‘Psych’ series finale review: ‘The Break-Up’ brings it all together
Psych-Os, breathe a collective sigh of relief: You just watch a series finale for “Psych” that really did tie the story together. We were among those who were extremely worried about the “final season” announcement coming late, but “The Break-Up,” which at times forced into rushing, did actually feel like it was written to be the end of the show. It touched on themes that have been present since the beginning, had a great cameo for Dobson, and it showed Shawn Spencer in a place where he could continue to do everything that he loved, and with the people he was with.
It was appropriate that the title was more a reference to Shawn and Gus, since they have been the real twosome of this show, even if Shawn and his new fiance Juliet O’Hara are the romantic pair. In what was a nice but somewhat predictable twist, we saw throughout the episode a recording play out (Shawn’s farewell video message to his friend) while they worked to solve a mystery together, and Shawn couldn’t get the words out to say that he was moving to San Francisco. That is where Juliet was, and with all the change in his life, that made sense.
How nice was it, by the way, that Shawn was the one to move for Juliet? Typically in TV and film, the woman accommodates for the man, but it was the other way here and the writers didn’t make a big deal about it. It just made sense for their journey, since Juliet had a chance to have a big career there. (Also, the “Monk” Easter egg would not have been possible were this any other series.)
But Gus is moving up to San Francisco as well for Shawn, Lassiter has a new pair of detectives working under him (including the promoted McNabb), and Henry is preparing for a quieter life now. Woody, meanwhile, continues to just be Woody. Everyone important was accounted for, and while you could have wanted more cameos or this or that, the show at least did a solid job of selling what the ending of the series should be.
We so wish that there were a few more episodes that could have allowed more time to process the end of the show, but who knows? With the show ending the way it did, and with San Francisco and Santa Barbara being well under a day’s drive, we still think it’s possible that a “Psych” movie could come up in the future if everyone wanted to get together and do it.
In the end, there is little else to do other than be grateful. We may have our little gripes here and there with the finale (the case under investigation was pretty dull save for the Shawn / Gus stuff), we are so grateful for the joy and silliness that “Psych” has given us. Looking back at moments like all of the random Gus nicknames, undercover missions, A Playa Named Gus (“oh yeah…”), and all of the great 1980s guest stars, it just makes us realize how much this was one of the under-appreciated gems of the last decade. It was never at the forefront of public consciousness, but it was always there with a pineapple cocktail and a smile, ready to entertain you.
Goodbye “Psych.” We’ll miss you. Finale Grade: B+. Series Grade: A, for being the rare procedural that never made us mad or disappointed with “stories of the week,” or with sometimes nothing happening. We were just happy to be there for the ride.
We’ll have more from the “Psych” finale aftershow soon, but for now, be sure to sign up if you want to get more scoop on all we cover via our CarterMatt Newsletter.
Photo: USA