PSYCH Recap: Santabarbaratown 2

Picking up right where we left off last season, Henry tries to reason his crooked former partner, Jerry, but is shot anyway. Shawn arrives soon after and gets his father to the hospital, pleading with the doctors to save his father. Something has snapped in Shawn, though. He is determined to find the person who shot Henry, even after promising Juliet that he won’t go after them. He may be even more determined than Woody, who seems to want nothing more than to put someone in the body bags he’s carrying around. New season, same inappropriate Woody.  It’s good to know some things never change.

As if Henry’s injuries weren’t putting him in enough peril, his old stalker Chelsea has found him again, and he’s too frail to fight her off. She’s the overly anxious blond he met at a bar during his guys night out with Gus and Lassiter, who proceeded to follow him home and then to Shawn and Juliet’s retreat in wine country. Henry writes a note to Shawn begging him to pull the plug, but Shawn refuses.

Shawn drags Gus along when he breaks into Jerry’s house to look for clues. They are soon caught there by Lassiter and Juliet, who is dismayed to find Shawn is doing what he promised he wouldn’t. Shawn finds a secret room that is Lassiter’s dream come true, full of weaponry. Lassiter is almost giddy, and Juliet has to remind him not to play with the evidence. The gang soon leaves, but not before Shawn has picked up enough clues to lead him on the next stage of his search. There is a shooting range with an offensive stereotype Indian chief as their logo, and an invoice Shawn notices suggests that Jerry has been paying the bills for the place.  After arriving at the shooting range and being told he can’t speak to the owner unless there is a problem, Shawn creates one by firing an assault weapon at every object in sight. He learns, as they are throwing him out, that Jerry isn’t the owner after all. Jack Atwater is the owner. He is the former partner of Henry’s that Shawn recently had arrested for threatening him. When Shawn visits Jack, the man in the process of being transferred, and swears to Shawn he never would have hurt him. He is fully cooperating, but the cooperation is short-lived because someone in the distance shoots and kills Jack, right in front of the police station and in the company of a number of officers. You have to hand it to these bad guys, they are bold.

The Chief reads them all the riot act…Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, and Juliet. She tells them all to get out, except Shawn. She tells him to stay away from this case, at least that’s what her words are saying. Her actions are telling him to continue, he’s their best chance of catching them. It takes Shawn a minute to catch on, but it’s likely he was going to go ahead anyway, having the Chief encourage him is just an added bonus. He drags Gus back to the gun range they’ve been banned from, they sport bad beards and pose as delivery men to get inside. Gus has a persona invented just for these sorts of things, with a very detailed back-story. It doesn’t take long for Shawn to find a clue, or to get caught. Shawn notices that a man named James Earl Vest is a sharpshooter who’s name is on even more plaques than Lassiter at the firing range.  He thinks Vest may have been the marksman that shot Jack in front of the police station. He and Gus make a getaway  and go straight to visit Henry…and his fiancée. The doctors credit her with helping Henry improve so quickly, but Henry looks like he wants to be shot again. He still have tubes in his throat so he’s unable to speak. Shawn fills Henry in on what he has learned and Henry writes his responses. Henry knows who Vest is, he works as a security guard for a philanthropist author, Julian Drake.

Shawn goes to Drake’s book signing and throws around Jerry and Jack’s names, which provokes a quick response. Drakes body guards physically toss Shawn and Gus out of the store. The boys go back to the Psych offices to plan their next move, but when they sit down they hear the sounds of landmines being activated and both realize they are in trouble. Someone armed their sofa cushions. Help soon arrives to get them out of their predicament. Juliet frets outside, Woody waits with more body bags, Shawn and Gus are desperate for the nachos they left on the other side of the room. The bomb squad manages to get them out safely, and Shawn once again tells Juliet he’s not going after the bad guys and does the exact opposite. He and Gus go to Drake’s warehouse for “Feed Everyone” his philanthropic organization. Shawn finds that the crates of food contain other crates. When he breaks one open, he finds guns. The “Feed Everyone” organization is a front for gun running. He and Gus are heading off to find Drake, assuming it will lead them to Carp, when they are stopped by one of Drake’s guards. He holds them at gunpoint, but Lassiter steps in behind the boys and holds a gun on him. Shawn arms himself with canned food. The man identifies himself as an FBI agent. He’s been undercover in Drakes organization for six months, and isn’t happy they are messing things up.  They sort it all out in the Chief’s office and she orders her crew to stay away from Drake and Carp. She’s not sending mixed signals this time.

Of course, Shawn never was good at following orders. Juliet knows Shawn well enough to know he’s going after them anyway, and tries to reach out to him. He appreciates her concern, but he has to do this for his dad. Lassiter has witnessed their exchange, and quietly goes after Shawn when he leaves.

Shawn’s plan to rush right in to Drake’s luxurious hideout isn’t sitting well with Gus. The place is covered by men with many, many weapons. It’s hopeless. Shawn has a plan, as usual, and they hook a chain to the blueberry and the deck of the mansion where the guys are sitting around playing cards. The end result, deck-1 and blueberry-0. Next move, take the blueberry to the shop, but it’s on life support and looking even worse than Henry.  Shawn has to get back on his mission.

Lassiter and Shawn confer in the car before Shawn goes in after the guys himself. Lassiter can’t go with him, he has to follow his orders. Shawn thinks Lassiter is helping him because he cares about him, which pushes Lassiter to order him out of the car and drive away. Shawn spies on the group through binoculars and spots Jerry Carp. Gus has joined him, driving his new cranberry…it’s just like the blueberry, but it’s maroon. Shawn tells him he intercepted the groups Chinese delivery earlier, took it back to the Psych office, and laced it with Ipecac. They will all be vomiting soon. Unfortunately, Gus found traces of that food at the office and ate it. He starts vomiting at the same time they do.  Shawn feels badly about that, but he has to initiate the next phase….lure the guards away. He detonates an explosive device. Unfortunately, it’s exactly where Gus left the cranberry parked.  Shawn rushes into the house and goes straight to the fuse box, shutting off all power in the house. Next, he places bullets on a gas burner…they explode, causing a momentary distraction for the guards and allowing Shawn access to Carp. Shawn holds a gun on him and is leading him away, but Drake shows up with a gun of his own and sneaks up on Shawn

Shawn isn’t worried, he knows the cavalry is coming for him. At least he thought so, until Drake points out the undercover agent is tied up in the next room. Shawn is now on his own. He tries to take Drake out, figuring he’s British and a writer so he couldn’t be in great fighting shape. Carp has a chance to grab a gun though, and it’s looking bad for Shawn. Just in the nick of time, shots ring out and Carp goes down. Shawn turns to see Juliet with a gun. She orders him down, and fires another shot at Drake. Shawn thinks he has the most wonderful girlfriend in the world.

Back at the station, Juliet reminds him that he’s not going through these things alone, he has someone who loves him. They are interrupted by an urgent message from Henry’s doctor. They rush to Henry’s room, but it isn’t bad news. Henry is in great shape, they are removing his tubes. As soon as he can talk, Henry wastes no time giving Chelsea the “it’s not you, it’s me…well, maybe it’s you” speech. She doesn’t seem the type to give up easily, and suggests they have a baby.  Henry thinks Shawn is an idiot for going after Carp, but he’s happy his son is now safe. Shawn leaves him in peace, telling a waiting Woody that Henry is only sleeping…there is still no need for the body bags.

 PSYCH airs Wednesdays at 10/9c on USA.