting up how Shawn learned the particular skill that he uses to solve the case. So I guess you could say that their relationship is pretty complicated -- Shawn owes a large part of his success to his father, but he's still resentful towards Henry for trying to force him to be a cop. On the other hand, Henry highly disapproves of Shawn's deception of the police, but he can't help but be impressed with his skills (as Shawn says in one episode -- "You have a dad crush on me!"). They're a strange mix of resentful and respectful, proud and disappointed. Their relationship on the show is one of my favourites, if only because Henry is so much like my father that it's not even funny. Actually, no, it's INCREDIBLY funny. Usually we watch the show as a family, and during pretty much every opening flashback we turn to our dad and are like, "Hmm, I wonder why THAT seems familiar! *pointed stare*" So, yeah, he can be a bit of a hardass, but I think his heart is in the right place.


Well, Shawn's the main character... Juliet is young and cute... Of course they must be flung together! So far, though, I think the show has done a great job in handling the predictable romance between two attractive leading characters. There is some mutual flirtation (probably more on Shawn's side, although he will flirt with anything on two legs), but their romance hasn't progressed much farther than that. Although Juliet tends to play by the rules, she is intrigued by Shawn's methods, and usually serves as his in during those times when Lassiter would rather shoo him out.


Shawn and Lassiter are equal parts rivals and partners, and for me that dynamic is the real highlight of the show. Lassiter knows Shawn is full of it, and yet he just can't seem to prove it, and yet as each case goes by he finds himself more and more impressed by Shawn, and yet auuugh you just can't solve crime by acting like a crazy person, and yet oops, Spencer did it again. Poor Lassiter and his crazy whirlwind of emotions. Of course, Shawn doesn't really help matters by rubbing his success in Lassiter's face at every possible opportunity. Yet despite their animosity, there is a certain level of respect developing between the two. No matter how much Shawn loves to rag on ol' Lassie, he has shown multiple times that he does care about him by stepping up and helping Lassiter when he really needs it.


Lassiter and Juliet have a bit of a rocky partnership at the start, but after a few episodes they soon become more comfortable working with one another. They both share a love for rules and regulations, although Juliet is more open to exploring alternative routes (namely, Shawn). Despite their differences, Juliet certainly respects Lassiter and looks up to him for guidance.

The Funny


Because. Hello. This is why we are all watching, right? Unfortunately, there aren't really a wealth of clips online; Psych is one of the rare shows where the official site is extremely helpful, and probably the best source for videos. I highly advise you to go check it out. I'll go ahead and post some of my favourite quotes as well.

Lassiter: There is something I have got to get off my chest.
Shawn: Is it your shirt? Please say no.
-From the Earth to Starbucks

Lassiter: Shall we?
Shawn: Sure. *Lassiter leads Shawn out of the room* If this is some sort of hazing ritual where we're going to end up naked in a river somewhere, I'll need to arrange for a ride home.
Lassiter: Listen to me, Spencer. The department's reputation is on the line with this one. If I catch you anywhere near this case I will throw every book I can find at you.
Shawn: What if you find the Bible? You gonna throw that, too? Seems a little sacreligious to me, don't you think?
-Speak Now or Forever Hold Your Piece

Shawn: Gus, don't be a gooey chocolate chip cookie.
-Poker? I Barely Know Her

Gus: *after hanging up with a stress hotline* Was he trying to help me? Because I feel really creeped out right now!
Shawn: Dude, he put you on the creepy train, headed for Creep Island, where the natives drink creep nectar out of creepy coconut shells--
Gus: Shawn. It's horrible.
-9 Lives

Gus: How should we introduce ourselves? Don't say psychic, they'll shut you off. Say something vague, like Alternative Tactics Division.
Shawn: How about the Bureau of Magic and Spell Casting?
-Pilot

In conclusion -- watch it! Because I spent way too long writing this (it is now exactly two hours after I started this entry, although I did take a break to take a bath and wash my hair), and I would hate for all of my hard work to go to waste. Plus, y'know, you might actually end up liking it.

EDIT: Oh, yeah... I forgot to mention when it is on! USA, Friday nights at 10:00, starting tomorrow night. Quick, clear your schedules!
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Bethany

March 2011

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