Psych 2: Lassie Come Home is a 2020 American mystery-comedy film. The film is a stand-alone sequel to the first film from 2017 and the second installment of the Psych film series, based on and serving as a continuation of the USA Network dramedy series of the same name. The movie was released on July 15, 2020 on Peacock. James Roday Rodriguez, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, Kirsten Nelson, and Corbin Bernsen all reprised their roles from the series and first film, with frequently recurring actors Kurt Fuller and Jimmi Simpson also appearing. The film was directed by series creator Steve Franks, who co-wrote the script with Roday Rodriguez and Berman.
| Psych 2: Lassie Come Home | |
|---|---|
 Poster | |
| Genre | Detective fiction Comedy drama |
| Based on | Psych by Steve Franks |
| Written by | Steve Franks James Roday Rodriguez Andy Berman |
| Directed by | Steve Franks |
| Starring | James Roday Rodriguez Dulé Hill Timothy Omundson Maggie Lawson Kirsten Nelson Corbin Bernsen |
| Theme music composer | Steve Franks |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| Production | |
| Executive producers | James Roday Rodriguez Dulé Hill Steve Franks Chris Henze Kelly Kulchak |
| Producer | Chris Cheramie |
| Running time | 88 minutes |
| Production companies | Pacific Mountain Productions Thruline Entertainment Universal Content Productions |
| Original release | |
| Network | Peacock |
| Release | July 15, 2020 |
Plot
editChief Carlton Lassiter of the Santa Barbara Police Department is ambushed on the job and left for dead. After suffering a stroke on the operating table, Lassiter starts seeing unusual and possibly supernatural occurrences in his recovery facility. He also occasionally hallucinates his dad who had abandoned him as a child and has many conversations with him.
Unable to remember and concerned that his condition makes him an unreliable witness to the truth of what he saw before getting shot, he reaches out to Shawn and Gus. The pair travel to Santa Barbara from San Francisco to assist Lassiter in his efforts to find his shooter and explain what he has been seeing. However, they are told that hallucinations are side-effects of the medicine and warned by Dolores, Lassiter's nurse with a crush on Gus, to not feed his imagination hindering his recovery. What they do not realize is that Juliet O'Hara, Lassiter's former partner at the SBPD and Shawn's wife, is also investigating. Chief Vick is attempting to become commissioner and is forced to shut down Juliet's investigation.
Morrisey, Lassiter's dog that was a gift from Shawn, returns with a human hand which Shawn and Gus send to Woody the coroner. Juliet discovers a missing bullet, and sends it to be analyzed against orders. Juliet realises that Shawn is in Santa Barbara and they attempt to hide their involvement in the case from each other. Woody's results reveal the hand belongs to a CEO named Devon Tileback who committed suicide. Lassiter witnesses a bleeding man seek shelter in a building across from his own, but it is mixed up with other hallucinations causing everyone to not believe his claims. Shawn and Gus investigate, but only find medical supplies and ice chips before being forced to leave by Dr Emile Herschel, the head of the facility. Selene, Gus's girlfriend is mistaken that Gus is involved with the nurse after Juliet lets it slip that the two have secretly gone back to Santa Barbara. The two start their own investigation together. Chief Vick discovers this, but covers it up whilst preparing for interviews.
Shawn and Gus investigate Viking's Bar, a place frequented by Tileback. The bar is owned by Ova Asblorn. After being chased out by his son Per, they crash into a hideout where the supposedly dead Tileback was hiding after faking his death with his cut-off hand. Tileback is sniped and killed before he could say anything. Buzz, now an SBPD detective, investigates. Juliet and Selene arrive and while hiding from them, Shawn finds a positive pregnancy test in her car. Meanwhile Lassiter claims to have seen Wilkerson, a fellow patient at the facility, walking. After taking some advice from Shawn's father Henry, Shawn and Gus decide to believe Lassiter and attempt to prove that the Wilkerson is faking a coma. Gus and Shawn try to tickle him but it fails and they're kicked out. Woody pretends to be an eccentric doctor named Catalon for them. Seconds before her commissioner interview, Vick receives an envelope with some urgent reports. During the interview, she peeks into the report and realises it's a match on the bullet that Juliet had found which shot Lassiter and leaves midway. Woody, Shawn, and Gus find bloodied clothes hidden among the medical supplies and realise Lassiter was right when he said he had seen someone seek shelter that night. They believe someone from the hospital, possibly Dr. Herschel, was involved. They, alongside Henry, attempt to convince Dolores that Herschel is guilty.
After Shawn and Gus both have vivid hallucinations about Mary Lightly, they realise that the ice chips are spiked and come across an awake Wilkerson, who tells them that he was Tileback's silent partner and is faking to be catatonic in order to save himself from the suspect that's working as the insider in the facility. He reveals that they were cooking the books in their company and when Wilkerson suffered from a stroke, he spilled this secret to someone at the hospital under the influence of drugs while recovering. The insider used this information to blackmail Tileback, shoot Lassiter when Tileback tried to meet him and eventually shoot Tileback. Woody informs them that the bloodied clothes they found contain a pair of earmuffs which they realise are from Viking's Bar. The two go back to the bar with Woody where they find Selene, Juliet, and Vick following a lead on the bullet. Shawn remembers that Ova had a surgery mark and deduces that he was also once a patient at the facility. He suspects him to be involved but they discover that Per has murdered his father. Shawn then realises that Ova was not the one who was involved and that he had also, under the influence of drugs, revealed to the insider at the facility that he was a former criminal. This fact led the suspect to approach his son Per, who was angry at Ova for turning a new leaf. He teamed up with the suspect and became the muscle of the operation. He confesses to shooting Lassiter and Selene reveals she is the one who is pregnant, proposes to Gus, and punches the shooter.
Meanwhile at the facility, Dolores, revealed to be the insider and the mastermind behind the plan, spikes Lassiter's pint with poison in an attempt to kill him. But Lassiter is encouraged by hallucinations of his father to fight back and not give up as his family needs him. He reassures him that'll he'll be able walk again and Lassiter manages to blow up the pint and subdue the nurse. After the killers are caught, the team celebrates. Selene reveals to Gus that they have one little problem that needs to be solved: she's still married. Henry and Juliet convince Lassiter to finally meet his wife Marlowe, whom he had not seen since long because he was embarassed and didn't want her to see him in this condition. Marlowe finally appears before him and he manages to take a few steps towards her as they reunite.
Cast
edit- James Roday Rodriguez as Shawn Spencer
- Dulé Hill as Burton "Gus" Guster
- Timothy Omundson as Carlton Lassiter
- Maggie Lawson as Juliet "Jules" O'Hara Spencer
- Kirsten Nelson as Chief Karen Vick
- Corbin Bernsen as Henry Spencer
- Joel McHale as Lassiter's father
- Kurt Fuller as Woody Strode
- Jazmyn Simon as Selene
- Jimmi Simpson as Mary Lightly
- Sarah Chalke as Nurse Dolores
- Allison Miller as Maisie
- Kadeem Hardison as Wilkerson
- Christopher Heyerdahl as Ova
- Richard Schiff as Dr. Emile Herschel
- Sage Brocklebank as Buzz McNab
- Kristy Swanson as Marlowe Lassiter
Production
edit
After Psych: The Movie, Franks indicated he wanted to make five more Psych movies.[1] On February 14, 2019, it was announced Psych: The Movie 2 was greenlit and all the main cast would return for the TV movie, which was set to premiere in late 2019.[2] On April 18, 2019, it was announced Joel McHale would be joining the TV movie, as well as Jimmi Simpson, reprising his recurring role as Mary Lightly.[3] On September 17, 2019, it was announced that the sequel had been renamed Psych 2: Lassie Come Home and would instead be airing on NBC Universal's new streaming service, Peacock.[4]
Reception
editThe film holds a 85% approval rating on Rotten Tomatoes, based on 13 reviews with an average rating of 8.2/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Satisfyingly self-contained while refreshingly opening up new directions for the Psych team, Lassie Come Home delivers the crowd-pleasing goods with the skill of a mind reader."[5] TV Guide graded the film five out of five stars.[6]
Sequel
editOn May 13, 2021, Peacock announced a third movie, Psych 3: This Is Gus, which premiered November 18, 2021 on the streaming service Peacock.[7]
References
edit- ^ MacDonald, Lindsay (December 8, 2017). "Yes, the Psych Movie Sequel Will Be All About John Cena". TV Guide. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ "Psych: The Movie 2 Is Coming to USA Network Later This Year!". Retrieved 2020-07-13.
- ^ USA Network (April 18, 2019). "Psych: The Movie 2 Announces Jimmi Simpson's Return and Adds Joel McHale". USA Network.
- ^ Andy Swift (September 17, 2019). "Psych Movie Sequel Gets a Doggone Cute New Title, Later Premiere Date Now on Peacock Streaming Service". TVLine.
- ^ "Psych 2: Lassie Come Home (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved October 10, 2021.
- ^ Thomas, Kaitlin (July 1, 2020). "Psych 2: Lassie Come Home Review: A Rare Franchise That Never Disappoints Its Fans". TV Guide. Retrieved July 13, 2020.
- ^ Ausiello, Michael (May 13, 2021). "Psych 3: This Is Gus a Go at Peacock; Threequel to Feature Wedding, Birth of 'Baby Guster,' Random Pineapple(s)". TVLine. Retrieved May 13, 2021.