After three years, there’s finally a sequel to Psych: The Movie – which itself came three years after the TV series ended (so, I think it’s fair to assume that the next Psych installment will get released in 2023). However, it’s not the caper involving Ewan O’Hara (played by John Cena), Juliet’s soldier brother, that the end of the first movie hinted at. Instead, it follows a clichéd “homecoming” storyline in which the crime-fighting, mystery-solving squad of Shawn Spencer (James Roday), Burton “Gus” Guster (Dulé Hill), Carlton "Lassie" Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), Henry Spencer (Corbin Bernsen), Juliet "Jules" O'Hara (Maggie Lawson), Karen Vick (Kirsten Nelson), and Woody (Kurt Fuller) reunites back in Santa Barbara for another adventure. Beloved minor characters from the show – Buzz McNab (Sage Brocklebank), Mary Lightly (Jimmi Simpson), and Marlowe Lassiter (Kristy Swanson) – also make brief appearances.
Titled Psych 2: Lassie Come Home, it kicks off with Lassie getting shot and left for dead while pursuing a lead on a case. While recovering in a special care facility, he begins witnessing bizarre happenings around the place. Unable to investigate them himself because of his injuries, he asks Shawn and Gus to look into it. Meanwhile, Jules also returns to town in order to catch the suspect who shot Lassie.
I genuinely had a fun with this movie. But here’s the thing: if I don’t love Psych as I do, I might have found it meh. It’s just not quite as clever and compelling as the TV series; it doesn’t have the same punch. However, I really love these characters, and just seeing them together again to do their thing is automatically a delightful, magical experience for me.
As far as letdowns go, they are actually the same letdowns that I had with the previous one. First, it doesn’t show a lot of Shawn being “psychic” Shawn. There aren’t enough moments in which he showcases his remarkable cerebral abilities, and there’s no instance in which he gets to be an over-theatrical charlatan, which is half of what makes him terrific as a detective character.
The second thing is that, despite what the title of the movie implies, it doesn’t have that enough Lassie. Yes, the character gets to be involved in this movie, unlike in the first one, in which he only gets to do a video call cameo scene (it’s because actor Timothy Omundson had just had a stroke at that time). But instead of being truly front and center of this story, he’s kind of just in the background as he’s in his hospital room for almost the entire film. Moreover, when I say it doesn’t have enough Lassie, it means that it doesn’t have the Lassie we know in the show. Because of the damage he got from being shot (and probably because of the real-life stroke), he’s uncharacteristically mellow in this movie. However, his character arc is truly emotionally resonating, which provides most of the heart of the movie (the rest is provided by the usual father-son moment from Henry and Shawn).
Aside from heart, another thing that this movie has in spades is the comedy. It would have definitely been funnier if Lassie was at his usual form, but Shawn and Gus are more than enough to make this movie hilarious. As usual, their quirky and zestful personalities, impeccable chemistry, witty banters, and amusing shticks make them a highly entertaining and magnetic comedic duo.
Overall, Psych 2: Lassie Come Home may not be exactly excellent, but fans will absolutely have a blast with it. For us fans, the goodwill of the original show, the immense likability of the characters, the top-notch humor, and the feels it evokes easily cover whatever flaws it has. Again, we are just happy to see more Psych.
Hopefully, a Psych 3 comes sooner than later.
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