Season 1, Episode 7
Who Ya Gonna Call?
Flashback to 1986. Shawn is being chased by a bully, Ryan Brickhouse. Henry tells Shawn to face his fears and sends him to confront the bully. Shawn notices Ryan is flunking math and offers to help him pass. The math teacher has a pattern in all her tests that Shawn memorized. Henry congratulates his son on getting a new result, then calls Shawn's math teacher.
Present. Office. Gus comes in to find a women sitting in the front of the office. Shawn hired someone from a agency... a modeling agency... she's utterly useless at most office tasks as a result. Shawn got her to come under the pretense that this was a runway show, and she's staying to see how things work out. Shawn asks why Gus came in early, and Gus says that one of the doctors that his company supply's product to, Dr. Blinn, was killed. Shawn is upset that Gus didn't tell him right away. They head to the crime scene.
Shawn pumps Gus for info he can claim he got psychically, unfortunately Dr. Blinn was not on Gus's regular route, and all he knows is that he made him wait, and had a picture of Pete Rose on his wall. Shawn walks up to Lassiter and Julie claiming to have been sent by the spirit of Pete Rose. Lassiter walks off, but Julie lets Shawn and Gus in after a moment of hesitation. Lassiter stops Shawn from entering the room with the body, but Shawn manages to catch a glimpse of the room, (which is of course all he needs), spotting the murder weapon, and a toothpick.
Back at the office Shawn suggests that they take the rest of the day off, as the police will come to them eventually. Suddenly there is a commotion from the front. A man comes into the room asking Shawn for help. The man's name is Robert Dunn, and he claims that he's being haunted. Shawn is really unimpressed and wants to leave, thinking that Robert is crazy. Eventually Robert claims that whatever is haunting him tried to kill him, revealing a mark on his neck.
Gus prepares to go ghost hunting while Shawn tries to convince him that ghosts aren't real. Gus tells Shawn that he had a experience when he was 12. A ghost spoke to him a night. Shawn interrupts, apparently it was a joke that he'd played on Gus, by hiding a walkie-talkie in the wall when Gus's dad put in new insulation. Gus is angry with Shawn, but still wants to go.
At the department Lassiter is sending a present to his ex-wife, (porcelain figurines.) and snaps at Julie when she asks him about the figurines. She tells him that they have a warrant for Dr. Blinn's files.
At Robert's house Gus does ghost hunter stuff while Shawn mocks him. Shawn still notices a few odd details about the room. Shawn psychic's his way into Robert's bedroom, where Robert begs Shawn and Gus to spend the night before breaking into tears. As Shawn and Gus get ready for bed Shawn explains that the “ghost” is Robert's ex-girlfriend due to the red hair in the studio, and the fact that Robert's face has been crossed out of every photo in the house. Gus ask if they should tell Robert, Shawn promises to see what's going on in the morning. Gus wakes up that night to discover that the curtains are on fire, he wakes up Shawn, and they stop the fire off camera.
The next morning Robert is upset that the ghost is stepping up it's efforts to kill him. Shawn sits and tries to calm Robert down. Gus comes in and tells Shawn that all the doors and windows are locked from the inside. Shawn notices a lip print on Gus's forehead. He shows it to Gus and Robert, but no one knows where it came from.
Meanwhile Lassiter, and Julie are looking for Dr. Blinn's last appointment, Regina Kane, but haven't had any luck as the only address listed is a P.O.Box. Shawn and Gus drive by. Shawn is still convinced that Robert's ex is responsible for the fire. They pull up next to Lassiter, and Julie, and Shawn sees the name on the file that Julie is carrying. When they drive off Gus says he needs to get back to work after they have lunch as he's missed 2 days this week. Shawn agrees. The picture fades in some time later. Shawn dropped some allergy pills in Gus's drink, and is driving them to San Francisco, where Robert's ex lives. Gus is really angry with Shawn declaring that he is not going to talk to him. When they arrive at Robert's ex house Shawn takes one look, and declares that she isn't the ghost. Gus texts Shawn asking for a explanation, Shawn says that the lip print on Gus's forehead doesn't match the ex's lips, so the ghost isn't her. Gus text that they didn't drive all the way to San Francisco, just to immediately leave, and insists that they actually talk to the ex.
Back in Santa Barbra, Lassiter reads a card that his ex sent him, along with his present, that says “Separation means APART!!”. Julie walks in and asks why Lassiter looks so sad. Lassiter asks about details on the Blinn case, and when Julie suggests calling Shawn for help he snaps that she should keep her ideas to herself.
In San Francisco, Shawn and Gus are posing as art gallery owners interested in Robert's artwork. The ex says that the relationship didn't go well, Robert cheated on her with another women. A friend of the ex said Robert with another women at a club claiming to be “Martin Brody” Robert denied he'd ever even been to the club. Shawn notes that she's fine with it now, and asks how her engagement is going. In the car Shawn and Gus argue, before a car attempts to crash into them. The car misses, and the driver runs off. Shawn see's a toothpick in the car, and laughs, saying that they have a new suspect.
Shawn and Gus return to Robert's house finding more ghost themed chaos. Including a smashed mirror with “Help me I'm trapped” written in red paint. Shawn and Gus follow the trail of paint to a secluded attic where they find wigs, woman's cloths, and perfume. Shawn immediately guesses that Robert is dressing as a women, and also has disassociate identity disorder. Gus is skeptical, but Shawn quickly convinces him. Shawn suggests that they bring out the women, and Gus agrees. They decide to bring Robert to the attic, and wait for something to happen, but Robert just seems a little confused at Shawn's antics. As Shawn puts down a bottle of perfume he notices two names written on a piece of paper, Dr. Blinn's (Which is crossed out.), and the name “Drake”. Shawn realizes that “Regina Kane” is Robert's alter ego. Shawn starts using the name Regina, and eventually Robert's expression changes, he puts a hand on Gus's chest, and thanks him for getting his message.
Shawn realizes that Regina isn't the type to smash things, and start fires, thus there must be another personality in Robert, a violent one. When he asks about Regina's appointment with Dr. Blinn she says she didn't go to it, and really liked Dr. Blinn, as he was doing a lot to help her. Gus asks Regina if he can talk to Robert, which she agrees to. Robert returns, surprised to be dressed in a wig and robe. Shawn explains that he's been haunting himself.
Shawn and Gus walk into the police department, and tell Julie that they know where Regina Kane is. Lassiter is busy shooting the figurines on the firing range. Shawn, looking at photo's of the crime scene, makes a connection between the toothpick by Dr. Blinn, and the one in the car that tried to kill them. The violent personality is the killer. Shawn flashes back to Robert's ex saying that Robert had claimed to be “Martin Brody”, and realizes that is the name of Robert's violent personality. Julie talks to Lassiter just as he finishes destroying his ex's present, and Lassiter asks if anyone is watching Shawn. Shawn find Dr. Blinn's patient records, and reads Regina's file. Regina was going to get gender reassignment surgery. Gus and Shawn figure out that Brody killed Blinn so Regina would change her mind about gender reassignment, and when Blinn tried to defend himself he left marks on Robert's neck. Shawn remembers that there was another name written over Blinn's name in Regina's day planner, and the appointment is in about 10 minutes. Shawn dramatically reveals that Regina (or more accurately Brody), is the killer, and that she will kill Dr. Drake next. Dr. Drake is talking about gender reassignment with Brody when her phone rings, but she ignores it. Shawn mentions that they might be to late, but Lassiter runs out of the building. Just before Brody hits Dr. Drake over the head with a statue Lassiter bursts in, and tackles him. As Lassiter puts the cuffs on Robert comes back, and asks what's going on.
At the Psych office Gus tells Shawn that Robert is being moved to the premiere psychiatric facility in the country, but Shawn is more concerned with the guy sitting in the front of their office. Gus tells Shawn that it's another model from the agency, Leslie. Shawn tells Gus that they need to fire Leslie since no women will look at them with a hot guy in the front. Gus says he won't do it, and tells Shawn that it was his idea, he can figure it out. Shawn sends a text that says “you're fired”, and they run out just as Leslie reads it.
Tropes in this episode:
- Alternate Identity Amnesia: Robert is completely unaware of his other personalities. The other two are aware.
- Ask a Stupid Question...: Asking Robert's ex about him led to this exchange.Amy: He was drunk, pretended she had him confused with someone else, said his name was "Martin Brody".
Shawn: Martin Brody? Roy Scheider's character from Jaws?
Amy: Yes, how'd you know?
Shawn: ... I've seen Jaws. - Enemy Within: Brody isn't necessarily hostile to Robert and Regina, but he is hostile to Regina's goal of gender confirmation.
- Have I Mentioned I Am Heterosexual Today?: At the end, Shawn is shocked that the swimsuit model named Leslie that the agency sent over is a man. The duo immediately agree that Leslie has to be fired right now.
- Hyde Plays Jekyll: Robert has multiple personalities, one of which is a woman. At one point he's dressed like a woman, but the personality in charge is the man. He dressed like the woman to divert suspicion from himself.
- Irony: Shawn and Gus are staying out of Lassiter and Juliet’s investigation as they’re trying to help a man who’s being haunted. The ironic twist? The man they’re helping has D.I.D. and one of his personalities is the killer Lassiter and Juliet are searching for.
- Mistaken for Cheating: One of Amy's friends saw Robert at a bar flirting with a woman, except that it was Martin Brody.
- Multi-Gendered Split Personalities: One of Robert's personalities is a woman. The other two are men.
- Paranormal Investigation: Gus really wants to do one of these when Robert tells them about his ghost.
- Silent Treatment: Gus is so mad that Shawn knocked him out and drove his car to San Francisco that he refuses to speak to him. They return to speaking terms after returning to Santa Barbara.
- Split-Personality Takeover: Robert is one of three personality's, one of whom is the killer.
- Slipping a Mickey: Shawn does this to Gus so he'll come with him to San Francisco.
- Sympathetic Murderer: Martin Brody is trapped in a body with two other personalities, one of whom is a woman trying to get gender confirmation surgery. Imagine waking up to learn someone you can't communicate with is trying to get a surgeon to remove parts of you that you like.
- Woman Scorned: Robert’s ex-girlfriend is initially suspected as being responsible for his “hauntings”. Subverted as she lives in San Francisco, which is about four to five hours away from his current residence, and she wasn’t angry about the breakup.
