“Psych” Tuesday the 17th

Psych’s latest episode took a fun twist on the film Friday the 13th. An old camp friend, Jason Cunningham, hires Shawn and Gus to find a missing person. Jason plans to reopen Camp Tikihama, but one of his counselors disappeared just days before the Grand Opening. Given the camp’s dark history – a repairman was electrocuted near the pool years earlier – Jason fears the negative publicity will destroy his dream.

So, at Gus’ insistence, the guys head to the great outdoors. Weird things begin to happen – a crazy old mountain man warns them off the mountain, Jason’s split personality comes out, bloody clothes fall out of the dryer… Shawn has no idea what’s going on and calls Jules for back-up.

Meanwhile, in Santa Barbara, the Carlton/Victoria divorce finally ends. It has been dragging on and on and wait a sec… You know what? I didn’t even know that side-plot was still going on. And what a way to finish it off, in the most lackluster and dull way possible – dinner with awkward conversation and melodramatic soundtrack. I felt like I was watching Grey’s Anatomy! Plus, Justine Bateman looked, and sounded, as if she had acorns in her cheeks. Botox experiment gone wrong, maybe?

Back on the mountaintop, the group begins to make the classic slasher movie mistakes. Annie is missing. Billy splits up to track the supposed killer and doesn’t return. And then, just when they think everything is safe, the group raucously celebrates. But of course that can’t be the end. Think about it. Michael Myers came back to life like seven times in Halloween. The killer’s never really dead, the mystery never really solved. Especially when the episode is only halfway through.

I don’t know what to think of this episode. It was funny and there were a lot of quotes (see below). But it was strange, too. Out of sync with the standard Psych formula. Perhaps if I were a bigger fan of the Friday the 13th franchise, I could better appreciate the homage. As it is, I remain undecided.

Gus-ism of the Day: Killer Bee, Lumpkin Gus “Slicks”

Spot the Pineapple: Little Gus & Jason make a pineapple pinata at Camp Tikihama. There is a pineapple in the refrigerator before and after Annie disappears.

Favorite Pop Culture References:

Friday the 13th, from the plot to character names, you can pick this one out everywhere.
– Camp Tikihama is another Psych self-reference. See Season 2, “Bounty Hunters.”
– The three guest-stars are all former child actors – Justine Bateman, Family Ties. Elden Henson, The Mighty Ducks. Mackenzie Astin, The Facts of Life. I’m not sure what that has to do with, probably nothing. But it’s fun all the same.

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Little Shawn: It’s a million degrees out! Why don’t you go live on Hoth, you freak!

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Gus: Excuse me, is Jason around? We’re old friends of his.
Clive: I think he’s inside trying to figure out what’s eating Gilbert Grape. Turns out it was a flesh-eating virus.

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Jason: Judas!… You destroyed me. Iago!
Shawn: What does the parrot from Aladdin got to do with this?

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Gus: You must be out of your mind if you think for one second I’m going out there. I’ve seen enough slasher movies to know that when a brother goes off to the woods, he doesn’t even sorta come back.
Shawn: LL Cool J made it all the way through Deep Blue Sea.
Gus: That was in the water, Shawn. With sharks. And Sam Jackson’s ass still got swallowed whole.

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Shawn: So history repeats itself. You two are my least favorite tag team of all time.
Clive: Really? With Iron Sheik and Nikolai Volkoff on the table?