Season 1, Episode 15

Scary Sherry: Bianca's Toast

Halloween night, 1987, a adorable young Shawn and Gus are riding back to the police department with Henry to get their candy x-rayed. Suddenly a man leaps onto the car, begging Henry to stop a women who's poised to leap from a high window. Henry is reluctant, but when he looks up and sees the jumper standing on the windowsill he caves, and rushes to the scene. The women is apparently a resident of the Wispy Sunny Pines Mental Health Facility, and as they pull up Henry tells the boys to stay in the police cruiser, and not to look or listen to what is about to happen. Henry runs in, a facility worker telling him that the women is in room 413. The boys obey at first, but Shawn can't resist taking a peek, and sees the women begin to fall out of the window. Gus puts his hand over Shawn's eyes, and when Shawn gets free the women is no longer in sight.

Exactly twenty years later, (give or take a few minutes), a women is running through the old, now abandoned, mental facility, pursued by a figure that bears a resemblance to the one we saw plummet from a window moments ago. The fleeing women runs into room 413, and, as the figure springs into view, backs out of the window falling out of view. The figure looks out of the window... and the title sequence starts.

Gus and Shawn enter the Psyche offices still dressed for the furious tennis game they just finished. They stop when they see a blonde women dressed in pink standing in the corner, her back turned. They ask who she is, and she turns around, revealing that it's Julie. She explains that she's been undercover at a sorority for the last week, posing as alum “Mary Loo”, and has been really getting into the mindset. She needs a favor from Shawn and Gus. She's been investigating the death at the mental facility that we saw before the title. The dead girl's name was Doreen, and the police think it's a copy of the suicide we saw in the opening flashback. This event has achieved urban legend status in the time since. Shawn and Gus nod saying that they are familiar with the story of “Scary Sherry” The chief has put a lot of faith on Juliet to crack the case, but she's come to Shawn and Gus off the record as she's stumped. Juliet wants Shawn to psychically read the sorority girls, and Shawn agrees. Shawn asks who's Lassiter's partner since Juliet is undercover. Juliet says that Lassiter's had a temporary one assigned.

At the Santa Barbra Police Department we find Lassiter telling a older women to leave a conference room as he's meeting his temporary partner, a new detective, in a few minutes. The women grouchily explains that her name is Goochburg, and she is the new detective. Miss Goochburg failed the testing process for becoming a detective 13 times, but after suing the department passed on the 14th.

Shawn does the psychic thing for a room full of sorority girls. They are impressed. A girl, Bianca, recounts after much digression how her clock exploded the other night. Shawn asks if any other odd things have happened, and the entire room fills with the sound of vapid people talking. Juliet explains that weird things have been happening in the sorority house at night. Shawn says that he'll need to have a look around the house, but before he can leave the room the lights dim and a ghostly voice yells at everyone to “GET OUT! ACNAIB!”, this is followed by things smashing, and a ghostly visage at the window. Shawn and Gus freak out, and run for the blueberry. When Juliet asks what Shawn is doing he calmly tells her that he wanted to confer with Gus.... Who drives off. Inside Shawn explains that the scary stuff was all fabricated. Juliet tells him that every one of the girls is a suspect, but there is one girl she hasn't talked to yet. Alice Bundy, Doreen's former roommate.

Lassiter and Goochburg use the firing range. Lassiter gives Goochburg pointers in the way only he could. Goochburg explains that she's deaf in one ear. Goochburg then grabs Lassiter's gun, and it flies out of her hands and breaks after she fires it improperly.

At the college campus the sorority girls are advertising a make over fundraiser. Tensions are high, as Bianca fights with another girl, Betty. Juliet runs off to talk to Alice. Alice evidently loathes the sorority, and turns down Julies offer to talk calling her the “Queen of the damned”.

Lassiter and Goochburg get in Lassiter's car. Goochburg insists on riding in the back as she has some sort of problem with her eye's, and can't be in direct sunlight.

Shawn confronts Gus at the psyche offices about his cowardice the other night. Gus shows Shawn some research he's done about Doreen's death. Doreen wasn't depressed, the latch on the window she fell from had been broken, and Doreen fell from the window backward, rather then forward like in the legend. All this suggests that this was a murder, rather then a suicide. Gus hasn't been able to figure out what “acnaib” means. Shawn writes the word down, and sees it reflected in his motorcycle helmet, finally realizing that “acnaib” is “bianca” backwards. Shawn calls Juliet to warn Bianca, saying that she's in danger.

We see a gloved hand plugging something into a outlet outside the sorority house, and Bianca in a bubble bath telling Betty that she doesn't want to go to a mixer. A window opens above her, and a toaster is pushed through. The toaster falls into the tub, Bianca screams, and the lights flicker to the accompaniment of electrical crackling. Juliet manages to break the door down, but it's to late. Shawn and Gus arrive to see a despondent Juliet who shakes her head.

Back at the department Juliet is begging Betty to tell the chief about what's been going on. Shawn puts a finger to his temple, and prompts Betty into a confession. Doreen's death was a prank gone wrong. Betty got Doreen into the building, and Bianca was the one in the mask and nightgown. The hazing went south when Doreen backed into a window with a weak latch and fell. They disposed of the nightgown in the nearby tar-pits which we see in flashback. The chief tells Betty that she could charge her with involuntary manslaughter, and then explains that that is a crime.

Shawn awakes from a nightmare about Scary Sherry falling from the window. Gus tells him that Alice has a airtight alibi, she was at her parents house the night of Bianca's murder. He also tells Shawn that Henry called to confirm that Shawn was coming to dinner that night. Shawn invites Gus, who eventually agrees. Shawn says that he's going to poke holes in Alice's alibi, as she's the only suspect. Gus asks him what he could possibly ask that the police haven't, smash cut to Shawn asking Alice if she wants to split a pineapple. Shawn chats up Alice, noticing that she's wearing two identical rings. He demonstrates his “psychic powers”, but Alice is confrontational. She says that she was very close to Doreen, and her behavior is a extension of that. She says that she's not the murderer, and Shawn says that he hopes she isn't.

Lassiter and Goochburg interview a store clerk about a robbery. Goochburg can't take notes due to a arthritic thumb. Goochburg quickly jumps the counter and starts threatening the clerk, asking for Lassiter's gun. When the clerk runs from the store in terror Goochburg asks a stunned Lassiter why he's just standing there, before running after the clerk.

Outside the sorority house, a sorority girl gives Juliet a invitation to a candlelight vigil at the mental facility that Doreen's parents are holding in honor of their daughter. Juliet reads it, the girl is dismissive.

Shawn and Gus are eating dinner with Henry at his house. Nobody is saying anything, and Shawn wants to get back to the case. Henry asks if this has anything to do with the Wispy Sunny Pines suicide.Henry reveals that the girl in the opening scene didn't actually die. Henry managed to pull her in at the last possible second. Henry tells the boys that “Scary” Sherry Scaracratic was rehabilitated, and is currently living in Fresno. Henry tells Shawn that sometimes the answer is right in front your eyes, you just have to choose to see it.

Shawn and Gus pull up to Alice's house in the blueberry. Shawn plans to sneak in the back while Gus distracts everyone in the house. Gus rings the bell, and spins a story of his missing cat “Mrs Pickles” to the housekeeper. Gus's fabricated cries of despair draw attention away from Shawn, as he finds a picture of Alice and Doreen. Shawn notices that in the picture Alice is only wearing one ring, and Doreen is wearing a matching one. Suddenly Shawn's phone rings, and he rushes outside to answer it. A sorority girl wants to invite Shawn to a party, Shawn asks about Julie, and the girl tells him that Juliet was invited to the vigil at the asylum. Shawn notices some tar smudges, and we see the flashback of the girls disposing of the nightgown in the tar-pits, but this time Alice retrieves it. Shawn looks up at the house, and notices more smudges under a window, and we get flashbacks of Alice sneaking out, and setting up speakers in the sorority house. Gus answers his phone, and leaves saying that Mrs Pickles was found, and when he's outside Shawn explains that they need to get to the asylum to save Julie. Gus points out that the real memorial service is happening at the cemetery. Gus the lays down some terms so he won't die various cliche horror movie deaths.

Lassiter is standing by a hospital bed where Goochburg is lying. Goochburg wakes up and asks Lassiter “We got him?” Lassiter explains that Goochburg had a heart attack while trying to scale a fence during her pursuit of the innocent store clerk. Goochburg asks the question again, and Lassiter moves to the other side of the bed, and says “We got him Goochburg!” Lassiter's phone rings, it's Shawn. Lassiter admits that he's the second to last person he would like to speak to.

At the asylum Juliet pulls up, and is greeted by Alice. Juliet ignores a call from Shawn, and is led upstairs by a creepy Alice past thousands of candles to room 413. Room 413 has been decked out in dismembered dolls, and a circle of candles around the recovered nightgown. Alice appears with a ax, and declares that she's going to put a end to what Juliet "represents". Alice then starts attacking Juliet with the ax. Shawn, Gus and Lassiter all arrive outside the asylum, and run up to help Julie. Gus gets his foot stuck in the floor, and is left behind despite his protests. Shawn and Lassiter arrive just as Juliet disarms Alice, and Shawn gently takes the ax from Julie. As everyone (except Gus) leaves the asylum the police arrive, and the Chief asks what happened. Alice accuses Juliet of being possessed, and Juliet says she just came to pay her respects. Alice asks Shawn what he would have done if his best friend had died, Shawn laughs, remembering to go back and help Gus.

In the chief's office Lassiter asks the chief if he upset her somehow, and she assigned Goochburg as his partner as punishment. The chief explains that she thought that they would hit it off, as they're similar in demeanor. Lassiter seems surprised that people see him like that. He walks out, and almost tries to talk to Julie, Gus and Shawn who are eating Chinese food, and laughing over last nights events. He seems to think better of it, but before he can leave Shawn throws him a fortune cookie. Lassiter smiles as he walks away.

• Ax-Crazy: Alice Bundy. Quite literally, in the climax.
• Becoming the Mask: Juliet suffers from this problem while undercover as a sorority girl.
• Call-Back: Once again, Gus has a fictional cat named Mrs. Pickles.
• Cowboy Cop: Goochberg. My god.
• Deadly Prank: Doreen ends up getting killed in a hazing ritual gone wrong.
• Electrified Bathtub: Bianca falls victim to this by way of a toaster, making the title of the episode a Pun-Based Title.
• Guilt by Association: Alice thinks that Juliet is just like the other girls who accidentally killed Doreen, accusing that she's the reason "girls stuff themselves with diet pills and cotton balls".
• Heel Realization: Downplayed version, for Lassiter when Chief Vick tells him that he was placed with the insane Goochberg because people saw him as being a lot like her.
• Ironic Fear: Shawn, who is supposed to be a psychic, is afraid of ghosts.
• Meaningful Name: Alice gives a Shout-Out to her first name, referencing Alice in Wonderland, and her surname is Bundy, which is a clue to her real nature.
• Pun-Based Title: Biana is toasted by way of a toaster in the bathtub.
• "Shaggy Dog" Story: What Shawn's investigation and the race to save Julie from Alice amounts to when Julie manages to overpower Alice herself.
• Shout-Out: Among others, to Basic Instinct and Silence of the Lambs.
• Urban Legend: It turns out that the legend of Scary Sherry's suicide was started by Shawn and Gus themselves, as they missed Henry pulling her back into the room.