Psych: Season 5, Episode 12 "Dual Spires" Review

 "Something's off about this place, Shawn.  People keep looking at me like I'm the first black man they've seen."

-Gus

This episode of Psych is an homage to Twin Peaks and makes a ton of references to the show and has a bunch of Twin Peaks actors in guest starring roles.  If you're a Twin Peaks fan and haven't seen this episode, you should give it a watch.

The episode follows a pair of crime consultants, Shawn Spencer (James Roday), who lies to convince people he is psychic by using his impressive observational skills and his eidetic memory, and his best friend and business partner, Gus (Dulé Hill).  Shawn and Gus get a mysterious invitation to a cinnamon festival in the small and isolated town of Dual Spires.  Soon after they arrive, a teenage girl, Paula Merral (Kiara LeBlanc), is found dead on a beach, wrapped in plastic.  Shawn and Gus decide to investigate her death and question all of the eccentric residents of Dual Spires in exchange for pie and cider.

What Works:

I'm not super familiar with Psych.  Besides this episode, I've only seen two others, but I like what I've seen and I have friends who love this show.  I can't speak to how great of a Psych episode it is, but I can speak to how great of a Twin Peaks homage it is.  And it's pretty great.  It's obvious the creators of this episode have a lot of love for the show and all of the various references are fantastic.  I catch something new every time I watch this episode.

I've made this episode an essential part of the experience whenever I rewatch Twin Peaks.  For years, I saved this episode for last as a light palette cleanser after the darkness of Fire Walk With Me.  This episode keeps a light and fun tone, even with the story being centered around a murder.  Since The Return has a pretty bleak ending as well, I may move the placement of this episode to the very end of my rewatch in future.  If you need something to cheer you up in the darker moments of Twin Peaks, this episode is a good answer.

The dynamic between Shawn and Gus is a lot of fun and is the central aspect of the episode.  They have great chemistry, especially when they are giving each other a hard time.  It's funny to watch these two outsiders walk into what is essentially Twin Peaks and commentating on it like regular people would.  

This episode has lots of guest stars in fun roles.  Dana Ashbrook and Robin Lively play the owners of the diner and their niece is Paula, the murdered girl.  Ashbrook probably gets the most screen-time of any of the guest stars and he really does a great job in a much more mature role than Bobby Briggs.  It actually kind of foreshadows the Bobby we'll come to know in season 3.

Sherilynn Fenn plays a sexy librarian, while Ray Wise plays a hilarious priest.  We also get Catherine E. Coulson playing a character who appears to be talking to a log, but it's actually a child she's speaking to.  

Spoilers Below:

We also have Lenny von Dohlen and Sheryl Lee as the Sheriff and Doctor respectively.  These two end up being the killers.  Having Harold be the killer this time around is one thing, but having Laura Palmer be the killer as well is hilarious.

Finally, the ending of the episode is fantastic.  Shawn and his girlfriend, Detective Jules O'Hara (Maggie Lawson), are at the diner and look around at the surreal weirdness surrounding them.  The final scene in the diner has a ton of references to the show along with a few of the characters dancing around the diner.  It's utterly bizarre and the perfect note to end the episode on.

What Sucks:

Some of the comments Gus makes about Sherilyn Fenn's character sleeping with a high school boy haven't aged the best.  This episode aired in 2010, which tracks for 2010, but if this episode were made today, I don't think those lines would have made the cut.  They aren't really funny and they're a little uncomfortable.  Luckily it's only a small part of the episode.

Crystal Coffee: 

The Crystal Coffee Award goes to the most competent character of the episode.  For "Dual Spires," this Award goes to Father Wesley, Ray Wise's character.  Father Wesley helps Shawn and Gus by translating some Latin for them.  Later, he shows up in town to save them from a burning building and he also called in backup in the form of Detectives O'Hara and Lassiter (Timothy Omundson) to save them from the killers.  Ray Wise never won this Award as Leland Palmer, but at least he managed to win it as Father Wesley.

Verdict:

Twin Peaks gets dark at times and this episode breathes a little bit of light into a rewatch with a really fun love letter to the series.  I consider it an essential part of Twin Peaks and I never skip watching it.  This episode is an absolute blast with so many fun references and great guest appearances.  Some of the dialogue hasn't aged well, but this episode has definitely got it going on.  If you're a Twin Peaks fan and haven't seen this episode, I highly recommend it.

 9/10: Great