Recap / Psych S 08 E 02 S.E.I.Z.E. the Day

Season 8, Episode 2

S.E.I.Z.E. the Day

"Hey, Lassie. Couldn't help but notice that your career's in the latrine. Lucky for you, I'm here to help you flush and start over."

Directed by David Crabtree

Written by Todd Harthan

After the events of last season, the ever-more-obnoxious Harris Trout is still the interim chief of police, Psych isn’t supposed to be anywhere near the police station, Juliet is the new head detective, and Lassiter has been demoted to a beat cop. Shawn, however, is thinking of a new field of business as a lifestyle coach, and is promoting his “S.E.I.Z.E.” approach to anyone who will listen. Lassiter, meanwhile, is in something of a tight spot. His achievements are largely being overlooked by Trout, and he’s just learned that Marlowe is pregnant. When a mysterious gunman in a white van tries to assassinate Trout, Lassiter sees his chance to improve his standing and perhaps get promoted again. He hires Psych to help catch whoever’s killing (or trying to kill) the biggest assholes in town… but his newfound fear of dying and leaving Marlowe a widow and his son fatherless are really killing his mojo.

Tropes in S.E.I.Z.E The Day

• Asshole Victim: Discussed, because the people targeted were all well known a-holes.
• Blindfolded Vision: Trout spends some time with a blindfold on, trying to prepare himself for the possibility that he might be blinded in the future. Lassiter is startled when he starts gaining the ability to read body language and catch things thrown at him with the blindfold still on.
• Delayed Reaction: Lassiter's so eager to tell Marlowe about his day that he initially steamrolls over her pregnancy announcement, and takes a few seconds to realize what she said.
• Disproportionate Retribution: Harris Trout arrests a man who is trying to get home, for "interfering with a police investigation".
• Dude, Not Funny!: Jules' reaction when Shawn tells her that Lassie is dying. Downplayed because Shawn was not trying to be funny - he genuinely thought that Lassie's recent out of character behavior was due to him suffering from a terminal illness.
• Dude, Where's My Respect?: At the beginning, Lassiter singlehandedly apprehends a local drug dealer without firing a shot as he tries to escape, saving Trout from making an embarrassing gaffe in his long-winded speech. The next time Trout makes a speech, he refuses to name Lassiter and credits the arrest to his leadership.
• Fun with Acronyms: The letters in Shawn's S.E.I.Z.E. approach to life stand for Seize, Eggs, I (don't know), Zebra, Eighties. It Makes Sense in Context. Sort of.
• Hates Their Parent: Trout and his mother have a very complicated and messed-up relationship, to the point where she's a legitimate suspect in his attempted murder. They can't be in the same room for more than a few seconds without launching into a screaming match. When is turns out that Trout's mother was not the shooter, Lassie and Shawn agree to not tell him this.
• It's All About Me: Trout's official policy. No names, no faces, just him.
• Mistaken for Dying: Shawn initally thinks the reason for Lassie's behavior is because he's dying before realizing he's gonna be a dad.
• One Dialogue, Two Conversations: Shawn misreads Lassiter's odd behavior, and believes he's acting strange because he's dying of something. He tells Juliet and Gus, and this leads to a few conversations where Lassiter asks them not to tell anyone about "what's happening" and the recent "development".
• O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Lassiter's learning that Marlowe is pregnant completely wipes out his usual bravery, leaving him terrified of getting killed and causing him to screw up a couple times.
• Roaring Rampage of Revenge: The killer is a shy man who starts gunning down every asshole in his life after his wife kicks him out of the house for his cowardice.
• Rousing Speech: Trout tries to give one to the SBPD officers about to take part in a raid in a local drug den, but he goes on for so long that the dealer tries to sneak out through the basement door and almost gets away. Lassiter has a much more impressive (if comically hammy) one when he vows to catch the mysterious gunman.
• Unwitting Instigator of Doom: The killer is a man who Shawn tried to help stand up for himself. It backfired, leading to his arrest. His wife, thinking he forgot about their anniversary, kicks him out of the house. This, along with resentment for the other jerks in his life pushing him around, ends up sending him on a killing spree.