History Recap / PsychS01E05NineLives

The episode begins with a flashback to 1985, Shawn asks his father, Henry, to arrest “The Cereal People” because the prize is missing from his box of Fruity Puffs. Henry gives a lecture on how Shawn should try looking at things from a different perspective. He gives Shawn another box of cereal, and flips it upside-down, and extracts a ring without having to eat another box.

Back in the present day Shawn, and Gus are walking/talking while eating their lunch. Gus says he's tired after all the work they've been doing, and would like to take it easy for a while. Shawn agrees, but then reveals that he's been leading Gus to a crime scene. A dead body was just discovered by a phone company repairman.

Shawn talks his way past the cop securing the crime scene, Buzz, on the pretense of bringing Lassiter coffee. Luckily Lassiter is so caught up with bossing everyone around that he doesn't notice Gus and Shawn walk in. Lassiter Mentions to Julie that this looks like a suicide. Shawn notices that the dead man had a steak marinading in the fridge, and had left the door unlocked deducing that someone who was about to commit suicide wouldn't have done those things. Lassiter catches Shawn, but before he can throw Shawn out Shawn fakes a vision of another person in the room, after spotting a oil smudge on the carpet. Lassiter insists that this was a suicide, and that there are no witnesses for Shawn to talk to. Shawn insists there was one witness, the victims cat!

Shawn and Gus leave the scene with the cat in Shawn's arms. Shawn confesses to Gus that he didn't have anything substantial, and played up the importance of the cat to buy time. Gus thinks that there wasn't a crime. Shawn points out that people in mild climates are less likely to kill themselves, but eventually admits that it might be a suicide... before asking how Gus would explain the second body they just found.

At the second crime scene Shawn, Gus, and the cat arrive a few moments before Lassiter. The second victim is lying dead in her car, another apparent suicide, but Shawn insists that he be given 30 seconds for the cat to see if the killer had been there. Shawn tosses the cat in the back seat of the car, noticing the apparent suicide note written on the windshield. The cat pee's on the dry cleaning in the back of the car, and Shawn insists that the cat was merely drawing attention to it. Someone who was about to commit suicide would not have gone to pick up their dry cleaning first. The police turn on the car to test the output of carbon monoxide, and the radio begins blaring metal music, Shawn points out that the victim doesn't look the type to listen to something like that. Lassiter dismisses Shawn, then quietly tells Julie to check out the dry cleaning.

While driving in Gus's car Shawn notices a newspaper article about the second victim. She'd just won a big role in a play, making it more unlikely she'd kill herself. The name of the play is Dazzle, and Stretch. At the police station Buzz asks Lassiter for advice about his upcoming wedding night, but leaves when Lassiter expresses his disgust that Buzz would ask him that sort of question. Shawn stages a psychic episode, complete with dance moves, and brings the article to the attention of the police. Lassiter still isn't sold, but the chief seems convinced. Shawn insists that the police should stop waiting for another “suicide”, and start looking for a serial killer.

Back at the Psyche offices Shawn is writing on a glass wall attempting to work out the connection between all the recent deaths, but there aren't any. All the victim's were totally different. Shawn flashes back to his father's advice on “Turning things upside-down to make them right side up”, and realizes that they need to talk to the brother/roommate of the first victim.

Gus and Shawn arrive at the apartment of the first victim, and pose as potential renters. Shawn gives the impression that they're “Partners” to mess with Gus. The victim's brother mentions that the first victim was a singer, and “going places”, and Shawn grabs a phone bill before leaving. The phone bill shows lots of calls to a stress line, including the last call the victim made. Shawn go's to Julie, and Lassiter at the police department to get at the victims phone records. Lassiter, while bragging about his thoroughness in the case, mentions that the second victims dry cleaning was picked up over a week ago, and all the victims called the same stress line. Julie tells Shawn that the connection between all the victims is their troubled nature, and that sometimes depressed people kill themselves. Shawn quickly agrees and walks away. Lassiter decides to look into the stress line anyway, meanwhile Shawn points out to Gus that a helpline that has all it's callers kill themselves is very suspicious.

Shawn uses a sign for “Dial a Psychic” to gain entry into the offices of the stress line, and create a hiding place in a disused closet. While interacting with the phone volunteers he notices a line worker on the telephone pole outside, and impresses one of the volunteers a gothey looking poet named Rory. Meanwhile Lassiter, and Julie meet on the beach, and look through a file on the stress line, Lassiter noting a picture of “an old friend”. At the call center Shawn notices the line worker again, and then tells Gus to call the stress line, and pretend to be depressed so he can see the volunteers in action. Before Gus calls, Shawn talks to Rory, (who tells Shawn he's doing community service after getting in a fight with someone who didn't like his poetry), comments on Rory's love of music, and talks to Terrance the man who runs the, non-profit, stress line. Gus calls, and is answered by Rory, but it soon becomes apparent that Rory is very interested in steering the conversation toward thoughts of suicide, which he seems to find poetic. Gus is really creeped out by the conversation and wants to call the police, but Shawn points out that Rory is only guilty of bad poetry at this point. Just as Shawn insists that they wait it out, the police enter the building.

Lassiter asks Rory about his eyeliner, and mentions that the second victims suicide note had been written in eyeliner, which wasn't found at the crime scene. Lassiter then launches into a speech accusing Rory of blasting metal music at the crime scenes during the murders, but when he unplugs Rory's headphones it is revealed that Rory is listening to the 5th dimensions “Up Up and Away”. Rory says that he hates metal, and that he uses the details he gets from callers to write better poems. Lassiter obviously doesn't believe Rory. Shawn again notices the line worker outside the window, and flashes back to the two times he's noticed him before, how when Shawn walked by him he hid his face, the cop saying that the guy at the first crime scene had been found by “The phone guy.” and a sheet of paper in Shawn and Gus's closet that has the maintenance schedule on it. Lassiter orders for Rory to be hauled off by the cops, and briefly stops to mock Shawn before leaving. Gus is upset that Lassiter is going to get the credit for solving the case, and they aren't going to be payed. Shawn reveals that he knows Rory is innocent, and almost knows the identity of the real killer.

Outside Shawn sends Gus up a telephone pole, and when he notices the shape of the grease mark on Gus's shoe made by the spikes in the pole Shawn flash's back to the same shaped mark on the carpet of the first crime scene. Shawn then notices the shape of the spikes, and flash's back to the apartment of the first victim, and a key rack with the same spikes. Shawn reveals that he's now certain that the real killer was the first victims brother, who used a phone tap to waylay calls to the stress line. Shawn takes the phone tap that the killer left at the pole, and calls the last number dialed by the tap, which turns out to be Buzz's. Shawn quickly calls the chief, and say's he's had a vibe the size of a Buick.

Gus, Shawn, and the cat race to Buzz's apartment, bursting in to find the killer pointing a gun at Buzz. The police follow close behind, and while everyone points guns at each other Shawn lays everything out with minimal theatrics. The killers brother really did kill himself, but the suicide sent his brother over the edge, he's been killing people who he perceives as “weak”, specifically the people who called the same hot-line as his brother. Buzz apparently called because nobody would talk to him about his pre-wedding jitters. Shawn draws the killers attention to Gus, Shawn, and finally Lassiter, saying that Lassiter is the finest policemen on the lower side of Santa Barbra (over 35), and will think of a brilliant way to disarm the killer. While the killer stares down Lassiter, the cat leaps from a bookshelf onto the killer, and Lassiter tackles the killer. Shawn cuddles the cat, before presenting it to Buzz as a wedding present.

* ShoutOut: Shawn got the idea to write everything on a window from watching ''{{Series/Numb3rs}}''.

--->'''Shawn''': There's a shower for two!
* KindheartedCatLover: Shawn spends most of the episode fawning over the cat he found at the first crime scene. [=McNab=] gets to keeper the cat at the end.

Gus and Shawn arrive at the apartment of the first victim, and pose as potential renters. Shawn gives the impression that they're “Partners” to mess with Gus. The victim's brother mentions that the first victim was a singer, and “going places” , and Shawn grabs a phone bill before leaving. The phone bill shows lots of calls to a stress line, including the last call the victim made. Shawn go's to Julie, and Lassiter at the police department to get at the victims phone records. Lassiter, while bragging about his thoroughness in the case, mentions that the second victims dry cleaning was picked up over a week ago, and all the victims called the same stress line. Julie tells Shawn that the connection between all the victims is their troubled nature, and that sometimes depressed people kill themselves. Shawn quickly agrees and walks away. Lassiter decides to look into the stress line anyway, meanwhile Shawn points out to Gus that a helpline that has all it's callers kill themselves is very suspicious.

Back at the Psyche offices Shawn is writing on a glass wall attempting to work out the connection between all the recent deaths, but there aren't any. All the victim's were totally different. Shawn flashes back to his father's advice on “Turning things upside-down to make them right side up” , and realizes that they need to talk to the brother/roommate of the first victim.

* DisproportionateRetribution: The killer targets people who use the suicide hotline, including even ''[=McNab=]'' who simply called because he wanted someone to talk to about his pre-wedding jitters.

Back in the present day Shawn, and Gus are walking/talking while eating their lunch. Gus says he's tired after all the work they've been doing, and would like to take it easy for a while. Shawn agrees, but then revels that he's been leading Gus to a crime scene. A dead body was just discovered by a phone company repairman.

Later at the Psyche offices Gus and Shawn rehash Gus's complaints about his life that had been sprinkled throughout the episode. Gus resolves not to sweat the small stuff, but then discovers that the box of Fruity Puffs they are eating doesn't have a prize at the bottom. Gus asks Shawn if he opened the bottom of the box, and Shawn reveals a mood ring. Gus angrily leaves the office after sticking his finger in Shawn's bowl of cereal.

!Tropes in this episode:
* DisproportionateRetribution: The killer targets people who use the suicide hotline, even Buzz who simply called because he wanted someone to talk to about his pre-wedding jitters.
* HoYay: Shawn and Gus's visit to the apartment of the first suicide.

* KindheartedCatLover: Shawn spends most of the episode fawning over the cat he found at the first crime scene. Buzz gets to keeper the cat at the end.
* MexicanStandoff: The end of episode climax has one of these

* KindheartedCatLover: Shawn spends most of the episode fawning over the cat he found at the first crime scene.

Shawn talks his way past the cop secureing the crime scene, Buzz, on the pretense of bringing Lassiter coffee. Luckily Lassiter is so caught up with bossing everyone around that he doesn't notice Gus and Shawn walk in. Lassiter Mentions to Julie that this looks like a suicide. Shawn notices that the dead man had a steak marinading in the fridge, and had left the door unlocked deducing that someone who was about to commit suicide wouldn't have done those things. Lassiter catches Shawn, but before he can throw Shawn out Shawn fakes a vision of another person in the room, after spotting a oil smudge on the carpet. Lassiter insists that this was a suicide, and that there are no witnesses for Shawn to talk to. Shawn insists there was one witness, the victims cat!

* ShoutOut: Shawn got the idea to write everything on a window from watching [[NUMB3RS NUMB3RS]]

* MexicanStandoff: The end of episode climax has one of these

* Shout-Out: Shawn got the idea to write everything on a window from watching Numbers

--->Shawn: There's a shower for two!

!Tropes in this episode: