'Psych' - A Series Finale Review

This post will be about my feelings on the series finale of the television show Psych. As suggested by the title, this will contain spoilers. Please turn away if you have not finished the show. Unless spoilers do not concern you. In that case, welcome.

I began watching Psych under a year ago, and in my typical show watching fashion, bounced between watching it and not watching it. Finally I got back into it and blew through the last three seasons rather quickly. To those of you who watch one show at a time, all the way from beginning to end - I am sorry to frustrate you with my process. I just don't function that way.

Anyways. This whole show gave me conflicting feelings, but the series finale was particularly bad. Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. I didn't mind the way it ended, and if you want a quirky and light-hearted crime show, I would certainly recommend Psych.

However, I often felt conflicted. For example, is this a light-hearted show, or a serious crime drama? It seemed mostly the former until we reached the Yin-Yang situation. Yes people were occasionally in danger, but you never really thought any major character was going to die. Yet all of a sudden real danger appears and a serial killer targets Shawn. It's a crime drama, you may argue, of course there will be a serial killer targeting the main character. Fine. Moving along.

The main point I wanted to discuss here was not about Yin or Yang anyways. My main point of concern and confusion was Juliet O'hara - aka Jules. Dear, sweet Juliet, who I still cannot figure out despite having watched the series finale just this morning. On one hand, she is a kind and supportive person, and an awesome police detective. On the other, she holds grudges and is petty and selfish.

Which is the real Juliet? I am not saying that a character can't be multi-faceted. I love a complex character as much as the next person. But unlike extremely inconsistent Shawn, I didn't buy it with Juliet. Where Shawn is consistent in his inconsistency, Juliet is just confusing.

This is particularly apparent within the scope of Juliet's relationship with our lovable 'psychic.' They finally get together and surprisingly everything seems to be going well. Shawn has managed to commit to something for once, and both of them seem to be happy.

Of course happiness cannot last on television, so Juliet finds out that Shawn is not, in fact, a real psychic. All of a sudden the sweet and reasonable Juliet disappears, to be replaced by petty and unreasonable Juliet. Yes she has her father's conman proclivities as explanation, and yes she ultimately steps in and stops Shawn from having to reveal his secret to the Chief. But she waited way too long to recognise her selfishness, and even afterwards still leaves Shawn on the hook.

Fast forward a few episodes and the couple is back together. Now Juliet takes the Chief up on her offer to move five hours away to be head detective. Whether or not you support that she chose to do this without consulting her boyfriend (strong, independent woman versus rude and inconsiderate partner), she tries to once again escape from the relationship by arguing the distance is too great a challenge.

When Shawn convinces her it will be fine, all is well. Which leads to the series finale. Shawn leaves everything behind in Santa Barbara to be with Juliet (admittedly he does this horribly and doesn't give anyone a proper good-bye, but it's Shawn so what do you expect?).

Instead of excitement, Juliet just seemed concerned, and even while receiving the proposal I continued to feel that she was not as pleased as one should be upon receiving a marriage proposal and therefore a symbol of permanent commitment from her previously flighty beau.

So, I feel conflicted. I was pleased that Shawn and Juliet ended up together, and that Gus would be right there with them. Yet I just couldn't get over the double-sided and less than convincing Juliet as Shawn's partner that we experienced in the last season or two of the show.

What are your thoughts? Was it bad acting? Scripted discontent? Or was the final season (and final episode in particular) actually consistent with Juliet all along?

#Psych #television #review