Psych‘s fourth season finale was a sequel to its third season finale–”An Evening with Mr. Yang”–in which a serial killer (Ally Sheedy) drew Shawn into a series of mind games and ultimately threatened his mother.
Coming out of a Hitchcock film festival, Shawn and Gus ran into Mary Lightly (Jimmi Simpson), the foremost authority on Mr. Yang, who tried to convince them Mr. Yang had a partner. Shawn was reluctant to be drawn in again, but when the waitress who served Shawn pie after the film fest was killed, the SBPD took Mr. Yin seriously.
Mr. Yin cast Shawn, Gus, and friends as characters from Hitchcock movies and left clever clues to his whereabouts. Shawn deduced that he’d seen Mr. Yin briefly at the film fest. He didn’t see Yin’s face, but he remembered Yin wore ankle weights, which threw suspicion onto the ankle weight-wearing Mary. Too late, Shawn realized Yin had framed Mary; that Mary, too, had been cast as a Hitchcock character in Yin’s game.
I’ve found both of these season finales a bit trumped-up, a little too serious in tone to fit with the rest of the season’s episodes. For example, Mr. Yin kidnapped Juliet and Abigail (Rachael Leigh Cook) and forced Shawn to choose which one to save. Then again, many shows’ season finales ratchet up the tension too steeply for my taste. I did appreciate the attention to detail in recreating Hitchcock scenes. (This episode was directed and co-written by James Roday.) And I couldn’t ignore that both Juliet and Abigail were important to Shawn, which did raise the stakes.
My favorite aspect of this episode was how the main characters cooperated; it was how they managed to save both Abigail and Juliet. I was disappointed that Mr. Yin was neither captured nor identified. I think the concept of an archenemy can only go so far on any series. Only time will tell how well the Yin/Yang arc is executed on Psych. But overall I enjoyed the fourth season and look forward to more this summer.
i think this is a very good episode!
It changes the whole show and pushes it into a bit more serious direction.
The end of the episode is also very sad – sad music, shawn-breakup, the whole atmosphere.
And the last scene is soooooo mysteryious – showing yin and a photo of young shawn and mr. yang.
I just can´t wait for the 5th series to start!!!!
This episode was one of the best! It seems the show has just gone from awesome to amazing throughout the years it’s been airing. I literally just watched it, and even though I’m a younger viewer and I’m only familiar with the Hitchcock movies Psycho and Rear Window, I was still able to keep up with most of the clues. This episode was thrilling, suspenseful, dramatic, and still managed to keep that lovely psych humour jam packed in.
My original reaction after and actually during the episode was just ‘omfg’ over and over again! I can’t wait for the new season!!
Lavender, you summed it up nicely. I am an older viewer, not old just older, lol….born in the late 60′s so I could relate better to the movies BUT the fact that you GOT the point is al that matters. I agree so much that it was just the perfect mix of suspense and drama with just the right amount of Psych humor thrown in. Very tastefully done. I watched it when it aired and thought it was great but watched it again the next day and it was ever BETTER. I see where the writer Geraldso, is coming from in his opinion, but as a series long fan of the show I have seen and read many interviews from the show’s creator, writers and Roday to know this is just something they want to explore as far as episodes go. So for that I don’t find the finales “trumped up” or “too serious”. For those of us who have watched the show from day one, as with many other shows too, we have watched the characters grow, we want to see more of them than we got in seasons 1 and 2, which were fantastic seasons, some of the best stuff. But things have to change a bit, redundant material gets old quick.
Needed to add that I wasn’t disappointed that Yin wasn’t identified, it leaves the suspense going. I do know that according to Roday and Andy Berman, the other writer of the episode, that this Yin Yang situation is a trilogy. So they say most definitely in season 5 the conclusion to the story will be coming. That is why it didn’t end there last week. I think it just gave us a little bit of a better idea of who Yin and Yang are.
I am a younger viewer and while I know about Hitchcock have never seen any of his movies. The episode for me was the best for drama in psych while the serious tone did cut the fun a little the suspense was incredible. I also thought that Mr Yin escaping was a nice touch as it is nice to see shawn being beaten by someone. The final thing I would mention is way to step up Gus I felt his character has also been a bit lacking but at the same time I’ve also liked him so I thought it was awesome him getting to be a bit more of a hero.
I loved the episode. I too am a younger viewer but I know nothing of the Hitchcock series other than I like the theme music from Psycho. I liked how they added the “O” to the “Psych” on the office window. I believe that they did a great job of fooling the viewer into believing that Mary was Mr. Yin (at least, tricking me). I wish they put some hints into the ending that could tell the watcher who it might be if they could pick up on it, and maybe they did and I just am not keen enough to notice.
Ok this might seem crazy but: for some reason I thought Mr.Yin might be Sean’s mother. I don’t know why but that was the first thought that came into my head. Don’t go crazy about the idea and like rat on me but that is my very creepy opinion that I don’t necessarily agree with anymore… LUV PSYCH~
I liked this episode especially I thought Ally Sheedy was really better than in An evening with Mr yang. I do not have seen film of Hitchcock but I think I’m gonna do it soon ^^. I was not disappointed by the fact He save Abigail It have seems very logical to me since I’ve saw the promo. Actually I’m a bit disappointed when Shawn though Yin could be Mary, certainly because I liked this guy. Very good episode probably the best of the season. And I think it’s good thing that Yin didn’t have been catch at the end because it would make less fun for the next season even if I’m dying to know who he (or she … or even a he-she xd) could be. I’m also interesting by knowing who was Yang for Shaw when he was younger. ^^ To resume I loved it very very great episode ! (oh and I liked also when they added the “O” to “Psych” on the office window^^)
I love Psych! It is the most underrated show on television. I can’t believe James Roday hasn’t received some serious awards, or at least, nominations. The season finale regarding Mr. Yin was AWESOME! It brought back that old dramatic film feeling when Hitchcock made movies. I love how his themes were incorporated into the show.
May I also ad this episode is now on USA’s website with little fun facts about the episode and the actors in it as well. I’d recommend watching it; I actually found there is a Hitchcock cameo in the episode just like in all of the Hitchcock movies. Right at the beginning of the diner scene, if you’re looking you should be able to see him.
I cried in the end…
What did the picture mean…????