Pilot Rewatch: Psych

Fake psychic. Real detectives.

Psych – Pilot

Season 1, Episode 1 – Original air date: 7/7/2006

The episode opens in 1986, showing us young Shawn at a diner with his dad, who is a cop. Papa Spencer has Shawn earn his dessert by telling him to close his eyes, then to test his observation skills he asks Shawn questions about his surroundings.

Forward 20 years, and we have adult Shawn Spencer, the wise cracking slacker. In the pilot he comes off a bit as a ladies man, and of course he’s also a bit of a goof. Also, I’m not sure, but I think this is the only time we ever see Shawn’s apartment.

Other places we get to glimpse during this episode, that we never really see after the pilot; the place Gus works, and where Gus lives. I feel like the only locations I really know on the show are the precinct, the Psych office, and Henry Spencer’s house.

Because of his slacker, can’t hold a job, tendencies, Shawn uses his observation skills to earn reward money from crimes he solves when watching things on the news. But now the police are starting to suspect his info is coming from first hand knowledge, so they bring him in for questioning. Clearly the only option that Shawn can see to get out of this is to pretend he’s a psychic. How else could he know so much?

After impressing everyone, except Detective Lassiter, with his skills, and solving yet another crime right in front of them, he’s free to go. After seeing what he was capable of the Chief decides to give him a chance to help solve a high profile missing person case, warning him he better not be a fake. At this point, for good measure, Shawn decides to drag his best friend, the mild mannered Gus, along with him on the case.

One of the things I find interesting in this episode is that Shawn is evidently a VERY good shot, which we see when he’s on a shooting range with Lassie’s partner. This made me wonder, do we ever see him handle a gun again? If he does, then I’m completely forgetting it.

In the end Shawn, in a very creative way, solves the case. He then comes to see this as a great way to make money, yet still be a slacker, and cons Gus into starting a Psychic Detective Agency with him.

Pineapple Watch:

If you’re not familiar with the show, then let me explain…They like to place pineapples in (I think) every episode, sometimes hidden, sometimes in plain site. It’s become a game to spot them.

Somewhere around the 18 minute mark, as Shawn is chatting about the girl in the photos, in one of her pics there appears to be what looks like a pineapple lamp…Am I wrong?

Then about 26 minutes into the episode is a very obvious pineapple sighting. Shawn was at Gus’s place, when he suddenly takes a pineapple from the kitchen and asks if he should slice it up for the road.

Notes of Interest:

If you’re a fan of the show you will already know that Lassie is a bit…eccentric (?), Shawn’s dad has a thing for Hawaiian shirts, and Shawn often introduces Gus using some crazy made up name. So I took note of a couple things in the pilot; Lassie is somewhat ‘normal’ (maybe that relationship was good for him?), but his dislike for Shawn is as clear as ever, Henry (Shawn’s Dad) didn’t wear any Hawaiian shirts, and there were no crazy nicknames for Gus. Also the Psych logo on their office window was blue (I’m not sure when they changed it to green).

Notable Guests:

Two Stargate actors are in this episode: Don S. Davis, General George Hammond from SG1, and Christopher Heyerdahl, Todd the Wraith from Atlantis. I only point this out because I love Stargate, and both of those actors (still miss Don S. Davis).

My Thoughts:

I still remember how I first heard about this show; I had bought a TV guide that had a “Summer TV Preview” DVD in it. I went home, popped it in, and Psych just stood out to me (I have no idea what else was on the DVD). I couldn’t wait for it’s premier, which I noticed was the day before my birthday. Ever since I first saw this show it has been one of my favorites. It’s cleaver, fun, entertaining, well written, and the all characters are great. At the time of this post it’s in it’s 7th season, and I still love it. The writers just seem to know how to keep it fresh, and the actors are awesome. I’m never disappointed, and can rewatch every episode, never getting bored of it.

If you haven’t seen Psych yet, what are you waiting for?

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