PSYCH Recap: Lock, Stock, Some Smoking Barrels, and Burton Guster’s Goblet of Fire

Shawn, Gus, Cary Elwes, a mysterious job offer in London, and a slew of Harry Potter references. I think I’m in heaven. Shawn and Gus kick off season eight by taking an assignment that sends them to London. As luck would have it (both Gus’s and ours), it corresponds with Potter Con happening in the same place. I don’t know if Potter Con is a real thing or not, but if it isn’t it should be.

It turns out Gus is quite the Harry Potter fan, as if he weren’t loveable enough already. He has the robes, knows the lingo, and aspires to drink his weight in butter beer while Shawn pretends to be the getaway driver for a major crime heist. That’s why Shawn was called in the first place, he bears strong resemblance to the original driver who is now in police custody and not cooperating. Someone high up at Interpol, whom Shawn has met in the past, requested him for the job. Mr. Royston Staley is his name. When Shawn and Gus meet Mr. Staley, however, they realize they knew him by a different name…Pierre Despereaux.

Despereaux explains that his whole international thief and master criminal thing was just an undercover assignment. It was a way to gather information from other criminals, and it was a glorious success. Shawn and Gus aren’t sure whether to believe him, so Shawn calls Lassiter to have him investigate while they are busy with the heist. Lassie is now a uniformed officer, thanks to the changes that have been made at the precinct, so he’s more than happy to moonlight on Shawn’s case and do something interesting. He can’t find any Staley working for Interpol, nor can he find Stuyvesant, the man who was supposedly Staley’s supervisor. Shawn tips off Winston, the agent who has been helping them since their arrival in London. Winston is shocked to learn that Staley might be an imposter, a criminal using their offices to mastermind another crime. It is odd, though, that no one has even seen Stuyvesant, and since the entire office went through a personnel change no one knew Staley before.

Shawn meets with the criminals who are planning the heist, while Gus wanders the streets looking for Rupert Grint. Gus briefly believes he is on his trail, but it disappointed to learn it was just Prince Harry. The heist team consists of Ronnie, the leader, ‘Arry, Dierdre, and another guy who quickly meets his demise because Ronnie suspects him of betraying them. They need a quick replacement and Shawn enlists Gus, who would much rather be out on the streets continuing to search for Rupert Grint.

Shawn steals Ronnie’s key card so he and Gus can snoop around his room. All they find are some personal documents, photos of Ronnie’s father’s tombstone, and books on English genealogy. Oh, they also find ‘Arry, who saw Shawn steal the key and followed them there. He takes the key from them and leaves, but before he can rat them out they are all called in for the heist by Ronnie. It’s time. On the way to their target, Ronnie announces there has been another betrayal in the group and forces everyone to turn out their pockets. Finding his key card on ‘Arry, he tosses ‘Arry from the van without giving him a chance to explain. When they arrive at the rendezvous point, they are joined by new team member Despereaux, who was responsible for telling Ronnie about the traitor. Shawn is crushed that he was fooled by Despereaux again, but just then Lassie calls and tells him he found more information and that Staley did exist at one time, only all his records have been wiped out. Shawn still doesn’t know what to think.

They arrive at the site of their heist, Shawn and Gus are given an assignment to prep the safe for blowing it open with explosives. Only, when they enter the home they find the place ransacked and a dead royal family member named Calvin Dorchester on the floor. There is no safe, Ronnie just needed two people to take the blame for his crime. Shawn recalls documents he found in Ronnie’s room, and realizes Ronnie was a member of the Dorchester line. Calvin had been responsible for stealing everything from Ronnie’s father, who was an heir. He ended up working in mine all his life, until it ultimately killed him, while Calvin led a charmed life. Ronnie plans to kills Shawn and Gus too, and make it appear that Calvin killed them just before he died from his wounds. Shawn hopes that Despereaux will bust in and save them any moment, but those hopes are dashed when they spot him through the window sneaking away from another wing with a bag full of trinkets he’s stealing. Just when it appears the boys are done for, Ronnie is hit from behind…Despereaux came back!

After a short scuffle, Despereaux is victorious and Ronnie is apprehended. The never before seen Stuyvesant is there to greet them, and he doesn’t look happy. He demands Staley/Despereaux meet him in his office. Despereaux later packs his office and prepares to leave, having been suspended. He’s okay with how things turned out, though, he did his job. Shawn and Gus say their goodbyes and head to a pub to enjoy the little free time they have had to enjoy London. As they reflect on how wrong they had been about Despereaux, Gus spots a homeless man on the street outside. It’s Stuyvesant…or at least the person who was enlisted to portray Stuyvesant. Despereaux has seemingly gotten away with conning the boys yet again.