Psych: Cog Blocked review

Psych enters the home stretch, with only five episodes to go after this week's episode, "Cog Blocked."

Well its official. Nearly a decade of Psych goodness is officially coming to an end with just five episodes left, and USA has dropped the hammer on its longest running prime-time series. James Roday and Dule Hill even recorded a message that played at the end of the show to tell us the news which leads me to believe that this decision has been in the works for awhile. Its the end of an era, Psych-O’s and starting February 26th we will be treated to the last five episodes of Psych. Until then I will be saving all of my pineapple recipes to make for one last Psych party to say goodbye to the gang. Still, in this fan’s opinion, the guys still have lots of mysteries to solve. But I guess it is better to go out on top and live on in syndication than continue to churn out sub-par episodes. It kills me to say that but this season has had a notable lack of cohesive narratives. Shawn and Gus still have it but without the rest of the supporting cast things just seem off.

This week Gus is reflecting on his boring life when a man just like himself appears to commit suicide without any good reason. While it looks like a suicide, the guys just can’t shake the feeling that it is indeed a homicide. Gus is determined to prove the case is hinky, especially since the victim, John Russell, is virtually the same guy as him. He takes the case especially personally and sees himself in the death of the drone worker. Shawn and Gus’ questioning at John’s workplace is particularly funny with the guys doing their best to extract any pertinent information. Shawn is upset since Henry gave him a comeuppance at the beginning of the episode explaining that Jules, Gus, and himself cover his monthly nut. Sinking in, Shawn is determined to try to get any job he can by episode’s end. Can you picture Shawn as a male nanny?!?

While “Cog Blocked” is definitely trying to set up the guys for post-Psych life, it is a major bummer to see Shawn looking for work. The episode itself is standard boilerplate but it manages to pull off some solid laughs. Having the straight-laced Gus look at his own mortality is a trip and it’s always fun to see him fail at taking the lead in a Psych investigation. When a mysterious “blind” hottie is thrown into the mix the mystery gets deeper but actually turns out well for Gus who may just have finally found a love interest. Henry is only in one small scene and both Jules and the Chief are again notably absent with Lassie finally out of his police blues and back in his detective suit. Still, he doesn’t have much to add to the case as this is really an introspective look at Shawn and Gus and their future.

While it does not rank with the Psych classics, “Cog Blocked” was a decent enough episode that begins the shows final run to syndicated glory. I guess it is too much to ask to have episodes like we had back in the day when the show was still catching on with the geeky niche audience. The good news is that in a twist, Gus is finally out of work and after eight years he can take a break, breathe, and have a drink. The home stretch is bittersweet but I would rather them close up shop than not break any new ground as a series. Die hard fans like myself can hope for a glorious final five episodes worthy of the pineapple. We deserve it. Oh and spoiler alert—we finally see the death of the Blueberry. She was a tough old gal but it looks like the guys have to find some new wheels. Maybe something with a little more pickup or an official pineapple-mobile with smoothie maker.

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Rating:

2.5 out of 5