Recap / Psych S 08 E 08 A Touch Of Sweevil

Season 8, Episode 08

A Touch of Sweevil

"The SBPD's resident psychic consultant is, in fact, the real thing!"

Directed by Richard Coleman

Written by Kell Cahoon and Todd Harthan

After several years of applying, Shawn and Gus are invited to be panelists at the Cutting Edge Consultants Convention, a paranormal police consultants’ convention, hosted by the Paranormal Forensics expert Professor Bob Stein. However, before Shawn can speak, Stein collapses off the stage, dead from poison. Along with two other panelists – Wicca consultant Hazel Lazarus of New Orleans, and ghost whisperer Garth Mathers, of Anchorage – Shawn starts looking for Stein’s killer.

Meanwhile, Lassiter isn’t getting along with the newly-arrived head detective, Betsy Brannigan. While her credentials are impressive, her bubbly artsy-crafty attitude rubs Lassiter completely the wrong way. Lassiter asks Shawn for his help in driving Brannigan off, just by being himself – a little more of himself than usual.

Brannigan soon proves to be a clever and resourceful detective, and the other panelists – written off as frauds by Shawn – prove quite able in their own right. But as the suspects pile up, so do more bodies, all similarly poisoned. Could it be one of the panelists? Former panelist and debunked mindreader James Earl Craig of the LAPD? Or someone else?...

Tropes:

• Alliterative Name: Betsy Brannigan.
• Clear My Name: Part of the reason James Earl Craig doesn’t have a motivation for killing Stein – he wants to prove his abilities and get back in good standing after Stein debunked him as a fraud. A more proactive version of this was the reason Garth turned to murder – he knew Stein was planning on gunning for him next, so he killed him to protect his reputation.
• Commonality Connection: By the end, Brannigan reveals Lassiter’s plan was hopeless, because Shawn and Gus’ antics – and Lassiter’s patience with them – proved to her that she could let her long-suppressed less professional side out on the job in Santa Barbara – and she turns out to be very similar to Lassiter, much to everyone’s surprise.
• Dartboard of Hate: Flashbacks show Shawn throwing chunks of food at his dartboard (which has a picture of Professor Stein taped to it) every time Stein rejects Shawn's request to be a panelist at the convention for paranormal police consultants.
• Failed a Spot Check: After Stein falls off the stage and dies, Shawn’s so keyed up for the audience that he runs out trying to work the crowd, mistaking their horror and shock for applause and cheers.
• Groin Attack: When Shawn and Gus have Hazel cornered she hits them both in the crotch and runs. They're so embarrassed that they make up a story about her turning them into newts.
• Hyper-Competent Sidekick: Betsy is a really good detective.
• Hypocritical Humor: At several points, different characters bad-mouth psychic and supernatural frauds, expressing disgust with them. Shawn – who really is a fraud – goes along with the complaints louder than anyone.
• I Call It "Vera": Detective Brannigan calls her Colt 1911s “Belle Starr”, and “Beatrix Kiddo”.
• Our Ghosts Are Different: Garth apparently has a main spirit he turns to for advice, a drunken old man named Bernie only Garth can see and hear. It isn’t long before Shawn is addressing Bernie on occasion, too. By the end, it’s all but confirmed that Bernie doesn’t actually exist.
• Passing the Torch: Lassiter is VERY reluctant to pass the role of head detective to Brannigan, as he still misses Juliet, but by the end, she proves herself enough that Lassiter is honored to welcome her aboard.
• Phony Psychic: Shawn as always, but Shawn also dismisses the other panelists as this. By the end, it turns out he’s probably right.
• Portmanteau: Shawn and Gus come up with “Sweevil”, meaning someone who acts sweet and evil at the same time.
• Punny Name: A witch named Hazel. Witch-Hazel.
• Sassy Black Woman: Hazel is very much one, and apparently takes her Wicca very seriously.
• Screw This, I'm Outta Here: While investigating Stein’s spooky old house – which was apparently haunted enough to be featured on a Ghost Hunters episode – Gus gets scared by an odd draft and the bleak atmosphere. When a loud noise comes from somewhere deeper in the house, Gus bolts for the door and ditches Shawn.
• Sleeps with Both Eyes Open: Lassiter nods off at his desk like this, and Detective Brannigan only discovers it after she complains to him for several minutes.
• Won't Take "Yes" for an Answer: At the beginning of the episode, Shawn has been turned down for being a panelist several years in a row. He takes his frustration out by throwing food at a picture of Stein. This year, though, he was accepted – but he didn’t realize his acceptance letter wasn't another rejection letter this time until Gus pointed it out, over his complaints.
• Yank the Dog's Chain: Stein's assistant Randall worked for him for fifteen years without ever getting the slightest bit of credit or recognition and is clearly bitter about it (especially after Stein dedicated his last book to his pet turtle instead of Randall). Then, Stein gets murdered seconds before he can give a speech that includes a tribute to Randall. And to add insult to injury, Randall ends up being targeted by the killer.