Episode Title: 'This Episode Sucks'
Writer: Todd Harthan & James Roday
Director: James Roday
Story:
Lassie (Timothy Omundson) meets a mysterious woman in a bar (Kristy Swanson) who flirts aggressively with him, then suddenly disappears. The next day, the body of a dead man, drained of his blood, turns up in a parking lot. Based on the bite marks, Shawn (James Roday) determines that the man was killed by a vampire but Jules (Maggie Lawson) laughs at the idea. When Lassie notices the same necklace at the crime scene that the woman from the previous night was wearing, he goes with Shawn's theory. Woody (Kurt Fuller) agrees that the man was likely killed by a vampire.
Lassie brings the necklace to a shop to ask about who purchased it. When the clerk compliments him on his watch, he realizes that the woman left a fingerprint on it when she touched his hand. He uses the print to identify the woman as Marlowe Viccellio. Meanwhile, Jules, Gus (Dule Hill) and Shawn stop by a vampire bar to ask about any suspicious customers. The bartender (Corey Feldman) tells them about a call he got from a customer asking to buy a pint of blood.
At Marlowe's house, Lassie asks about her whereabouts the night before. She tells him she was overwhelmed by her feelings for him and watched Lassie leave the club from afar, rather than approach him. Jules and the boys then show up and Lassie corroborates Marlowe's alibi.
Jules interrogates Lucien (Tom Lenk), one of Marlowe's roommates but learns he was working at a mini-golf course when the murder took place. After stopping by a blood bank in the middle of the night, Shawn, Gus and Jules see a figure running across the premise. Shawn spots broken glass in a case. Inside they find one of Marlowe's press-on nails.
That night, Marlowe shows up at Lassie's for a date. Jules, Shawn, Gus, Henry (Corbin Bernsen) and McNab (Sage Brockelbank) arrive soon after, concerned about Lassie. When they find a pint of blood in her freezer, Lassie arrests Marlowe and hands the case over to Jules.
While Marlowe is in custody, McNab tells Jules about another vampire-like attack. Shawn and Jules soon realize that the attacker is after Type O Negative blood, the same kind found in Marlowe's freezer. Shawn takes a sneak peek at a doctor's computer and learns that Marlowe's brother, Adrien has the same rare blood type. Lassie is also Type O Negative. Gus explains that Marlowe's brother likely has a blood disease which has him constantly seeking out a fresh supply of blood.
Marlowe calls Lassie and tries to warn him about her brother but he won't hear it. Adrien (Van Hansis) arrives at Lassie's, knocks him out and attempts to take his blood. However, Lassie has worked on building up his resistance to chloroform and over takes Adrien, just as Jules and the boys show up.
Later, Lassie meet with Marlowe, now behind bars and promises to wait for her release.
Breakdown:
Awww, as cheesy and random (Fireworks? C'mon "Psych," you guys are more clever than that) as the ending to 'This Episode Sucks' was, it's nice to see Lassie finally get a slice of happiness. The fact that his beloved is incarcerated for the next sixteen months is only a minor detail.
This week, "Psych" had fun with vampires and Lassie's love life, with the original "Buffy the Vampire Slayer," Kristy Swanson and "Lost Boy" Corey Feldman joining in the fun. Swanson was fine as Marlowe Viccellio, a "very single" lady who stole blood and Lassie's heart but I wish Feldman was given more to do than play bartender at "Psych's" version of Fangtasia. I have a feeling he and James Roday might have had some great scenes together, if this episode went differently.
While Gus and Shawn pulled their usual pop-culture influenced over-reaction to this week's threat, it was a bit of a relief to have Lassie step out of the role of antagonist, for once. While "Psych" is almost always fun, it can get formulaic. It was also a pleasant surprise to learn that Lassie hasn't given up on his love interest, despite her current correctional facility predicament. Now that Shawn's got Jules, it's about time Gus and Lassie found some honeys of their own. Again, I'll say the ending of this hour felt a bit "too serious" for "Psych" but I like the idea behind it.
One small note, as I continually strive to achieve the same level of acute observation Shawn has reached: are we really supposed to believe that both Shawn and Lassie where designer watches (an Omega and a Hamilton, respectively)? I know, totally random note on obvious product placement. I won't really complain until we see Gus trade in "The Blueberry" for a Bugatti.
And while I'm making minor observations, how about the awesome Uzi flower painting in Lassie's apartment? Also a grenade candle? Nice touch, playboy.
There was also plenty of vampire humor in this episode, most of it directed at "True Blood," "Blacula" and Clint Eastwood, with easy target "Twilight" left unharmed. Oh wait, two of Marlowe's roommates were named Jake and Eddie, one of them shirtless in a picture. Oh well.
While the jokes might have been a bit stale, Shawn and Gus make the most of it in their delivery. And it was nice to see "Psych's" resident dunderhead, McNab back in action. Though Shawn is no Tom Cruise (and probably thankful for that) in "Interview with the Vampire" and Gus' "Blackula" will forever be confused with a breakfast cereal villain, this James Roday-directed Halloween episode certainly did not suck.
Crave Online Rating: 8.5 out of 10.
