Psych: Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion

(S02E15) "First you treat a woman like a person, then a princess, then a Greek Goddess, then a person again" -- Shawn's advice on how to treat a woman.

For nearly two seasons Shawn Spencer has been 'The Man'. He could get into any place, do anything, and be with pretty much any girl he wanted. Wherever he went he was the center of attention. This week, the shoe was on the other foot as the spotlight was painfully pulled away from Shawn and pointed to some of the other members of the cast.

And, you know what? I LOVED it!

Gallery: Psych: Black and Tan

I don't think I have ever seen an episode where Shawn is the sanest person in his small circle of friends and relatives -- that job has gone to Gus in many cases. So, it was very refreshing to see another side of the young Spencer, especially the flustered side of him -- again, another side we have rarely seen. Not even the satisfaction of a murder reveal could give him any comfort and a bit more of the spotlight, since the murdered victims actually killed each other. Face it, this was Shawn's Lonely Guy episode.

The scene that solidified this feeling for me was the one after Gus and the rest of the models left Shawn talking to his father while they drove away in the stretch limo on steroids. With a blues song in the background Shawn skulks back to the room that he is renting in the models' loft and falls asleep on his tiny twin bed with images of what he would have done with the models dancing in his head. What probably got Shawn's goat is that he wouldn't have been in this state if he didn't take Gus to the CIAO party in the first place.

Gus. If you want to know where the spotlight was this week it was on him. Who the heck was that guy strutting his stuff in designer clothing? It certainly wasn't the Gus we knew -- the one that spent the remainder of his birthday at the arcade. This was Tan, Model Supreme. He was a totally different person: suave, funny, smartly dressed, good smelling. In fact, he was Shawn this week while Shawn was Gus.

We've seen bits and pieces of this side of Gus in previous episodes, but it was full blown this time around. It really showed the comic chops that Dule Hill has gained since he left The West Wing and joining the frivolity of Psych. His transformation from pharmaceutical rep to supermodel wannabe was great to watch. Gus needs some more of these character changes from time to time.

Also sharing the spotlight this week were Henry, Lassiter, O'Hara, and even 'Interim' Chief (still?) Karen Vick. Lassiter and O'Hara were definitely affected by their time with the Ciao models. Lassie decided to upgrade his wardrobe with some newer ties, while Jules decided that she could be a cop and dress like a woman at the same time (Yowsa!). I do hope that O'Hara decides to keep that look as the series continues. Chief Vick jumped into the spotlight while trying to get some dirt from Shawn about his father's interest in her friend.

Speaking about Henry...I have never seen him so unsure in the two seasons that the show has been on. He was totally clueless about the way he should go with the woman Vick introduced him to. However, that all changed when she decided to show off some of her assets then attack him in the restaurant's bathroom, which was one of the funnier scenes of the night. By the way, that was Amanda Pays, who happens to be Corbin Bernsen's wife in real life, as Henry's blind date

Even after all of the fun that this show was there was actually a pretty important and serious moment at the end of the episode that took place between Shawn and his father. As mentioned before, the situation between Henry and his wife hasn't really been brought up too much, and it is definitely a sore point with Shawn. From what I can gather his mom left one day and never came back.

Now, Henry wants to move on, and he doesn't want to feel guilty that he's going to move on. But, Shawn isn't quite ready to let it all go. In fact, he was pretty angry that his dad was going on another date with the woman who practically attacked him at dinner. However, he reluctantly came to terms with it all because, in spite of everything, he loves his father and really doesn't want to see him alone. I really, really liked that ending as it brought a new dimension to the Shawn-Henry dynamic.

Next week -- Didn't we have a monster theme during the first season finale? Well, we have another one for the second season finale as Shawn and Gus Meet the Mummy.