C'mon Son: Psych's Top Episodes

On December 15th, USA Network will air Psych: The Musical, the oft talked about, frequently delayed episode of Psych.  The dramedy/procedural follows Shawn Spencer (James Roday), the son of an outstanding police officer, who was very good at being observant.  In the pilot, Spencer notices a crime on TV and calls in a tip to the police, but must pretend he’s a psychic keep himself out of trouble.  Shawn is joined by his long time friend, Burton “Gus” Guster (Dule Hill) and the two opened up the Psych Agency and are  detectives for hire/consultants to the Santa Barbara Police Department.  The SBPD is made up of Juliette O’Hara, Carlton Lassiter (who is always suspect of Shawn), and Chief Vick.  Corbin Bernsen plays Shawn’s dad, who is always trying to teach Shawn a lesson.  The show is pretty witty, despite the slapstick shenanigans that go on during each episode, which are very funny.  The constant references to the most obscure shows, movies and music in the 1980’s are some of the things that keep viewers coming back to Psych.

The show is finishing up its seventh season, as Psych: The Musical is technically labeled as the final two episodes of season 7.  To prepare for the epic event, I’ll share with you some of Psych’s top episodes to watch before December 15th, all of which you can watch on Netflix.

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Spellingg Bee – Season 1  – Episode 2

When the show debuted on July 7th, 2006, USA Network gave away “Spellingg Bee” on iTunes for Free to help gain more viewers.  I downloaded it, as it seemed like it could be an interesting show.  To this day, this is (obviously) one of my favorite episodes.  In fact, with this being my first introduction to the show, I wouldn’t end up watching the series premier until season one came out on DVD.  This episode is your first introduction to Juliette O’Hara, Shawn’s love interest for the show.  The plot of the episode involves the local Santa Barbara spelling bee, where shawn notices that one of the contestants has an asthma attack, due to a faulty inhaler.  The “Spellmaster” is also murdered, and as Shawn and Gus investigate, Shawn has to take over as “Spellmaster” after being stuck in the sound booth with no one around.  He dishes out words like “Banana” and “Mitchum.”  The Pilot is skippable, this is the one you should start with.

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Murder?… Anyone?… Anyone?… Bueller? – Season 3 – Episode 2

“Murder?… Anyone?… Anyone?… Bueller?” is Psych’s love letter to John Hughes movies.  When Shawn believes he sees someone fall off the roof at his and Gus’ high school reunion, no on believes him (“No body, no crime Shawn…”).  With homages to The Breakfast Club, Ferris Bueller, Pretty in Pink and Sixteen Candles, this is an episode that you can keep going back to over and over again.  This is also the debut episode of Abigail Lytar (Rachale Leigh Cook), the Psych character my dog is named after.  Shawn stood her up in high school, but the two get back together through the solving of the Murder.  Gus in full panic is also classic, as he’s trying to host this reunion, not wanting a murder to ruin all of his hard work.

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Tuesday The 17th – Season 3 – Episode 15

In the way that “… Bueller?” was an homage to John Hughes, Tuesday the 17th is an homage to Freddy/Jason movies.  Shawn and Gus are creepily accosted by a childhood friend from camp, to help find a counsellor at the camp who disappeared.  As would normally happen in “Nightmare” or “Friday the 13th” movies, the gang at the sleep away camp are stalked by a murderer.  This episode is notable for a couple of reasons.  First, it’s James Roday’s directorial debut for Psych.  It’s also one of the first episodes of the series that has a very serious tone, which will run through major episodes of the program.

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An Evening With Mr. Yang – Season 3 – Episode 16 &
Mr. Yang Presents – Season 4 – Episode 16

The Yang Trilogy is what sets Psych apart from other comedic procedurals.  While I said trilogy, the first two are the episodes you NEED to watch.  The third is certainly the worst of the three, but is necessary to watch to complete the storyline.  In “An Evening With Mr. Yang,” Shawn is being taunted by serial killer, “Mr. Yang” who is on the loose again.  He and the SBPD have to race around Santa Barbara figuring out all of Yang’s riddles to catch the criminal.  Things get more crucial as Yang kidnaps Shawn’s mother (played by Cybill Shepherd).  Ally Sheedy, who plays Yang, has a memorable performance which makes the second episode so exciting.

In Mr. Yang Presents, Yang returns, despite being in a correctional facility.  The gang realizes that the show must be the work of “Ying”, Mr. Yang’s counterpart.  The episode, as the show usually does, honors Alfred Hitchcock movies, while using the Mr. Yang riddles to boost the episode.  The height of the episode is a moment where Juliette is kidnapped from a custom movie set where the gang has to play different parts from Hitchcock movies.  Shawn must decide between saving Jules or Abigail who has also been kidnapped.  One of the most emotional episodes of the series, which has maybe yet to be matched.

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Dual Spires – Season 5 – Episode 12

Have I mentioned that Psych likes to pay tribute to some of their favorite pop culture items?  Dual Spires is no different, as it’s an homage to Twin Peaks (Dual Spires, get it?).  Shawn and Gus travel to a mysterious location where the people are a bit quirky, based on a vague email.  The duo have to solve the mystery of a drowning victim, who had drowned seven years ago.  Eight members of the original Twin Peaks cast comes back to reprise versions of the roles they were known for.  This is an episode of Psych that is meant to serve as a stand-alone episode, with not much storyline progression.  The final moment of the episode is the gang sitting at a diner in Dual Spires, with a ton of “Twin Peaks” moments happening around them.

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Last Night Gus – Season 6 – Episode 2

“Last Night Gus” is one of my favorite episodes in the last couple of years.  The episode is Psych’s version of “The Hangover” as Gus’s car is destroyed, Lassiter has fired a couple of bullets, Medical Examiner Woody has white powder around his mouth, and Shawn can’t tap into his memory.  The episode has very memorable quotes including from Gus, who after being drugged by a criminal in his own apartment, yells, “Hey, somebody shot that guy’s TV” after having his own TV shot.  Any episode that has Woody as a central part of the program is a must see.

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100 Clues – Season 7 – Episode 5

The 100th episode of Psych is a not so subtle nod to “Clue” even bringing back most of the original cast.  Martin Mull, Lesley Ann Warren and Christopher Lloyd return back to a mansion where a murder will occur.  They’re also joined by Garrett Morris and Psych favorite, Curt Smith.  This episode was notable that, like the original Clue movie, the show had multiple endings.  Fans were asked to vote during the episode, and the winning ending was shown.  This was done both for the east and west coast.  On the DVD, they have all three possible endings like you would see when watching Clue now.  There are many Clue easter eggs in the film, including the singing telegram and the sprinting from room to room during the summation.  This is certainly a can’t miss episode.

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There are certainly other episodes that are great, including “Talk Derby To Me,” “Indiana Shawn and the Temple of the Kinda Crappy, Rusty Old Dagger,” and “Extradition II: The Actual Extradition Part”.  If you want, you can catch up on Psych on Netflix, as you’ve got 12 days before Psych the Musical.

What is your favorite Psych episode?

@rbramblet