Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What I’m Watching: Psych

Psych: Season 5, Episode 7 “Ferry Tale” (B+)

It’s pretty hilarious how Shawn and Gus get themselves into trouble so easily, hopping aboard a boat for a friendly expedition and ending up smack in the middle of a prison break. I’m especially impressed with the casting on this episode, which pits prison guard Chi McBride against not-quite-mastermind criminal Kevin Alejandro. McBride was superb on the cancelled “Pushing Daisies” and is now seen frowning a lot on “Human Target,” which Alejandro is currently appearing on “True Blood” and has also been seen on “Ugly Betty” and “Weeds,” among others. Both were excellent choices to play their respective roles here. I truly enjoyed McBride’s angry relationship with Lassiter and Alejandro’s lack of patience for Shawn’s shenanigans. Most entertaining of all, of course, is Shawn’s express desire to do exactly the opposite of what he’s told, evidenced by his cry to take charge of the situation and intervene only seconds after his father has instructed him not to get involved. The use of the bible and the penultimate scene in the church coincidentally reminded me of the “Human Target” episode “Sanctuary” from last season (McBride’s presence probably aided that recollection). This was a fun episode, to be sure, but I was thrown off at the start by the introduction of a new young Shawn, played by Skyler Gisondo. He just doesn’t have the uppity attitude that longtime young Shawn portrayer Liam James does, and therefore I couldn’t take him seriously as an obnoxious Gus-bully and troublemaker like I always could with James.

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