Season 4, Episode 12
A Very Juliet Episode
"OK, that's... probably enough of that."
Directed by Steve Franks
Written by Steve Franks and Tim Meltriger
In 2003, Juliet left her college boyfriend Scott Seaver behind in California, while she went to pursue her education in Florida. They agreed to meet again at the train station where they parted ways exactly seven years later. The time has come, and Juliet returns to the station, but Scott does not arrive. After realizing using department resources to track him down would be illegal (and unethical), Juliet hires Gus to find Seaver, asking him to leave Shawn out of it. Shawn, unfortunately, reads Gus’s laptop, gets involved, and finds Seaver less than 24 hours later. Unfortunately, he’s dead – he was working for a company with mob ties, and died under strange circumstances in the desert when his car exploded. After digging a little deeper, Shawn discovers that Seaver isn’t dead after all. However, he was part of the US Witness Protection Program, after his testimony helped put a notorious racketeer named J.T. Waring behind bars. Now his cover’s been blown. Seaver wants to return to his old life and see Juliet, but it soon becomes clear that someone is stalking him. Shawn visits Waring in jail, asking him to call off anyone who might hurt Seaver, and Waring agrees, if they can clear his name. Waring insists that in spite of what he did, he didn’t kill a federal agent – the crime that actually landed him in jail…Tropes:
- A Day in the Limelight: As the title suggests, the episode is strongly Jules-centric. This episode is one of two where the Cold Open focuses on her, and the episode itself is about her finding and reconnecting with an old flame.
- Big Damn Reunion: Juliet and Scott planned one at the train station where they split up, but he doesn't show up on the agreed upon anniversary, launching this episode's plot.
- Cold Open: For the first time, the show’s opening flashback does not show young Shawn or Gus, but Juliet in 2003 leaving Scott Seaver behind at a train station.
- Did Not Think This Through: While still working under the belief that Seaver is dead, Shawn notices that a rare and valuable miniature figurine collection – one that Juliet mentioned Seaver having – is being sold from a house a couple miles north of Santa Barbara. He believes the killer must have taken them, and goes north to confront him – with only Gus, no weapons, and no police backup. He doesn’t realize he has no real plan to take the killer into custody until after he’s already knocked on the door.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Waring is insistent that, while he’s hardly innocent, he isn’t a murderer.
- Every Car Is a Pinto: Discussed. Seaver’s car burning up for no apparent reason in the California desert is taken as a hint that something fishy went down out there.
- Framing the Guilty Party: US Marshal Daniel Wayne accidentally killed a federal agent during the chaos of a raid on J.T. Waring’s offices. Scott Seaver saw Waring standing over the body with a gun in his hand, so his testimony was used to prove Waring killed the agent. Wayne didn’t have to do much - just put Seaver into Witness Protection to get him quiet and out of the way.
- Green-Eyed Monster: A milder version, Shawn’s hyperawareness quietly goes into overdrive when he notices how much Seaver is touching Juliet during a conversation.
- Hypocritical Humor: Of course Shawn understands honor! He has a bootleg copy of Saving Private Ryan!
- Innocently Insensitive: When Shawn finds evidence that Scott is dead, he presents it to Juliet as good news. At this point in the episode, he didn't know that Scott was her boyfriend (Gus told him that he wasn't important), and when this information comes to light, he feels bad for framing the information that way.
- Lady in Red: Invoked by Juliet, who dresses to the nines and wears a red dress to her intended reunion with Seaver. Unfortunately, he never shows.
- Make It Look Like an Accident: The Witness Protection Program put together a cover story for Seaver going into hiding that makes it look like the mob got him, and used this trope to blow up his car.
- Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: A downplayed version. J.T. Waring hints that he still has enough influence outside of prison that some of his old underlings might go after Scott Seaver to curry his favor… but if Shawn and Gus clear his name, he can get them to back off.
- New Old Flame: Seaver is this to Juliet. We never saw him before, but they still have enough chemistry that they both seem to want to rekindle their old romance.
- Nice Guy: Scott Seaver is sweet and affable, and seems to adore Juliet.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Shawn keeps screwing things up. First he tells Juliet that her old boyfriend is dead (not knowing he was an old boyfriend), then he breaks his cover in Witness Protection, then he confirms that to the imprisoned mob boss.Shawn: I can not catch a break this week.
- Opinion Flip-Flop: Between Juliet and Chief Vick.Vick: I don't mean to sound like a hardass...
Juliet: You didn't.
Vick: I did.
Juliet: I didn't get that at all.
Vick: Well, actually, I was trying to sound like a hardass.
Juliet: Mission accomplished! - Put on a Bus: Scott leaves at the end of the episode, because, though they still have some chemistry, it's been seven years and they're not who they were when they split up.
- Real Men Cook: Scott tries cooking a meal for Juliet during his first night out of Witness Protection. It gets interrupted by a prowler.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Shawn, Gus, and Scott are investigating the crime scene where Waring’s office used to be, and they figure out that the killer’s bullet went into a nearby tree. Before they can get it out, someone dressed in black comes running at them, firing a gun. The trio promptly sprints away before they can retrieve the bullet.
- Unnecessary Combat Roll: Shawn manages a kip up during his fight with Wayne.
- Witness Protection: Scott Seaver went into this when his testimony put a notorious racketeer in the same room as a murdered federal agent during a raid on his office.
