Season 7, Episode 15
Psych: The Musical Part 1
"Im just trying not to be the one who dies... under Santa Barbara skies!"
Directed by Steve Franks
Written by Steve Franks and Adam Cohen
6 years ago, the playwright Zachary Zander – better known by his pen name “Z” – was sent to a mental institution. He suffered a major breakdown when a critic snuck onto the set and tried to write a review of his pet project – a musical based on the story of Jack the Ripper– despite its unfinished nature. Z apparently locked the critic in a back room, and set the theater on fire, killing him and ending the play. Now, Z has escaped the institution, and has evidently murdered someone in the park across the street as the beginning of a rampage. Psych and the police scramble to find him, but Z has other plans. Moreover, he apparently told someone else in the asylum about them – Yang, once known as the most fearsome serial killer in Santa Barbara. Yang’s feeling semi-cooperative, and goes along to help Psych and the police. It seems that a new Jack the Ripper musical is under production with many of the same cast and crew as the original, and Z wants revenge. However, as bodies and old secrets start piling up, it becomes increasingly clear that Z may not be the killer – but if he isn’t, who is?Tropes:
- Boxed Crook: Z apparently told Yang about his entire plan before he left, and she goes along to help Psych and the police – but she’s not exactly interested in helping them with more than the bare minimum, and seems determined to Be as Unhelpful as Possible.
- Caustic Critic: Andrew Scheck. He tried to write a review based off a run-through of the unfinished, unprepared play. The outraged Z apparently killed him in retaliation.
- Framing Device: An unseen person’s hand turning the pages of a storybook narrates the beginning of the episode.
- "I Am" Song: "Santa Barbara Skies" is one for Shawn, as he describes his situation duping everyone with his psychic shtick.
- Insane Equals Violent: Z spent several years locked in a mental institution, and the first thing he does after escaping is apparently kill a man in the park across the street. At the end of part 1, however, it’s subverted when he insists he didn’t kill anyone, and the man is found alive and well.
- Leitmotif: Z has one, from his song "Z's Lament" ("You can't be there! You can't do this!"), a "Psycho" Strings-style horror sting.
- Musical Episode: And a Multi-Part Episode, at that. It was released as a standalone event after season 7, though it takes place sometime before Lassiter’s wedding.
- Musical Number Annoyance: McNab starts singing to himself near the beginning, but Lassiter shuts him down both times.
- Musicalis Interruptus: Henry shows up briefly during the opening number “Under Santa Barbara Skies”, but flatly refuses to sing and quickly leaves.
- Once Upon a Time: The episode starts off with this as part of the Framing Device.
- Scars Are Forever: Elisa lost out on reprising her role for the second play because her jaw was burned and disfigured during the fire.
- Show Within a Show: Both “Jack the Ripper” musicals.
- Sleep Deprivation: Z didn’t sleep for quite some time while working on the show, and it’s hinted that this contributed to his mental breakdown.
- Spiritual Successor: In-Universe, “Midnight in Whitechapel” is advertised as this to the earlier Jack the Ripper play that ended in tragedy. Later, we discover that it’s actually based around Z’s original screenplay which had been rendered almost unrecognizable after dozens of rewrites.
- Wham Shot: At the very end of part 1, we see the police car with its doors open, Yang’s guard slumped over in his seat – and Yang nowhere to be seen.
