From the Earth to the Starbucks

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“From the Earth to the Starbucks”
Psych episode

Episode no.	Season 1 Episode 10
Guest stars	Richard Kind, Tamara Mello, Nicole Lyn, Ryan Robbins
Written by	Steve Franks
Directed by	Michael Zinberg
Production no.	1010
Original airdate	January 26, 2007
Episode chronology
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"Forget Me Not"	"He Loves Me, He Loves Me Not, He Loves Me, Oops He's Dead"

From the Earth to the Starbucks is the 10th episode of Season 1 of the USA network television dramedy Psych.

1 Plot Synopsis
2 Notes
3 Allusions
4 Trivia

[edit] Plot Synopsis

Spoiler warning: Plot and/or ending details follow.

In 1987, Shawn and Gus wait in line to buy candy at a grocery store. Despite not having enough money to buy what he wants, and after failing to con Gus into giving up his change, Shawn winds up being the store-chain's 1,000,000th customer. He wins a new bicycle and gift certificates, which he uses to buy all the candy he wants.

In 2007 ("twenty charmed years later"), Shawn goes on a date to Tom Blair's Pub with a girl (Tamara Mello) he met that day, who had broken up with her boyfriend Ray the day before for presumably cheating. Shawn quickly deduces that Ray had not been having an affair, but going through the process of getting ready to propose. While Shawn's date calls her ex, Shawn wanders the bar and finds a drunken Detective Lassiter alone, "celebrating" the second anniversary of his separation from his wife. In his stupor, Lassiter confesses to being astounded by Shawn's deductive reasoning, and admits to feeling inferior because he can't prove his suspicion that astronomer Bryant Vallery was murdered six months prior. The detective offers Shawn his handcuffs before promptly passing out, at which point Shawn learns from his "date" that she is now engaged to Ray.

When Shawn mentions the encounter to Lassiter the next morning, the detective denies that any conversation took place or that he was at the Pub at all. Shawn then tells Gus that they have to solve the Vallery case in secret while making Lassiter think that he solved the murder in order to restore Lassiter's self-confidence. Despite Gus's protests, Shawn interviews the victim's widow in Interim Chief Vick's office and learns that Bryant's behavior had changed toward the beginning of the previous summer, when he and his friend Hugo had been granted access to a digital telescope at the Santa Barbara Space Center. She also admits to suspecting her late husband of having had an affair.

After escorting Bryant's widow out, Shawn is waylaid by Junior Detective Juliet O'Hara, who rebukes the psychic for impersonating an officer. When Shawn expresses his desire to help Lassiter solve the cold case and boost his professional esteem, however, O'Hara agrees to help. At the Psych offices, Shawn ruminates on the fact that his father hasn't been answering the phone, until Gus discovers the casefile from the Vallery investigation and chastises Shawn for taking a free case when Gus has another job for which to prepare. Shawn assures Gus that he'll be interested because the victim was an astronomer, revealing that he has been "sharpen[ing] and refin[ing his] tailing skills" by following Gus to the observatory every Thursday afternoon around two.

Gus heads to the Space Center, attempting to lose Shawn on the way only to find Shawn already working undercover as an employee at the observatory. Shawn enlists Gus to distract a janitor so that he can interview "planetarium girl"; when Gus refuses to let Shawn grill the girl — Jessica (Nicole Lyn) — Shawn discovers that Gus has been visiting the observatory to flirt rather than learn. Gus informs Shawn that Jessica just broke up with her boyfriend, and that his courtship therefore requires a degree of finesse; when Jessica approaches, then, Shawn spins a string of mistruths to make Gus seem more attactive. Shawn also offers to cover for Jessica's planetarium show in order to give her and Gus time to get to know each other.

At SBPD headquarters, O'Hara delivers the Vallery casefile to Lassiter; she informs him that she finished the follow-up with the victim's widow as per Lassiter's "instructions," and that his "suspicion" of the victim's potential affair was corroborated by the widow's suspicion. Despite not remembering giving those instructions or having those suspicions, Lassiter launches back into the case. At the planetarium, Shawn, under the alias Aurora Borealis, gives an ad-libbed and astoundingly inaccurate presentation about the Universe — or "Infinitum Staroctopussium" — shooing the janitor, Vernon (Ryan Robbins), in the process.

Shawn leaves the planetarium audience with an automated show and follows Vernon to catch the janitor stealing from the locker room. Shawn then sneaks into the observatory and finds Hugo (Richard Kind) adjusting the digital telescope. Hugo enlists Shawn's help, and Shawn notices a torn page in one of the observation logbooks as Hugo rambles about the technicalities and nature of his job, as well as the unfortunate passing of Bryant. Outside the planetarium, Jessica admits to Gus that she just wants to know that she made a difference; they soon arrive at the planetarium 45 minutes after the start of the four-minute show to find the presentation still running. Shawn then leads disoriented audience out into the hallway.

Outside, Shawn tells Gus about Hugo and Gus reveals that he got Jessica's phone number and set up a date for the next night. At SBPD headquarters, Lassiter leaves the office to get a second opinion on Vallery's autopsy from a cardiologist friend of his; moments later, Shawn and Gus learn from O'Hara that Vallery's cellphone records show a history of late-night calls to one number: Jessica's.

At the Space Center, Gus and Shawn discuss Jessica's possible motives for murder while sneaking into the observatory with Vernon's help. There, they find that the missing page of the logbook covered the hour between 8:39pm and 10:42pm on the night of June 21st; they also learn from Vernon that Hugo brought coffee for everyone every morning. Outside the observatory, they run into Jessica, who reschedules her date with Gus to 6:30 that evening; in the parking lot, they pass Hugo coming into work with a locked strongbox containing tracking readouts.

With Hugo at the Space Center, Shawn and Gus investigate his residence, finding a strange purple flower planted in the vegetable garden in the backyard. Shawn pulls one of the flowers and heads to his father's house, where he finds that Henry has been ignoring the phone to spend time with Sylvia, a woman he met on the internet. Horrified, Shawn drops the flower on the porch and leaves with Gus.

At SBPD headquarters, O'Hara gets a call from Shawn informing her of the missing logbook page, then hangs up to learn from Lassiter that Vallery had opened a safe deposit box in June; O'Hara mentions the June 21st date, commenting that Lassiter "mentioned" it at some point. At the Psych offices, Gus prepares for his date with Jessica, but refuses to wear the wire that Shawn suggests. At Stearns Wharf, Gus learns about Jessica's relationship with Vallery, and discovers that Bryant and Hugo had discovered an extrasolar planet about six months prior. Shawn suddenly reveals himself on the pier, having tailed Gus and Jessica; he celebrates the discovery of a motive and the elimination of Jessica as a suspect before Jessica storms off.

At the Space Center observatory, Hugo holds a press-conference to announce the discovery of an extrasolar planet, at 9:55pm on June 21st, which he dedicates to Bryant Vallery. Shawn and Gus watch until Shawn gets a call from Henry, who chastises Shawn for leaving the flower on his porch; Henry informs Shawn that the plant was foxglove, which Gus informs him contains the medicinal chemical digitalis. Shawn tries to arrange to meet Henry at Tom Blair's Pub on Friday, but Henry has a date; Shawn tells him to forget it and hangs up. Gus further informs Shawn that, while digitalis is prescribed to treat heart conditions, it can cause toxicity in someone without a heart condition, and the chemical would not show up on an autopsy unless specifically tested for.

Lassiter and O'Hara arrive as the press conference continues and informs Shawn and Gus that Vallery had intended to take full credit for the discovery, thus providing motive to Hugo. Shawn asks Lassiter about the poison, and Lassiter admits to suspecting poison; Shawn offers to "read [his] innermost thoughts," and suggests that Lassiter check the garden behind Hugo's house. He obliquely makes reference to Prince to lead Lassiter to the color purple, then cautiously guides the detective to the realization that the toxin had been administered very slowly over time in Vallery's tea. Lassiter instructs O'Hara to get a new toxicology report to test for traces of digitalis, then arrests Hugo during his press conference.

The next day, Lassiter arrives at headquarters to wide admiration. He pulls Shawn aside and asks if he mentioned his wife at Tom Blair's; Shawn admits that he had, and Lassiter admits that he thinks he had help on the Vallery case. Shawn tells Lassiter that the truly great detectives are the ones who know how to accept that help, and admits that Lassiter astounds him. O'Hara informs them that the press are waiting to interview Lassiter, who admits that sometimes he astounds himself.

At Tom Blair's Pub on Friday, Shawn arrives to find Henry waiting at the bar, having called off his date with Sylvia because he "didn't want to hurt [Shawn's] feelings." Father and son share an awkward drink.

[edit] Notes

Nicole Lyn, who plays Jessica, is married to Dulé Hill, who plays Gus; Lyn had previously guest-starred in three episodes of The West Wing with Hill ("Debate Camp," "Guns Not Butter," and "Inauguration, Part I")
Interim Chief Karen Vick is seen walking in the background with Carlton Lassiter when Shawn and Gus are talking to Juliet.

[edit] Allusions

The episode title refers to the arcane phrase "non est ad astra mollis e terris via" ("there is no easy way from the earth to the stars") written by Seneca the Younger. It also alludes to the similarly astronomically-themed titles of a Jules Verne novel and a 12-part HBO miniseries named after it entitled From the Earth to the Moon.
Shawn's shortened nickname for Detective Lassiter refers to the famous Rough Collie.
Shawn's declaration — that they will solve the case by 10:01pm on Friday — is a self-reflexive reference to the episodes airdate and time.
When Gus points in Shawn's face, Shawn compares him to American actor Vincent Gallo.
Shawn compares Gus to American actor Don Cheadle.
Shawn refers the 1978 film version of the Jim Jacobs/Warren Casey play Grease when he compares himself to Kenickie and likens Gus to Danny Zuko-portrayer John Travolta.
Gus makes reference to the recent decision to discount Pluto as a planet.
Shawn leads Lassiter to the foxglove in Hugo's garden by obliquely referencing Prince.

[edit] Trivia

The source of Lassiter's animosity toward Shawn — which had waned of late — is finally revealed in a drunken confession: he envies Shawn's impeccable ability, with no official training, to solve crimes that Lassiter, with his investigative training, cannot.
Lassiter mentions having captured the "Back Bay Killer," but discovers that the case was broken by an anonymous tip from Shawn. The killer likely stalked the Newport Beach area, since a Back Bay Drive follows the length of the Upper Newport Bay.
Shawn cannot hold his arm up at the elbow for more than a few seconds without losing circulation in his fingers.
Shawn has a recurring dream in which he is flying over Auckland on the back of a swan made primarily of cocoa, whose name is Clem. Or perhaps he just made that up.
The scenes at the "Santa Barbera Space Center" were actually filmed at the H.R. MacMillan Space Centre.
Some of the constellations that make up Shawn's "Infinitum Staroctopussium" include One With a Guy Holding Some Sort of Thing, the Olympic Rings (all seven of them), One With a Fish, The Hammer of Jeff, and Monkey With Rash.
Ray's phone number is (805) 555-0161.
Jessica's phone number is (805) 555-0199.
The song that is played in the bar at the opening and closing is "Middle of Nowhere" by Hot Hot Heat, on the album "Elevator".