‘Psych’ recap: ‘Dead Air’

Episode 12 of Psych’s seventh season, “Dead Air,” features Shawn and Gus investigating the murder of one of their favorite radio hosts.

The show begins with a flashback to 2009 at the radio station where Shawn and Gus are guests on a radio show. They ask Shawn questions, and Gus tries to talk as well. In present time, Henry is having a cookout which Shawn, Juliet, Gus, and his girlfriend Rachael are attending. They listen to Crock Daniels, one of the radio personalities. Rachael and Juliet leave to take a walk because they find Crock ridiculous. Rachael talks to Juliet about her temporary visa and how she has to return to London. Meanwhile, the guys are listening to Crock on the radio. They hear him begging and then a gunshot.

Shawn, Gus, Juliet, and Lassiter check out the crime scene. Shawn looks around the office and listens to the recording. One of Crock’s fans, a Crock-O, show up at the station with soup, to which Juliet replies “She does realize he was shot, right?” Shawn and Gus meet the station owner, Miranda Sherrod (Garcelle Beauvais). She tells them Crock was popular and his ratings had doubled from his previous radio show. She’s impressed and attracted to Gus. She tells them the other radio hosts were jealous of Crock.

The gang goes to question Dean, the other radio host they met years before. He says they worked together for 20 years, until the past year when Crock told him they were done being partners. He says he was doing his radio show during the murder, and shows them his radio station in his house. Lassiter believes he’s the murderer and tells Juliet to “check his alibi.” They return to see Miranda and Shawn tells her they believe a fellow worker killed Crock because they had to take a paycut in order for him to work there. Miranda tells him he’s wrong and she has to shut the station down because she doesn’t have anyone good now that Crock’s dead. She needs new hosts, so Shawn and Gus join the station.

Shawn begins his new morning show, Spence Air, by prank calling his dad. Henry is of course, not amused. When Shawn discovers he’s only wasted seven minutes of their five hour program, he freaks out and asks Gus how he feels about Rachael going back to London for six months. Unfortunately, Rachael had not told Gus yet because she knew he would have a difficult time with the news. Gus is upset and Rachael calls the show to explain she has to go home for now. After the show ends, one of the workers, Syd, thanked them for not humiliating him like Crock always did, and the guys question if Syd killed Crock. Shawn decides Syd is too easy of a suspect and so they go investigate other employees.

They visit the office of radio host, Red Herring, and Gus talks to his taxidermied beaver. Red comes in and creepily talks to them about hunting, while pulling out a knife. He says he didn’t kill Crock, and implicates Miranda in the murder by saying she lost a deal to make a ton of money on the station. Shawn tells Gus to use his influence, so Gus invites Miranda to dinner. When she comes over they talk and decide to stay at his house and cook instead of going out to eat. He questions her, but she continues to try and seduce him, but he says no. He explains how he feels about relationships in a lovely speech.

Gus goes to Shawn and tells him Miranda cancelled his show and gave Gus his own show. He has a night show as “a player named Gus” and Shawn is his partner, “White Chocolate.” His first caller is a Crock-O named Laura (Jessica Makinson). Shawn is the second caller and pretends to be a woman named Jalinda, while talking about embarrassing stuff that Gus did as a kid. Gus leaves and confronts Shawn, who has found papers about how much money Miranda has. Miranda makes them go back on air. After the show ends, Gus goes to leave and his car window was shot out.

Lassiter, Juliet, and Rachael come to the station. Syd shows them the security tapes, which show Miranda giving Gus mouth-to-mouth when he fainted, although she was just kissing him for a long time. Shawn realizes Laura is the link between Crock and Gus. Lassiter, Juliet, and Shawn go to visit Laura. She has a shrine devoted to Crock in her livingroom. She tells them she’s a huge fangirl of Crock and Gus, and shows them the shirts she’s already made of Gus. She says she’s lonely in her big house and calling in to the radio shows makes her feel better. She tells them about her stalker, Bob. They go to the police department and discover Bob had called the station before. They think he’s killing whoever Laura is interested in, so it’s decided Gus will be bait.

Gus doesn’t like the idea of being bait, even though he has a bulletproof vest. Juliet stays with Laura while she calls in to speak to Gus. Rachael shows up and tries to go into the room to talk to Gus, but Miranda stops her. The two start fighting, but Gus comes out and breaks it up. Gus goes back in and Bob calls so they track his location. Lassiter calls Juliet and tells her Bob’s location is near her, she tells Laura and goes in search of Bob. She goes into one room and finds a broken lamp, but is then knocked out. Juliet is fine, but didn’t see her attacker. Shawn notices Laura has various pills on her table, and finds more in her bedroom. He believes Laura has multiple personalities and that one of them is Bob. Laura says Bob is real, but they take her to the police station anyway.

Rachael and Gus talk about the relationship and say goodbye for now. After she leaves, Bob shows up with gun. He looks exactly like the police sketch from Laura’s description. At the police department, Lassiter says Laura’s doctor says she’s been fine for two years. Shawn realizes Gus didn’t call him yet, so they rush to his house. Miranda shows up with a bottle wine because she knew Rachael had left the country. They use the wine bottle on Bob, and Lassiter rushes in and tackles him to the floor. Gus faints after Shawn tells him they got Bob. Later Gus calls Rachael , but hears they are with Max’s dad. Miranda gifted them the sound effects panel from the studio, which Shawn won’t stop messing with, despite Gus’s annoyance.

Quotes and Comments:

“I believe in writing the soundtrack to each other’s lives. I believe I can fly... what.” (Gus to Miranda when he’s trying to tell her how he feels about relationships)

“Oh, my Gosh! You need Jesus.” (Gus to Miranda after she shows up because she knows Rachael just left)

Psych once again has an enjoyable episode filled with laughs. I really liked how much of the episode centered on Gus. I’m really hoping Gus and Rachael can make their relationship work because I think they seem happy together. I think he handled the situation with Miranda fairly well. There wasn’t a lot of Shules this week, but they seem to be closer every episode, which is nice.

Don’t forget to watch next week on USA at 10 p.m. on Wednesday.

Photo Courtesy of NBC Universal