Hey everyone!
I know it has been awhile since we posted anything, but we thought it would be fun to share some of our thoughts on some movies and TV shows we're into (or not so in to). I thought I would start us off with what is currently my favorite TV show, Psych. For those of you who have never seen it, I'll give you a short break down. The show follows Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his partner/side kick Burton 'Gus' Guster (Dule Hill) as they work to solve crimes. The spin on the show is that Shawn claims to be a psychic for reasons explained in the first season and now is stuck with everyone believing that this is true when in reality he is just hyper perceptive.
The show has a fantastic ability to create a child like fun innocence in the middle of a crime scene. Shawn and Gus have awesome banter back and forth that shows off not only the impressive acting but also the impressive writing and editing. One of my personal favorite parts of the show is the commentary on films. Each episode makes some reference to popular mainstream cinema whether it be blatant or not. One of my favorite references was when Shawn explains to a detective how he is psychic like the Mentalist except that he is a real psychic otherwise it would be exactly the same situation as in the mentalist. Obviously Shawn is a fake and I applaud the shows willingness to comment on and joke about the fact they are very similar to another show. One cannot overlook the amazing supporting cast that this show has. With actors like Timothy Omundson, who plays Carleton Lassitor, the gun totting yet lovable lead detective for the SBPD who always seems to be one upped by Shawn, and Maggie Lawson, who plays Juliet O'Hara the young up and coming detective who also happens to be Shawn's love interest. She creates a fantastic buffer between Carleton's no nonsense detective work and Shawn's play it loose attitude by simply wanting to solve crimes and using any resources available, including Psych. The character that I think could easily be overlooked as far as importance is Shawn's father Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen) who some may know from L.A. Law. Henry is the backbone of the show in many ways creating depth to Shawn's character and one of the few people who know that Shawn is not truly psychic thus allowing him to be a vital resource in many episodes. Henry gives some back story to Shawn which in many episodes is shown in a flashback to Shawn as a child in the 80's when his dad molded him to become a cop before they had a falling out.
I think what really sets this show apart from the other wacky detective shows like Monk, Bones etc. is that I really feel that these characters are portrayed in a way that is incredibly believable. Credit needs to be given to the cast and crew for not only making a quirky detective but making one that people can relate with, want to hang out with and see a little bit of humanity in through the many episodes. So much can be said about the interesting pieces to this show, however I will cut it off there and recommend that everyone check out at least a few episodes. Personally I recommend skipping the first few unless you plan to watch the entire season as I feel they did not really develop the characters completely until at least half way through season one. Season one in many ways feels a bit darker with many conflicts within Shawn that I think were vital it explaining his character's quirks but at the same time not quite as entertaining as the later episodes. Hope you like the show!
-Jimmy Boratyn
