If any show had a ridiculously fun time with easefully homage and genre jumping, it’s Psych. Because of the mystery-centered criminal-of-the-week style of storytelling, the show is pretty much made for the spooky season. Psych especially puts plenty of love into its Halloween episodes, making the most out of a premise that’s tailor-made for Halloween, as shown in Season 8’s “A Nightmare on State Street.”
Shawn (James Roday-Rodriguez) and Gus (Dulé Hill) often jump to supernatural conclusions as they investigate their cases, from guessing that Lassie’s (Timothy Omundson) new girlfriend is a vampire to half-believing a client who claims to be a werewolf. But the best demonstration of Psych’s unique combination of horror and humor is also its strangest.
What Is “A Nightmare on State Street” About?
“A Nightmare on State Street” begins with Shawn and Gus stopping at a gas station late at night. As Shawn proclaims his confidence in being able to solve the case before he gets back to the car with snacks, Gus laments that he can’t sleep due to a recent breakup with his girlfriend, Emmanuelle (Kali Hawk). Things take a turn when Shawn leaves Gus alone in the car: zombies emerge from the grass around him and begin a brutal and truly frightening attack (even turning Curt Smith into a zombie in the process).
Luckily, all this is just a dream. Gus wakes in the care of Dr. Simpson (Bruce Campbell), for better or for worse, and this is when the comedy really hits its stride. Juxtaposed nicely with the horrific imagery just a second before, Gus gets slapped back into reality (literally), creating a jarring tonal whiplash. By being self-aware as to the sudden tonal shift, Psych capitalizes on the strangeness of snapping Gus out of his nightmare and into a funny moment with the self-obsessed Dr. Simpson—whose swatting abilities are truly supernatural.
“A Nightmare on State Street” begins with Shawn and Gus stopping at a gas station late at night. As Shawn proclaims his confidence in being able to solve the case before he gets back to the car with snacks, Gus laments that he can’t sleep due to a recent breakup with his girlfriend, Emmanuelle (Kali Hawk). Things take a turn when Shawn leaves Gus alone in the car: zombies emerge from the grass around him and begin a brutal and truly frightening attack (even turning Curt Smith into a zombie in the process).
Luckily, all this is just a dream. Gus wakes in the care of Dr. Simpson (Bruce Campbell), for better or for worse, and this is when the comedy really hits its stride. Juxtaposed nicely with the horrific imagery just a second before, Gus gets slapped back into reality (literally), creating a jarring tonal whiplash. By being self-aware as to the sudden tonal shift, Psych capitalizes on the strangeness of snapping Gus out of his nightmare and into a funny moment with the self-obsessed Dr. Simpson—whose swatting abilities are truly supernatural.
This first scene actually takes place much later in the storyline, just before Shawn cracks the case—a case that isn’t given to the duo until after Gus’ first dream therapy session. This non-linear style of storytelling isn’t obvious at first, and once the episode circles back to the beginning, following the course of events in a linear sense can be confusing. This creates the feeling of uncertainty in the viewer, placing us firmly in Gus’ shoes: we are all just as helpless and scared as he is.
Nightmares, and dreams in general, often incorporate events, feelings, and details from the waking world into the dream world, and Psych also replicates this, even in the tiniest of details. When Gus freaks out due to Shawn’s disappearance, thinking that this moment might be another nightmare, Shawn pops up again and expresses his confusion and frustration with Gus shouting at him when he only wanted to go to the bathroom. Later, in dream sequences, Shawn will often take the opportunity to duck out of a scene using a trip to the bathroom as an excuse. In a particularly gruesome nightmare later on, Gus runs from a horde of zombies and barricades himself in the bathroom, where he finds zombie-Shawn, having just used the toilet. The way that Gus’ dreams replicate his real life makes determining a nightmare from reality all the more difficult.
“A Nightmare on State Street” Plays Around with Lighting and Saturation
The second dream sequence that merges with what Gus perceives to be reality shows him and Shawn driving with their client Zach (Dean Cameron). The scene begins with gray lighting and grainy footage, almost like the style of an old horror movie. The viewer immediately guesses (correctly) that this is another nightmare, and knowing that something scary will happen soon allows the fear to build.
This same sequence incorporates several staple clichés often seen in horror films, like random creepy dolls placed strategically around the house that Gus escapes into. When Gus sees the final clown doll at the top of a staircase, rocking slowly in a tiny creaking rocking chair with ghoulish music playing in the background, he even looks directly at the camera, as if to convey that he too recognizes how much like a horror movie his life has become, before devolving into high-pitched squeals of fright.
The episode often weaves these visual gags and jokes into their truly chilling imagery and horror homage, often giving Gus the opportunity to scream, which he does in his typical hilarious Gus-like fashion. Even while Lassie and his new partner Brannigan (Mira Sorvino) are being ripped apart by zombies, they take the opportunity to make a joke about legalizing marijuana or drop pop culture references and quotes.
Dulè Hill’s Performance Brings This Episode Fully to Life
Gus has always been a staple of Psych’s comedy, and this episode really lets him shine, bringing manic terrified energy that is both sympathetic and something to laugh at. (As if to illustrate this point, Shawn, who sits in on one of Gus’ dream therapy sessions, can’t help but laugh along with Dr. Simpson when Gus reacts to imagined dodgeballs in his sleep.) Gus has the unique skill of being hilarious while simultaneously being terrified, and his fourth-wall break during the creepy doll scene is just the beginning.
While most of the episode is dedicated to good spooky fun at Gus’ expense (complete with references and jokes baked into the truly frightening horror sequences), there’s also the real-life mystery to solve. The case itself serves as the episode’s B-plot, which is an interesting change from Psych’s usual formula. Instead of using the case as the A-plot, “A Nightmare on State Street” uses Gus’ character arc as its main focus.
At first, Gus assumes that his nightmares are due to losing Emmanuelle, but Dr. Simpson quickly puts the blame on Shawn instead. Throughout the course of the episode, Gus goes from assuming that the breakup is the cause of his problems to thinking that the real problem is the fear of Shawn abandoning him or putting him in danger by taking dangerous cases, until ending the episode on a more uncertain note.