Saying Goodbye to Psych: Best episodes, best quotes

I love Psych.

I love everything about it.

I love the irreverent humor. I love that Shawn and Gus never really grew up. I love that Shawn seems to get satisfaction from driving his father nuts (something I like to do myself from time to time).

What don't I like about Psych? That it's ending.

This Wednesday, after eight great years, Psych is coming to an end and it's bittersweet.

As much as I love Psych -- and I do -- this final season hasn't exactly been great. Still, I'm going to miss the show and I can only hope that, in the end, Shawn and Gus find their happily ever after (and they're not too far apart when they do).

With the finale of the show upon us, I thought I would take a chance and revisit my favorite episodes. So, in no particular order:

Scary Sherry: Bianca’s Toast: This season one finale really embodies everything good (and hilarious) about

Psych. From Juliet going undercover to Shawn and Gus freaking out because of the “haunted voice” to Henry admitting that what Shawn and Gus thought they saw on that Halloween night so many years ago wasn’t really what they saw (and they created an urban legend), the whole episode is a gem.

Quote of the episode:

Gus: Listen, Shawn! I will not enter a room first. I will not enter a room last. I will not investigate any suspicious noises or go looking for a fuse box. And you will not, under any circumstances, leave me by myself without a weapon of some sort. Do you understand and agree to my terms?

Shawn vs. The Red Phantom: This season one episode isn’t Psych’s only trek into the geekdom of science fiction conventions, but it may be the funniest one. Between George Takei’s hilarious spoof of himself, to Shawn’s realization that everyone at the convention seems to know who Gus is to the fact that everyone seems to point out how ridiculous nipples are on a rubber super hero suit – there’s nothing here not to love.

Quote of the episode:

Shawn: This place is trashed
Gus: Maybe Johnny Depp stopped by.
Shawn: I'm sorry, did that joke just arrive in a time machine from 1992?
Gus: He used to trash hotel rooms.
Shawn: *Used* to. The guy has kids now, he lives in France.
Gus: You got a better version?
Shawn: Of course I do. How about that lame-o who's dating Kate Moss?
Gus: He's British, and nobody knows who he is.
Shawn: Okay, fine, too inside. Stephen Dorff - always solid.

Sixty Five Million Years Off: This season two episode finds Shawn in a funk because Lassiter is on a roll

and Chief Vick doesn’t seem to need him. Not to be deterred, Shawn decides to solve a murder on his own – which includes unearthing a dinosaur (and getting shot at), all the while fueling Gus' need to embrace science. Pure genius.

Quote of the episode:

Henry: You still haven't answered the question of why he dug all those holes around the house.
Shawn: Dad, that's the finale. That's why I don't invite you to these things.

An Evening With Mr. Yang: Psych goes a serious when a serial killer targets Santa Barbara as a way to

take on Shawn and his abilities. Shawn, who isn’t doing well under the pressure, soon realizes he has no choice but to play when the killer targets Shawn’s mom. This episode gives Roday the chance to shine in something other than slapstick and Gus the chance to be the ridiculously overt one – and the Ally Sheedy casting is spot-on.

Quote of the episode:

Shawn: Question, regarding the whole "Mary" thing.
Mary: My father was named Mary. His father before him was named Mary. And his father before him was named Craig.

Tuesday the 17^th: Roday is a huge Friday the 13^th geek – and so am I. That’s why I absolutely love this

episode. The creepy camp is a great setting – and the opening, with the Rick Astley piñata – could be one of the funniest openings on the show ever. Everything is perfectly on target in this episode, including Shawn’s realization that something is amiss – even after he’s deduced that everything was a game. Great casting in this one, too.

Quote of the episode:
Gus: You must be out of your mind if you think for one second I'm going out there. I've seen enough slasher movies to know that when a brother goes off to the woods, he doesn't even sort of come back.
Shawn: LL Cool J made it all the way through "Deep Blue Sea".
Gus: That was in the water, Shawn. With sharks. And Sam Jackson's ass still got swallowed whole.

Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark: This is another more serious outing (well, as serious as Psych gets)

where Shawn finds himself in trouble and it’s Henry and Gus (as well as Lassiter and Juliet) who must come to his rescue. The complexities of the bad guys aren’t important in this one, what’s important is that Henry acknowledges that Shawn is tough and gifted, even if it’s not in the way he always envisioned.

Quote of the Episode:

Henry: Think you can pick up the pace... Mr. Viability?
Lassiter: There's an excelent chance I was bitten by a tick back there. I think I'm going through the beginning stages of Lyme's Disease.
Henry: Man up, detective!
Lassiter: Steroids, right? You're juicing, aren't you? I knew it!

Dual Spires: This is season five’s love letter to Twin Peaks. When Shawn and Gus are invited to a local

town for a Cinnamon festival, they find murder and a host of crazy people to contend with. Most of the extras are played by Twin Peaks alumni in this one, and the shot of Gus and Shawn riding a tandem bicycle is probably my favorite from the show’s entire run. The whole episode is surreal Psych at its best, but it's the little touches that really work in this one -- including the one tiny spot where the cell phone works and the blind photographer.

Quote of the Episode:

Shawn: Do you remember the last e-mail, the one with all those weird hieroglyphics?
Gus: They were numbers and letters, Shawn.

Santabarbaratown: This is a two-parter that takes on Henry’s former police brethren – and the fact that

some of them may have been dirty. The ending of the first episode shows that Henry and Shawn have clearly come to a place of respect, but when Shawn realizes his dad is walking into a trap – and then has to watch helplessly as his father is gunned down in front of him – you realize that Shawn actually has done some growing up. In the second part, with Henry’s life hanging in the balance, Shawn decides he’s going to avenge his father no matter what. Of course, this is Psych, so Henry makes a full recovery (complete with hilarious help), but the characters still manage to show that they are growing, even if it’s in a silly way.

Quote of the episode:

Henry: I think I should also work the case.
Vick: As what? A detective?
Henry: Nobody knows it better than I do. You can reinstate me this one time.
Lassiter: Come on, Henry, with all due respect, you can't just hop back in the game after all these years. There's been a lot of changes on the job.
Shawn: Lassie's right. For example, the bicycle is no longer just one giant wheel with a tiny one in back.
Gus: And now my people can vote.

Spelling Bee: This early episode shows how different Shawn and Gus are – and yet how they complement

each other. The always entertaining flashback shows a young Gus trying to win a spelling bee (with young Shawn’s help). When he loses, we find out that Gus is still scarred by the event. So, when a chance to visit the local spelling bee to solve a murder arises – Gus is eager to go. Of course, hijinks ensue – and Shawn might just have a secret to admit to Gus.

Quote of the episode

Gus: See, the problem is that butyraceous is clearly a round one word.
Shawn: Oh God, stop talking! I'd like to pretend we still have things in common, Gus.

Honorable Mentions:

9 Lives: This season one gem features Shawn carrying around and getting “visions” from the cat of a dead person. It’s just as out there as it sounds. Quote: Shawn: You're wrong! There is a witness. There's a cat, I wanna talk to that cat. As soon as he's finish licking himself. Wow, I'm jealous.

Black and Tan: A Crime of Fashion: Shawn and Gus go undercover as models. The slow motion walk is worth sitting through the entire episode – and that’s definitely not the only hilarious part. Quote: Shawn: I beg your pardon? My name is Black. His name is Tan. I can't believe you just made that assumption. You should be ashamed of yourself and your family.

Lights, Camera . . . Homicidio: Shawn becomes a Spanish soap opera superstar. Quote: Shawn: Do you

have any idea how many pages we shot today? Eighty-three! And I'm getting by with the Spanish I learned from Charo on "Love Boat".

American Duos: Shawn and Gus spoof American Idol – with a little help from some hilarious friends -- and they do it as a really confused pop group that involves Wham and Michael Jackson. Just start laughing now. Quote: Shawn: This is just another knock-off of the other knock-off of the original knock-off of that other show.

Gus Walks Into a Bank: If there was any doubt that Shawn and Gus were soulmates, this episode proves their misguided Quote: Shawn: And...cut! Great, dripping with swagger. Let's go again, though, and maybe ease up on the cocksure smile just a bit. I liked it, I'm just not sure it's going to play in the Midwest.

Not Even Close Encounters: Between Freddie Prinze Jr.’s hilarious cameo to Shawn and Gus wandering through the streets in masks, this whole episode is laugh-out-loud funny. Quote: Gus: He's right. It's time for you to come out of the nerd closet. Dennis: I'm sorry, guys, I just can't. I really like having sex with my wife.

Last Night Gus: This is one of those fun episodes where you start at the end and work back to solve the crime. What? Just ask yourself, how wild of a night can these guys have? Quote: Chief Vick: Detective Lassiter, why are you wearing sunglasses in an autopsy? Shawn: Chief, if I may, Lassie spoke to us all about a week ago about wearing sunglasses to all autopsies moving forward to show respect for the dead. I simply forgot. Gus refused because he has no value for human life.

Lassie Jerky: This is an ode to the Blair Witch Project – with a Bigfoot twist. And Gus may (or may not) have eaten part of Lassiter. Quote: Shawn: You tasted the meat when we all thought it was Lassie?!

What was your favorite episode of Psych? And what will you miss most?