Shawn gets shot in 'Psych' fall finale

I wonder which TV exec invented the "fall finale."

I'd like to punch him out a second story window.

Several of the television shows I enjoy have had mid-season hiatuses in the past few years. Lost loves to do it. Burn Notice and Leverage both did it. Today was the fall finale of Psych, the oddball detective show that makes me wonder how anyone could suffer through another episode of Law and Order.

Why cut a good season in half?  To double the number of "finale" episodes?  To trick viewers into watching the show that fills in the resulting empty time slot (USA's new drama, White Collar, in this case)?  It's mostly just annoying.

The good news, I suppose, is Psych will be back with new episodes in January. The season's not over, so I don't have to wait eight months for a new episode.

Episode 4.09, "Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark," tones down the humor in exchange for some tense moments. Shawn's been kidnapped and stuffed in a trunk, so there's less opportunity for his comedic riffing with Gus. A flashback does give Shawn a chance to refer to Gus as "Doughnut Holstein," at least.  Also, a nice 1970 Plymouth Road Runner has a starring role in the episode.

As for the music: the episode features the abbreviated version of the Psych theme.  The best musical moment occurs at the climax of the episode, in the last 10 minutes of the show.  It's "Welcome All Again" by Collective Soul, the opening track from the band's newly released self-titled record.  Remember "Shine" and "Heavy" and "December" from '90s alt-rock radio?  Yeah, those guys.  The new song's good and it's used well in the scene.