PSYCH Recap: A Touch of Sweevil

We learn in this episode that Shawn has been trying for years to get onto a convention panel sponsored by a paranormal forensic expert, Professor Stein. Every year he’s met with rejection, and reacts by throwing lunch meat at a photo of the man. Only, this year Shawn should have read the letter before letting the bologna fly, because he was accepted. It’s a happy day in Shawn’s world. Not so much in Lassiter’s world as he meets the new head detective the mayor forced upon him. She seems more inclined to be a kindergarten teacher as she plays with her arts and craps project on Lassie’s conference table. Her name is Betsy Brannigan and her record is impeccable. Lassie has no choice but to give her a chance…for now.

Shawn and Gus meet Randall Fishbeck, Stein’s assistant, on their way to the conference. They also see a man being dragged away, James Earl Crane….LAPD’s equivalent to Shawn. Stein proved he was a fraud and the guy went nuts and is apparently stalking him now. The rest of Shawn’s panel includes a witch named Hazel, and a guy named Garth who is accompanied by his ghost, Bernie. Neither of them are very impressed with Shawn. No indication how Bernie feels about him.

Stein introduces his first two panelists, but before he can introduce Shawn he starts foaming at the mouth and drops dead. Lassie and Brannigan arrive amidst the chaos. Lassie wants Shawn and Gus to help him get rid of Brannigan, drive her to quit. He encourages the boys to ramp up their silly escapades and do whatever it takes. Between Garth’s argument with Bernie (who apparently has a substance abuse problem), witch Hazel working her spells, and Shawn and Gus’s over the top shenanigans, it appears Brannigan may be having second thoughts very soon.

The entire crew, witch and ghost included, converges on Woody’s morgue. The Woodster gives the witch a vial of his blood in order to remove a spell cast upon him years ago, and also he falls in love at first sight with Detective Brannigan. The one important thing revealed is that a topical poison was to blame for Stein’s death. Shawn suspects Fishbeck, who gave Stein some hand sanitizer just before he went onstage. Before he can reveal this to Lassie and Brannigan, however, it comes to light that the other consultants already gave Brannigan the same tip. Shawn and Gus were scooped by the competition.

Lassie lets Brannigan conduct the interrogation of Fishbeck, thinking if she has enough rope she will hang herself. Shawn notes that Lassie is being both sweet and evil, creating the new word ‘sweevil’ in the process. He and Gus are hoping to get it into the dictionary. When the other consultants get upset that Lassie won’t let them in the observation room, they claim that Bernie is in the interrogation room. Lassie seizes the opportunity to interrupt the interrogation, as no one else is authorized to be in there, and the ghosts presence is a violation. Meanwhile, Shawn realizes that their motive for Fishbeck doesn’t hold water. They believed he killed Stein because he never got any recognition for his work, but Stein’s agenda notes proved that he planned to recognize Fishbeck’s contributions. Shawn thinks the best suspect now would be James Earl Craig, but they don’t know where to find him. When Shawn recalls seeing sand on his shoes, they head to the beach where they find him telling fortunes on the beach and living in a public restroom.

When Shawn confronts James Earl, he tells them that he has no motive, his name will never be cleared of fraud with Stein gone. He admits he went to see Stein, but he was shacked up with someone and wouldn’t talk to him. Shawn and Gus go to look around Stein’s house for clues, and it leads them to witch Hazel. She was cheating on her husband with Stein, giving her a motive to kill to keep it quiet. They rush back to SBPD to let Lassie and Brannigan know. Brannigan doesn’t believe Hazel would be involved, she believes in Wicca and harming anyone would go against her core beliefs.  Shawn and Gus go to Fishbeck to see if he knows anything to help prove it was Hazel. When they arrive they find Fishbeck’s body on the floor and Hazel standing over him. When the guys won’t believe her denials, she gives them the slip and gets away.

Shawn and Gus embellish the story of what happened with Hazel in order to freak Brannigan out a bit more. It’s an odd day in Santa Barbara when Shawn becomes the voice of reason and suggests to Lassie that they should be working more on solving the murder than trying to get rid of Brannigan. Next, Shawn and Gus go to find James Earl at the beach, because he seemed to be the only friend Hazel had. He has moved his abode from a toilet stall to a janitor closet, but the guys locate them soon enough. When Shawn sees the notes tacked all over the walls, he realizes Hazel is innocent. Hazel and James Earl were working together to solve the murder. Garth and Bernie arrive next, and Shawn suggests they all work together. They go back to the station to clear Hazel’s name and put their heads together and come up with another suspect.

Shawn leads a ceremony in the station, a musical one, to ask the spirits the identity of the killer. Brannigan looks on in shock. Lassie urges her to join in. As the entire team joins hands in cheer, James Earl puts his hand in the circle as well….then collapses in the same manner as the other two victims, foaming at the mouth. He’s not dead, though, and they call an ambulance. James Earl holds his hand up to Shawn before they can put him into the ambulance, and Shawn sees a clue that leads him to suspect Garth (and Bernie).

Shawn confronts Garth in front of everyone outside the station. Stein was about to out Garth as a fraud, and Garth knew it. Garth also knew that James Earl would be the top suspect because of the past accusations. He was going to frame James Earl, then take credit for solving the murder. Garth tries to lay all the blame on Bernie, but no one is buying it. Brannigan arrests Garth on the spot.

With the case behind them, Lassie can now bask in the glow of success. He saw Brannigan filling out her transfer paperwork. He, Shawn, and Gus are shocked, though, when she tears up the paperwork in front of them. She loves the unconventionality of this department. She has quirks herself, and when she reveals her true self it turns out she’s just a female Lassiter at heart. She even has the same taste in weapons. She announces she has found her home. Lassie is now elated to have her working for him. Shawn and Gus are another story, though, working with two Lassiters might not be the best thing that could happen for them.

Psych airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on USA.