Season 2, Episode 9
Bounty Hunters!
"Look, let's not play games. Don't embarrass yourself with this tough guy routine. Tell you what, I'm gonna count to three. One..."
Directed by Paul John Badham
Written by Andy Berman
The SBPD is on high alert for a manhunt. Thief and murderer Dwayne Tancana recently escaped police custody while being transported to arraignment. Tancana apparently strangled the wealthy Isabella Cole while robbing her house. Shawn and Gus offer to lend their services, but they have competition this time: Mr. Cole, Isabella's grieving widower, has hired a bounty hunter named Byrd Tatums to bring his wife's killer to justice. Tatums is ruthless, and this will be his last job that allows him to retire. He's not terribly impressed by Shawn and Gus, but the detectives soon learn that there's more going on here than meets the eye, and Tancana may not be as guilty as he looks…Tropes:
- Acrofatic: Dwayne Tancana is a large man with a heart condition who has a lot of stamina.
- Almost Kiss: At the very end, Shawn leans in to kiss Juliet. She mentions she thinks it would be a mistake just before they can actually have a Big Damn Kiss, and they simply have a very close conversation before parting.
- Anti-Villain: Byrd the Bounty Hunter is a thug and a jerk, but Shawn and Gus aren't exactly giving him much reason to treat them well due to how they're trying to muscle in on the job that's meant to pay for his retirement mainly so they can live out a childhood fantasy.
- Bad Guy Bar: Bar 13 is a tough one. Tancana hides out here while on the run. He also pushes Shawn and Gus into helping prove his innocence, threatening to sic the bar's clientele on them if they don't help.
- Blackmail Backfire: Tancana's partner-in-crime, Delbecchio, threatens to tell the police who actually killed Mr. Cole's wife, and demands money from Mr. Cole to keep his mouth shut. Mr. Cole murders him for it.
- Bluffing the Murderer: Juliet tricks Mr. Cole into revealing he was in the parking garage by suggesting they check the security cameras for evidence, causing Cole to protest there were no cameras in the garage.
- Bounty Hunter: Byrd Tatums is a more realistic, modern version, who tracks people down and brings them in to the police for money.
-
California Doubling: As Gus and Shawn drive away from the diner, a Buy-Low Foods store (part of the British Columbia-based Pattison Food Group), a Petro-Canada gas station sign, and red maple leaf streetlamp banners are visible in the background. - Chekhov's Gun: Mr. Cole's hair gel and its distinct fragrance. Shawn and Gus smell it on dead Delbecchio's fingers, proving Cole killed him.
- Clear My Name: Dwayne Tancana is accused of murdering Cole's wife and is determined to clear his name of murder. Shawn and Gus agree to help him.
- Creative Closing Credits: Instead of the theme song, the song Tancana made up for Shawn's fake camp is played over the credits.
- Damned by Faint Praise: Lassiter apparently holds absolutely no fond feelings towards bounty hunters, but sees Shawn and Gus as only a slightly better alternative. That said, he does see them as an improvement.
- Determinator: Tatum is a Scarily Competent Tracker who's always one step behind Shawn and Gus, despite getting knocked around quite a bit.
- Enemy Eats Your Lunch: Subverted. Tatum drinks some of Lassiter's coffee in the beginning. He only gets some of it because Lassiter is in the other room, and a disgusted Lassie yanks the cup out of his hands before he can drink much.
- Enemy Rising Behind: As Shawn tries to intimidate Bar 13's bartender, he and Gus fail to notice the majority of the bar's clientele clustering around behind them with alarming expressions on their faces. One Jump Cut later, and the detectives are tied up and dangling from the ceiling.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Tancana admits he's a thief and a career criminal, but draws a hard line at murder.
- Expy: Byrd is a less-than-flattering one for Dog the Bounty Hunter.
- Frame-Up: Mr. Cole strangled his wife, using the break-in that was occurring at that moment to pin it on the burglars.
- Imagine Spot: During the show's Cold Open, a young Shawn sees Tatum bringing a bounty into the police station. He has a brief fantasy about being in Tatum's clothes, bringing the criminal in himself.* It's All My Fault: Tancana headbutted Juliet and escaped on her watch. She takes it very hard, and is even more frustrated when Lassiter orders her to remain at the station to recover, which she interprets as a punishment (though he denies it).
- Jerkass: Byrd is… less-than-polite.
- Let No Crisis Go to Waste: When Cole's home is burglarized, he takes advantage of this to kill his wife and blame it on the burglar.
- Liar Revealed: Henry realizes that Dwayne is lying about knowing his son from camp when he talks about what a stickler for the rules the notoriously rambunctious Shawn was.
- Never Meet Your Heroes: Shawn and Gus are somewhat disappointed at how obnoxious Byrd is.
- Retirony: Not actually seen, but lampshaded by Shawn, who crouches down nervously when he hears that this will be Byrd's last job before retiring.
- The Un-Reveal: It's never revealed why Cole killed his wife.
- Use Your Head: Tancana has a predilection for this; he headbutts Juliet and Byrd in separate incidents, escaping both of them.
