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Here it is, ladies and gents: the first day of the TVO Awards! We'll be covering the best of cable today, so strap yourselves in and keep checking back -- there are plenty of polls left today! First up, we've got the poll for the best show on USA Network. There are a lot of great shows on there, including Burn Notice, In Plain Sight, White Collar, Covert Affairs, and Royal Pains. But which one is your favorite? Vote below, and ensure your show has a spot in the next round of the awards by spreading the word! The winner of this poll will compete on Day 3 for the "Best Show on Cable" award.

This poll will close at 1:50 EST on December 30, 2010.

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TVO Awards - Day 1 - Best Show of 2010, Round 1.1 - Best Show on USA

And so season 5 comes to an end -- as does the Yang arc that has spread over the last 2 finales. We get the return of a whole rogue's gallery of special guests, a couple of big revelations, and more movie references than you can shake a stick at. Yep, it's a Psych season finale all right.

So, let's talk a little about those guest stars. As soon as Mena Suvari turned up I was stroking my chin. "Surely she can't just be playing the simple victim, right?" Yeah, that one was given away by the calibre of the actress. But it still works on two levels. If you don't know who she is, you're fine. If you do, you're still waiting for the big twist, and you know when it does come it should mean trouble for our beloved characters, so you're still on the edge of your seat. In this case we got to enjoy the big reveal twice -- of which the second, when Juliet discovered Alison was actually Yin's new apprentice, we got that beyond kickass fight scene between them. It was a great cathartic moment for Jules, who had been the victim in last year's finale, but now got her own victory.

While the reveal that Yin wasn't directly connected to Shawn's past was a little disappointing, that feeling was counteracted by the fact he was played by none other than the scene-stealing legend that is Peter Weller. I'm a huge Weller fan, so when that voice appeared I was in geek heaven. Coupled with the reveal that he was actually Yang's father, and you got a fantastic scene with the returning Ally Sheedy. Every time she called him "daddy" I cringed just as much as Shawn and Gus.

We also got the triumphant return of Jimmi Simpson as Mary Lightly, via an old VHS tape recorded prior to his death. I loved his character, so it was great to see him again.

But what we really care about are the characters, and this episode was full of nice little emotional beats. Gus, forever a bestest best friend, trying to make Shawn feel better about his oncoming death by telling him to never believe it was his fault was a very sweet moment, as was Juliet admitting her worry to Shawn about the next psychopath that might come for them. We got Shawn asking Lassiter for a favour and Lassie not even hesitating to make it happen, which shows that Shawn and his relationship has definitely grown to a place of mutual respect (or as much respect as those two can have for each other). We even got some Henry/Madeleine time as Cybill Shepherd returned for a mostly pointless, but nevertheless touching, cameo.

The episode ended on an intriguing note, with Lassie discovering that Shawn and Jules are now an item. How will that impact season six? I can't wait to find out.

If I have a complaint, it's that the episode never really felt like it came together as a whole like the previous two finales -- especially last year's Hitchcock inspired outing. Using the master of suspense as an episode theme helped make the episode feel like a feature film in itself, while this year was more like a regular episode (just with a few less jokes and a lot more darkness). This is really the only thing that stopped it from scoring top marks.

Overall, it was an extremely strong end to a fantastic winter half-season, and we can only hope that they continue this form into the sixth season next year. A-

Psych 5.16 "Yang 3 in 2D" Review

Just like it was hard to follow the Twin Peaks inspired episode with the police academy episode, it was near impossible for them to follow the inspired Christmas/dream episode. Compared to 5.14 this was obviously a step back; but in this strong run of episodes, thankfully, it was still another solid episode of Psych.

When a polar bear trainer is found dead in the habitat at a local zoo, Shawn and Gus aim to prove that the bear was innocent, and make sure it doesn't end up euthanized for a crime it didn't commit. Meanwhile, Lassiter's little sister Lauren (April Bowlby) is in town to film a documentary on her crime fighting brother. Of course Lauren is ridiculously beautiful considering her blood relation to Carlton, and of course that means Gus starts putting the moves on, and of course that means Shawn is going to be horrified. Just when it looks like Gus is about to strike gold, he has a terrifying vision of Lauren-as-Lassiter, which definitely ruins the moment. Poor Gus.

But the key to the story is the Lassiter/Lauren relationship. Lauren has viewed her big brother as an almost mythic creature, something from legend, but watching him flap his way around the case while Shawn and Gus do all the fun, action-based police work just ends up making Lassie look pathetic. A younger, more immature Shawn might've taken all of the kudos and delighted in making Lassie look even worse when it comes to his final monologue, but it looks like the lessons he learned in 5.14 have carried over. Shawn takes a step back and lets Lassie take the credit, helping restore his reputation in front of his sister. Well played, Shawn. Well played.

It definitely wasn't the funniest Psych episode we've seen this season, with some of the jokes being a bit stretched out, and the case not really hitting the heights that we've seen lately, but it was a nice little character-centric tale for Lassiter, and it felt wise to take it easy before we inevitably get a huge finale next week. B+

Psych 5.15 "Dead Bear Walking" Review

Ho-ho-holy hell that was a great seasonal episode.

If you're like me you've often wondered what the deep recesses of Shawn's subconscious look like, then wait no more. "The Polarizing Express" gave us a seasonal episode with a twist as a dreaming Shawn works through some of his issues, while also being given clues to help him out of his latest mess. We've had an arc running through a few episodes now with Shawn's recklessness causing all sorts of problems for the SPD (last week he was put into police academy training for ruining a sting operation), and this mini-arc reached a glorious climax, and also provided some of the show's weirdest laughs yet.

As you'd expect, Shawn's dreams are a bizarre mix of pop culture and psychological insanity; Gus is starring in a 90s UPN sitcom called "Wilin' With Da' Gusters", Henry has turned into Nick Nolte, Lassiter has taken over the SPD (while Chief Vick turns into Frau Farbissina from Austin Powers -- just because Shawn watched it the night before), and Jules is still in Miami as a bad-guy-casing cop inspired by Heather Locklear in TJ Hooker. Not to mention the brilliant Tony Cox acting as his dream guide. Just typing that is making me laugh. But like Chris Nolan said about Inception (am I really comparing Psych to Inception?), in a dream story you need personal stakes and you need an emotional journey to drive it forward. I'm not saying Pysch went that deep, just that it was a wise move on behalf of the writers to make Shawn's subconscious journey be about finding some catharsis and dealing with some issues (in a typically hilarious Shawn way), rather than just plotless silliness.

Once Shawn came out the other side of the dream, he made amends with Gus, Lassiter, Jules, Vick and Henry, and solved the case in a truly uplifting way. The moment the neighbourhood came together to pledge their assistance in taking down the thug was a wonderfully Christmassy and spirited scene. It melted the heart of this usually hardened writer.

There was almost too much in this episode to mention, from Lassiter in his Weekend Warriors outfit (and monocle!), to the Squirrel Assassin HQ, to the fairground ride photo, to Tony Cox's "wait for iiiiiiiiiiit", to Snowman Gus, to Shawn and Jules touching fingertips through the police car grate, to Gus dancing in the sitcom, to Henry drinking from the gigantic carton of milk, everything was pitch perfect.

This was another fantastic episode in what has been a really strong winter return. I hope 5.15 is just as good, but particularly that it follows on from Shawn's character development here. A+

Psych 5.14 "The Polarizing Express" Review

From the insanity of the Twin Peaks inspired episode we drift seamlessly into a Police Academy inspired one, with Shawn and Gus ordered to take some police training after they interrupt a planned sting by Lassiter. It was always going to be hard to follow up such a tremendous episode as 5.12, but "We'd Like to Thank the Academy" did a great job. While last week's was most centred on the Shawn and Gus adventure, this week we got a lot of familiar SPD faces showing up and taking part, including the return of Chief Vick and lots of Buzz action. We also got Shawn and Gus in uniforms for most of the episode, which is sure to please the female fanbase.

One of the highlights of the episode was a glorious piece of guest casting, with the Karate Kid himself Ralph Macchio as Shawn and Gus' police academy instructor. He had a great arc for the episode, going from a sure and in control trainer, to a beaten and defeated outsider once Shawn and Gus had ruined his life, then by the end managed to finally earn the respect of his nemesis Lassiter.

The case of the week wasn't one of the most memorable, though it did provide one of Psych's more entertaining characters in DeVry Longsdale, a flamboyant gangster with a golden gun and an appreciation of Shawn's footwear. The final scenes at the grocery store were hilarious, especially the moment when Gus finally perfected his AK47 sound effect over the speaker system. It was a shame there wasn't any Police Academy cast in the episode (unless I missed one). Maybe after last week they wanted to let the episode speak for itself, rather than do another stunt casting-heavy homage.

The Shawn/Jules fans got a few nice moments to enjoy. It was sweet when Jules admitted that it was her idea Shawn do the training as she was worried about his safety when they go off and try to solve dangerous cases on their own. And the episode was topped off by Jules buying a replica Top Gun jacket and suggesting she wear it "tonight" -- a moment the male audience was sure to drool over.

It was another strong episode in what has been a strong return since mid-season hiatus. It's a shame there's only three episodes left. A-

Some highlights --

Psych 5.13 "We'd Like to Thank the Academy" Review

"Wow". That was my first reaction upon finishing this superb episode, Psych's very own love letter to David Lynch's cult hit Twin Peaks. Jam-packed full of references, allusions, guest stars and imagery ripped right from the early 90's psychological mystery drama, including a genius arrangement of the theme song by Julee Cruise, who sang the original Twin Peaks theme song.

As a grand homage to Twin Peaks, this episode worked. It just worked. If David Lynch ends up watching it (we know for sure that he's aware of its existence), I think he'll be pleasantly surprised. "Dual Spires" comes from a place of great love and admiration, with James Roday admitting on many occasions that Twin Peaks is one of his favourite shows of all time, if not the favourite. "Dual Spires" has essentially been 5 years in the making as the Psych crew tried to find a way to make it work, and what better time than 20 years since Twin Peaks first aired.

It was definitely a case of spot the reference, but it never felt like the references were overbearing or spoiled the usual Psych narrative. I will admit that I haven't seen all of Twin Peaks, but I've seen enough to get most of the allusions. From the Log Lady, to the chocolate bunny on Shaun's desk, to the soundtrack, to the name Paula Merral (an anagram of Laura Palmer), to the damn fine cup of cider, to "Earl Wyndam", to Lassiter's hair being made to look like Dale Cooper's, and then that final amazing scene of the man in the red suit dancing and everything else that came with it.

But it's not about just throwing random references at the wall to see if they stick -- this is still Psych, and this still needs to have the usual Shaun and Gus banter and the usual twisty-turny narrative and murder mystery fun. This is what makes "Dual Spires" such a success -- it perfectly blended a usual episode of Psych with the Twin Peaks-inspired insanity. We got Gus being a sympathetic crier, the tandem bike chase, the return of Ray Wise as Father Peter Westley, Gus being awkward with Shaun and Juliet's phone conversations, and Lassiter admitting that waiting for corpses to resurface is a passion of his.

It was just an absolutely brilliant episode, one which paid a loving homage to a classic television show while also being a damn fine episode in itself. Psych has been in great form since it returned, and long may it continue. A+

Psych 5.12 "Dual Spires" Review

Last week the show went north of the border, but this week we're back in Santa Barbara as Shaun, Gus, Jules and Lassiter take on the case of the carnival ghost, in an episode obviously inspired by (and full of references to) Scooby Doo.

Shaun and Jules discuss keeping their secret from the world

In my 5.10 review I commented on how the episode felt so packed with story that it didn't have as much room to breathe as usual, meaning we lost out on a lot of Psych's usual banter and in-jokes -- well 5.11 came back firing on all cylinders, as we got the perfect mix of great Shaun and Gus squabbling and twisty-turny plot hijinks. Psych is often at its best when it just lets the leads go crazy and argue their way around a case, and "In Plain Fright" certainly fit the bill.

Those fans who were worried that Shaun and Jules finally getting together would change the DNA of the show can also rest easy. While the B-plot of the episode dealt with Shaun trying to deal with keeping their relationship secret from his best buddy, it never felt like it was derailing the show or compromising what we love about it. In the end Gus' reaction was exactly like most of ours -- yeah, so what, they're together. It's been coming for 5 years. Let's get on with our lives. Perfect.

Cherry on the cake? The triumphant return of former Asian assistant Ken, who has become his own little running joke. The poor guy never got a reference from Shaun for a job at IBM, and has now lost his job at the carnival. Here's hoping he pops up again throughout the season.

Definitely a very funny episode, one of the best this season. 9 fist bumps out of 10

Some choice moments:

What did you think of "In Plain Fright"? Discuss the episode on our forums.

Psych 5.11 "In Plain Fright" Review

Psych is back! And so is everyone's favourite super-polite British art thief, Pierre Despereaux (Cary Elwes). We last saw Despereaux in 4.01 "Extradition: British Columbia", finally being caught by Shawn and co. Now Despereaux is in a Canadian prison, though it's not long before he escapes and returns to the art theft game -- but when a dead body is found at the crime scene it's up to Shawn and Gus to somehow prove Despereaux is innocent of murder.

Daboney Wilhelm and Chocolate Columbo investigate

I found Psych's triumphant return to be lacking in laughs, but it was still just as enjoyable as ever. Shawn and Despereaux have such a great relationship, and it's always refreshing when Shawn comes up against someone that can better him on a regular basis. But being such a plot heavy episode, with lots of twists, turns, and lots of angst for Shawn, the episode didn't have as much room for the usual Psych banter between the main cast. Juliet and Lassiter were barely in the episode (and didn't share any dialogue with each other), there was only one scene with Henry, one scene at the Psych offices, one scene at the SBPD (and no Chief Vick, though we did get a funny scene with Shawn and Buzz McNab), and no young-Shawn flashback.

I also didn't notice many 80s references, there were no fist bumps, no "I've heard it both ways", and no "wait for iiiiiiiit". Obviously I don't want Psych to overdo its tropes, but when you add it all up it leads to an episode that doesn't hit the funny bone as much as usual. There's nothing wrong with Psych going outside of its usual template, it can sometimes lead to its best episodes, but I did find myself longing for the usual scenery and character interactions.

The big talking point amongst a lot of the fanbase will be the decision to finally throw caution to the wind and get Shawn and Juliet together. The bike/car speech was sweet and something Shawn would definitely say while trying to sum up his emotions in a non-direct way. Psych has taken a big leap, and it should be interesting to see how this plays out. The will-they-wont-they stuff has never been why I watch the show, but now the angst is (hopefully) over we can get back to the big comedy.

My favourite moment was probably Gus running away from the cabin (Gus running never fails to make me laugh), though I will reserve an honourable mention for Shawn and Juliet's big kissing scenes -- especially the old lady saying "you're very nice... for a slut".

Overall, it was a fun return for one of my favourite shows, but I'm definitely looking forward to returning home and getting back to some of the things that make Psych so funny. 7 fist bumps out of 10

What did you think about 5.10? Discussion the show in our forums.

Psych 5.10 "Extradition II: The Actual Extradition Part" Review

Will the summer finale live up to the expectations we as Psych fans want, or will the comedy in this Bourne-esque episode be too undercover?

The amount of guest stars this week was the magic number four. First off Nestor Carbonell returns as Decland Rand. Although there was not much time on camera this time, Carbonell did well in his part. Next, Psych reunited Carbonell with another Lost star. Jon Gries (Roger Linus on Lost) played Strabinsky, a spy who removed himself from "the grid. I have to say Gries fell into this part quite well. His perfect timing of jokes to Shawn were nice and it was nice to see Shawn play off the jokes nicely. The next guest was Franka Potente. You may know her as Marie from The Bourne movies. Oddly enough, she is playing a spy named Nadia. Her scenes were ok but most of the time I cringed at her dialogue. This part should have seriously gone to someone else. Finally the last guest star is C. Thomas Howell (Ponyboy from The Outsiders). Howell played Driggs, a CIA officer tracking Nadia. This character was fitted for Howell I believe. But, enough about characters.

This episode was well worth the wait. The main story for this episode was inspired by The Bourn series. I have to say that the writers did a good job of writing a spy esque episode to end the summer season. The episode had many great moments (including one with Shawn and Juliet, but more on that later). However, the character of Nadia really brought the story and the episode down. The scene that pushed me off the edge was between her and Shawn in the park. This one scene, although necessary, had me cringing the entire time. For those who have yet to watch the episode, you may wish to remove that scene from your brain.

Horrible acting aside, the scene after Nadia leaves the park is where the OMG moment of the episode begins (I say it begins here because the moment actually travels into the final scene of the episode). You may have noticed that I would always rant about the writers not including the Shawn/Juliet love story. Well the story really came to a head this week. Before I go on I have to add
                                       SPOILER WARNING: FROM HERE ON OUT
With that being said, I am so excited that Shawn and Juliet are finally moving their relationship up a notch. Granted Declan is throwing a wrench in the plan but I expect that to be worked out soon. Shawn kicked off the love triangle by professing to Gus, while Juliet listen through a radio with Shawn unaware he was still wired, that he loved Juliet. I have to commend Maggie Lawson on her acting in this moment. She played her emotions well. To add to this moment, Juliet took the biggest leap of faith at the end of the episode by kissing Shawn. This is what I believe is the beginning of a possible relationship between Shawn and Juliet (once Declan is out of the picture).

With Shawn and Juliet finally getting closer to a relationship, this episode had a lot of potential. Unfortunately, Nadia (Franka Potente) had to bring the episode down covertly. Let's hope this is the last of Nadia the spy. B-

Psych 5.09 "One, Maybe Two, Ways Out" Summer Finale Review

With Nestor Carbonell and Curt Smith guest starring this week, will we Shout praises of this episode or will all be Lost in the guest stars?

The guest star's this week were played excellent. Curt Smith playing Curt Smith? Who knew he would work in that character. Granted I don't know much about Tears for Fears, apart from the song Shout, but I really loved Curt in the episode. He was hilarious with his back and forth between Declan and his awkwardness towards Shawn was down right perfect. After all Shawn was confessing his love towards Curt. Now Nestor Carbonell really impressed me this episode. As Declan Rand, yeah even I think it's a funny name, Carbonell stole the scenes he was in. Being that he was playing a new and improved Shawn, Declan was still a fresh character that will do well as a recurring character. On a side note, I loved the remark about Carbonell's eyes. I guess it's not just Lost fans who notice that Carbonell has the appearance of wearing guy-liner.

I have to say that I never expected this story to be this good and well written. When I saw that it was about donor patients dying, I figured it would just be someone on the donor list killing them. Well I was half right but, I did not expect the suprise twist the writers threw in to confuse almost every watcher. Throw in some great 80's and 90's pop culture references, a new yet not as funny Shawn-esque Declan, and some great music/dialogue from Curt Smith, and this story was not only bearable but, great to re-watch again and again.

Gus this week was not given a nickname. I would have been upset but that was overshadowed this week as we viewers were finally given some addition to the overall season story-arc. It's been awhile since Shawn has discussed feelings for Juliet but, I can see he has been harboring his feelings of possible love for some time. I like that Shawn became somewhat vulnerable when competing against Declan and I thought he was going to spill his secret. Alas, Declan made himself the hero thus sustaining his recurring role as what I believe will be Juliet's boyfriend, much to the disgust of Shawn.

This episode was all around great from start to finish. I really hope next weeks summer finale can continue the momentum from this week. A+

Psych 5.08 "Shawn 2.0" Review

Can Shawn and Gus find out what some escaped convicts are up to, or will a Snickers bar be enough to distract Shawn?

I have to say, that Psych once again does guest stars right this week. First off is Chi McBride. Granted he is not as famous to some, others see him as a great actor in multiple styles (Chi currently stars in Human Target on FOX). His role as Craig was a combination of funny and serious. I have to say any scene between Craig and Lassie had me laughing. Finally having someone who doesn't take Lassie's crap lying down and still can make it amusing is great. The other guest star this week was Kevin Alejandro, who is known to many True Blood fans as Jesus. Kevin played an inmate named Northcutt and I have to say he was believable as an inmate.

The story was once again brand new, at least to me. At first, I thought the story would have been resolved on the boat but I was oh sooo wrong. That was just the first half of the story. Bringing the rest of the story to land really helped give the story some push to resolution. After all the inmates were after something on land and not at sea. One thing I did like with the beginning of the story, was that the writers had me guessing who might have been in cahoots with the inmates.So kudos to the writers this week for a great story and a great twist.

Sadly, we had no Gus nickanme this week. That is ok for this week as I really saw no reason for Shawn to even create a nickname. Also, we were given no season story arc action. We were barely even given much Juliet and she only spoke to Shawn once.

For being on a boat for half an episode, the episode was limited but once the boat docked, the episode was really able to pick up speed. B+

Psych 5.07 "Ferry Tale" Review

Will going against the Chief's wishes stop Shawn and Gus, or will their 60-year-old dopplegangers stop them...while going 5 miles an hour?

There were two guest stars this week. The writers grabbed two men who were famous quite some time ago. The first guest star was Carl Weathers, who played Boone. If he looks familiar, it's because you may have seen him in Rocky as Apollo Creed or in Happy Gilmore as Chubbs. I have to say Weathers played his part well, from his womanizing ways to how he treated Gus. To finish out the duo, William Devane was called in to play Peters. Devane nowadays is probably most remembered for his role on 24 as James Heller. When paired together, these two men brought some great scenes that had me laughing and presented an even bigger challenge to Shawn and Gus during the investigation.

The story this time around was once again something fresh. When an old police chief dies, it's up to Shawn and Gus to find out "whodunnit". However, Boone (Weathers) and Peters (Devane) also want justice for their old police chief.  Seeing these two almost identical duos try to solve this crime at the same time had some comedic points. Whether it be Peters thinking Shawn is just a palm reader, Boone harping on Gus, or Boone throwing his shoe, this episode kept me interested in the duos more than the story. That's not to say the story wasn't interesting, but it was just overshadowed by the actors this time around.

As for a continuing story arc, I've decided to stop waiting around for it and just let it develop. It's nice to root for more Shawn and Juliet but we will probably get that in the second half of the season. On a different note, there were three Gus nicknames this week: Imhotep, Come In Peace, and Control-Alt-Delete. My favorite had to be Come In Peace, as Gus even added a great facial expression to the character name.

While the story may have been overshadowed by great guest stars, it was still a good story for the actors to shine in. Let's hope that Shawn and Gus will end up as good as Peters and Boone as they become older in years. The episode was really a great one for the whole Psych staff. A-

Psych 5.06 "Viagra Falls" Review

Racing is a dangerous sport. Can Shawn and Gus survive this week or will they end up crashing and burning?

To begin I have to talk about this week’s guest stars. I understand that Tommy (played by Adam Rodriguez) works great in this episode. His run on CSI: Miami has garnered him some great rep as an actor and this week he does well as a street racer. On the other end, Gina (played by Vanessa Minnillo) is somewhat of a different story. She does not have the same stance as a star as Rodriguez, but she does well as a tough as nails mechanic. I guess dating Justin Timberlake will make you act like a jerk. This by far has been the best casting for guests this season.

The story is quite different this week. Shawn and Gus make their way into street racing syndicate. I have to say this made for some great moments, especially for Shawn. The scene during their race in the truck was hysterical. The characters introduced during the story made it go over the top, but in a good way. Like I said before, Rodriguez and Minnillo fit perfectly into their characters and made me believe they could be real. However, Gus was once again underused. He did great saving Shawn, and that’s all I want to say about that without spoiling it for anyone.

The season story was non-existent again. I am beginning to wonder if the writers will include anything of it this season. Maybe just have to wait till the second half of the season starts. We were given multiple Gus nicknames this week, “G-Force” and “Clap Yo Handz”. These both were great as they touched on driving in some sort this week.

All in all, this episode was great. The writing was excellent, the acting was done perfect and even the guest stars did their parts well. This episode has got to be my favorite this season. A

Psych 5.05 "Shawn And Gus In Drag (Racing)" Review

Shawn in a suit? Yes, that's right, but does good clothing hold a chance for a fancy murder?

To begin, the guest stars this week were Jean Smart and John Michael Higgins. Granted these aren't huge stars, they still were able to hold attention on screen. The banter at the end between Shawn (James Roday) and Clive (Higgins) had me laughing. I would of liked to see both guest stars in a more comedic role during the episode but since they were playing people of class, I'm guessing humor for them would not have worked.

Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dule Hill) discuss their new case.

The episode itself was very original. The writers did a great job this week placing red-hearings throughout the episode. I found myself second guessing who I believed was the murderer many times. The story centered around a murder at a classy party. The characters involved were portrayed fantastic and seeing Shawn and Gus (Dule Hill) interact with high society had me laughing . Gus especially had me at one point while flirting with a cougar. As for the humor, the episode really had it's moments. The scene in the locker room with the characters repeating the word Naphthalene had me almost in tears (granted it doesn't take much for me to laugh).

Once again, the over-arcing season story line was not shown. Granted the season is only 4 episodes in, I think the writers should add some for to the story so it doesn't become rushed towards the end. I was able to look past this a little because we finally got another nickname for Gus. When meeting Clive for the first time Shawn gave Gus the nickname Chaz Bono. It's not Shawn's funniest nickname, but it did get me to chuckle.

This episode really had me entertained  through the entire 42 minutes. Can't wait to see what the Psych team has in store for them next week. B

Psych 5.04 "Chivalry Is Not Dead... But Someone Is" Review

Aliens, UFOs, nerds, and ..... Freddie Prinze Jr.? Yes it's all here in this episode, and suprisingly it all concerns one person.

First off, Freddie Prinze did an amazing job as Dennis, the sci-fi fanatic, in this episode. His timing in everything worked and he really had me beleiving that a guy like him could be a fan of sci-fi/comics. The one thing about his presence I did not like was his recinciliation with his wife. I think the writers made it too easy for the couple to settle their differences. It would have made for a better story line if the couple didn't have that easy transition to being a good couple again.

Shawn (James Roday) and Gus (Dule Hill) reconnect with their old friend Dennis (Freddie Prinze Jr.).

 As for the episode itself, I have to say it could have been better. I know aliens is a big topic for many shows, and it's even bigger for this one which is why I was dissapointed in the story. Granted the opening sequence was by far the greatest one of the series (in my oppinion), the rest of the episode became alittle confusing for an episode of Psych. The conclusion of the case itself presented once again Shawn with a way to easily stall the bad guys untill Juliet and Lassie show up. With this being Psychs second "Alien" episode (the first was episode 1.11 "He Loves me, He Loves Me Not, He Loves Me, Ooops He's Dead) I expected more from the writers.

Finally, I was a little down because we the viewers were not given two things we love in an episode of Psych. For starters, not much time....scratch that, zero time was given to the season story arc. Unless you count more angery banter between Lassie and Henry then you would have some story arc. Secondly, and I hate that we were not given one this week, but Shawn never once gave Gus a fake nickname. Maybe the writers thought it wasn't nessecary since the news called him "Gurton Buster" but I think we as viewers were jipped out of a comedic moment.

With a big name actor in the cast, this episode didn't do much more to add to the star power that Freddie Prinze generated. In other words, I think this episode should have been abducted from the entire season. C

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Psych 5.03 "Not Even Close ... Encounters" Review

Finally Dule Hill (Gus) gets his chance to shine as he shows off his tap moves. Does it make for a great episode, or does it compose the only good part of the episode?

To be honest, when I saw a screen cap of Gus tap dancing, I had some high hopes for the episode. Then I saw Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) was tapping too. My initial instinct to this was that of dismay. However I, like many of you, had no idea that Lassie had moves. He was even keep step with Gus perfectly at some points. So I have to give props to Lassie, but more importantly Omundson for doing so well in such a challenging situation.

Now to the episode. The story was genius. The writers did a great job setting up a red herring for the audience. I was constantly second guessing myself as to who I thought the murderer was. The story had no dry areas this time and keep up a steady pace for the whole hour. This story is what makes Psych worth watching.

The actors did a phenominal job this week. When a split occured (Juliet and Shawn teamed up and Lassie paired with Gus), I expected some awkward situations but instead the characters were allowed to shine in their own talents. Gus once again was able to shine for a moment with his great use of identifying medicine, adding to his moments of tap dance through-out the episode. I was alittle disappointed by the Shawn and Juliet pairing. Granted it was filled with humor but I really wished the writers would have brought up so of the sexual tension between the two. Hopefully we will get something between these two by the end of this season.

With two murders, a murderer who no one may have guessed, and Gus/Lassie showing off their dance moves, this episode really did excellent. A-

Psych 5.01 "Feet Don't Kill Me Now" Review

Everyone’s favorite fake psychic is back. Shawn, Gus, Juliet and the others all return for the newest season of Psych. Will this be the year Yin is caught? Will Shawn and Juliet finally get together? Will Gus go a whole episode without squealing? Well at least the first two questions at likely to be answered.

Everyone knows that Psych has a great history with comedy in all its episodes. This episode does not lack in that department. It provides great humor even in the face of danger. Shawn (James Roday) uses his quirky humor to bring light to dangerous situations; however, at some points it feels that his humor easily slows a bad guy. Gus (Dule Hill) shines a little more in humor this episode. His rant against the man at the front desk of the karate dojo had me laughing the whole time. However since Shawn is usually the point man of funny, Gus usually takes a back seat for humor.

The episode does not try to distance itself from the past seasons finale. This episode picks up about a week after Juliet and Abigail are rescued from Yin. Many references are made to last season’s finale and it really helps with the general story arch over seasons. The affects of Yin are evident as Juliet has shied away from police business since her incident. This creates some slow working for Shawn/Gus and even Lassiter. Luckily, Juliet will return to the SBPD soon.

As for the episode, the plot was slow at points. The story is one that has been told many times before. It’s basically Romeo and Juliet (the episode is titled Romeo and Juliet and Juliet), but using two rivals Chinese gangs instead of feuding French families. With a story this old, the plot becomes a little boring. However, the writers were able to pepper in some hilarity to give the plot some flavor. It works but only to an extent.

With this being the season premiere, my only hope is that it can only go up from here. USA still has a lot of potential with Psych and hopefully a few more seasons. B

Psych 5.01 "Romeo and Juliet and Juliet" Review

If you've been having an itch to buy a television show on DVD, but you just can't figure out which series you want to have, we're here to help you out. July 13 will have a lot of brand new selections of show DVDs that you'll probably be dying to have. White Collar? Check. Psych? Check. FIFA World Cup? Triple check. Here's a list of what's hitting DVD on Tuesday.

Saving Grace, The Final Season - For such a short-lived show (only three seasons), the finale of Saving Grace really got a lot of people talking. Now, in order to capitalize upon that success, the third and final season of the TNT original series is being churned out on DVD less than a month after the finale aired. I'm sure this one will be a big seller. Order it here.

White Collar, Season 1 - If you're looking for a solid crime show with just the right amount of lightheartedness, USA's White Collar is the show for you. Matt Bomer and Tim DeKay star in this fun show about a criminal helping the cops (which sounds like a tired premise, but is surprisingly fresh). Season one will be hitting DVD on the same day that season two premieres, so don't forget to catch that premiere as well. The only downside? You might not have enough time to catch up on the first season before the second season premiere, but that's okay. The four-disc set is retailing for $38.99 at Amazon. Order it here.

Psych, Season 4 - USA is going for a twofer, with Psych being released on the same day. This is one show I haven't seen, though it does seem interesting. The premise, as you might know, is a fake psychic who helps the cops. Less tired than White Collar, but then again, I've never seen the show, so I can't testify to the quality. However, having made it to season four, the show does seem like it might be very good. The single disc set is going for $34.99 on Amazon. Order it here.

Mystery Science Theater 3000 XVIII - You've gotta love MST3K. These snarky audience members have made fun of some of the worst movies ever, and they're absolutely hilarious when they do it. This eighteenth volume of the series contains four episodes, critiquing Lost Continent, Crash Of The Moons, The Beast Of Yucca Flats, and Jack Frost over four discs. Order it here.

FIFA World Cup DVD Collection: 1930 - 2006 - The 2010 won't be decided until July 11 (a day after the writing of this article), so the Netherlands/Spain face-off obviously can't be included upon this DVD release. However, highlights from every other World Cup is included on this set. This almost wouldn't classify as a TV DVD if the World Cup wasn't such a big event that gathered so many people around television screens. The fifteen-disc set is retailing for $80.99. Order it here.

The Lucy Show, Seasons 1 & 2 - Now, here's the classic TV release of the week: The Lucy Show. Not to be confused with I Love Lucy, The Lucy Show was Lucille Ball's return to television on CBS. The first third of the show is going on sale Tuesday, with the first two seasons spread over eight discs for $49.99. Order it here.

Romeo x Juliet, The Complete Series - I never got into the anime scene, but here's what the official description of this series reveals: "For most of her young life, Juliet lived a tortuous lie. Disguised as a boy, she prowled the shadows of Neo Verona as the Red Whirlwind – a masked crusader determined to right the wrongs of a heinous regime. Nothing else mattered to this lionhearted beauty until the day she laid eyes on her Romeo. Handsome and daring, he swooped into her life and spirited her away from the turbulence of a common existence. Although born of different worlds, their love proved strong enough to bridge the gap between two sides of a world fractured by unfathomable evil. But now, as their people’s suffering reaches unspeakable levels, the greatest lovers the world has ever known must unite to overcome the forces conspiring to keep them apart." Order it here.

Street Hawk, The Complete Series - Sounds like Knight Rider to me, but the pulpy classics of the eighties all had a bit of resemblance to each other. "Broadcast by ABC in the mid 80s, this series quickly became a massive hit. Jesse Mach, an ex-motorcycle cop injured in the line of duty-now a police trouble shooter, has been recruited for a top-secret government mission to ride Street Hawk, an all-terrain attack motorcycle designed to fight urban crime, capable of incredible speeds of up to 300 mph and immense firepower. Only one man, Norman Tuttle, knows Jesse Mach's true identity. The Man, The Machine, Street Hawk." Order it here.

Shark Week: Jaws of Steel Collection - "Unravel the Secrets of the ocean s deadliest and most fascinating creature in these hit Discovery Channel specials that have captivated fans for more than 20 years." The two disc collection is retailing for $17.99. Order it here.

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Will Ferrell - SNL has only had a few moments of brilliance in the last twenty years, and most of those were Will Ferrell's fault. It's no accident that this fantastic comedian launched a career in film after leaving the cast of SNL early in the decade. The man was pure genius, and here's a collection of his greatest hits. This single-disc volume is selling for $14.49. Order it here.

Saturday Night Live: The Best of Tracy Morgan - Like Ferrell, Tracy Morgan is a really funny guy. Unlike Ferrell, he's more famous for his television roles than his film roles. This collection shows the 30 Rock star's greatest hits on the variety show. The single-disc set is selling for $13.49. Order it here.

TV on DVD: July 13, 2010

Just because Richard Alpert's finally showing age doesn't mean that Nestor Carbonell is. In fact, Carbonell, who appeared in thirty episodes of the acclaimed series LOST (and is even getting a bit of Emmy buzz for his role), is moving right along to other projects. You'll next be able to see Carbonell on USA's Psych. According to Fancast:

Carbonell has been cast in the role of Declan Rand, a criminal profiler who over the course of two episodes will shape up to be Shawn’s professional – as well as romantic – rival.

So savvy is Declan at what he does, I am told, that Gus (Dule Hill) will dub him “Shawn 2.0.” Gus!

How will Shawn react to being one-upped by this “upgrade”? Or might Shawn 2.0 be harboring a few… glitches?

Well I’ve no idea who would DARE and try to one up Shawn and there can NOT be an improvement! Of course this is coming from a die hard Roday fan so maybe the rest of you should keep an open mind!

Now, I haven't seen a single episode of Psych -- I rarely watch USA -- but this seems like a pretty good thing. I've been looking forward to seeing the former LOST stars getting new roles, and I might just find myself tuning in with many other curious LOST fans to see what the former Island guru has up his sleeve next.

Carbonell, who also appeared in The Dark Knight in 2008 as the mayor of Gotham city, may be reprising his role for the third and final installment of Christopher Nolan's Batman trilogy, simply on the principle that his character didn't die. In any case, I'm really looking forward to seeing what Carbonell's going to do next -- he certainly proved his acting ability in "Ab Aeterno" earlier this year.

Nestor Carbonell Joins 'Psych' Season Five

If you had your Friday and Saturday nights marked off for USA programming, you might want to change your calendar come January. The network is rethinking its entire schedule, according to Futon Critic, and is taking over the middle of the week. Burn Notice, Psych, and White Collar, which all previously occupied the latter part of the week, have been moved up by the network to Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

White Collar will be the first of these to take the new timeslot. It will return for the second half of its first season on Tuesday, January 19, at 10/9c, narrowly dodging regular competition with shows like Lost and Glee, which occupy earlier timeslots on the same night.

Burn Notice will take over Thursdays at 10/9c starting on January 21, where it will resume its third season.

Finally, Psych's return will take over Wednesdays at 10/9c. It will return with its fourth season a week after White Collar and Burn Notice return, on January 27.

What do you think about this bold new move by USA? Will it hurt or help the networks great programming when it's put up against weekly television shows? Let us know in the comments below.

USA Spreads Out Programming

The official Comic-Con schedule has been released! Below are the confirmed dates, times and guests for all television panels from the following networks: ABC, AMC, BBC, CBS, CW, DISCOVERY, FOX, HBO, NBC, SHO, SYFY & USA. I have also included special television-specific panels hosted by Entertainment Weekly and TV Guide.

I will be attending and reporting about the panels that are denoted by an asterisk. Follow me on Twitter for frequent updates from San Diego!

WEDNESDAY, JULY 22

• Human Target, V & Vampire Diaries
  • Ballroom 20, 6pm-9pm
  • Full pilot screenings of each

THURSDAY, JULY 23

• Burn Notice*
  • Ballroom 20, 2:30pm-3:30pm
  • Guests: Bruce Campbell, creator/exec prod Matt Nix, executive producer Alfredo Barrios Jr.

• Dexter*
  • Ballroom 20, 5pm-6pm
  • Guests: Michael C. Hall, Julie Benz, Jennifer Carpenter, executive producers John Goldwyn, Sara Colleton, Clyde Phillips & Melissa Rosenberg

• Legend of the Seeker
  • Room 6DE, 4:45pm-5:45pm
  • Guests: executive producers & cast [names not confirmed]

• The Middleman*
  • Room 6A, 11:15am-12:15pm
  • Guests: Matt Keeslar, Natalie Morales, Mary Pat Gleason, Brit Morgan, Jake Smollett, Mark Sheppard, Brendan Hines, producer Sarah Watson, writers Jordan Rosenberg, Margaret Dunlap & Andy Reaser, creator Javier Grillo-Marxuach
  • Cast reunion reading & lost episode table read, “The Doomsday Armageddon Apocalypse”

• Psych
  • Ballroom 20, 3:45pm-4:45pm
  • Guests: James Roday, Dule Hill, Maggie Lawson, Tim Omundson, Corbin Bernsen, creator/exec prod Steve Franks

• Entertainment Weekly: Wonder Women – Female Power Icons in Pop Culture*
  • Ballroom 20, 1:15pm-2:15pm
  • Guests: Sigourney Weaver, Elizabeth Mitchell (Lost, V) & Zoe Saldana (Avatar)

FRIDAY, JULY 24

• 24
  • Ballroom 20, 2:15pm-3pm
  • Guests: Kiefer Sutherland, Mary Lynn Rajskub, Anil Kapoor, Katee Sackhoff, executive producer Howard Gordon

• The Big Bang Theory
  • Ballroom 20, 1pm-2pm
  • Guests: Johnny Galecki, Jim Parsons, Kaley Cuoco, Simon Helberg, Kunal Nayyar, executive producers Chuck Lorre & Bill Prady

• Bones*
  • Ballroom 20, 3pm-3:45pm
  • Guests: Emily Deschanel, David Boreanaz, executive producer Hart Hanson

• Caprica/Battlestar Galatica: The Plan
  • Ballroom 20, 11:45am-12:45pm
  • Guests: Esai Morales, Edward James Olmos, executive producers Ronald Moore, David Eick & Jane Espenson

• Dollhouse & Joss Whedon Q&A*
  • Ballroom 20, 4pm-6pm
  • Guests: Eliza Dushku, executive producer Joss Whedon
  • Screening of episode “Epitaph One”

• Eureka
  • Room 6BCF, 3:15pm-4:15pm
  • Guests: Salli Richardson-Whitfield, Erica Cerra, Neil Grayston, executive producer Jaime Paglia

• FlashForward*
  • Room 6A, 11:45am-12:45pm
  • Guests: Joseph Fiennes, John Cho, Jack Davenport, Sonya Walger, executive producers David S. Goyer, Brannon Braga & Marc Guggenheim

• Jericho
  • Room 7AB, 5pm-6pm
  • Guests: Lennie James, executive producers Dan Shotz, Karim Zreik, Jon Steinberg, writer Robert Levine
  • Details about Season Three: Civil War comic book continuation of series storyline

• The Middle
  • Hilton Bayfront Indigo Ballroom, 12pm-1pm
  • Guests: Patricia Heaton
  • Pilot screening

• The Mighty Boosh
  • Room 6A, 4:45pm-5:45pm
  • Guests: Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Michael Fielding, Rich Fulcher, Dave Brown

• Past Life
  • Room 6A, 2:15pm-3:15pm
  • Guests: Kelli Giddish, Nicholas Bishop, Ravi Patel, executive producers David Hudgins & Lou Pitt
  • Pilot screening

• The Prisoner
  • Room 6BCF 11:30am-12:30pm
  • Guests: Jim Caviezel, Jamie Campbell Bower, Lennie James, writer Bill Gallagher, AMC series production VP Vlad Wolynetz

• Stargate Universe
  • Ballroom 20, 10:30am-11:30am
  • Guests: Robert Carlyle, Brian J. Smith, Elyse Levesque, David Blue, Alaina Huffman, Jamil Walker Smith, Ming-Na, creators Brad Wright & Robert Cooper

• TV Guide Magazine: Sci Fi Hot List
  • Ballroom 20, 6:15pm-7:15pm
  • Guests: John Cho & Scott Wolf (V), Johnny Galecki & Jim Parsons (The Big Bang Theory), Zachary Levi (Chuck), Rebecca Romijn (Eastwick), Allison DuBois (the real Medium), Marc Guggenheim (producer, FlashForward), Kevin Williamson (executive producer, The Vampire Diaries, Scott Peters (executive producer, V)

SATURDAY, JULY 25

• Chuck
  • Ballroom 20, 10am-11am
  • Guests: Zachary Levi, Yvonne Strahovski, Joshua Gomez, Ryan McPartlin, Mark Christopher Lawrence, Vik Sahay, Scott Krinsky, Sarah Lancaster, Adam Baldwin, executive producers Josh Schwartz & Chris Fedak

• The Cleveland Show
  • Ballroom 20, 12pm-1pm
  • Guests: Sana’a Lathan, Kevin Michael Richardson, executive producers Seth MacFarlane, Mike Henry & Rich Appel

• Doctor Who: Planet of the Dead & Torchwood: Children of Earth screenings
  • Room 6DE, 7:30pm-10:00pm

• Eastwick
  • Room 6A, 10:15am-11:15am
  • Guests: Rebecca Romijn, Lindsay Price, Jaime Ray Newman, Paul Gross, executive producers Maggie Friedman & David Nutter
  • Full pilot screening

• Family Guy
  • Ballroom 20, 11:15am-12pm
  • Guests: executive producer Seth MacFarlane

• Fringe*
  • Ballroom 20, 4pm-5pm
  • Guests: Anna Torv, John Noble, Josh Jackson, producers Alex Kurtzman & Robert Orci, executive producers Jeff Pinkner & JH Wyman

• Futurama
  • Ballroom 20, 1pm-1:45pm
  • Guests: Billy West, Katey Sagal, John DiMaggio, Maurice LaMarche, executive producers Matt Groening & David Cohen

• Glee
  • Hilton Bayfront Indigo Ballroom, 1:30pm-3pm
  • Guests: Matthew Morrison, Lea Michele, Cory Monteith
  • New episode screening

• Heroes
  • Hilton Bayfront Indigo Ballroom, 3:15pm-4:15pm
  • Guests: creator Tim Kring, Jack Coleman, Masi Oka, Adrian Pasdar, Zachary Quinto, Robert Knepper, Dawn Oliveri, Ray Park, Madeline Zima
  • "Volume 5: Redemption" trailer debut

• Human Target
  • Room 6BCF, 4:45pm-5:55pm
  • Guests: Mark Valley, Chi McBride, Jackie Earle Haley, executive producers Jon Steinberg, Brad Kern, Peter Johnson, comic co-creator Len Wein
  • Pilot screening

• LOST*
  • Hall H, 11am-noon
  • Guests: executive producers Carlton Cuse & Damon Lindelof and surprise guest

• Mythbusters
  • Room 6BCF, 7:15pm-8:15pm
  • Guests: Jamie Hyneman, Adam Savage, Tory Belluci, Grant Imahara

• Sanctuary
  • Hilton Bayfront Indigo Ballroom, 12:30pm-1:30pm
  • Guests: Amanda Tapping, Robin Dunne, executive producers Martin Wood & Damian Kindler

• The Simpsons
  • Ballroom 20, 1:45pm-2:30pm
  • Guests: creator Matt Groening, showrunner Al Jean, executive producer Matt Selman, supervising director Mike Anderson

• True Blood*
  • Ballroom 20, 5:15pm-6:15pm
  • Guests: Anna Paquin, Stephen Moyer, Nelsan Ellis, Rutina Wesley, Sam Trammell, Alexander Skarskard, Michelle Forbes, Deborah Ann Woll, writer Charlaine Harris, executive producer Alan Ball

• V*
  
  • Ballroom 20, 2:45pm-3:45pm
  • Guests: Elizabeth Mitchell, Scott Wolf, Morris Chestnut, Joel Gretsch, Morena Baccarin, executive producers Scott Peters, Jeffrey Bell, Steve Pearlman & Jace Hall
  • Pilot screening

• The Vampire Diaries
  • Room 6BCF, 5:55pm-7pm
  • Guests: Ian Somerhalder, Paul Wesley, Nina Dobrev, executive producers Kevin Williamson & Bob Levy, writer Julie Plec
  • Pilot screening

• Warehouse 13
  • Room 6A, 2:15pm-3:15pm
  • Guests: Eddie McClintock, Joanne Kelly, Saul Rubinek, Allison Scagliotti, executive producers Jack Kenny & David Simkins

• Weeds
  • Hilton Bayfront Indigo Ballroom, 8pm-9pm
  • Guests: Justin Kirk, Hunter Parrish, creator Jenji Kohan

• Entertainment Weekly: Totally LOST w/Jeff Jensen & Dan Snierson
  • Room 5AB, 3:30pm-4:30pm

SUNDAY, JULY 26

• American Dad
  • Ballroom 20, 11:15am-12:15pm
  • Guests: Seth MacFarlane, Wendy Schall, Dee Bradley Baker, executive producers Mike Barker & Matt Weitzman

• Being Human & Torchwood
  • Ballroom 20, 2:15pm-3:45pm
  • Guests: John Barrowman, Russell Tovey, Lenora Crichlow, Aidan Turner, executive producers Russell T. Davies, Julie Gardner & Toby Whithouse, director Euros Lyn

• Doctor Who
  • Ballroom 20, 10am-11am
  • Guests: David Tennant, executive producers Russell Davies & Julie Gardner, director Euros Lyn

• Ghost Whisperer
  • Room 6BCF, 1pm-2pm
  • Guests: Jennifer Love Hewitt, David Conrad, Christoph Sanders, Jamie Kennedy, Camryn Manheim, executive producers Ian Sander, Kim Moses & PK Simonds

• Smallville
  • Room 6BCF, 10:30am-11:30am
  • Guests: Allison Mack, Erica Durance, Justin Hartley, Cassidy Freeman, Callum Blue, showrunners Kelly Souders & Brian Peterson

• Supernatural
  • Room 6BCF, 11:45am-12:45pm
  • Guests: Misha Collins, Jim Beaver, executive producers Eric Kripke, Ben Edlund & Sera Gamble

Source: comic-con.org

Jo is a pop culture writer who loves television and covers Lost extensively. She is currently enjoying The Cleaner, Nurse Jackie, True Blood and Weeds while impatiently awaiting Comic-Con 09. Email:  jo [at] jopinionated [dot] com.

Comprehensive & Confirmed Comic-Con 09 TV Panel Schedule

USA continued on its path to cable domination with the best original series with last week's premiere of Royal Pains, staring Mark Feuerstein.  The new series, about a concierge doctor working in the Hamptons, whether he likes it or not, scored USA their best premiere to date, even beating out the series premiere's of Burn Notice and In Plain Sight, the other heavy hitters from the cable network.  Pains brought in 5.6 million viewers for its two-hour pilot episode, 2.3 million of that in the all-important 18 - 49 demographic, AND they managed to retain 90% of the lead-in Burn Notice audience (which isn't that much of a surprise, considering the similarities between the two series).  Royal Pains even managed to surpass the ratings of NBC's premiere for The Listener, a Canadian import, which got 5.3 million viewers overall, but only 1.8 million viewers in the 18 - 49 demographics.

Burn Notice's third season premiere also did well, bringing in 6 million viewers and beating out their season 2 debut by 11%.  USA's ratings last Thursday are made all the more extraordinary by the fact that they were opposite of game 1 of the NBA Finals on ABC.  Sounds like Burn Notice and Royal Pains are going to stick around for a while.

Meanwhile, USA has announced that Monk and Psych will launch their new season on August 7, a bit later than last year's July 18 start date.  This will be the final season for Monk and the fourth season for Psych.  USA also confirmed that Burn Notice will wrap the first half of its third season on August 6 and that Royal Pains will wrap its first season up on August 27.  Burn Notice will return for the remainder of it's third season in early 2010, similar to how they broke up season 2 of the series, which worked very well for them in the ratings.

And finally, "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" and "In Plain Sight" will their seasons on Sunday, August 9.

Source: Variety

USA Scores Big With Royal Pains; Sets Psych & Monk For August

The USA Network announced its summer lineup today, which gets a jump start when it begins on Sunday April 19.  The lineup kicks off with the eighth season of Law & Order: Criminal Intent.  The 16 episode season will star Jeff Goldblum in the lead role for half of the season, and then Vincent D'Onofrio will return for the last half.

Following Law & Order: CI will be the second season of In Plain Sight, which stars Mary McCormack as a U.S. Marshal in charge of relocating federal witnesses within the witness protection program.

Next, Burn Notice, which wraps up its second season this coming Thursday night, will return for season 3 on it's same night, Thursdays.  Burn Notice will be followed by the brand new series Royal Pains, which stars Mark Feuerstein as a doctor who's constantly on call for the rich and famous.  Sounds interesting.

Finally, the comedy series Monk and Psych will air on Friday nights, however the premiere dates for these two shows have yet to be announced.  In addition, Mondays will continue to be the home of WWE Monday Night Raw.

USA was the #1 network in basic cable prime, delivering more P25-54 (1.33 million, +23% over #2 TNT) and P18-49 (1.30 million, +16% over #2 TBS) than any other network the third straight year. In 2008, USA was also the top network in basic cable prime among total viewers (2.84 million, +19% over #2 Disney Channel) and households (2.11 million, +17% over #2 Disney Channel).

USA's 2008 average for P25-54 (1.33 million), P18-49 (1.30 million), total viewers (2.84 million) and households (2.11 million) is the highest ever for a basic cable network in Primetime. USA delivered more P25-54, P18-49, and total viewers than the CW in prime (Mon-Sun 8P-11P). This is the first time a cable network has beaten a broadcast network.

Source: Variety

USA Releases Summer Programming Schedule

First, I need to apologize that it took me so long to get this recap up. I had a hard time with this one, people! This was a really odd episode. There was precious little of the wacky hijinks we have come to expect from our favorite fake detectives. I wasn’t sure how to approach such a serious episode (something very abnormal for this show) and try to write a funny recap.  I guess the best I can do is try, and hope to get at least a little chuckle out of you!

I’m thrown off right from the beginning of this episode because they do NOT start with Little Shawn and Little Gus. Where are they!?! I’m concerned!

So instead of LS and LG, the episode starts with Shawn and Gus ordering lunch in a restaurant. I wish they had restaurants with nice outdoor seating like that where I live. And ocean views. Perhaps that’s something to add to the pro column of my West Coast move pro/con list? They seem to be everywhere out there, unless TV has been lying to me all these years.

Sorry, I need to get back on track… this episode is going to be hard enough to recap, I need to stay focused if I’m going to get anywhere. Gus leaves the table for a minute, giving Shawn an opportunity to flirt with the waitress. They discuss his breakfast-for-lunch proclivities, and he finds out she drives a black jeep (you’ll know why that’s worth mentioning later).

PCA!! (That’s “Pop Culture Alert” for those who did not read my last recap) Pinkberry

When Gus arrives back at the table from his potty break, he calls Shawn out on his shameless flirting. He’s certain Shawn will still be using the same tired lines when he’s 80. To prove him wrong, Shawn calls Abigail, who we met in the high school reunion episode at the beginning of this season. Remember her? She’s all that!! Shawn asks her out, and it seems no one is sure this is a good idea besides him. She warily agrees.

PCA!! Shawn calls Gus “Hitch” and says, “you want to see some Will Hunting action?

Meanwhile back at the police station, the chief receives an envelope with a Yin Yang symbol on the back.

Cut back to Shawn and Gus and another Good Will Hunting reference. The writer of this episode must have JUST seen that movie, because they reference it a lot. It makes me really want to watch that movie again. I haven’t seen it in ages. Shawn gets a call from the Chief, who orders him down to the station immediately.

Once everyone is gathered, the Chief shows them what arrived in the envelope we saw earlier. It’s a letter from the Yin Yang killer, done in classic ransom letter style (i.e. letters cut from magazines… which also, incidentally, is how I decorated my notebooks dedicated to New Kids back in the late 80’s/early 90’s). The letter reads, “Hey everybody I’m back for one night only. I’m going to kill someone tonight. Guess who, guess where, guess how. This is going to be so much fun. Mr. Yang.”

The Chief explains that the YY killer only comes out of hiding when he finds a challenger who is a worthy opponent, and it seems he has his sights set on Shawn. The police have absolutely no idea who the YY killer is, and the only choice they have is to play along with his game.

Right off the bat, Shawn says he knows who the killer is and points at a guy in the policy station that we’ve never seen before. What Shawn doesn’t know is that the man he has just accused is actually Mary Lightly, a serial killer profile they will be working with on the case. Man, is this actor capable of playing anything other than super creepy weird guys? First his character in It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia and now this. I don’t know how I’d feel about being typecast as a weirdo.

Mary (it’s a family name) fills us in on the YY Killer. He first appeared in 1995, when he killed six victims, and has resurfaced twice since, each time killing just one person. He gives the police clues in the forms of riddles, giving them the opportunity to possibly save the victims. Mary explains that the Yin Yang symbolizes the unity of opposites, such as “dark vs. light, killer vs. cop, Kramer vs. Kramer.” *hee* Creepy dude made a joke!

The first riddle is as follows:

SHE SERVES THE GENERAL WELL TODAY
WHOSE SOLDIERS WAIT TO DIE - -
IN A WHITE RIVER THEY SHALL PAY
FOR THEM SHE WILL NOT CRY - -
WHO IS SHE?

Each riddle comes with a stop watch already running, letting them know how much time they have to solve it. In this case, they have 1 hour and 10 minutes. Lassie assumes the victim must be in the military, but Mary points out that the riddle will relate to Shawn personally, since he is the chosen opponent.

Shawn’s father, Henry Spencer, bursts into Chief Vick’s office and demands that his son not be used “as a pawn” in this case. He remembers what happened the last time someone went up against the YY Killer, and he doesn’t want the same to happen to Shawn. Vick implores Henry to not interfere, insisting that he’s their only chance to beat the YY Killer, but Henry says that’s not his problem and storms out.

Henry tries to reason with Shawn, explaining that this killer knows everything about him, his friends, and his family. He says, “you don’t catch this son of a bitch, kid, you’re never going to sleep again.” I don’t know that I buy this scene. Henry has always been painted as the kind of guy who bleeds blue. A cop through and through. I don’t know that I believe he would try to pull his son off the case, especially knowing how good he is at what he does. But then again, I’m not a parent, and I assume the parental part of his brain, and the desire to protect his son, is really what is working here. I don’t know, it just didn’t seem quite right to me.

PCA!! After telling his father to leave, Shawn goes back into the station and says, “dad was just dropping my Zodiac DVD.”

Back to trying to solve the riddle. When Lassie tries to link something in the riddle to a past victim, Mary gets exasperated and says, “there’s never a repeat performance.” He tells Shawn to think back over the last 24 hours. A little too quickly to be believed, Shawn figures out that the “General” is General Mills, the “White River” is milk, and the “Soldiers” are cereal. The police rush to the restaurant where Shawn had his cute “breakfast for lunch” flirtation that afternoon, only to find that the waitress is missing. There they find another stop watch, with just 18 minutes on the timer, and a message, this time written out in Alpha-bits.

OH RATS SHAWN, SO CLOSE!
TOO BAD SHE HAS TO DIE BUT HOW?
AND WHEN AND WHERE?
DON’T BOTHER ASKING WHY.

Shawn once again jokes about breakfast for lunch (which I, personally, believe strongly in, btw), and Gus pulls him aside. He wants to know what’s going on – why he’s making jokes and acting like an ass when a girl’s life is on the line. Shawn explains that he has to treat this case like he does any other – with his “fanciful rhetoric” that helps to diffuse tense situations, even when no one else is laughing. And he needs Gus’ help to keep things light. And herein lies the difficulty in recapping this episode. Even when there is silliness, it is intensely awkward because of the situation. I like that they had this scene, or we would have just thought Shawn was being an ass. Kudos to the show for finding a way to keep some humor in an otherwise very dark episode, but it’s making my life awfully difficult! Don’t they know it’s all about me?

Lassie discovers the next clue:

LITTLE LEAGUE IS OVER
YOU JUST BECAME A PRO
SCORE A RUN WE’LL HAVE MORE FUN
BE SURE YOU BEAT THE THROW

With less than 18 minutes, they’re not going to have much time to solve this, and Shawn is feeling the tension. Gus makes his first attempt at lightening the mood with some talk of pancakes, which confuses everyone, but Shawn seems to appreciate it.

Shawn deduces that they need to go back to the police station, since that’s their “home plate,” and you need to touch home plate to score a run. When they arrive there, Shawn finds his mom, who tries to convince him to step away from this case. As a psychiatrist for the police department, she evaluated some of the officers involved in the last search for the YY Killer. Go back up and read the paragraph about Shawn and his dad’s conversation, and you’ll basically know what happens here.

Shawn heads to the conference room and finds everyone standing around a mysterious box. Mysterious in that it wasn’t delivered, but just appeared outside the file room. Mary opens the wrapping and finds a rat in a cage, along with another riddle:

MEET MY LITTLE BUDDY BEN
PITTER PATTER IS YOUR HINT
IF YOU CAN’T REMEMBER WHEN
JUST READ THE FINE PRINT

PCA!! Ben!  Does this song still make anyone cry?  Just me?  Alrighty.

They have less than one hour. Juliet suggests that Shawn “speak to” the rat. Once again, Shawn is stumped and feeling the pressure. You just gotta love Gus here. He knows exactly what his friend needs – what anyone would need in this situation – a Michael Jackson impression. A really good Michael Jackson impression, in fact. Gus rocks.

The others aren’t quite as impressed with Gus’ mad improvisational skills, but Shawn (on the down low) loved it. And once again, the distraction has allowed Shawn to figure out a part of the riddle. “Fine print” refers to the newspaper lining Ben’s cage. Upon further investigation, they find that the classified ads are full of references to past cases.

PCA!! When Mary compliments Shawn and Gus on the success of a past case, Shawn says, “Thank you, Willard.”  I know I'm linking to the remake there, and not the original, but I find Crispin Glover kind of fascinating.  So suck it up.

One ad says, “SNARKY PSYCHIC seeks Ferroequinologist for help with killer smile.” Gus points out that a ferroequinologist is a train enthusiast (a fact he knows because he himself is a ferroquinologist). Other ads refer to a “tender” and a “black snake,” which leads them to the conclusion that they’re looking for the car right behind the engine of a coal train (just go with it… that’s what I’m doing).

The good news is that there is only one coal train in Santa Barbara. The bad news is, it doesn’t actually stop in the station, so Shawn and Gus have to pull a full on hobo and run after the train. Abigail picks that very moment to return Shawn’s call, and Shawn says he still wants to see her tonight, but he may have to push the time back a bit. Damn, that Shawn is ambitious! Catching a serial killer and getting the girl all in the same day. I can barely work up the energy to get off the couch after working at my considerably less taxing day job all day.

Poor damaged Abigail is sure she’s going to be stood up again, but Shawn insists he’ll be there.

When Shawn and Gus finally make it onto the train car, the find the following riddle:

A MOVING PICTURE IS WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS
SO READ THE STORY AND FOLLOW THE BIRDS.
ONCE YOU’RE THERE, YOU’LL HEAR A PHONE.
YOU HAVE EIGHT RINGS TO PICK UP OR THE GIRL IS DEAD.
SHAME ON ME THAT DIDN’T EVEN RHYME

They have 27 minutes. Inside an envelope, they find a stack of pictures. Mary comes trotting up to the train car.

PCA!! When Shawn mocks Mary for taking so long to catch up, Mary pulls up his pants leg, revealing ankle weights. He says “I always wear them, even when I sleep. I read about it in Men’s Fitness. It totally reinvigorated Ryan Reynolds’ career.”

So it seems that any silliness helps Shawn, whether it’s provided by Gus or not, because he has a brainstorm. He grabs several pictures, puts them in order, and flips through them like a flipbook. Ah, a MOVING picture! I get it! The pictures show Gus throwing away a gum wrapper in a garbage can earlier that morning. CREEPY! That means the killer was there, watching them!

Once they’re back at the trash can in front of Psych, the next clue of “follow the birds” leads them out on to the pier, where they hear a phone ringing. Shawn finds the phone on a homeless man who is sleeping under a blanket with the Yin Yang symbol on it. Man, the YY killer really thought ahead! Having special blankets made and everything. That’s impressive forethought.

Shawn realizes that the phone didn’t start ringing until they were close to it, deducing that the YY killer must be close by. He refuses to play the killer’s games anymore, and throws the phone into the water. Wow, I would not want to be that waitress right now.

While everyone is staring at him in disbelief, Shawn looks back toward Psych and sees a weird flash in the window. He leads them all back to the office, where (of course) the killer is now no where to be found. I think this may be the most intense scene ever of Psych, and certainly the most serious we’ve ever seen Shawn.

And you know what that means! Silly Gus! He grabs a plane, and pretends he’s King Kong, batting at it. That’s pretty funny. Well, to me anyway. Lassie asks him what the hell he’s doing, and Shawn says, “seriously, man, I need you to pull yourself together.” *wink* Awesome. He just winked at him. I love those two.

Juliet is glancing at pictures of the boys when she sees one of the waitress, bound, gagged and terrified. Either the boys have some seriously screwed up fetishes or that was not there before. Mary breaks the glass, and behind the picture he finds a message that begins with, “You are a naughty, naughty boy…” He doesn’t finish reading the message out loud, but says that the YY killer is giving them another chance.

An aside: I just used the word “fetish” and the phrase “naughty, naughty boy” in the same paragraph. I don’t even want to know what kind of internet searches this recap is going to show up in now. Move it along, pervs, nothing to see here.

Shawn cracks. He’s sick of being this killer’s puppet, just following instructions and playing along. He knows the killer is too good, and will probably just kill the girl no matter what happens. Juliet, Lassie and Mary storm out, disgusted that Shawn would give up.

PCA!! Shawn tells Mary he has a “fey name and [a] weird Ken Burns haircut.”  He may have funny hair, but the man makes a mean documentary.

PCA!! Shawn tells Gus not to be “the last of the famous international playboys.”  I assume this is the reference, right?  I don't see how it relates.

Once they’re gone, Shawn reveals the real plan to Gus. He just wanted to get rid of the cops, and drop off the killer’s radar. He wants YY to think that he’s given up, when in reality, they’re going to go back to the beginning and walk through it one step at a time.

Back at the police station, another riddle has arrived:

I’M NO DOUBTING THOMAS
I PUCKER UP TO FIGHT
FOR YOU TO SHAKE MY HAND
YOU’D HAVE TO USE YOUR RIGHT
WHO AM I?

Now that Shawn is gone, this clue could be directed at anyone. Lassie, a Civil War buff, tells this long story from ye olde days that helps lead them to The Stonewall Hotel. No, I’m not going to explain how. Just trust me, it made sense at the time.

PCA!! Mary cracked me up when he said, “hey, you guys remember that Pat Swayze mini-series North and South? Talk about Civil War buff, huh?” That creepy Mary is growing on me.

Shawn and Gus are back at the restaurant from this morning. Shawn notices that the waitress’ black jeep is missing (see, told you that was important). This means she and the killer must have taken her car. Just then, Lassie calls to tell Shawn that they found the jeep at the hotel, and that he needs to get down there. Well, them working on their own didn’t last long, did it?

They find the girl, alive but probably in need of some serious, intense therapy. Inside the girl’s mouth they find a crumpled up riddle:

SHAWN NO LONGER WANTS TO PLAY
STAKES TOO LOW TO MAKE YOU STAY?

When Shawn discovers his mom’s purse in the hotel room, he knows the YY Killer has upped the stakes significantly. His, “He’s got her, Gus. He’s got my mom” just breaks my cold, black heart.

On the bathroom mirror is written the following clue (in lipstick, natch):

YOU SHOULD BE MOVING,
AS MOST PEOPLE DO.
INSTEAD YOU SIT AND ENJOY THE VU.
PS MOMMY SAYS HI.
AND BYE.
JUST IN CASE.

Shawn flashes back to a newspaper (not really sure where this flashback is from… the paper in the rats cage, maybe?) and sees an ad for the local drive-in. Someone has crossed out the “e” in “Cinema Vue Drive In.”

Once they arrive at the theater, they set about looking for Shawn’s mom’s rental car, a blue sedan. I love how Shawn almost always addresses Gus, not the rest of the group. He clearly relies on him more than anyone else, especially when things are tough. The way they write this friendship is really quite nuanced for such an oddball show.

Shawn finds her first, sitting in her car with tape over her mouth and a sign around her neck that says, “Mommy says pretty please don’t squeeze.” Henry (Shawn’s dad) runs up. They notice a red laser dot on the back of her head, and the cops go running after the source. Shawn, genius that he is, knows it’s just a decoy. What’s not a decoy, however, is the flashing red light on a bomb in mommy dearest’s popcorn bucket. I know that stuff will kill you (seriously, do you know how much saturated fat is in that?), but come on.

James Roday really impressed me in this episode. I already loved him as a comedic actor, but he did a really good job with the serious stuff too. When he looks down at his dad and says, “dad, she’s strapped,” you could really sense the fear and despair. Well played, Roday.

Shawn asks his mom where the YY killer is, and she gestures toward the car next to them, where there’ a woman eating popcorn and watching the movie. Not just any woman, though. It’s Ally Sheedy! You gotta love Brat Pack cameos!! She glances over at Shawn, holds up the detonator, and nods him over to the car.

Once he’s in the car, Ally gushes about how he was her “most admirable foe.” Her Yin, if you will. Shawn frankly doesn’t give a crap what she thinks of him, he just wants her to let his mom go. He did beat her, after all. Fair’s fair. Oh, and by the way, they’re surrounded by cops.

Ally babbles for a bit about how she may be a killer, but she completes things, which is all people really want. She makes sure Shawn realizes she still has the power to blow up his mom (OT - I can’t type that without thinking, “Gee, I'm real sorry your mom blew up, Ricky.”), and he gets the cops to stand down. Shawn pokes the bear by calling her “a cliché – a knock-off of a knock-off.” Not really sure what the game plan is here, but I assume he has one. Ally tells Shawn that she’s torn – she really wants to blow his mom up, but on the other hand, she needs Shawn to like her, because they’re “going to be working together again.” You see, she’s going to write a book! And she wants Shawn to write the forward.

He passes on the job offer.  She hands the detonator over to Shawn, who jumps out of the car, and the cops swarm. I have to assume this isn’t the last we’re going to see of Ally. There’s really no resolution here. It felt a bit rushed.

Shawn goes and finds his mom, who is being comforted by Henry. Sweet. Shawn says he’s going to cancel his date tonight to stay with her, but she says, “now it’s time to go see about a girl.” Seriously? Again with the Good Will Hunting?

Abigail comes to meet Shawn for their date… at the Drive-In. Wow, dinner, a movie, and a crime scene, all in one. Romantic.

Shawn is in the concession stand getting snacks. I guess catching a serial killer has some perks – free snacks! Totally worth it. That crap is expensive, yo! Juliet walks in and pours her heart out to him. It’s actually quite lovely, all about how the best things in life don’t come easily, and how much he impresses her. Finally she gets to the point and asks him out.

AWKWARD, considering he’s already on a date. This makes me sad! I like Abigail, she’s funny and cute and might be good for Shawn, with all of her vaguely quirky normalness. Then again, it’s Juliet! She and Shawn have been dancing around this for three years. I’m torn!!

I really don’t know how to do this scene justice in a recap. It’s touching and sad. I’ll just tell you, if you don’t remember it, go watch it again.

There’s a little more cuteness Gus Shawn tagging along on Shawn and Abigail’s date, but that’s pretty much it.

Oh, Psych, why did you have to leave me with such a dark episode? How am I going to make it through the Spring without your silly antics? And why did the Psych-Out have to be Lassie singing “Private Eyes?” I mean, it was hilarious, but now that song is going to be stuck in my head until you return this summer!!!!

Well, that’s it, folks. I promise to be better about getting these recaps up on time when the show comes back in a few months. Until then, check out the official Psych website for full episodes, and lots of fun time wasters. See you all this summer!

Psych 3.16 - "An Evening With Mr. Yang"

An episode of Psych sending up horror movies?!  What's not to love?

The episode, as always, starts out with a flashback to Little Shawn and Little Gus.  This time it’s 1988, and Mr. Spencer is picking the boys up from summer camp.  Shawn is pissed (and rightfully so, I think) because Gus paired up with “Golden Boy Jason Cunningham” for the piñata contest (PINEAPPLE!), leaving Shawn with an unfortunate boy who wore a down coat the whole week.

POP CULTURE ALERT!! (heretofore known as PCA!!):  According to my Tivo, we are exactly 0:00 minutes into the show and we already have our first pop culture reference.  Shawn tells puffer jacket boy, “It’s a million degrees out!  Why don’t you go live on Hoth, you freak!”  (BtheW, that link?  Wookiepedia?  How cute is that??)

After leaving Jason with a super special secret handshake (just stick a knife in Shawn’s back, why don’t you??), Gus gets in the truck and asks Shawn what happened to his clown piñata.  Shawn:  “It’s not a clown… and wouldn’t you like to know.”  Cue the creepy kids singing and zoom in on the lake, where we find Shawn’s not-clown has been whacked Soprano’s style with a rock tied around its foot.

In the present, a girl with cute short blond hair is watching some incarnation of Friday the 13th.  She stuffily explains to the about to be dead actress in the movie that “that’s what you get for being a harlot!”  I’m not going to call them out on the misogyny, because I really like the word harlot.  I’m easy to please.  Blondie hears a noise, grabs a bat, and goes in search of her own bloody death.  Upon finding that it was just a banging window, she drops the bat, showing us that the cute blond hair is certainly not topping off an abundance of brains.  Wouldn’t you figure out WHY the window was open before dropping your weapon?  I know I would.

Blondie looks out the window and sees… something.  Not really sure what, and since it’s gone a second later, she’s not really sure what either.  The now on edge girl is startled by a whistling teapot, then the phone when the unfortunately named “Sissy” calls.  While she’s on the phone, we see that there is someone peering in her window wearing a mask .  And he does that classic creepy psycho killer wearing a mask head tilt thing that always freaks me out.  Yeah, that’s really creepy.  I’m going to be using the word creepy and its many variants a lot in this recap.  Get used to it.

Of course she doesn’t see Psycho Killer, because what fun would that be?  She drinks her tea right after pouring the water from the kettle.  I only mention this because 1. that would burn the crap out of your tongue and 2. you have to let that steep, idiot.  This further proves my more hair than brains theory.  She goes over to the fridge, where she finds a sign that says “I SEE YOU” written in some sort of runny red substance, presumably blood (along with a PINEAPPLE!).  Psycho busts through the window, and I’m thinking that’s the end of Blondie.

Shawn and Gus are walking toward Psych, discussing the finer points of Mexican cuisine.  Upon reaching the front door, they find what’s left of Shawn’s Rick Astley piñata (See!  Not a clown at all!) hanging from a noose.  Yeah, that’s messed up.

PCA!!  Rick Astley

Bonus PCA!!  Gus tells Shawn it looks more like Ann Margaret, who will always be Medda, the Swedish Meadowlark to me.

Pan over to the bench, where OMG IT’S MACKENZIE ASTIN!!!!  *pause for nostalgic squee*  I can’t be the only one who’s Friday night was totally made by Mackenzie Astin being on my TV screen.  This rocked!!

Anywho, Mackenzie is actually an all grown up (and adorable) golden boy Jason Cunningham, who thought the not-clown was either Eric Stoltz or Boris Becker.  Jason explains that he bought their old camp, and found piñata Rick when they dredged the lake.  Shawn is shocked that Jason would even go back there, and is less than psyched to find out that he’s there to ask for their help finding a missing counselor (Annie, aka Blondie).  Did something happen at camp that summer that they’re not telling us about?  Something even more insidious than dumping one’s best friend just to win a piñata contest?

When Shawn tells Jason that he should go to the proper authorities, Jason refuses, saying that if the press catches wind of it, the “camp murder stories will start all over” (hmmmm?) and his newly purchased camp will fail before it even opens.

PCA!!  Shawn’s gut is saying no in THX.

Well, despite really, really, really not wanting to, Shawn agrees to help.  You know… for the kids.

Our subplot this week deals with Detective Lassiter (Lassie from here on out) possibly reconciling with his wife.  He adorably bought several bouquets of flowers and boxes of chocolates so that he’d “have options” and is now dumping the rejects on various women in the office (including the lady down in fingerprinting who, he discovers, “is a man… from birth!!!"  *hee*). More on Lassie and his quest for love later.

Shawn and Gus are in the Blueberry (which is how I refer to Gus’ car, thanks to that hilarious episode with Tim Curry).  They are heading back to their old camp, still arguing over the Piñata Incident of 1988, when they nearly run over a dude with only one tooth, but a jaunty hat and chipper outlook on life, who exclaims “You’re all doomed!”

PCA!!  When Gus tells Shawn that jaunty hat guy is just kidding, Shawn says, “He has a folksy sense of humor.  The Garrison Keillor of Camp Tikihama.”

Garrison rides his little bike back into the woods, and WOW, if Shawn didn’t want to leave before, he really does now! But Gus, once again, convinces him to keep going, and they arrive back at their old camp of DOOOOOOOM.  We’re introduced to a few of the counselors: Clive, the funny guy who’s in charge of “all water activities or anything wet”, whatever that means, and Billy, “fitness, nutrition, body sculpting.”  HA!  Billy makes me laugh.  And he has his shirt off for most of the show, so he can stay.

Hot chick counselor walks out of the lake in slow-mo in a bikini.  Obviously.  I always make sure everything I do in a bikini is in slow-mo.  It minimizes the jiggling.  Shawn tells Gus not to act like an idiot just because there is a cute girl around.  I’d take bets against that happening.

Jason walks out and… what the hell happened to him since the last time we saw him?  He’s wearing nurses shoes (both left feet) and carrying a large, creepy doll as if it was a baby.  He greets Shawn and Gus as, “Burton and Shane” and tells them he tried to make biscuits but forgot to light the pilot.  Yeah, I don’t think the stove is the only thing with the pilot light out, if you know what I mean.  Shawn knows exactly what I mean, and asks Jason if he’s feeling okay.

Hot chick counselor walks up and Gus introduces himself as “Gus… but you can call me Slicks.”  Well, there goes the whole not acting like an idiot thing.  Turns out the hot chick is Sissy, who made that last fateful phone call to Annie.  When Shawn tells the counselors that they’re there to help find Annie, they freak out.  Seems Jason had lied and told them that she had called.  He mumbles something about thinking she would call, but she never did, then wanders away from them in a daze, dragging his creepy doll behind him.

Shawn and Gus go into Annie’s cabin, and Shawn does his trademark “looking everywhere, seeing everything” thing, zooming in on a small piece of broken glass near the now repaired window that the killer came through at the beginning of the show.  After looking around a bit more, the boys leave with Sissy, and we finally learn what happened at the camp all those years ago.  Apparently, a repair man was electrocuted in the pool and the camp closed early.  Yikes.

The trio wanders over to the laundry shack where, despite the fact that no one is supposed to do laundry there, the dryer is running.  I’ve seen enough horror movies to know that if the dryer is a-rocking, you do NOT want to go a-knocking.  Thankfully, there are no dismembered body parts (this is basic cable, after all), but they do find poor Annie’s pjs covered in blood.  SCREAM!  And cut.

When we return from the commercial break, all of the counselors are in the laundry shack.  Shawn accuses Garrison of being the killer, and we learn that our favorite toothless optimist is actually the janitor, Irwin.  Billy the Body Sculptor notices that the cycle on the dryer just started, and thinks they should go out looking for the killer.  Clive the water dude, not wanting to “lose any of [his] extremities,” politely refuses, but Billy is having none of that.  He hands Clive a pair of garden shears, grabs a big piece of pipe for himself (yeah, phallic much?) and hilariously says, “lets twist this” without a hint of irony.  Awesome.

Sissy doesn’t want to go alone, so Gus volunteers to go with her.  Shawn tries to talk some sense into him:

“We’ve never met Annie.  She could be a terrible person.  We’ve suddenly fallen into some kind of slasher movie scenario and we’re making all of the classic mistakes.  We stay here.  Shut the door.  Wait for help.”

Makes sense, right?  But remember that whole Gus-acts-like-an-idiot-around-pretty-girls thing?  Yeah, that urge takes over and Gus heads out with Sissy, leaving poor Shawn alone.  He pulls out his cell phone.

OOH!  Killer vision!  Gus and Sissy are talking about… something… when we are suddenly watching them through two crudely cut holes in what I can only assume is a very foul smelling mask that is now caked in poor Annie’s blood.  Gus is telling Sissy that they call him “fearless Guster” when he hears a bird caw and chucks the shovel that he’s carrying as protection at a tree.  “And there’s plenty more where that came from!”  HA!!

Over to Billy and his pipe of manliness, falling into a large hole and presumably getting chopped up by PK, who at that very moment has arrived with his axe.

Subplot!  Lassie arrives at the restaurant where he’s meeting his wife.  He’s two hours early and thoroughly creeps the poor maitre-d out by telling him that he’ll wait.  Standing.  In the lobby.  You see, as a peace officer, he’s trained to “remain motionless for 8 hours if need be.”  The maitre-d wonders if he might be more comfortable in the bar, which is open.  Upon walking into the bar, he finds his wife, Victoria, already on her second martini.  Seems she was nervous too.  Aw, cute!  Oh, and Victoria is Justine Bateman, who is looking a little worse for wear.  Although she looks great in the pic at her wiki, so maybe it’s just the lighting.

Back at the camp, Juliet (Detective Juliet O’Hara) walks in and finds Shawn hiding in a closet.  Understandably embarrassed, he asks her to go back out and come back in so she can catch him doing something much more manly, like inverted sit-ups or anvil lifting.

It’s 6:00, which is when everyone agreed to meet back at the cabin after searching for the killer.  Since we were privy to the whole ineffective pipe/ large hole/ scary dude with an axe debacle, we know that Billy won’t be making that appointment.  But everyone else is worried.  Juliet yells at everyone for being idiots (see Shawn’s “classic slasher movie mistakes” quote above), and ushers them all back into the cabin.

Sissy tries to explain that there is something Jason hasn’t told Shawn and Gus, but he creeps creepily in and stops her.  He then goes ape shit when he finds out that Shawn called the cops.  He calls Shawn “Iago” and stomps out.  Seriously why isn't anyone else noticing that he's acting so weird?  Only Shawn is calling him out on it.

PCA!!  Shawn asks, “What does the parrot from Aladdin have to do with this?”  *hee*

After a brief argument, where Gus explains that “[he’s] seen enough slasher movies to know that when the brother goes off to the woods, he doesn’t even sort of come back,” Shawn decides to man up and go after Jason himself.

PCA!!  Shawn tries to refute Gus’ claim about black guys in horror movies by referencing Deep Blue Sea.  It doesn’t work.  Shawn is still going alone.

"You can call me slicks"

Shawn trudges back to the laundry shack, where he sees a blond girl sitting in a chair and assumes it’s Annie.  When he touches her shoulder, her head drops back at an unnatural angle (*shudder*), and at the same time, the killer appears in the doorway.  This is the first good look we’ve gotten at the mask.  It’s burlap, with two holes cut for eyes (though if I’m being honest, the holes are not nearly the same size as the ones we were looking out during Killer Vision earlier) and X’s where the mouth would be.  It’s creeptastic.

How much do I love when Shawn screams and runs away like a little girl?  I prefer when Shawn and Gus do their girly screaming and running together, but this is good too, for the sheer speed of the running and volume and timbre of the screaming.

Despite the aforementioned impressive girly running, the killer is having no trouble keeping up.  Whilst running, Shawn is flashing through the things that he’s seen since coming to the camp, finally figuring things out (wait, isn’t it a little early for this scene?).  He sees the empty pool, the shard of glass from Annie’s cabin, and Gus wiping the blood from Annie’s pjs onto his pants.  In classic slasher movie style, Shawn trips.  However unlike most slasher movies, when the killer reaches him, he’s smiling.  When Juliet goes all super cop and threatens to shoot the killer, Shawn jumps up and blocks her shot.

PCA!!  Shawn explains that this is not Friday the 13th, it’s April Fools Day.

So it turns out it was all a joke.  Ha-ha!  Jason is the one in the mask, but the knife he’s wielding is fake.  Now that the jig is up, Billy comes running up the path with Annie on his back.  Seems Jason is planning on opening the camp again, not for kids, but as a “Murder Camp” for adults.  I don’t know… would that be fun?  I prefer my faux-danger in small increments – a 2 hour movie or a short roller coaster ride.  Not sure I could handle having the ever loving crap scared out of me for a whole week!!

And Gus was in on it!!  Remember the flash backs during the run from the psycho killer?  Gus wiping the blood on his pants was suspicious, considering he has an intense fear of blood.  Turns out Jason called him a week earlier, and Gus grabbed the opportunity to get back at Shawn for all the times he scared him.

PCA!!  Shawn says that Gus and Jason are his least favorite tag team of all time.  Clive says, “Really?  With Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff on the table?”  Yeah, I obviously had to look that one up.  Shawn can’t believe he made that reference either.

Jason apologizes to everyone for scaring them, a big storm suddenly blows in (ruh-roh), and we have a montage of champagne drinking and photo taking to the song “Paranoia” by Harvey Danger.  Perfect horror movie song.

Juliet is less than amused, but decides to stay due to the impending storm and Shawn’s offer of Chocodiles, which I’ve never had, but they sound really good.  I’ll have to add these to the pro column of my pro/con list re: moving to the West Coast, along with great weather and flip flops year round.

I bet you thought the episode was over, considering Shawn figured everything out, right?  Well, not so much, considering we’re only 32 minutes in and everyone’s favorite fake psychic just discovered poor Garrison/Irwin floating face down in the lake.  And guess what!  The road out of camp has been blocked by an overturned logging truck.  OH!  And the cell phone reception is down due to the storm.  They’re pulling out all the stops here, folks!

Back to the subplot.  Lassie and Victoria are sitting in the restaurant, and Lassie is talking about seizing the moment and not analyzing everything to death.  He tells her he wants a second chance and gives her a necklace, which he was able to buy after selling some confiscated knives on Craigslist.  Heh.  I love unintentionally funny Lassie.  Alas, poor Lassie is about to have his heart ripped out, when Victoria reveals that she only wanted to meet to give him the divorce papers.  Aw!  Sad Lassie!

Back at Camp Tikihama, Juliet doesn’t see any clear signs of foul play in the death of crazy old Irwin.  The counselors decide to play a game of strip cribbage which, as Clive the water guy points out, “seems appropriate…with a dead guy on the porch.”  He opts out and goes to play video games in the other room.  Annie is also out, as she heads back to her cabin to take a shower.  Again, with the stupidity!!  Dead guy = do not go off by yourself.  I’d ask if she’s ever seen a scary movie, but she was watching one at the beginning of the episode!  Pay attention, woman!!

PCA!!  When Shawn tells Juliet that he’s still getting bad vibes about this whole thing, she asks “can’t you do better than vibes?”  Shawn says, “Jeff Goldblum and Cindy Lauper couldn’t.”  OMG, I’ve never heard of this movie, but now I MUST see it!  So much cheesy 80's goodness!

Shawn and Juliet head back out to see the body.  Shawn notices a few marks on Garrison/Irwin’s neck, but isn’t sure yet what that could mean.  Meanwhile, we watch Annie walk back to her cabin via Killer Vision!!   If you’ve ever seen a horror movie, you’ve seen this scene.  Chick gets out of the shower, wipes the fog off the mirror, sees scary killer in the reflection, gets axed.  And despite the fact that it’s a total cliché, it’s still creepifying.

Back in the main cabin, Billy is naked.  Apparently he’s not very good at cribbage.  Remind me of this fact the next time Billy is at my house, because DAMN that dude has a nice body.  Just as he’s about to put his clothes back on (NOOOOOO!), the lights go out.  Thinking it’s just a breaker, Billy heads out to fix it.

Subplot:  Poor sad Lassie is sitting alone at the table.  Victoria comes back from the bathroom, and he hands her the signed divorce papers.  He tells her he’s letting her go, because he knows that’s what she wants, but he still loves her.  Man, I just want to cuddle the crap out of poor Lassie!!  Y’know, if he wouldn’t arrest me for assault and throw me in the pokey.

Billy, who is now only shirtless, has gone to check on the breaker, which sparks when he touches it.  He looks up to see the killer in the doorway, picking up a wet mop.  Electricity + water = a shocking end for Billy the Body Sculptor.  HAHAHAHAHAH!  Ahem.

Apparently the shock of Billy’s untimely death flipped the breaker switch, because the lights come back on in the main cabin.  And it must have flipped a switch in Shawn’s freaky psychic/hyper aware brain too, because we’re treated to another series of flashes as he pieces the puzzle together.  He remembers:

1.  The ring Clive was wearing on his thumb, whicht could easily match up to the marks on Garrison/Irwin’s neck.

2.  The creepy way Clive was not smiling during the obviously fun Paranoia champagne/photo taking montage.  Who doesn’t love a good montage?  Clearly he’s the killer!
But he’s the funny guy!  He can’t be the killer, right?  Wrong!  When the gang goes to find him, he’s no longer playing video games, having put the creepy doll that Jason was carrying around when they first arrived at the camp in his chair so no one would notice he was missing.

Juliet and Shawn go to look for Clive, telling everyone else to stay together and not to open the doors for anyone but them.  Sadly, this is bad advice, considering Clive is actually still in the cabin and jumps out as soon as Juliet and Shawn are gone.  Much screaming ensues, as Clive grabs Jason.  Gus and Sissy make a run for it.  Juliet and Shawn discover what’s left of Annie and Billy (ick).

Now I’m not really clear on the details here, because the last time we saw Psycho Clive, he was in the cabin with Jason, but now he’s near the pool with Gus.  Lightning flashes and Shawn thinks he sees Gus face down in the rainwater at the bottom of the pool.  He rushes down there only to discover it’s actually Clive.  Oops!  Turns out the repair man who drowned in the pool 20 years ago was Clive’s father (Me: “OF COURSE he was.”  Shawn:  “OF COURSE he was.”)   Naturally, Clive isn’t cool with the fact that they’re taking his father’s death and making a game out of it with all of this Murder Camp nonsense.  There's a lot of soggy fighting, including some silliness with a pool skimmer and a water noodle, before Juliet finally shoots Clive – through the hand.  OUCH!

It’s the next morning, and…well, there’s Jason!  He’s being wheeled out of the cabin on a stretcher, but there doesn’t really seem to be anything wrong with him.  Based on their reactions when Juliet and Shawn found Annie and Billy, I have to assume they were GOOD and dead.  Like really, really dead.  One would think Clive would have had a field day with Jason, considering the whole Murder Camp thing was his idea.  But whatever, I’m going to look past it, since this episode amused me greatly.  Plus, I would have been super bummed if they had killed one of my original childhood TV boyfriends.

In the last scene, Shawn, Juliet and Gus are standing looking out over the lake, wondering how something so ugly could happen in a place so beautiful.

Okay, surely someone out there recognizes what horror movie this scene is lifted from.  It's driving me crazy!  If you recognize it (or any of the other zillion shout-outs to slasher films sprinkled throughout the episode), let us know in the comments!

Well, there you have it... my first recap.  Considering next week is the finale, I guess my timing’s not the best.  But feel free to leave me some comments!  We can talk about the recap, the episode, the many pop culture references I’m sure I missed!  Go nuts!

Psych 3.15 "Tuesday the 17th" Recap