Northern Exposure

I can't even tell you how excited I am to have my Shawn and Gus back! I have been looking forward to this premiere all summer, so it pains me that I was out of town when it aired and haven't been able to do this write-up. And, to make matters worse, I have a new format for PTR's Psych write-ups this season and I haven't been able to roll it out yet. It's called "The Funny, The Funnier, & OK, for Real, My Side Just Split," and it showcases the episode's best moments. So, without further adieu, here's the inaugural edition of The Funny, The Funnier and OK, for Real, My Side Just Split.

THE FUNNY

When I first heard that Psych was starting off its season with a little visit to our neighbors to the north, I thought, "Hey, what's this all aboot?" But this hilarious hour had something better (and possibly more Canadian) than an "aboot" here and there -- MOUNTIES (or, more formally, the RCMP)!! I was sad that they weren't actually mounted, but it was good to have them all the same. And, as it turns out, they thought that Shawn was in charge of Lassie and that instantly made things about 10x funnier. So many jokes, so well executed. Setting the episode in Canada was made even funnier by the fact that the show is actually filmed in Vancouver (which doubles for Santa Barbara), so really, it was a story that took place in a different place, but was shot on location in the show's home city. Only Psych could take a vacation to the place they're already shooting in!

THE FUNNIER

As funny as the Canada setting was, Lassie in Canada was even funnier. And the fact that he wasn't allowed to carry a weapon was hilarious. It was a common theme throughout the hour and it just worked so well. Even at the end when they apprehended the faux "international art thief," Lassie took his gun for himself before the mounties caught him. And then there was the cat and mouse game between aforementioned faux international art thief and Shawn & Gus. LOVED the part when Despereaux wrote down everything he was going to do and Shawn countered with his own "To Do" list (including, but not limited to, trying some of that maple sugar candy everyone is so crazy about) and wrote his on the expensive restaurant's cloth napkin. Classic!

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT

For the night's most hilarious moment, we have to go back to the beginning of the episode when Shawn and Gus went skiing down the slope after Despereaux (after one ski lesson) ala James Bond in For Your Eyes Only. I'm not sure which part was funnier: the "pizza" versus the "french fry" bit about skis and their faster/slower positions or the end when they stopped abruptly after hitting the pavement and Shawn declared that finding Despereaux meant that his cup of hot chocolate was now a write-off. The entire sequence was, simply put, AWESOMELY HYSTERICAL!! I instantly thought, "So. Worth. The. Wait!"

Psych airs Friday nights on USA Network. Catch up on this episode ("Extradition: British Columbia") and others at hulu.com. And learn more about the awesome-ness that is Shawn and Gus at USA's official site.