The issue of Shawn and Juliet has been toyed around with for a while, never gaining traction before something momentous happens. Juliet likes Shawn and laughs at his dumb jokes and Shawn flirts with her, but when it comes to those moments where they could take a chance to be together, it's never quite the right time. "Shawn 2.0" doesn't exactly move things ahead much further than previous episodes, but Shawn fake psychic abilities have finally come into focus and puts their potential relationship in a different light, one that has huge ramifications.
"Shawn 2.0" is the kind of Psych episode I want to see each week--funny but not outlandish, with a little character development thrown in. Lost's Nestor Carbonell stirs things up as Declan Rand, a criminal profiler who is just as intuitive as Shawn and makes the moves on Juliet before Shawn. He has a hidden secret, however. He's not a graduate of Harvard and has no degree in psychology, but is a rich guy who likes bringing down criminals--in many ways, not too unlike Shawn.
Throughout the episode, Shawn talks about Declan telling Juliet the truth, because she is someone who appreciates the truth. After catching the criminal, Declan tells Juliet who he really is and she reacts badly at first before realizing how much it must have taken for Declan to come clean to her and walking off with him.
So where does this put Shawn? Juliet will clearly have a much different reaction. There are key points which divide Shawn and Declan. First and foremost, Shawn has been deceiving everyone--including Juliet who he's worked closely with--for many years. He's had plenty of chances to tell the truth, but hasn't. Then there's the fact that Declan wants to put criminals behind bars while Shawn has taken thousands of dollars from the police department under false pretenses. Given that the writers have little incentive to change the status quo, feel comfortable with what they have, and have a literal creative mountain to surpass, I have doubts about whether the characters will ever get that needed growth.
I've liked every "guest" theme song so far, but the Tears for Fears-style song sung by Curt Smith didn't jive.
Score: 9.1/10
