Showing posts with label james roday. Show all posts
Showing posts with label james roday. Show all posts

Sunday, September 16, 2012

Psych: The Complete Second Season Review

Psych: The Complete Second Season
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Without a doubt, Shawn Spencer is the public's favorite fake fictional psychic detective. Of course as far as I know, he's also the only one.
But that doesn't stop the second season of "Psych" from being a rollicking good time, full of crazy schemes and baffling murder mysteries. James Roday and Dulé Hill actually become even more entertaining, with less slapstick and more of a reliance on eccentric plot twists, pop culture references, and crimes that get ever weirder.
Shawn (Roday) and Gus (Hill) get swamped by reality pop culture when American Duos comes to Santa Barbara. The cruel British judge Nigel St. Nigel (Tim Curry) hires them to protect him, because he thinks that someone is trying to kill him.
A live wire and a poisoned sandwich later, Shawn agrees -- especially when a drugged-out female judge almost dies. But out of all the people who loathe Nigel, which one tried to kill him? Then the police suspect that Shawn has lost his touch when he announces that someone was killed by a dinosaur, and is confronted by a sexy FTD psychic.
But that isn't the last or least of Sean and Gus's problems -- a chop shop with secrets, bounty hunters, Gus's parents accused of Yuletide murder, jockey deaths and fixed races, nanny-related robberies, electrocutions on the catwalk, and going undercover at a telenovela, a school for the gifted, and a retirement community. They even have a run-in with a wealthy, crazy woman that Gus drunkenly married on spring break years ago... and it turns out her new fiancee is a bit shady.
Finally, Shawn and Gus are pursuing one of their weirdest cases ever. First a security guard is suspected of stealing a 3000-year-old mummy -- but then it appears that the mummy actually murdered the guard. Can Shawn figure out what is going on -- with the mummy murder, the police chief, and his oddly-behaving father?
Although it didn't break much new ground, the first season of "Psych" was very fresh and entertaining TV. Fortunately creator Steve Franks is sticking to the old adage: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," and the second season doesn't deviate from what works -- there's still lots of comedy, spoofery, silly dialogue ("It's spontaneous psychic krav maga!") and enjoyable mysteries.
The first episode kicks things off a bit weakly, since the "American Idol" joke gets stretched out too far. Fortunately the mysteries after that get much more solid, deftly juggling even the funny-sounding plot twists (strangulation by mummy bandage? Refrigeration trucks?). You even get an endless parade of pop culture references, from Michael Jackson to "Shaun of the Dead," James Bond to wikipedia.com. Gotta love that.
But the best aspect of "Psych" continues to be its kooky dialogue. Usually Shawn provides it ("I hunger for the meatballs the way a jackal salivates for an injured possum"), but other characters get to as well ("Hola. Me llamo Inspector Carlton Lassiter. Me gusta queso").
Shawn and Gus remain an entertaining pair of twentysomething everymen, with Roday continuing to be eccentric, lovably charming and kooky -- although Shawn gets quite a shock in the cliffhanger ending. And Hill gets more attention, with Gus pursuing models and faking psychic powers. We even discover a secret past involving sweater vests, spring break, and a drunken wedding -- lots of fun.
And the supporting cast remains solid -- Corbin Bernsen gets to participate in a couple of the cases as Shawn's hard-nosed dad, sometimes in loud tropical shirts. Timothy Omundson continues to be entertaining as harder-nosed cop Lassiter. And Maggie Lawson rounds off the cast as the "enigma wrapped in a little blonde riddle" who is Shawn's love interest, as well as a counterpoint to Lassiter.
The second season of "Psych" continues the eccentric crimes and equally odd crimesolvers, mingling comedy and mystery with only a couple weak spots. Sweet black licorice!

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Get ready for more quirky adventures with TV’s freshest and most eccentric sleuth as all 16 Season Two episodes of the hit series Psych arrive on DVD!Phony police psychic Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his skeptical best friend Gus (Dulé Hill) are back on the case in this 4-disc set.Joining them is a supernaturally talented roster of guest stars, including Primetime Emmy® Award nominee Tim Curry, Golden Globe® nominee Gina Gershon and Kevin Sorbo.Featuring two episodes directed by the legendary John Landis (National Lampoon’s® Animal House, The Blues Brothers) and over 45 minutes of can’t-miss bonus materials, Season Two of Psych is a must for every DVD library! Critics exclaim, “It’s not only laugh-out-loud-until-soda-squirts-out-of-your-nose funny, but it’s also perfectly cast” (New York Post).We predict you’ll love every quick-witted moment!

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Friday, May 4, 2012

Psych: The Complete Third Season Review

Psych: The Complete Third Season
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"Psych" is one of those lucky shows that -- like a fine wine -- seems to get better as it ages. Not that you should stick it in a cellar and forget about it for fifty years, though. The third season of this quirky comedy/mystery show is definitely worth seeing at least a few times -- James Roday and Dule Hill continue to be absolutely hilarious as the faux psychic and his frazzled friend, and their cases continue to get even weirder.
"Psych" may be breaking up when Gus is given a choice by his boss -- his pharmaceutical job, or the agency. To prove their worth, Shawn offers to investigate the company VP's haunted house... and Gus soon finds that there's more than meets the eye to this haunting. Meanwhile Shawn's mother (Cybill Shepherd) drops in for work, stirring up some old skeletons for our favorite faux psychic.
Among the cases Gus and Shawn take on: a vanishing body at the high school reunion, a treasure map, the implosion of Henry's greatest case, roller derby robberies, Coast Guard clashes, a murdered sea lion, a body hidden in a Nativity scene, a firebug with a murderous secret, a murdered footballer, an old summer camp haunted by an axe murderer, and an attempt to clear the name of a pathological liar.
Their cases become personal when Lassiter (Timothy Ormundson) is accused of killing a drug lord, and Shawn is determined to prove that the disgraced cop didn't do it. And the Yin Yang serial returns to Santa Barbara, wanting Shawn as the newest "challenger." So he/she leads Shawn through a ghastly series of riddles... and if Shawn doesn't outwit him/her, those close to him may die.
Clearly Steve Franks is sticking to the old adage: "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." "Psych" ain't broke, so the third season of coasts along smoothly in a flurry of pop culture references, bizarre dialogue ("Señor pantalones del fuego?") and crimes that befuddle the SBPD.
It does end and begin unusually -- the season premiere is a twistaround of the usual mystery, and finale quickly becomes a serious, deadly game of cat-and-mouse. But the mysteries in the middle of the season are perfect examples of "Psych": the writers deftly juggle funny-sounding plot twists (roller derbies, stowing away on a murderer's boat) with some twisty-turny police work.
There's even an endless parade of pop culture references -- "Speed," Hamlet, the Peanuts dance, "Gone With The Wind," and of course "Friday the 13th." However, "Psych's" biggest charm point has always been the insanely kooky dialogue. Mostly Shawn provides it ("Just once, can you grab life by the little Lassiters and follow your instincts?") but the other characters get some good lines here and there ("All I can remember after that are hundreds of those tiny razor sharp claws and teeth." "Lower primate my ass. I recognize a military formation when I see one!").
Roday is eccentric, charming and eternally kooky, as if Shawn is deliberately living out his life like a TV show. But he gets to show a very serious, intense side in the finale. Hill continues to be the normal one with a mild goofy side ("I'm King Kong!"), and gets to do a daring rescue by leaping through a wall of flames. And Ormundson gets to explore some of Lassiter's other facets (his crumbling marriage and his brief removal from the force).
The third season of "Psych" is all about the weird and the wacky, but also injects some very serious, very creepy moments as well. All around a wonderful success, and it bodes well for what comes up this summer.

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Fake psychic detective Shawn Spencer (James Roday) and his best friend Gus (Dulé Hill) are cracking the case – and cracking up audiences everywhere – in all 16 Season Three episodes from the quick-witted detective series Psych. After earning a reputation for taking on the unusual cases that leave most sleuths scratching their heads, Shawn and Gus are in for more mayhem this season as they tackle mysteries that range from the decidedly abnormal to the hauntingly paranormal. Join guest stars Cybill Shepherd (The L Word), Gary Cole (Pineapple Express), Phylicia Rashad (A Raisin in the Sun) and many more in this fresh and funny show that Maureen Ryan of Chicago Tribune declares, “Roday and Hill have the kind of chemistry you just can't manufacture."

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