Live and Let Spy

I'm sure everyone is still buzzing about THAT moment from Psych's summer finale this week.  BUT, I was left a little underwhelmed by it and I'm not exactly sure why.  We've been watching the romantic tension between Shawn and Jules build over the course of the seasons.  We've been rooting for Shawn to finally get the girl.  We've rooted for Juliet to get her moment.  But now that the two shared a momentous kiss just as she was about to jet off to the Amalfi coast with Declan, I'm not all that satisfied.  To be clear, I wouldn't be anymore satisfied if Jules had ditched the Amalfi (and Declan) for Santa Barbara and Shawn (after all, it is a "beach community").  Maybe it was the sorta cliche way in which Jules finally learned the truth or the kinda overused finale tactic of having Jules heading off with another man but thinking that she might be making a mistake just as the episode (and the season) came to a close.  I don't know, but the story line has a big question mark hanging over it for me and I don't think I'll make a final decision on it until we see more in November.  In the meantime, let's focus on the funny from this otherwise excellent finale in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split" after the jump.

When Cougars Attack

It was Shawn and Gus vs. Lassie and Jules this week on Psych.  There is only one word that can describe this match-up: HILARIOUS!!  Each team thought their suspect was the killer and each was eager to prove they were right.  Well, let's just be honest here: It was really Shawn and Lassie.  Gus and Jules were just along for the ride.  Shawn and Lassie were hell-bent on beating the other to the real killer.  Thankfully, this match-up didn't lead to the huge screw-ups of the Shawn/Jules vs. Gus/Lassie experiment from a few weeks back.  But that doesn't mean that this one was any less hilarious.  And now, here's a look at some of the best moments in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split" after the jump.

(Not So) Close Encounters

Was I the only one humming The X-Files theme song during the opening scenes of this week's episode of Psych?  I was literally humming it out loud while the lawyer and his associate were outside the house shielding their eyes from the bright light of the "UFO" hovering over them.  Maybe it's just me, but I thought this was one of the coolest, funniest episodes of the series!  Everything about it was so incredibly well-done and the interaction between Shawn and Gus was even more hilarious than usual.  Throw in an intriguing alien story and a surprise ending for Shawn and Gus's high school friend Dennis, and you get one heckuva hour!  And now, here's a look at some of the best moments in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split" after the jump.

Happy Feet

As much as I LOVE Shawn and Gus working together on Psych, I have to admit, this week's switch-up was HI-LARIOUS!  Those four where so concerned with beating each other that they practically blew the entire case.  At one point, they actually did blow the entire case!  While Jules was focusing on catching a murderer, Shawn was distracted with beating Gus.  And then, all four of them were consumed with the prospect of being the first team to solve the case.  What they failed to realize is that it's the four of them working together as a team that solves the cases each week.  So for the sake of the fine residents of Santa Barbara, I'm glad this little partner swap experiment ran its course by the end of the hour.  In the meantime, it served for so many funny moments.  And now, here's a look at some of those funny moments in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split" after the jump.

'Psych' Out(break)

Whoa, Nelly!  Abigail recently left for a stint in Africa and Jules bid her college boyfriend adieu, but Shawn is wasting no time getting down to the heart of the matter -- sort of.  I guess that's what a deadly virus being released will do for you!  That is, until it becomes known that said deadly virus did not infect the girl you have some feelings for.  Seriously, Shawn was so close.  He was telling his story about the two kinds of kids and the prize in the cereal box, and just as he was about to tell Jules how he felt, he chickened out.  Apparently, he's going to have to wait a little longer to get that prize.  And now, here's a look at the rest of the best in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split" after the jump.

Romeo and Jilted Juliet

Who knew that Jules's love life was like a real-life romantic comedy?  Who knew that it combined elements of An Affair to Remember with Witness and just a dash of the classic love triangle?  She and her college boyfriend broke up in order to pursue their own dreams, but they vowed to meet up at the same train station at the same time on the same date 7 years later.  Long story short, Jules showed and Scott did not.  After feeling a bit jilted, she enrolled Gus's help to track down her former flame and was upset to learn that he has passed away -- or not.  After the jump, here's a look at the rest of the best in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

The River Mild

I'm pretty sure there was too much awesome packed into this week's episode to be contained by a single hour! It was so jam-packed with so much goodness, I'm not quite sure where to start. Perhaps, at the hilarious introduction scene between Shawn and Gus's secret girlfriend Ruby. Or maybe, I should back up to the super cute/super funny scene with the bunnies. Too many to choose from this week. I have to say, though, Ruby had me at Magnum P.I. as well! In fact, I wasn't sure if she should be dating Gus or Shawn after that initial intro. But as awesome as things were at the beginning of this one, the show was only warming up. Shawn and Gus were about to embark on one of their most hilarious and dangerous (wink, wink) adventures thus far. And that was before they got to the murder part!

Shawn Gets Taken for a Ride

This week's fall finale was all over the map as Gus, Jules, Lassie and Henry searched for an injured Shawn. The story switched between young Shawn (1989), shot/kidnapped Shawn, Shawn and Gus working the ice cream truck case and Gus and co. searching for shot Shawn. Needless to say, this one required extra attention to keep everything straight. Luckily, there was much funny mixed in to keep the story moving along smoothly. Here's a look at the rest of the best in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

THE FUNNY
When the fateful day finally came and Shawn found himself trapped in the trunk of a car, he remember his father's advice and kicked out the tail light. He even made sure to check the scenery around him for landmarks. The only problem: he was in the middle of nowhere and had very few options for alerting someone about aforementioned landmarks. So, with his hands duct tapped behind his back, he fumbled with his iPhone (complete with the Psych cover!) and tried to dial Gus. He made it to the "Gs," but he called the wrong "G." Instead of Gus, he got Gina. This was a bit problematic since Gina was a girl he went out with 3 years ago and never called again. While Gina and her friend deliberated about answering the call, Shawn's life was in serious danger. She finally picked up, but she quickly got angry with him and hung up before he could tell her why he was calling. He freed his hands and tried to call Gus, but by that time he had very low signal. He was left with one option: send a very fast text message that gets the point across in as few letters as possible (sorta like Twitter). So he did, but no one knew what it said and Lassie called it gibberish. Things weren't looking too good for Shawn.

THE FUNNIER
As usual, there was a spattering of funny references, but this week they just seemed even funnier. Everything from the iPhone App. Yelp! to The Mentalist and The Fast and the Furious was fair game. Yelp! got blamed for Shawn winding up in the right place at the wrong time. He tried to blame the app. by claiming that it had told him that a Starbucks was right where he was standing when he got caught snooping around the ice cream truck. Later, Gus and Jules were searching Shawn's apartment for clues to his disappearance when Gus decided to search Shawn's browser history on his computer. He read off the web sites that Shawn had visited recently and one of them was MentalistSpoilers.com (another funny reference to the CBS show that shares a similar theme to Psych). And finally, Shawn found himself in the precarious position of being in the bed of a speeding pick up truck with Jules and Gus driving alongside of him. While the trio tried to decide what to do, Shawn started drawing parallels between his situation and The Fast and the Furious. Oh, how I love the way this show references everything!

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT
While he was in that aforementioned precarious position, he realized that he needed to jump from the bed of the pick up to one of the moving cars on either side of him. One of those cars was Gus's company car. Shawn prepared himself to jump when Gus suddenly put the kibosh on the idea. Gus, with complete seriousness said, "You must be out of your damn mind, Shawn. It's a company car!" Don't mess with the company car! So, Shawn turned to his other side and found Lassie and his dad driving alongside him in Lassie's new police cruiser. He went to jump, but Lassie stopped him this time. Finally, he took charge and told Lassie, "Look, I have been shot. I am jumping on somebody's car!" Let the bad guy keep Shawn, let Shawn bleed out from that flesh wound, but whatever you do, don't put a dent in your (or the company's) car! HILAROUS!

Psych returns with all new episodes this January on USA Network. Catch up on this episode ("Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark") and others at hulu.com. And learn more about the awesome-ness that is Shawn and Gus at USA's official site or friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Werewolves in Santa Barbara

Putting Shawn and Gus in charge of protecting the population (both human and animal) from a werewolf on the evening of a full moon is probably not going to top anybody's list of good ideas. But hey, neither actually believed that Stuart was a werewolf, so what's the harm? Oh, there was plenty! And, Shawn's awesome Psych iPhone cover was back! Here's a look at the rest of the best in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

THE FUNNY
After meeting Stuart's younger sister Willow (guest star Larisa Oleynik a.k.a. Alex Mack), Gus became fascinated with her goth side. He found her mysteriously appealing and his attraction to her was no secret. When she joined Shawn and Gus on the hunt for her brother, Gus quickly called "shotgun" on her behalf. During the drive, he purposely drove like a crazy man so he could put his arm across her to prevent her from flying forward. And in the end, he got himself a date with her (thanks to Shawn's sarcastic suggestion). He chalked up his attraction to her as his need to save her from her "emotional peril," but I think Gus wanted to take a little ride on the dark side.

THE FUNNIER
When one wakes up in the wilderness wearing nothing but his birthday suite and manages to get back to civilization, it stands to reason that a bundle of balloons may not be the best form of cover. Because one, they pop; and two, they make you look like even more of a creep. But Stuart isn't exactly your average Joe, so he went with the balloons and Shawn and Gus cringed as they began to pop one by one. It was HILARIOUS! The look on Gus's face was priceless! And with each successive pop, his face cringed even further until he finally decided that they could not keep conversing until the wardrobe situation was resolved. Luckily, Gus had an old Halloween costume in the back, so we were all subjected to a very funny version of Dwayne Cleophus Wayne from A Different World.

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT
Not exactly side-splitting, but Shawn and Gus's wrestling dolls were dang-near close. The boys were going "old school" with their wrestling mock-up baby dolls and that included a furry beard on Shawn's female doll and a spiked collar and "THUMP" lettering on Gus's male doll. The pair get very excited for their "Rumble" telecast and the dolls were/are an important part of the experience. After a minute or two, though, they both decided that they were a bit creepy, so they decided to cover them -- QUICKLY! This reminded me of that E*Trade commercial with the talking baby who rents a clown and then decides that he "really underestimated the creepiness." LOVED in that ad and LOVED it in this week's episode. Plus, we got another one of Shawn's "I've heard it both ways" and a "Wait for iiiiiiiiiiiiiiit," so overall, lots of funny.

Psych airs Friday nights on USA Network. Catch up on this episode ("Let's Get Hairy") and others at hulu.com. And learn more about the awesome-ness that is Shawn and Gus at USA's official site or friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

Gus Has Got Talent

Gus was in a boy band!! They were like Boyz II Men with Hammer pants and taller hair and the revelation drove Shawn crazy with jealousy (he has always wanted to sing in a 4-part band) and disappointment (that Gus kept this from him). In a word, it was AWESOME!! Here's a look at the rest of the best in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

THE FUNNY
Can I get an amen? Shawn went to the funeral of one of Gus's college friends for moral support, but wound up having a fun time with the "amens" and the "hallelujahs." He asked Gus if he could give an amen if the preacher asked, and Gus told him he could but to wait for it. He did -- patiently too. When the preacher asked, "Can I get an amen?", Shawn gave an enthusiastic one. But, he couldn't let things go with that simple refrain. A few seconds later, he was standing up and shouting "hallelujah!" by himself in front of the entire church. Gus gave him a look and he apologized saying that he got a bit carried away. Shawn getting carried away? How unusual! Of course, the more carried away he gets, the funnier the scene.

THE FUNNIER
For reasons not initially known to Shawn and Gus, Jules and Lassiter were especially tight-lipped about this case. They cited higher-ups and wouldn't share any info with Shawn and Gus. So, Shawn decided to resort to his own tactics (as usual). This included cozying-up to the new coroner, which meant posing as a coroner tech while Gus had to play a cadaver. Shawn used his charm to ascertain "Diddle's" cause of death. Luckily, Cadaver Gus was there to decipher the coroner's words so Shawn could ask a follow up question. The two learned that "Diddle" could have been strangled before he was involved in the hit and run.

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT
Shawn and Gus posing as American ninjas and spying on a huge drug deal sounds hilarious on paper (because you know they're gonna mess it up!), but it was downright side-splitting to watch it play out. First, Gus's cell phone started ringing (with its "Hello" ringtone). The drug dealers heard it and Shawn and Gus started fighting over who was calling him this late at night. Gus discovered it was Shawn! He hadn't locked his keys when he put his phone in his back pocket (and yes, I know because I too own an iPhone, the keys automatically lock when the phone goes into "sleep mode." But benefit of the doubt -- his back pocket slid the bar and unlocked the phone). Then, Shawn used his phone to call Gus's phone and the "Hello" ringtone distracted the bad guys long enough for Shawn and Gus to get away. They were scooped up by one of them, though. When their masks were pulled off, the two screamed like children until they realized they were staring at Jules and Lassie. Then, the man with the scar entered and they started screaming while they rolled their chairs back into the wall of the interrogation room. Funny, funny stuff! My only complaint, where was Shawn's awesome Psych iPhone cover?

Psych airs Friday nights on USA Network. Catch up on this episode ("High Top Fade Out") and others at hulu.com. And learn more about the awesome-ness that is Shawn and Gus at USA's official site or friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

'Psych' Goes Bollywood

Shawn and Bollywood go together like, well, super spicey food and spicey water: one just escalates the other. He was very quick to dismiss the curse and "solve" the case in a way too wham- bam- thank- you- ma'am manner. Too hell-bent on beating Lassie at his own game. And too anxious to impress Abigail. But no matter because this meant laughs for us along the way. Here's a look at the rest of the best in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

THE FUNNY
OK, I'm just going to say it: Lassie getting the better of Shawn for a change was funny. I loved the look of complete and utter joy when he fetched Spencer to do the interrogation with Raj (or "Roger" to Shawn). He knew what he was sending Shawn into, and he relished every moment of it. Classic Lassie. And as the case went on, he was sure to point out Shawn's shortcomings even further. The "friendly" rivalry between these two is unmatched. Best frienemies on TV!

THE FUNNIER

With the competition between Shawn and Lassie heating up this week, Shawn decided that he would heal Raj of his fake curse by using the power of suggestion. So, he had him place one hand in water and the other on one of those science/energy balls. Gus kept repeatedly insisting that Raj could be electrocuted, but Shawn persisted. When Raj said that he could "feel something," Shawn chalked it up to the curse leaving his body while Gus grew more concerned that they were about to fry the man instead of relieving him of a girlfriend-harming spell. The bickering between Shawn and Gus and watching poor Raj in the middle was pretty hilarious. Warning, though, DO NOT try this at home for your own curse-be-gone cures.

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT
Another week, another "Best of the Series" moment. Shawn, Gus and Abigail weren't planning on staying for dinner when they dropped in on Raj and his family celebrating Raj's brother's engagement, but once inside the house, they had little choice. Cut to the three sitting around the table eating traditional Indian cuisine (i.e. SPICEY!!) and the hilarity ensued. Shawn asked if the food had been seasoned with molten lava while Gus suffered through watery eyes and the sniffles. Then, Shawn declared that he couldn't see out of his left eye, and Gus proclaimed that he sees "dead people." Both attempted to get relief from their water glasses, but it was in vein as the water appeared to be spicey as well ("Who does that??!!"). So funny!!!! Abigail seemed to get through the meal unscathed (she had spent time in India).

There was one interesting development this week: Shawn was forced to confront his repressed feelings for Jules. She was posing as Raj's fiancee in order to trap the perp, and he grew more and more jealous as the story played out. Hmm... interesting.

Psych airs Friday nights on USA Network. Catch up on this episode ("Bollywood Homicide") and others at hulu.com. And learn more about the awesome-ness that is Shawn and Gus atUSA's official site or friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

'Psych' On Speed

Whenever you get Shawn, Gus and lots of Lassie, you get a winning episode! I just love the dynamic between Shawn and Lassie and the larger overarching dynamic between Shawn, Gus, Lassie, Jules and the Chief. Funny stuff. Here's a look at the rest of the best in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

THE FUNNY

There are few things better than Shawn proving Lassie wrong, but this week's process to come to that conclusion was one of them. In order to prove Lassie wrong, Shawn had to "recreate" the crime scene at the cop bar. One wouldn't exactly call him an expert in this sort of thing, so he improvised. He knew that he had to set the stage using stand-ins for all of the players involved in the shoot out. There were no people handy, so he used found objects. Gus was the pepper, Shawn the salt, Jules the sugar and Lassie the lemon. Hahahaha! I LOVED it. Of course, he felt compelled to also include the ladies from the local hair salon (who had just whooped their butts at softball) by representing them with scoops of mashed potatoes. Once he had the scene set right, he realized that the shooter was targeting Lassie and this realization led him to call Lassie and in doing so, he not only proved he was right but also saved Lassie's life (he reached for his phone on the floor of his car just as the shooter took another shot at his head).

THE FUNNIER
Later in the episode, it was Lassie who thought he had gotten it all right (wrong!), but his interview with a local TV station on his big collar was another chance for Shawn to get the better of him. Throughout the entire interview, Shawn and Gus tried to get on camera in the background (they were having a contest to see who could get the most face time). They started doing ridiculous stunts and strutting through the back of the shot all while Lassie was trying to boast about his accomplishment. Finally, Lassie had enough and interrupted his moment in the spotlight to tell both of them to cut it out. Of course, this only served to make the camera antics more discreet, but equally as funny. When the pair watched their handy work on the news later, Shawn won. Gus wanted a re-time.

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT
This week's funnier-than-funny moment is not only the funniest of the episode, but one of the most hilarious of the series. After Chief Vick realized that the shooter was targeting anyone who had worked on the case, she noticed that Shawn and Gus's names were on the report. Jules called Gus -- he was safe. But, they weren't sure about Shawn. Gus found him on the elliptical machine at the Psych office. He had found a a blinking/beeping light under the ellipical and a message on his water bottle that told him that if his heart rate dropped below 150, he DIES!! Suddenly, he was propelled into "the elliptical version of Speed." He was growing more and more tired by the minute and the bomb squad hadn't arrived. Juliet rushed in and quickly became confused by Shawn's decision to exercise. Gus showed her the water bottle with the note. She read it and then, "Oh my God! I wrote that." Apparently, her trainer uses the technique to motivate her. But what about the blinking/beeping light under the elliptical? It was the missing cordless phone the boys had been searching for all episode. So unbelievably funny! I love this show.

Psych airs Friday nights on USA Network. Catch up on this episode ("Shawn Gets the Yips") and others at hulu.com. And learn more about the awesome-ness that is Shawn and Gus at USA's official site or friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

A Haunting in Santa Barbara

Shawn, Gus and demonic spirits possessing young co-eds... what more can you ask for? Oh, I don't know, maybe one of the best episode titles ever!! "The Devil's in the Details... And in the Upstairs Bedroom" might be one of the funniest titles I've ever seen on a TV show. Classic! Here's a look at the rest of the best in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

THE FUNNY
Shawn and Gus's friendship started on shaky ground when they rolled up to the crime scene. After a hilarious recap of a prior phone conversation, it turned out that Shawn was feeling a bit let down because Gus had promised that the girls at the Catholic college (scene of the crime) would be wearing Catholic school girl uniforms, and they were not. He carried the disappointment with him to the body and tried to avoid taking the case even when Gus kept insisting that they were accepting it ("May I speak with you in the Stop Openly Contradicting Me Room, please?"). Shawn ultimately lost, but the road to Gus's victory was paved with hilarious one-liners, quips and all around awesome-ness.

THE FUNNIER
Later, Gus was a little bent-out-of-shape because Shawn always gets to be lead investigator (or as Shawn says, Lead, as in the element "lead" as in pronounced like "led" investigator), so he claimed the title for the hour. It made sense since Gus was the one who wanted to take the case of the co-ed who committed suicide after apparently being possessed by a demonic spirit. But, things quickly went downhill when Lassie beat them to a suspect and visited the best friend's house before they even knew she existed. Shawn quickly snatched the title back, but then returned it to Gus (after a hilarious fight over it) when things took a creepier and decidedly scarier turn in the best friend's bedroom.

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT
The best friend's bedroom is where we find this week's funniest scene. That exorcism was so freakin' funny! These things are supposed to be scary and unsettling, but when Shawn and Gus get involved, things just go from funny to funnier. Watching those two chickens holding that (not so possessed) girl down and seeing their reactions to her strange behavior and the unexplained happenings in the room was classic! Add in the awesome visual nod to The Exorcist (with the priest arriving in the foggy night), Shawn getting easily distracted by flattery, another (more subtle) Mentalist reference ("Carson D.'s got Simon Baker on tonight. That's can't miss."), and Gus running out scared when the light fell over and you get another vintage Psych scene that had me laughing well into the commercial break. Runner-up goes to Shawn's "Devil Went Down to Georgia" schtick. So funny!

Psych airs Friday nights on USA Network. Catch up on this episode ("The Devil's in the Details... And in the Upstairs Bedroom") and others at hulu.com. And learn more about the awesome-ness that is Shawn and Gus at USA's official site or friend them on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.

How the West was Fun

Regular readers of PTR this summer know that I have a certain affinity for westerns. I also have a certain affinity for all things Psych, so combining the two was pretty much perfection for me. The Bonanza-style music playing over those sweeping aerial shots of the landscape, the "Saddlesore Saloon," the "cowboy" talk, and pretty much every other western staple made this episode that much more awesome. Here's a look at this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

THE FUNNY

I've often wondered if the writers of this show are inspired by one of my favorite cartoons as a child: Scooby Doo! A lot of episodes have that "And I would have gotten away with it if it hadn't been for you kids and your dog!" feel at the end. This week, the vibe was even stronger. A small, secluded town with strange things happening at night, a legendary ghost story, murder, and a motive that would easily rival some of my fave Scooby episodes. And just like Scooby, the shadowy figure on the horse who seemed to disappear wasn't really a ghost. It was Stinky Feet Pete and he murdered McBain because he discovered a million dollars worth of gold in the abandoned mine shaft. Scooby always had that funny/spooky feeling and it's great to have a show that carries on that tradition with such hilarity.

THE FUNNIER

I don't think I would ever get tired of Sheriff Shawn. Those scenes were just plain HILARIOUS! When Lassie walked in and found Sheriff Shawn and Blacksmith Gus sitting around the desk playing poker and speaking "cowboy," I almost died. Shawn really embraced that simpler time when people weren't dependent on electronics ("or living past the age of 40" -Gus) and he got kinda used to the whole sheriff thing. Loved his shoot out at the "Saddlesore Saloon," his "New sheriff in town" speech, his ride on horseback two feet down the road to the saloon and his pointing to his sheriff's star at the end when his authority was questioned. Just funny from top to bottom.

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT

This week's funniest moment was so funny that I can't even think about it without losing it all over again. Shawn and Gus falling into the mine shaft was funny, their little girl whimpering upon landing on a pile of rocks was funnier, but the ensuing coccyx bone discussion was a whole new level of funny. Shawn, who last week thought that a Ponzi scheme had something to do with The Fonz, didn't understand that the coccyx bone is the proper name for the tail bone and not another part of the (male) anatomy. This made references to rubbing lotion on the coccyx and massaging the coccyx and so on and so forth absolutely HILARIOUS! If there was ever a side-splitting moment, this was it. Classic Shawn and Gus!

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

Lifestyles of the Rich & Psychic

When a famous billionaire's plane goes down and you can't find the wreckage or the billionaire, who you gonna call? Shawn and Gus, of course! And they did find the wreckage and the billionaire, but things only got complicated from there, so let's discuss in this week's edition of "The Funny, The Funnier and OK, For Real, My Side Just Split."

THE FUNNY
After getting hired by the billionaire's family (the Claytons) to psychically figure out why Mr. Clayton's plane went down, Shawn and Gus headed to the family's mansion for dinner. When they weren't spitting out chunks of bread and putting them in the soup over dinner or breaking valuable decorations before dinner, the duo was causing a stir of a different kind. Shawn was able to ascertain that Mrs. Clayton was sleeping with her tennis instructor (which prompted her son to declare, "No wonder why you have so many sexy tennis outfits!"), the son was angry because his wealthy father had forced him to get a job and start being responsible (oh, the humanity!), and Mr. Clayton was having an affair with the housekeeper. Oy! When they left the home (with doggie bags in hand and actual doggies nipping at their heels as they sprinted across the Clayton's expensive lawn), they had a plethora of suspects and enough antics to leave me laughing into the commercial.

THE FUNNIER
Later in the episode, the two visited the Clayton's country club (after the family fired them, but good news! Lassie and co. decided that the plane crash might have been deliberate, so the country club visit was "official police business"). If you thought dinner was funny, well, that was just the appetizer. Shawn got an idea, but not just any idea. According to Gus, this was one of Shawn's "loosely formed ideas that shouldn't work on paper, but ultimately proves to be reasonably successful." Cue the idea. These two took to the links with some of Warren's golfing buddies. And these gentleman don't fool around. They were playing a thousand bucks a hole and one golfer admitted that he had lost his plane to Warren in a previous game of skins (the very same plane that crashed and killed Warren... dum, dum, dum!). Between the over-the-top fake laugh from both Shawn and Gus and Shawn describing how well he does as a psychic ("This here is just a trial membership. We only belong to the most exclusive clubs"), these two were a long way from the country club crowd. But hey, they did learn about the hanger, so yeah, "reasonably successful."

OK, FOR REAL, MY SIDE JUST SPLIT
This week it wasn't a moment or a scene or even a theme that had me laughing the loudest; it was several little things. It started with Twitter. Shawn described a "status transmission" that he was receiving psychically as something like a "Twitter." Gus quickly corrected him by saying, "a tweet." And Shawn responded that there was no way he was going to say it that way. Later, Shawn (knowing absolutely nothing about anything financial including referring to sub-prime as "sub prime-time"), thought that a suspect was implicating Henry Winkler's Happy Days character "The Fonz" in Warren's murder. He was, of course, talking about a Ponzi scheme. I'm not sure that Shawn ever learned the truth. Throughout the episode, he kept making "notes to self" that he wanted Gus to remember rendering them no longer notes to self and driving Gus crazy. Thankfully, Gus was there to correct the Twitter faux pas, handle the financial stuff and remember all of the notes to self.

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

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.

TV's Best Duos

When fellow TV blogger and friend Scooter McGavin from Scooter McGavin's 9th Green asked me to take part in his quest to find the best duos on TV, I excitedly and carefully poured over my list. He collected mine and the lists of several other bloggers and came up with a final collection of the top 25. Here is the final list:

The 25 Best Duos on Television

(My Picks are in bold)

1. Coach Eric and Tami Taylor (Friday Night Lights)

2. Liz Lemon and Jack Donagy (30 Rock)
3. Sheldon Cooper Ph.D. and Penny (The Big Bang Theory)
4. Jim Halpert and Dwight Shrute (The Office)
5. Patty Hewes and Ellen Parsons (Damages)
6. Dr. Temperance “Bones” Brennan and Special Agent Seeley Booth (Bones)
7. Emerson Cod and Olive Snook (Pushing Daisies)
8. Blair Waldolf and Chuck Bass (Gossip Girl)
9. Shawn Spencer and Burton “Gus” Guster (Psych)
10. Chuck Bartowski and Special Agent Sarah Walker (Chuck)
11. Sam and Dean Winchester (Supernatural)
12. Marc St. James and Amanda Tannen (Ugly Betty)
13. Barney Stinson and Ted Mosbey (How I Met Your Mother)
14. Bill Adama and Laura Roslin (Battlestar Galactica)
15. Landry Clark and Tyra Colette (Friday Night Lights)
16. Ben Linus and John Locke (Lost)
17. John “J.D.” Dorian M.D. and Dr. Christopher Turk (Scrubs)
18. Sookie Stackhouse and Bill Compton (True Blood)
19. Jeff Patel and Lester Barnes aka Jeffster (Chuck)
20. James “Sawyer” Ford and Juliet Burke (Lost)
21. Homer and Marge Simpson (The Simpsons)
22. Bill Adama and Saul Tigh (Battlestar Galactica)
23. Richard Cypher and Kahlan Amnell (Legend of the Seeker)
24. Earl and Randy Hickey (My Name Is Earl)
25. Michael Westen and Fiona Glenanne (Burn Notice)

Voters: Dan, Ducky, Kath, Matt, Sandie, Scooter McGavin, TVFan, Vance

For the record, I also included Olivia Benson & Elliot Stabler (Law & Order: SVU), Allison & Joe DuBois (Medium), and Brenda Leigh Johnson and Agent Fritz Howard (The Closer)

Special thanks to Scooter for putting together the list. So, what do you think? Who makes your list? Leave us a comment with your picks.

'Psych' - O Killer

OK, I'll admit it: they got me.  I guess you could say that they "psyched" me out in the end.  First, I was never convinced that the profiler wasn't involved.  I kept suspecting him because the killer was so well informed about Shawn and the investigation.  Wrong!  Second, I never thought the killer would be a woman!  Wrong again!  So, major props to the writers at Psych for giving us the unexpected.  I'll also admit that I'm a sucker for a good cat and mouse chase, and Shawn versus the Ying Yang killer was very well played.  The clues, the urgency, the stop watch, the scene with Shawn and Gus running like "hobos" to catch the train -- it was all too good.  I was especially fond of the clues written in cereal.  I did think that Yang gave up much too easily at the end, so I suspect that we haven't seen or heard the last from her.  I certainly wouldn't be against watching another round of Shawn v. Yang.

My one complaint about the episode was the sorta unnatural fit of "bringing back the guest stars for the season finale."  Shawn's mom as Yang's second victim was too convenient and Shawn's date with Abigail was too heartbreaking for the immediate future of Shawn and Juliet.  Shawn was right; Jules has terrible timing.  Then again, neither seems ready to enter into a serious relationship, so maybe Shawn's date with Abigail prevented these two from getting in a bit over their heads too soon.  I did think that Shawn was going to ditch her for Jules, but he decided to tell her about the butter instead.  So, it seems that Shawn and Jules are victims of Poor Timing Syndrome in which they never seem to be ready for one another at the same time.  Someday their timing will align, but until then, we'll have to keep watching these near hits.

Psych will return with all new episodes this summer. Until then, you can catch up on this episode and others at hulu.com.

Shawn Gets Ready for Some Football

I have been extremely fortunate to meet a couple of my heroes, and thankfully, it has never gone anything like Shawn and Gus's encounter with (now) Coach Winslow.  I was able to speak and maintain an outward appearance of composure (even though on the inside, it was something like Shawn and Gus's outside).  Luckily for our favorite psychic duo, there was a second chance to make a first impression and that second impression went much, much better.  Still, there's something endearing about boys and their sports heroes with their bed sheets, game balls, autographs and desire to lead the team out of the tunnel onto the field.  This aptly-timed football-themed episode of Psych had enough fanboy squee! and hilarious one-liners to rival your favorite sports comedy.  Plus the Russian mob thrown in for good measure (and to keep Lassie busy for the rest of the hour).  

I LOVE when TV shows make clever references.  They dominated The Gilmore Girls' quick-step dialog and Veronica Mars's precocious snaps to perfection.  Well, Psych is the new GG/VM.  This episode was packed with them, but my absolute favorite was Shawn's line about making it up to his dad by going over to watch The Mentalist with him.  Prior to the new fall season premieres, every critic and blogger wanted to proclaim that the CBS drama (starring Simon Baker as an independent consultant for the California Bureau of Investigation who uses his "razor sharp skills of observation" to help solve crimes).  On paper, it sounds like Psych minus the comedy and everyone thought the show was a blatant rip off of the USA Network comedy (much like NBC's Heroes was assumed to be a rip off of USA Network's The 4400).  In reality, the two shows are the same, but different.  Same in concept, but completely different in execution.  Still the similarities persist, so Shawn's reference was just too good.  As Shawn would say, "Nailed it!"  And there was also a photograph of Shawn as "Chad" - his soap opera star alter-ego from last season - hanging on the wall at the Russian laundromat.  It all added up to another hilarious hour!

Psych airs Friday nights on USA Network. Catch up on this episode ("Any Given Friday at 10PM, 9PM Central") and others at hulu.com.

'Psych' is on Fire

What do you get when you cross an arsonist and a murderer?  For most of us, you just get an arsonist.  But for Shawn and Gus, you get an "ar-ssassin" or a "furderer."  And that was just one of many hilarious moments from this week's episode of Psych.  We learned in the opening flashback that Shawn had wanted to be a fire fighter when he was a kid, so working a case with the fire department that required him to spend a lot of time at the fire house was a pretty nice slice of heaven for him.  He even got to don the attire, slide down the poll, and rush to the scene of a real fire (and another case of arson).  Unfortunately, he didn't get the full training so rushing into the first floor of a burning building with Gus in toe wasn't exactly the duo's smartest move.  Although, it did lead to one of their funniest.  Shawn was walking through the first floor when he realized he couldn't find Gus.  So, where was his faithful sidekick?  Crawling along the floor and telling Shawn that the key is to stay low.  And he's right of course.  We've all heard the whole "Stop, drop and roll" instruction, but unfortunately, it doesn't provide much help when the ceiling above you collapses and brings skeletal remains with it!  Cut to Shawn and Gus sitting on a gurney holding oxygen masks to their faces.  

In the end, Shawn discovered that the ar-ssassin/furderer was setting the fires to cover up bodies that he hid in the walls of the buildings back in 1998.  Why?  Because these buildings were scheduled for retro-fitting to bring them come up to code for earthquake safety.  The retro-fitting would expose the bodies and the killer would be discovered.  What he didn't count on, however, was having his fires reveal the bodies stuffed into the walls 10 years earlier.  So in the end, the former fireman/current fire prevention specialist (yes, I too enjoyed the irony) wound up divulging his own dirty deeds and landing himself a cushy cell in the local jail.

Psych airs Friday nights on USA Network. Catch up on this episode and others at hulu.com.