Season 4, Episode 02
He Dead
Directed by Michael McMurray
Written by Saladin K. Patterson
"...What industry sectors do you see outperforming the market this year?"
Shawn and Gus are recruited into the manhunt for billionaire Warren Clayton, whose plane went down in the mountains. They manage to find the plane – and Warren – but are only in time to hear his final words: a plea to figure out who killed him. Back in civilization, Shawn is recruited by the widow Alice Clayton to figure out what happened. Shawn quickly uncovers a few too many family secrets, and is quickly fired, but he still wants to know what happened to Warren…Tropes:
- Almost Dead Guy: Shawn and Gus find Warren Clayton just in time for him to ask them to find his killer and then die.
- Angry Guard Dog: The Clayton family has a number of them. They release the hounds on Shawn and Gus a couple times, chasing the detectives off the estate.
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Alice Clayton claims “We don’t hide anything except large amounts of money, illegitimate children, and the fact that we’re Jewish.”
- Bears Are Bad News: Gus spends most of the time in the mountains worrying about bears.
- Big Fancy House: The Clayton family lives in one, and Shawn and Gus have dinner there. They spend much of the time ogling the place in amazement.
- Big, Screwed-Up Family: A smaller example than most, but Warren was having an affair with the maid, his wife is addicted to plastic surgery and was cheating on him with her tennis instructor, his son Garvin is a spoiled, unambitious, snarky phoneaholic who was recently cut off from their money, and he’s still on better terms with the family than his sister, Nyna, who cut all contact to start a new life with her husband Charles… making her the White Sheep of the family. Or it would if her husband wasn’t Warren’s killer.
- Calling Parents by Their Name: Nyna calls her father by his name instead of calling him “Dad”. This is what initially makes Shawn believe that she was his mistress instead of his daughter.
- Celebrity Paradox: Shawn and Gus briefly compare Nyna to Milena Govich, who appeared as the arson investigator in "Earth, Wind, and Wait For It"
- *Cough* Snark *Cough*: During Shawn and Gus’ dinner at the Clayton mansion, an unimpressed Garvin coughs out “Bogus” and “Poser” when Shawn asks for more time.
- Disgusting Vegetarian Food: In the Cold Open, little Shawn fakes a fever so he doesn’t have to go to a barbecue hosted by some neighbors. When Henry hears they’re vegans, he immediately decides he’s getting sick, too.
- Everyone Has Standards: As little as she wants to be associated with her family, Nyna still goes to her father's funeral and is royally pissed when she learns that her husband is responsible for his death.
- Funny Background Event: As Gus pours himself some tea in the Clayton mansion, Shawn can be seen accidentally snapping the stem off a large antique-looking narrow-necked planter, and frantically trying to fix it.
- Gold Digger: Charles. He altered Warren's will so that his money would go to his organization, and killed him before the changes could be reverted.
- Golf Clubbing: Warren's business partner falls to this when the killer strikes him too.
- Inheritance Murder: Shawn suspects a member of Warren’s family did this. He’s half-right – it was an in-law he was on decent terms with, who wanted to bump him off before the will was changed.
- Lampshade Hanging: As Shawn and Gus try to figure out how to get some rich people at a golf course to talk to them, Shawn glances at the pro shop and grins. In Gus’ words, “Let me guess: You got a loosely-formed idea that shouldn’t work on paper, but ultimately proves to be reasonably successful?” Shawn pats him on the back and walks in.
- Last Request: Clayton’s is begging Shawn to find out who killed him.
- Love Redeems: Abigail tries to improve Shawn’s relationship with Henry over a dinner date. Her success is… mixed. Both seem willing to reach out, but they just don’t quite see eye-to-eye.
- Phoneaholic Teenager: Garvin Clayton is a rare male example.
- Ponzi: It turns out Warren Clayton’s hedge fund was one of these, and the money he was looking after doesn’t really exist.
- Poor Communication Kills: Nyna's unwillingness to discuss Clayton not only marks her as the prime suspect for the latter's murder, but also causes Shawn to conclude that the two were having an affair. In reality, she wanted to dissociate herself from her family, going so far as to call her father "Clay" rather than "Dad"
- Secret Path: How Shawn and Gus find Warren’s plane first: Shawn got a map from Henry’s hunting lodge that has loads of hidden back trails used by hunters that aren’t on official government maps.
- Sleeping with the Boss's Wife: Warren Clayton was having an affair with the maid.
- The Stoic: Alice Clayton is this, largely due to years of Botox treatments. She turns out to be Not So Stoic when Shawn calls her out on sleeping with her tennis instructor.
- Vehicular Sabotage: The killer messed with the altimeter on Warren’s plane, making it off by several hundred feet.
