Psych: Someone’s Got a Woody, Review

Psych tries to pull off a hostage situation and does “okay.” The episode is not a complete mess, but it feels like the gang’s getting ready to hang up the fist bump and pineapples. It’s better to go out as a great show than continue at this laborious pace. With some of the core players absent yet again it is no wonder that something just feels off with the gang. I definitely liked the episode and it was worth watching more than once, I just can’t shake that feeling that the show’s best days are most certainly behind us.

While Harris Trout (Anthony Michael Hall) is still acting interim chief, Shawn and Gus have been out of work for two months. Jonesing for a case, Shawn seizes an opportunity to get into the SBPD headquarters when an ex-con takes Woody hostage in the morgue. Kurt Fuller has a knack for stealing his scenes as Woody and tonight he gives it his all. Character actor Peter Stormare (Fargo, Armageddon) guest stars as an ex-con Cyrus Polk who has been set up for murder determined to clear his name. When he shows up with the dead body of fellow inmate Greer Wilson posing as a mortuary worker he puts the Wood-man in the cross-hairs.

Trout is not keen on using the Shawn and Gus on the case but when Woody tells Polk that he will only speak to them, the guys step up. Outfitted in flak jackets with a cheese and grapes plate the guys head down to the morgue. Lassie, still relegated to a uniform, feels like a different character. Without the suit as head detective, Lassiter is hamstrung as a beat cop that does his best to impede the situation and save the day. When the guys get some information from Polk, they follow up at the halfway house where Wilson was staying. Shawn is at his best pretending to be a Hispanic ex-con when they infiltrate the home for convicts. Atleast James Roday continues to play Shawn with as much gusto as he can.

Upon stumbling on another body, the halfway house administrator who has been killed, the guys continue to track the case and finally get some solid stuff to go on. O’Hara does her best to get on the inside posing as Woody’s daughter saying goodbye to her dear old dad. The awkwardness that Woody evokes in the scenes with Juliet is really quite funny. If I had a vote for a spinoff show it would definitely be about Woody the coroner—Fuller is just that good at playing him. While Trout is determined to take an aggressive approach to the stand-off, the Psych gang do a nice job of cooking up a decent enough ruse to get on the inside.

Stormare is his usual best as the quirky villain that is determined to prove his innocence. If only briefly his acting is always a welcome addition and he breathes some life back into the Psych canon. Anthony Michael Hall’s performance as interim chief Trout continues to irk me and makes me miss Chief Vick. I never thought that I would miss Henry but his absence is really felt, especially in this classic cop setup of an episode. You would think it would be the perfect case for Henry to assist on but it doesn’t happen. This was the best episode of the season, but overall just an average installment. The shades of greatness are there but it just feels like a baseball game in extra innings. You are glad it is still going on but you are kind of ready to leave. Hopefully the rest of what I assume is the final season will salvage the Psych legacy.

Den of Geek Rating: 2.5 Out of 5 Stars

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for all news updates related to the world of geek. And Google+, if that’s your thing!