When I initially heard the summary for this episode I had a major case of deja vu. A rich man is declared missing and both the Santa Barbara Police Department and the members of Psych race to find him first. Said missing person is found in a forest area dead or close enough. The rest of the episode involves multiple wrong accusations and for some reason a daughter who secretly does good works for some chosen charities. If not for different cast members I would think episode two was the same as the pilot for the series. Except whereas the pilot was charming and a great introduction to the characters and the direction the series would take the second episode of season two seems like a let down and a sad reminder of what the show can be when it’s at its finest.
“He Dead” begins with Shawn and Gus being called by the SBPD to help with the search and rescue mission of a billionaire whose plane has crashed in the area. They manage to discover the crash site before the police thanks to a map from Henry Spencer that apparently is better than all of the police technology in the area. When they reach the billionaire he is already too far gone to be saved but in his dying words he reveals that he was murdered and wants Shawn to solve the case.
Soon Shawn is introduced to the newly widowed Mrs. Clayton played by Christine Baranski who recently graced the silver screen in Mamma Mia. She hires Shawn expecting quick psychic results that will lead to the source of the crime. It is revealed throughout the entire episode that the Clayton family has many secrets including financial schemes, affairs, missing children, and possibly even murder. We also discover that some rich people, even with the most scandalous of secrets, are really quite boring. The show has done rich people as victims and possible perpetrators of crimes before and was able to make them more sympathetic or appealing in some way. The golf and botox jokes really didn’t appeal to me and some were so expected that I was practically able to recite them before the actors were able to perform their lines.
Rather than spoiling the end and revealing the solution I’d like to discuss a sub-plot found in this episode. The finale of last season introduced a new love interest for Shawn in the way of Abigail. Honestly I think the show could really use some new relationships between characters if done correctly. Apparently the show is already starting to repeat its own ideas anyways so a new character could really help. Abigail could be that character but I’m already getting the feeling that she won’t be long lived. With no appearance in the season premiere and minimal screen time in this episode viewers have not had a chance to really get to know this new character.
From the interactions with Shawn which seem to reveal an already growing resentment for Abigail’s meddling in his relationship with his father and relatively none of the witty banter or chemistry that he shares with almost any other character in the show from Gus to even Karen Vick, it seems likely that Abigail won’t stick around long. Which may be just as well as Juliet O’Hara seems to be a better match for Shawn anyways and that particular relationship has been teased for seasons.
I felt as though this episode had the ability to be good but wasn’t perhaps written as well as past episodes and lacked the regular humor. Sure there was a multiple pop culture references as always but they seemed to more often than not revolve around recent technology and web sites. A few song references were thrown in but nothing really made me laugh or think this would become a classic Psych moment to fans. Maybe the episode wouldn’t have seemed disappointing if it didn’t parallel the pilot, one of my personal favorite episodes, so closely. Too many plot points seemed to be all about convenience rather than creating an unexpected path from A to B that both surprises the viewer but doesn’t leave them feeling cheated by a twist that wasn’t ever hinted at. Instead this episode featured the convenience of Shawn happening to have a map that would lead him to the crash, the convenience of the Clayton family and friends being forthcoming when their dirty laundry was aired and the convenient fact that all characters involved had all the necessary knowledge to have sabotaged a plane. I prefer episodes with a little less convenience and contrived points and more creative ways to keep the plot going and still tight.
So far I haven’t been too impressed by the new episodes of the season. If the next few episodes can bring back the humor and side characters that made the show well rounded I think everything can get back to being on par.
