By Jason Guyer
By Jason Guyer
Welcome back Psych-O’s. Shawn and Gus are back to bring you another “Psych” adventure.
Oh, how I have missed this small-screen duo. I mean, who doesn’t miss lines like, “I’m Shawn Spencer and this is my partner, Gus ‘TT’ Showbiz?”
James Roday Rodriguez and Dule Hill as Shawn and Gus are my favorite television duo. Their effortless silliness and forever bromance is one to be envied. For any Psych-O, the duo is the end all be all. These are the two that matter and make the show and films what they are.
This being said, in “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” do you get these to at their best.
The answer to that is yes. You will not be disappointed by either Shawn or Gus.
James Roday Rodriguez and Dule Hill are the same Shawn and Gus they always have been.
The pair’s chemistry is top notch and no matter how many years they are away from these roles, they will always be Shawn and Gus.
It has been three years since we last saw our duo in the first “Psych” movie titled “Psych: The Movie.” But on July 15, as part of the new streaming service Peacock, “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” was released.
Now I know what everyone is thinking: “OK, another streaming service to have to sign up for!” This is not the case though. While it’s true that Peacock is a service you can pay for to get access to certain content, you do not need to pay to get all content. For instance, “Psych” the television show and its two films, including “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home,” are free.
Free with a catch, that is.
You do have to create an account and the large selection of content you obtain access to for free comes unfortunately with commercials.
However, “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” may let you watch a bunch of commercials upfront before the movie in order to watch the film “commercial free.”
If you are a Psych-O (“Well, much like Lady Gaga, I was born this way”), the commercials are well worth the experience.
Now the question, even for Psych-O’s, is the following: Is “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” worth the three-year wait?
This is a complicated question to answer and like Shawn said in season 6, “Well, the plot, unlike your hair, continues to thicken.”
“Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” starts after Santa Barbara Police Chief Carlton “Lassie” Lassiter is ambushed on the job, shot, and left for dead. As he begins to “see things” around the recovery clinic he is at, Lassiter enlists the help of Shawn and Gus. Shawn and Gus leave San Francisco to be with Lassie only to find themselves unwelcome in their old stomping grounds of Santa Barabra.
The pair start to untangle a secret, twisted case without the benefit of the police or their loved ones. For Shawn, this creates the situation of lying to Juliet again, something he promised never to do again.
What the duo uncover, though, will change their lives forever.
So no fear there fans of “Psych,” the core duo will not disappoint.
Does the rest of the film though?
The disappointments are few but they are there.
The biggest disappointment comes with the execution of the tale the film is trying to share.
The story is on par with a normal, convoluted but oddly simple “Psych” investigation. However, my issue comes with the “Psych” in Shawn’s psychic ability.
The show was always based on Shawn’s power of observation disguised as a psychic power. In “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home,” sure they no longer have to keep up fake appearances as some characters now know they were faking but that doesn’t mean Shawn’s abilities to observe go away.
This is exactly what seems to happen for two-thirds of the film. Shawn stated to Gus once, “Gus, don’t be the 100th Luftballon.”
Well, “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” might just be that 100th Luftballon.
Shawn and Gus disbelieve Lassie so much (when they are normally the ones who believe) and stumble into so many clues (when they were the ones to find them) that they almost feel more like Inspector Clouseau than the great “Psych” duo they are.
Shawn used to see things others couldn’t and would use “psychicness” to reveal the truth. In “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home,” he nevers “sees” or observes anything even though at some points in the film it is clear (even to the viewer) what he should be seeing.
“Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” plays out with Shawn in Gus mostly stumbling in things as Juliet actually finds things and then they compare notes to figure it out. The film takes so much of what Shawn and Gus did off the table.
I do understand why, as they are now not fake psychics, but that doesn’t excuse taking away some of what made the duo magical.
The easiest is to set the story in a new place, one where they could lie again. It seems like a fairly easy thing to accomplice.
Instead, the viewer is wondering why Shawn and Gus are handcuffed through most of the film. The written story takes some of the enthusiasm of Shawn and Gus jumping around frantically trying to be believed.
This scenario leads to some of the greatest moments in the “Psych” television show.
Shawn once said, “I like to laugh, and be held down and tickled.” Well, Shawn, so do I, but while “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” may get a laugh and tickle your fancy it never quite holds the viewer down.
Besides that though, “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” is not lacking too much in the magical department.
The most magical part of “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” is Timothy Omundson.
Timothy Omundson’s performance in “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” is the most beautiful part of the film.
In April 2017, Timothy Omundson had a major stroke.
He spent the next two years attending daily physical and cognitive therapy.
The stroke had a significant impact on Timothy’s career, leaving him unable to take on projects and even changing the way he had to memorize lines.
The effects of the stroke on Omundson can be seen in “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” as this is one of if not the first projects he came back to after the stroke.
Omundson braves through and gives back to fans that love his acting and the character of Carlton Lassiter.
Omundson’s performance is one of the few things that makes “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” a must watch.
You will be sucked in again by James Roday Rodriguez and Dule Hill and the iconic characters they have built here.
Shawn and Gus are the bromance of all bromances and their open quirkiness is inspiring.
Fighting through the ramifications of a major stroke, Lassie came home.
This makes “Psych 2: Lassie Come Home” is a must watch, especially for any Pysch-O.
I mean, “C’mon son!”
IRATE SCORE: 2.5/5
Jason Guyer is an avid moviegoer and works in the graphics department at the Eagle Times. For questions or comments he can be emailed at [email protected].
As your daily newspaper, we are committed to providing you with important local news coverage for Sullivan County and the surrounding areas.