You’re wondering what I’m wondering, its the only thing that makes sense at this point.
As I remember the explanation was that no one would take him seriously as a straight (i.e., regular, non-psychic) detective. You might recall that Monk was a former detective with the SFPD, and actually got most of his cases through the department.
Yea, even if he has a good record of actually solving cases, I suspect its hard to get permission to pay a consultant with no qualifications.
You probably saw it more recently than I did, but I thought that the pilot explained that Shawn phoned in so many anonymous tips for reward money that the SBPD became suspicious that he knew so much. When he was brought in for questioning, that’s when he came up with the psychic detective charade. In any case, Shawn really likes messing with people, so, for him, the Psych BS is preferable to being an actual consultant.
Just watched the last episode–it was one of the funniest in a long time! The whole partner-switch awkwardness worked really well and (even though it’s all ‘pretend’) it really highlights what great chemistry Roday and Hill (Shawn and Gus) have on screen.
I loved when Gus is caught off guard by Lassiter introducing him with his real name. Of course later, Shawn introduces him as Santonio Holmes, and then as Ben is being arrested he shouts, “Shawn! Santonio!”
I was impressed with Hill’s tap moves, and Lassiter’s final line at the dance recital, while surrounded by little kids, was priceless!
By the way, I was pleasantly surprised to see James Roday and Maggie Lawson playing small, brief roles in the movie *Gamer *(which I rented via Netflix–I didn’t like the movie at all, but it was fun seeing “Shawn” and “Juliet” in the same movie).
Wow, today’s episode was simply awesome. The self-referential humor was spot on and the one-liners really, uh, zinged.
Oh, and SquirrelAssassins!
My favourite inside joke was that scaring people away from their naughtiness by pretending to be aliens was a total Scooby Doo plot - and who was this weeks guest star? Freddie Prinze Jr from the Scooby Doo films! Outstanding. And he was a really good character that I’d like to see return.
Also Charles Martin Smith is something of a nerd favourite, too.
Great line from last night:
“So. are you UFO chasers?”
“No, nothing so outlandish. We’re psychic detectives.”
Ok, so I’m half way through season 4 right now. I’ve almost caught up! I’m surprised the Jules, Lassie and the Chief are still treating them like shit.
I agree with all of the above. After seeing that the episode would be about aliens, I nearly squealed with glee when Charles Martin Smith appeared on screen. Were there any *Starman *references? I didn’t catch any, but I was distracted for part of the show and I’ll probably watch it again.
Still not liking Henry’s new role at the PD.
Gus looked great in Geordi’s visor, and he was even signing autographs when he was wearing it on the street! I laughed when the lawyer identified him on television as “Gurton Buster.” Gus’s attempts to act manly whenever their buddy’s wife was around were also great: “Beer.” “Steak.” “Cigars.”
I’m also loving the coroner. Looks like he is going to be a recurring character.
Don’t forget to look for the pineapple!
I’ve never seen the stupid pineapple, although by the time the show gets started, I always forget to look.
And by the way, I haven’t seen Freddie Prinze Jr in much since She’s All That, but he looked different somehow.
Freddie’s nerd wife has a twin sister IRL, and apparently (according to my wife) was on American Idol.
If Freddie Prinze Jr can be on Psych, then why can’t Sarah Michelle Gellar finally voice SARAH on Eureka? Doggone it.
Because it’s funnier that SARAH’s voice is Fargo. 
It would be cool to see SMG do a guest spot on one of the USA or Syfy shows, though.