American Duos
Encyclopedia
"American Duos" is the first episode of the second season
of Psych
, and is the 16th episode overall.
shows sets up shop in Santa Barbara
, the requisite cruel British judge Nigel St. Nigel (Tim Curry
) finds himself in a panic after a series of near-miss attempts on his life and hires Santa Barbara's most reliable psychic detective
to protect him. Nigel believes that the police are in on the conspiracy, so to protect him Shawn and Gus go undercover on American Duos. While exiting his trailer, Nigel is stopped by Shawn before he walks in an electrified puddle when Shawn notices a live wire in the puddle. Shawn then stops Nigel from eating a specially ordered sandwich when he notices that the toothpicks aren't the ones the hotel uses. When the toxicology report comes back from the police, it turns out the sandwich was poisoned with Emilina's prescription drugs.
The culprit turns out to be repeat contestant Bevin Rennie Llywellen (Perrie), who would flop on purpose in spite of his amazing singing voice, for the sake of being able to audition in another city should his attempt on Nigel's life fail in the current city. The plan was orchestrated by Zapato (Dulce), one of the other judges. Zapato was a Latin pop star and singer of "Mírame," whose comeback was ruined by Nigel, who would never let him speak during the judging -- Nigel actually believed Zapato could not talk or think at all. Zapato was so overshadowed by Nigel he even received fan mail addressed to other Latin artists such as Ricky Martin
. After this revelation, Nigel is not shocked, and becomes an even bigger jerk, calling Zapato the "worst murderer ever."
, who plays Shawn Spencer, co-wrote this episode. It is a send up of American Idol, and Tim Curry plays the Simon Cowell
-esque British judge Nigel St. Nigel. Gina Gershon
plays Emilina Saffron, who is a caricature of Paula Abdul
. In the episode, Gus says (of Randy Jackson
), "That guy's not black, he's Latino. There's a difference," comparing Jackson and the third Duos judge, Zapato. According to Roday, "American Duos" has the highest production values of any Psych episode.
He said that the two stars kept the "show moving at all times," but that "American Duos" poor writing made Psych' s Friday night partner Monk
look like Seinfeld
.
Psych (season 2)
The second season of Psych originally aired in the United States on USA Network from July 13, 2007 to February 15, 2008. It consisted of 16 episodes. James Roday, Dulé Hill, Timothy Omundson, Maggie Lawson, and Corbin Bernsen reprised their roles as the main characters, and Kirsten Nelson joined...
of Psych
Psych
Psych is an American detective comedy-drama television series created by Steve Franks and broadcast on USA Network. It stars James Roday as Shawn Spencer, a young crime consultant for the Santa Barbara Police Department whose "heightened observational skills" and impressive detective instincts...
, and is the 16th episode overall.
Plot synopsis
When the latest incarnation of American IdolAmerican Idol
American Idol, titled American Idol: The Search for a Superstar for the first season, is a reality television singing competition created by Simon Fuller and produced by FremantleMedia North America and 19 Entertainment...
shows sets up shop in Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara, California
Santa Barbara is the county seat of Santa Barbara County, California, United States. Situated on an east-west trending section of coastline, the longest such section on the West Coast of the United States, the city lies between the steeply-rising Santa Ynez Mountains and the Pacific Ocean...
, the requisite cruel British judge Nigel St. Nigel (Tim Curry
Tim Curry
Timothy James "Tim" Curry is a British actor, singer, composer and voice actor, known for his work in a diverse range of theatre, film and television productions. He currently resides in Los Angeles, California....
) finds himself in a panic after a series of near-miss attempts on his life and hires Santa Barbara's most reliable psychic detective
Shawn Spencer
Shawn Spencer is a fictional character on the American television dramedy Psych played by American actor James Roday. Taking advantage of his eidetic memory, he poses as a psychic and works as a private detective who often consults with the Santa Barbara Police Department...
to protect him. Nigel believes that the police are in on the conspiracy, so to protect him Shawn and Gus go undercover on American Duos. While exiting his trailer, Nigel is stopped by Shawn before he walks in an electrified puddle when Shawn notices a live wire in the puddle. Shawn then stops Nigel from eating a specially ordered sandwich when he notices that the toothpicks aren't the ones the hotel uses. When the toxicology report comes back from the police, it turns out the sandwich was poisoned with Emilina's prescription drugs.
The culprit turns out to be repeat contestant Bevin Rennie Llywellen (Perrie), who would flop on purpose in spite of his amazing singing voice, for the sake of being able to audition in another city should his attempt on Nigel's life fail in the current city. The plan was orchestrated by Zapato (Dulce), one of the other judges. Zapato was a Latin pop star and singer of "Mírame," whose comeback was ruined by Nigel, who would never let him speak during the judging -- Nigel actually believed Zapato could not talk or think at all. Zapato was so overshadowed by Nigel he even received fan mail addressed to other Latin artists such as Ricky Martin
Ricky Martin
Enrique "Ricky" Martín Morales , better known as Ricky Martin, is a Puerto Rican and Spanish pop singer and actor who achieved prominence, first as a member of the Latin boy band Menudo, then as a solo artist since 1991.During his career he has sold more than 60 million album copies worldwide...
. After this revelation, Nigel is not shocked, and becomes an even bigger jerk, calling Zapato the "worst murderer ever."
Production
Star James RodayJames Roday
James Roday is an American actor and screenwriter. He currently stars on the USA Network series Psych as hyper-observant consultant detective and fake psychic Shawn Spencer.-Personal life:...
, who plays Shawn Spencer, co-wrote this episode. It is a send up of American Idol, and Tim Curry plays the Simon Cowell
Simon Cowell
Simon Phillip Cowell is an English A&R executive, television producer, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is known in the United Kingdom and United States for his role as a talent judge on TV shows such as Pop Idol, The X Factor, Britain's Got Talent and American Idol...
-esque British judge Nigel St. Nigel. Gina Gershon
Gina Gershon
Gina L. Gershon is an American film, television and stage actress, singer and author, known for her roles in the films Cocktail , Showgirls , Bound , Best of the Best 3: No Turning Back , Face/Off , The Insider , Demonlover , Category 7: The End of the World , P.S...
plays Emilina Saffron, who is a caricature of Paula Abdul
Paula Abdul
Paula Julie Abdul is an American singer-songwriter, dancer, choreographer, actress and television personality.In the 1980s, Abdul rose from cheerleader for the Los Angeles Lakers to highly sought-after choreographer at the height of the music video era before scoring a string of pop music-R&B hits...
. In the episode, Gus says (of Randy Jackson
Randy Jackson
Randall Darius "Randy" Jackson is an American bassist, singer, record producer, music manager, A&R executive, entrepreneur, and television personality. He is best known as a judge on American Idol and executive producer for MTV's America's Best Dance Crew...
), "That guy's not black, he's Latino. There's a difference," comparing Jackson and the third Duos judge, Zapato. According to Roday, "American Duos" has the highest production values of any Psych episode.
Reception
Richard Keller of TVSquad.com felt that the first half of "American Duos" was stronger and produced more laughs than the second. Keller also thought that the case was weak, and took a backseat to the other events in the episode. Sheldon A. Wiebe of Eclipse Magazine gave the episode a B+. He felt that part of the mystery was easy for viewers to solve, but that determining both killers was difficult.He said that the two stars kept the "show moving at all times," but that "American Duos" poor writing made Psych
Monk (TV series)
Monk is an American comedy-drama detective mystery television series created by Andy Breckman and starring Tony Shalhoub as the titular character, Adrian Monk. It originally ran from 2002 to 2009 and is primarily a mystery series, although it has dark and comic touches.The series debuted on July...
look like Seinfeld
Seinfeld
Seinfeld is an American television sitcom that originally aired on NBC from July 5, 1989, to May 14, 1998, lasting nine seasons, and is now in syndication. It was created by Larry David and Jerry Seinfeld, the latter starring as a fictionalized version of himself...
.