EPISODE

12. Cloudy... With a Chance of Murder

Shawn's motorcycle has been impounded, so he and Gus go down to the courthouse to pay the ticket and free the bike. While there, Shawn notices a sweet woman picking up a piece of trash in the hallway. Back at the Psych office, Shawn sees the same woman, Sandra Panitch, on TV. It turns out, she's on trial for the brutal murder of a favorite local TV weatherman, Jackson Hale. She is accused of having sex with him at the studio, then bludgeoning him over the head. But from what Shawn saw of her earlier, he's immediately convinced of her innocence. And from what he sees on TV now, he knows her bumbling, insecure lawyer, Adam Hornstock, needs their help to win the case.

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THIS ENTRY’S STORY

The story

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Plot summary

While visiting the courthouse to get his impounded motorcycle, Shawn notices a woman pick up and throw away a piece of trash. While watching TV, Shawn discovers the woman is accused of murdering a weatherman. He is already convinced that she is innocent. Shawn and Gus get jobs as legal consultants for the woman's defense in order to investigate. In a visit to the weather station, they find a number of suspects. They appear for the beginning of the trial, and find detectives Lassiter and O'Hara to be helping the district attorney in the case.

The DA presents a video of the murder, which seemingly confirms that the woman is guilty. Shawn takes the video to Henry's house, who gives him advice on the case. After repeatedly viewing the tape, Shawn notices a small detail to prove his client's innocence. He presents this in court, and gets a full confession from the true killer. Note: The episode would later be remade in the final season episode "Remake A.K.A. Cloudy... With a Chance of Improvement". According to series star James Roday, the cast and crew considered it to be one of the weaker episodes of the series, citing the lack of the humour compared to the rest of the series. As a result, the episode was completely redone to improve on those issues.

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Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Psych season 1. HTML formatting and reference markers removed.

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