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ariagames
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Psych: A Nightmare on State Street (2014)
Should've been it's own thing
The multitude of references and the great Bruce Campbell are what I praise the episode for, but there isn't much more outside of that to praise.
It just makes me think about how it could've been better received as a little horror spin-off outside the main series, what with all the guest characters and horror tropes they've inserted throughout.
I'd even say the writing itself is on a lower grade, with less of the comedy we've come to expect from psych over the years. I'd be fine with sacrificing this for a meaningful character arc, but that is not what we get here. We are met with screaming horror montages and jumpscares in Gus' nightmares instead.
This episode's case takes the biggest backseat I think we've seen a psych case take. The guest characters are hardly there to make their personalities fresh like we've seen previously in other Roday directed episodes. The jokes felt flat and as if it were a new comedy approach. The dialogue is minimal and there aren't many memorable lines here.
It throws you off so much when you see an episode as radically different as this being placed right near the end. Had they have placed it sooner or made it a neat Halloween bonus, I honestly would've rated it higher. I've given it a 7, but that's not saying much as I usually give psych episodes 8s 9s and 10s.
I don't think it's awful or irredeemable as I've seen people say, although it does have my least favourite psych scenes. Dare I say it's pretty fun and a cornucopia of really noteworthy horror references.
I suggest you treat it as a neat horror flick to watch outside the psych timeline, although it does have some plot points in the psych chronology.