After the series ended in 2014,
Psych returns to the small screen
through a Christmas special – a TV movie called, er, Psych: The Movie. Yeah, yeah. I
wish the title was more distinctive, especially considering that, if all goes
well, creator Steve Franks plans to make five more Psych movies. So what’s the
next one going to be called now? Psych: The Movie 2? Moreover, if it was going to be identified as
“The Movie”, then it should have been
through a more appropriate medium than the 88-minute, commercial-break-divided TV
movie that it is. Instead, it
should have been released in theaters – or, the very least, in VOD.
Nonetheless, it’s an elating early
Christmas treat for every Psych fan. There’s nothing particularly “special” about
this special. It’s as if it’s just another
episode of the series. But that’s
totally fine. In the first place, the
show has been generally witty, well-written, tonally amiable, and highly
entertaining; revels in wide-ranging pop culture references and non-staling recurring jokes; and, when needed, can get very suspenseful or touching. Psych:
The Movie turning out to be mostly like what the series had typically been is
more than enough.
It was a lot of fun to revisit
its characters, especially the quirky, bantering, mystery-solving duo of
“psychic detective” Shawn Spencer and Burton “Gus” Guster. James Roday and Dulé Hill is as funny and
sharp as ever in they return to their iconic roles.
Set three years after the series
finale, Psych: The Movie sees Shawn having
settled down in San Francisco, and having opened a new Gremlins-themed detective agency in Chinatown – “Psychphrancisco”, as
he named it. Meanwhile, Gus has also
moved to San Francisco, working in a new pharmaceutical company full-time and
working with Shawn part-time, as usual. One
day, Juliet finds herself being targeted by a trio of vengeful criminals – a “Thin
White Duke” David Bowie wannabe, a black gentleman ninja, and WWE Superstar
Charlotte Flair. Thus, to address the
threat, the whole Santa Barbara gang gets back together.
Well, not exactly the whole gang. There’s one important character missing: the
delightful Detective Carlton Lassiter.
It’s because actor Timothy Omundson has had a minor stroke, preventing
him to participate, save for a small cameo scene, in
which Juliet shared a poignant, heart-to-heart video call with him. His absence is a huge let-down. Hopefully, he’ll be in the next Psych movie.
Aside from the lack of Lassie,
another disappointment is that Shawn never had enough moments where he impressed
with his eidetic memory and be ridiculous with his “psychic” shtick. He didn’t even unmask the big bad. He and Gus did some detective work, but it
wasn’t up to their usual standards.
Overall, I largely enjoyed what Psych: The Movie was able to offer. A complete reunion would have been my preference,
but given the circumstance, it did well in providing fans the opportunity to
once again savor the beloved Psych
universe. Most importantly, it’s very
thrilling to know that, based on the evident implication of the epilogue, this
isn’t the last time we are going to see of it.
At this point, confirmation of more upcoming TV
specials would be a cool Christmas gift.
Or better still, an announcement of a complete series revival!
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