TV-Reviewed

I think the time off between seasons rejuvenated the writers and actors. The fifth season premiere was really well done. The mystery was good and the comedy was even better.

I’ll admit right off the kidnapping plot had some really nice twists to it. It wasn’t so simple. It took a while to get to the bottom of what was really going on. It didn’t turn out to be you cut and dry Romeo and Juliet story. The story had me intrigued right from the start when the kidnapped daughter didn’t make a single sound as she was being kidnapped. There was a problem with how this was setup, however. How am I supposed to believe the security guards who were flanking the girl never saw her disappear? That was sloppy.

I really enjoyed seeing Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, and even Chief Vick go to Juliet. Shawn, Gus, and Lassiter all needed advice on the case, while Vick wanted to see her prized officer back on police duty and out of the city hall. Shawn’s joke about not knowing Santa Barbara had a city hall was something I still remember from early on in this episode.

James Roday as Shawn Spencer, Dule Hill as Burton Guster

The highlight of this episode for me was the physical comedy. It’s just not done on this show or anywhere else with any regularity. It’s one of the reasons I adore my Three Stooges DVDs. I laughed out loud several times as Shawn tried to learn martial arts and chase a guy down.

While the physical comedy was nice, the show’s bread and butter was present. The fast-paced comedy had me in stitches in the season opener. I loved the scenes with Shawn and Gus trying to convince their fired assistant, Ken (Jerry Shea), to help them out, as well as Gus’ verbal beatdown of the guy running the martial arts studio. Gus’ lawyer bit was absolutely awesome.

I’d like to see Jerry Shea return as the PSYCH assistant. The show could use a new recurring character to offer a different perspective and I thought his Ken character was terrific. The racist questions from Shawn and Gus made for some uncomfortable moments for Ken, but they were cleverly written and obviously meant as a joke.

The pacing of “Romeo and Juliet and Juliet” was spot on. The story moved forward at a good pace. Everything worked well. It was a nearly flawless season premiere. The guys at PSYCH should be proud of this episode.

Rating: 9.3

Do what I do and get this episode on iTunes. PSYCH looks fantastic in HD.