Season 5, Episode 10
Extradition II: The Actual Extradition Part
"Well, I think that went well!"
Directed by Steve Franks
Written by Steve Franks
Pierre Despereaux, the brilliant and charismatic art thief who Shawn put in prison a year ago, summons Psych up to British Columbia to see him in prison. While there, he uses their rental car to quietly make an escape. The next morning, Shawn and Gus discover that the RCMP’s police department is in a bit of a mess since their best detective was recently murdered. Also, the Crown Prosecutor’s house was broken into, his paintings were stolen, Despereaux’s trademarks are all over the place… and the crown prosecutor has been murdered. Moreover, Despereaux has snuck back into the prison, and he seems genuinely shocked when he learns about the murder. He sneaks back out of prison, determined to clear his name, and enlists Psych to help him do so… whether they want to or not.Tropes:
- Big Damn Kiss: Between Juliet and Shawn at the very end, and since Juliet has broken things off with Declan, it’s not interrupted like it was in the last episode. It actually turns into an Overly Long Gag, as they try to find someplace where they won’t get interrupted or stared at.
- Cardboard Prison: Despereaux breaks out of prison twice with no difficulty.
- Danger Takes a Backseat: Despereaux hides in the backseat of the rental car while Shawn and Gus drive away from the prison, allowing him to make his escape. He then pops up, forces them out of the car with a knife on a lonely stretch of road, and drives off.
- Even Evil Has Standards: When a body is found at Pierre’s crime scene, he’s very confused – he’s a thief and a con man, but not a killer.
- Friendly Enemy: Shawn and Pierre have sent each other birthday presents, and Shawn even follows Pierre on Facebook.
- High-Altitude Interrogation: Despereaux uses this to figure out who hired him to pull the art theft, dangling his contact off a high balcony.
- Might as Well Not Be in Prison at All: Criminal kingpin Frank Crosley apparently ran his entire criminal empire from behind bars for a time. This was because his wife was the real mastermind behind everything.
- No Delays for the Wicked: Averted. Despereaux was scheduled to be extradited to the USA in a few days, and had to pull off his heist as soon as possible – which was why he called Shawn and Gus, since his current escape plan required visitors, and he didn’t have time to come up with a better one.
- Offscreen Breakup: Juliet broke things off with Declan after the last episode, realizing she had feelings for Shawn.
- Oh, No... Not Again!: Corporal Mackintosh is NOT happy to see Shawn and Gus again. His helping with their shenanigans got him demoted the last time they were in British Columbia.
- The Perfect Crime: Pierre thinks he’s done one early on – sneak out of prison, commit his usual art theft, sneak back into prison, and pretend he was there the entire time. Unfortunately, he was set up to be the Fall Guy for a murder in the process, which undermines this.
- Pocket Dial: Shawn accidentally does this in the men’s room of a Red Robin, contacting Henry while he’s spilling his guts to Gus about his romantic troubles with Juliet. Shawn is deeply unnerved when Henry starts giving advice during a visit.Shawn: …Where were you hiding?
- Previously on…: The episode has one of these to both catch the viewer up on how Shawn and Juliet’s usual Will They or Won't They? has come to a head, and to explain who Pierre Despereaux is. An interesting juxtaposition, since the former events happened just last episode, and the latter happened over a season ago.
- The Queenpin: Valeria Crosley, the real killer, and the mastermind who maneuvered Despereaux into being her Fall Guy. She was the reason Frank Crosley was able to run "his" criminal empire from in prison.
- Rule of Three: Despereaux pops up using the rental car to hide three times – once in the backseat, once in the trunk, and once not actually in the car, but coming out of the woods after they stop to check to see if he’s doing it again.
- Took a Level in Badass: An odd variant. The previous episode with Despereaux ended by explaining he was a con artist who achieved his “impossible” thefts by having his “victims” in on it. This episode establishes him as having legitimately impressive abilities without his victims having any part in it. Except one of them actually is.
- Where Does He Get All Those Wonderful Toys?: Actually said almost verbatim by Shawn after Despereaux escapes with a Grappling-Hook Pistol.
