| Carlton Lassiter | |
|---|---|
| Psych character | |
Timothy Omundson as Carlton Lassiter |
|
| First appearance | "Pilot" |
| Created by | Steve Franks and Andy Berman |
| Portrayed by | Timothy Omundson |
| Information | |
| Nickname(s) | Lassy, Booker, Carlito Lassiteros, Lassidophilus, Binky, Cory, Detective Dipstick, Old Penguin from Happy Feet, Scarecrow, Mr. Bean, Tony Randall, Barnaby Jones, Lassy face, Mr. Bond, Dapper Dan, Count Chocula,Lhasa apsos |
| Gender | Male |
| Occupation | Santa Barbara Police Head Detective |
| Family | Mother Lauren Lassiter (younger sister) Brother |
| Spouse(s) | Victoria (divorced) |
| Significant other(s) | Lucinda Barry (2006) Marlowe Viccellio (2011–present) |
| Relatives | Peter (nephew) Muscum T. Lassiter (great-great-grandfather) Raul (brother-in-law) Irving Parker (ex-father-in-law) |
Head Detective Carlton Lassiter is a character in the American dramedy Psych played by Timothy Omundson.
Carlton Lassiter is a ten-year veteran of the Santa Barbara Police Department, and the youngest Head Detective ever named to the force. He also has a Masters Degree in Criminology. He has a tense relationship with Shawn Spencer, that often leads to hilarious situations. According to Lassiter's blog, which is written by actor Timothy Omundson, he was a close friend of the former Santa Barbara police chief, who led him to enroll in the police academy during a "dangerous point" in Lassiter's youth.[1]
Upon his first appearance in the series pilot, Lassiter is said to be five months into a trial separation from his wife, Victoria, although he later, when drunk, confesses that they have in fact been separated for two years.[2] Part of their marriage troubles appears to stem from a disagreement over the matter of children. Lassiter says his wife believes that he does not want children, although this is not the case.[3] Omundson says that, despite Lassiter's long estrangement from his wife, it would likely be very hard for him to admit that the marriage is over because "that means admitting failure, and Lassiter will never admit to failure."[4] During the pilot, Lassiter is involved in a secret romance with his partner, Detective Lucinda Barry (Anne Dudek); however, soon after Shawn Spencer correctly determines the nature of their relationship, Barry is transferred and the affair appears to have ended. She is replaced by Junior Detective Juliet O'Hara.
Eventually, Lassiter's wife asks him to dinner, something he thinks points to a reconciliation for them, but in truth she simply wants to give him divorce papers. Saddened but resigned, he signs them, telling her he's going to let go of the past and think of the future without her. She tells him she will never stop loving him, even though they are divorced.[5]
It is revealed in Lassiter's blog that he has a sister named Lauren, who appears in season 5 episode "Dead Bear Walking", played by April Bowlby. Lauren visits Lassiter to film a documentary about police work. After meeting Shawn and Gus, she is impressed by their methods and decides to film them instead, which irritates Lassiter. After seeing Lassiter one-upped by Shawn and Gus again, Lauren shares with them that she looked up to Lassiter when she was growing up, and says that he may not be the man she thought he was after all. With a little help from Shawn, Lassiter is able to solve the case which restores his view in Lauren's eyes. She tells Lassiter that she is proud of him. Other family members include a missing brother who may or may not be in South America, a brother-in-law named Raul, a nephew named Peter, and an overbearing mother and grandmother. He also has a dad, but it has not been revealed if he is alive or not. In the episode "High Noon(ish)" it is said that Lassiter's mother never had time to take care of him and dropped him off at Old Sonora, a tourist western town, every weekend. Additionally, it is revealed in the episode "Weekend Warriors" that Lassiter is an avid Civil War buff who actively participates in reenactments.
In the fifth season episode "Not Even Close... Encounters" it is shown that Lassiter has a physical "crap list" from which he removes Shawn's dad Henry. People on the list include Hillary Clinton (twice), Carley Simon [sic], Chris Tucker, Olympia Dukakis, Shawn Spencer [sic], Tyne Daly (with whom Omundson costarred in Judging Amy), Rick Sanchez, Marco Sanchez, Mark Sanchez, and many other names including his mother and the "Check out Girl @ the A+P" (may be an old grudge as there are no A+Ps in California anymore). Along with Henry's, some other names are crossed out, which may include Hillary Swank. Henry's name is immediately put back on the list after he is shown it and says Lassiter "disturbs" him.
Lassiter is a Republican, having punched Shawn in the face when he said that Ronald Reagan was a terrible president (after he refused when Shawn asked him to punch him because he was undercover). He has the theme song of the show Cops as his ringtone.
He generally distrusts Shawn and does not believe that he is psychic as he claims to be, but has come to have a grudging respect for his investigation skills, something he admits in one episode while drunk.[6] Omundson describes his character's animosity towards Shawn as stemming from the fact that Lassiter has worked hard to climb the chain of command and become good at his job. However, Lassiter is rarely seen to solve cases, and tends to draw obvious conclusions, when Shawn seeks for a stranger explanation, which turns out to be right. Lassiter is very protective of his partner, Juliet O'Hara, even promising during a polygraph examination to physically hurt Shawn if he emotionally hurts O'Hara. Omundson says that while Shawn and Gus' increasing presence in police investigations is a great annoyance to Lassiter, "I think, secretly, he doesn't mind them too much because it always gives him a nice challenge."[7] Overall his entire life seems to revolve around work, where in any other situation his personality tends to creep people out. Even his casual outfit is what he wears to work, just wearing different shoes.
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