Psych

What may very well be my all-time favorite cable television show (let alone cable comedy) has come to a close. The last six episodes of season eight were determined, at the beginning of February, by USA to be the show's last...ever. While there was a bit of build-up to the finale, titled "The Break-Up," (Gus' inner turmoil, Lassie's promotion to Chief, Jules and Vick's move to San Francisco, Corbin Bernsen's selling of the house), none of it could have compared to the greatness that was the series finale.

I won't talk much about the after-show as the host wasn't great, but...Omundson's beard, Ally Sheedy, Corbin's speech, the return of the Blueberry, and the playing of the theme song were all great. The true and most important portion of this post is the actual finale episode. As I do with every beloved show that ends, I started the post off with a theme song, titled it the same, and am now about to embark on the recap and commentary. (The list of shows that end and garner a farewell post is ever-growing, sadly).

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

The episode was another case that the SBPD had to tackle with Psych's final villain, Billy Zane. Throughout it all, Shawn is struggling to find a way to tell Gus that he will be moving to San Francisco to be with Jules. Included are my favorite parts of the episode...so basically everything.

Shawn Decides to Close Psych and Move to San Francisco: His proclamation to Jules seemed like they were breaking up at first, but fortunately, they were not. Plus, the first in a slew of great quotes from the episode. "A man can follow a woman if he loves her, okay? There is no rule or law against that and if there was, I would break it, and it wouldn't be quiet. I would do it brazenly and out in the open."

The Emphasis on Shawn and Gus' Friendship: I was worried the finale would be a bit unprepared and discordant and mainly focus on just a regular, old case, but luckily, all of the points that needed to be hammered home were. Especially that of one of the greatest bromances in television history. The love was there and everyone knew it.

Guest Stars: Deon Richmond, Billy Zane, and Val Kilmer were the three most perfect guest stars to have on the finale. Richmond played Bud on The Cosby Show, a role everyone thought was played by Dule Hill and became a running gag both behind the scenes and on the show. Zane's name was mentioned so many times throughout the run of the show. Kilmer played the omnipresent Dobson and was somebody that both Shawn and Roday could admire in childhood, adolescence, and "well into my 20's." The only other one that could have made it even more amazing would be Emilio Estevez to complete the Breakfast Club quest.

The Always Present Humor: Gus' gesticulation and inflection while digging for treasure and then screaming upon finding it to be a body. Shawn and Gus' dance in the morgue after popping up out of nowhere and not even phasing Woody. The student car car chase. Shawn's pocket flax. Shawn's "handsome" sandwich. Vick's reaction to Shawn and Gus showing up at the San Fran crime scene. These quotes:

"Gus, you're clearly not accounting for the possibility of the lost city of Atlanta."
"It's Atlantis."
"I've heard it both ways."
"And they're both wrong."
"One of them was yours!"

"Who finds a murder weapon and goes to a Wendy's drive-thru?"

"Someone brought a pelican pick and pluck pistol pack on a cross country trip?"
"It's plausible!"

"Not emotionally, Shawn. Not emotionally."
"Okay, dial it back a bit."

The Last Nickname: The greatest running gag in the history of Psych, rivaled only by "Gus, don't be...," and "Suuuuuck iiiiit," is the nicknames Shawn gives Gus when introducing himself to clients. The final one was great for the finale. "I'm Shawn Spencer and this is my partner...I can't do it." Then, he turned away, crying a bit.

Monk Reference: When in San Francisco, Vick and Jules definitely alluded to a future in crime fighting which pits Shawn and Gus against the great Adrian Monk.

Vick: "We already have a guy."
Shawn: "I don't see him anywhere."
Jules: "He's in the kitchen, alphabetizing the pantry."

The Endings of Buzz, Woody, and Henry: Buzz McNabb, played by Sage Brockelbank, was made the new junior detective at the SBPD after Brannigan convinced Lassie that she could mold him into something great. Oh, McNabb. Woody will stick to being the coroner at the SBPD and he received a DVD from Shawn, just as the others did. SBPD is in good hands.

Shawn: "Stay gold, Ponywood."
Woody: "You know I will, Shawn. Shawn? This is the weirdest Skype call I've ever been on."

Plus, Henry had a pretty solid ending. He gave Shawn one last bit of fatherly advice and they even hugged! Henry expressed his nostalgia for hair and became a professor of criminology. During his first class, Shawn texted him for help, the first time ever, and Henry helped him out big time. We last see him taking measurements on the Psych office and bidding Gus farewell.

Pilot Reference: The first scene in Psych history featured a young Shawn and Henry talking in a diner. The scene was kind of replicated later in the pilot, but it once again returned in the finale. After being mouthed off by a disrespectful student in the criminology class, Henry tells him to close his eyes and asks him the question that brings everything full circle.

"How many hats are in the room?"

The Ending: Now, the list of great moments will come to an end because it is impossible to separate this collection of immense heart, humor, and quality. Here we go.

Lassie's video was definitely my favorite video that Shawn made for his friends. It broke my heart. Shawn said that he was "proud," "honored," and "baffled" to call Lassie his friend and you could tell that Lassie was touched. Shawn went on the say that Lassie was the only one in the world to love Jules as much as he did, albeit in different ways. He felt he owed Lassie so he started to tell him one of the only things Lassie has wanted in all eight seasons.

"It's time to come clean. You're one of the only ones to suspect that I'm not...the truth is, I am not-"

Just as Shawn was about to admit that he is not a psychic to Lassie, the latter took the DVD out of his laptop, glanced at it for a second, and then broke it in half. He also broke my heart in half. Lassie wants to remember Shawn as he was in the glory days of his crime-solving career. He doesn't want to hear the words. He doesn't want there to be any proof. My god, that scene is so brilliantly poignant.

Plus, we had our last Lassie scene with a camera zoom out to encapsulate Lassie sitting at his new desk, with a "Chief Lassiter" placard, and him talking on the phone to his wife and child. He got everything he wanted. The end of Lassie. Not to mention his two hugs with Shawn earlier!

Shawn's video to Gus was also heartbreaking. There is no way for me to accurately describe the sheer austerity of what Shawn said to Gus, so I figure I'll provide the quote.

"You have to accept that this is my fatal flaw. That I just can't quite...engage all the way when I really need to, when it really matters, you know, when the chips are down. So I guess what I'm saying is that I'm sorry, Gus. I'm sorry that I can't do goodbyes. I tried so hard to tell you, man. I just...I suck at the real stuff. You know that, but you're going to be fine. You're going to be better than fine. I just can't help thinking that the only problem you really had this whole time is me. I've kept you from the life that you deserve, the life that you earned, the life that you'd have if I hadn't barged into your office eight years ago and said, 'We're gonna play detective, whether you want to or not.' I love you, man."

Oh my god, so heartbreaking, so emotional, but so so so real and so great. I just can't do anything, but love it. And I love Shawn and Gus nearly in tears in the video and while watching it, respectively. Gus shaking his head 'no' when Shawn thought he ruined Gus' life was heart-wrenching. How could this come from a comedy? Because it had true heart.

Then, when Gus went to the Psych office to try to find Shawn, he was nowhere to be found. After a brief conversation with Henry, Gus turned and nostalgically looked at the Psych window while a melancholy piano tune played in the back. After this, Gus went to work and realized his new job is the same as his old and he bolts out to go to San Francisco to be with Shawn. He only turned around twelve times before finally committing and going to San Fran. His explanation to Shawn as to why he came cemented the ultimate bromance.

"I'm an adventurer now, with a friendship for the ages. And if I have to live in another city to make that happen, then so be it. That's the way it's gotta be."

And one last fist bump.

After hugging Vick, Shawn, Gus, and Jules dashed out of the crime scene and into their new lives, but not before one last great moment. The proposal. Yes, Shawn finally proposed to Jules in the most Psych way ever. Here is the full bit (by the way, I might have some of it wrong, just bear with me, it's still perfect):

Shawn (to Jules): "I made the biggest mistake of my life by leaving Santa Barbara without saying good-bye to Gus, and I am done cowering from the big decisions. I've wanted this for long enough, so it's gonna happen, right now."

Gus: "Oh my god! It's happening!"

Shawn: "Juliet O'Hara, I do not believe in love at first sight, because I didn't even need to see you to know that I wanted to spend forever with you."

Shawn (to Gus): "That was weird."

Gus (to Shawn): "Center of the universe. Nine planets."

Shawn: "Gus, has that line ever worked on anyone?"

Gus: "No."

Shawn (to Jules): "Scratch that. I have spent my whole life running from one thing to another, quitting and running and quitting and running, and pretending that my destiny was to drive a weiner-mobile."

Gus (to Jules): "He was young."

Shawn: "I'm not that young anymore, and I'm also not afraid. I know that I come with baggage, and a best friend who's not going anywhere, ever." 

*Gus looks at Jules and shakes his head. Jules also shakes her head.*

Shawn: "But I promise you from this moment forward, the only running that I will be doing is into your arms, and I will never stop holding your cold little hands, or losing myself when I wake up in the morning and look at you and recognize how freaking lucky I am."

Gus (to Jules): "Say yes!"

Jules (to Gus): "Yes!"

Shawn (to Jules): "Okay, well, technically you just said yes to Gus."

Jules: "Then ask me, Shawn!"

Shawn (to Jules): Jules, will you marry us…me, mostly me, even though Gus is always going to be part of the deal, and then someday he'll have his own Juliet and she will be named Huliet and she'll be Jamaican, and together we'll be one big giant frosted black and white cookie, and we're gonna have dogs, all rescues, and kids, probably before we're sixty."

Jules: "Definitely before we're sixty."

Shawn: "Oh, just marry me so that I can show you how amazing our life will be together."

Jules: "Yes, I will marry the crap out of you, Shawn Spencer!"

Then, a thief stole the ring and the trio jumped into a car with two steering wheels and ran off into another case. The hi-jinks will go on, even if we won't see them.

I still cannot think of a single flaw in the finale of Psych. It was everything I wanted it to be and I hope I still get goosebumps thinking about it in the future. They all grew so much throughout the show, however gradual. Henry and Shawn came to love each other again. Shawn matured, but didn't lose what made him him, and he overcame his fear of commitment. Gus realized how much he loved his best friendship. Even Lassie came to love Shawn. Ugh, so great.

Farewell, Psych, my friend.

Oh, and there was a pineapple! Duh.