I loved the yang saga. I mean it was Psych. A show that doesn’t take itself too serious and I think for all the stupidity and childish tone of the show this was one of the most serious and well handled plots
I liked it for the most part too, and make no mistake, I still absolutely adore Psych on the whole regardless. I just couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that the Yang saga fellshort of what it potentially could have been because there were a few things not properly ironed out.
@@lerdyvision I know psych inside and out. I usually get "heated" when criticism is poor and wrong. Not this time though, I thought the SantaBarbaratown I believe this saga was its HIGH point. Yang was not my favorite but it was good. I wish it stopped after mary was killed 🥺
@@lerdyvision Is it possible that the events with Yang in Psych the musical are non canon because her story was supposed to have been concluded in Yang 3 in 2D when she was sent back to jail seemingly for good. Like I doubt the police would’ve wanted anything else to do with her after that
I would have loved it if Yin and Yang were a more overt parallel of Henry and Shawn. Yin training Yang to be the ultimate criminal, learning various skills that makes these near-omnipotent puzzles possible - direct foils to Henry training the ultimate detective. Maybe there could be deeper ties to Henry as well. Maybe the reason he was so adamant in training Shawn was in response to Mr. Yin's past murders, still unsolved. To put icing on the cake, the YinYang duo could have their own flashback "close your eyes" type of scene, but instead of scanning the crowd for criminals, they could be scanning for victims. How many security cameras are there? What pieces of evidence could we leave behind? etc. etc.
Wow that would have been really cool, great idea. We do have Shawn having a "shadow" in the form of Declan but to have that idea reach its full potential would be awesome. Maybe something down the road for Movie 4?
This is exactly where I thought they were going with the YinYang plot it was also interesting that they both ended up rebelling against the person who trained them and where as Shawn eventually found peace with his father, Yang killed Yin. I do wish they had shown Yang witnessing one of Shawn and Henry’s lessons instead of him just riding by on a bike though. It would have helped support the idea that she saw a parallel of herself is Shawn and her obsession with him would have made more sense.
@@ShadowWolfKidI was thinking something kinda like this. Where they see Shawn doing his training and decide to watch him to see if he’ll be come a cop to challenge him later, but then as they watch him Yang grows her unhealthy obsession with him and then in the third episode Yin could explain that he now wanted to kill Shawn cause he chose Shawn at the young age and then Yang betrayed him for Shawn and he kinda blames himself for that and decides to kill Shawn and Gus out of revenge and anger
@@lerdyvision In a way they kinda did go that route. Meeting Sean and his mom was Yang's first clue that family life didn't have to be cruel and abusive, and so the prospect of hurting them is what finally gave her the strength to defy her father. Yin's anger for Sean is rooted in pure pettiness. He's angry that Sean took his tool away from him.
Was looking for this. I was a huge fan of the Yang episode, but the execution of Yin WAS half baked. The “I never loved you” line was as close as we got, and in stark contrast to Henry, who truly loves Shawn even though Shawn doesn’t always accept it.
You're totally right. I forgot about that and it definitely contextualizes his appearances in The Musical and The Movie more. I still maintain that it's using his funeral to deliver a punch line, but I concede to what you're saying.
@@lerdyvision Highly disagree. It's not a punchline, it's a funny little joke that's also pretty sweet. I mean think of it like this: It's really the only show of respect or gesture of friendship Shawn and Gus have shown him.
I think you made some really good points. I do agree that the yin aspect was a little underwhelming at times, but I think that the reason behind him targeting Shawn actually does make sense. As you said, yin is a genius. He was also the dominant member or the yin/yang duo. In this type of relationship, it is not uncommon for the submissive partner (yang) to look up to or idolize the dominant partner. Though I don’t have any evidence to support this, my hypothesis is that before yang met Shawn when he was a boy, the only person she idolized was yin. Yin most likely liked, if not craved, that idolization. But when Shawn came into the picture, yang shifted at least part of her focus onto him. Yin didn’t appreciate losing all of that attention. He expresses that he didn’t like that yang was so obsessed with Shawn. However, he didn’t feel the need to come after Shawn until after yang was in jail because she was still an accessible pawn to him. But once yang was in jail, he not only lost her idolization but also his ability to use her for his own gain. And to lose that because of the very person who first caused yang to stray from him? Yin wanted payback. Yin wanted to prove that he was smarter than Shawn because Shawn was the only rival for yangs attention. Now, you might be wondering “but what about the fact that he never loved yang?” Yes that is right. He never loved yang. He loved the attention and idolization he got from her (also his easy access to her as she is his own daughter). He wants to take back the idolization he lost, prove he is the smartest in the room, and kill the only person who he saw as competition. Now, I do agree that the plot is not perfect and there are some holes or things that don’t mesh 100%. But I do understand why yang targeted Shawn. However I think this aspect of the storyline is better suited for a show like criminal minds as that show delves more into the psychology of killers, which is the key aspect of the yin revenge storyline. This was a great video!
That's a really cool interpretation of not only the Yin/Yang relationship, but also the "rivalry" of sorts between Shawn and Yin. You had an answer for everything. I kind of wish the show leaned it to something like that. Thanks for your comment and for watching.
I thought it was made clear that Yin is the type to suppress his emotions, "feelings are the enemy of efficiency shawn". That belief doesn't come without experience, like his daughter letting him down. I don't think he loved his daughter so much as he loved what he could mold her into. The parallels between Shawn & yin/yang are clearly between Shawn & his father/Yang & her father. Both Yin & Henry raised their children with the expectation of what they wanted their child to be. Where as Henry accepted that his child wouldn't become what he wanted him to be, he still accepted him for who he was, warts and all. But Yin didn't want that. He wanted to mold a protégé in his image still (Allison Cowley). He didn't want to accept his daughter, and only took her back at the end when he thought he could still mold her. But her unhealthy attachment actually saved him.
The Yin reveal was slightly lackluster, but at the same time I don't think they could've done it any better. By keeping it (mostly) to one episode a season and only for a few seasons, they avoided the trajectory of a more serious show like The Mentalist where the Red John arc took up more time and made the show more serious.
It's pretty clear they were pretty heavily handicapped by it being a formatted TV series with one episode a season dedicated to the plot - and if I was watching it as it came out rather than binging it years later that might have hit me a bit harder - but it is still a bit of a shame. Not enough to ruin Psych as a whole, not at all, but still a shame.
@@lerdyvisionI mean yeah. The yang/yin plot was clearly never meant to be the main part of psych like the serious plot stretching across seasons is so often in other cop shows. It, like many plot points mainly exists either for comedic purposes or in this case to drive forward the character development and relationships of the show. for example Shawns mother coming back into the picture, Juliets breakdown and Lassiters growth, Shawn finally taking something seriously, Gus getting over his fears to some degree etc. It definitely misses the mark a bit, but I always felt like it was more meant as just an exciting season finale and less as an overarching villain.
Good points but I think that it is more of a play on the randomness and of life and the fact that everybody has their own super complex lives, feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Sometimes things happen and there is no rhyme or reason to it especially with psychopaths. That being said I think that Mr. Yin could have been played out better if the first interaction he had with Shawn at the pier had more than just Yin looking back at Abigail and running off.
That's what I really tried to address to 13:42, since Yin's unremarkability and lack of motive could have been very interesting commentary on Shawn's "ideal" life. But if that was the intention, it was pretty underdeveloped in my opinion.
I really think there's something special about it. If you haven't already, take the time to watch the 2 movies that have come out since the show ended.
This going to sound crazy, but every night as i lay down to go to sleep i put on an episode of psych, i only ever skip the yang episodes and gus's dreams episode from season 8. Not great to have bruce campbell fuck with you while youre trying to fall asleep only to end up you yourself having dreams that curt smith is going to be eaten by zombies. I agree yang is brutal
I enjoyed the yang saga. I think what you said at the end about those psychpaths not being special, really hit the nail on the head. I think the emotional cost of the yin and yang episodes were better than the villains. I don't think it was an accident.
I wish there had been tidbits throughout the season leading up to the Yin/Yang episodes. Subtle little one-off scenes that became important clues at the end. Like for Yang. It would've been cool to have Ally Sheedy appear in the background of a scene here or there watching Shaun to go back to and say "AHA! She -was- there watching him the whole time!"
I always assumed the reason Yang was so interested in Shawn was because she wanted a normal life of her own. She never wanted to kill or be like her father, and because of that Yin wanted to take Shawn away from Yang. Even if he didn’t care about his daughter he definitely can get upset that Shawn took something away from him that he felt was his. To me the reason Yin didn’t care about Shawn until after he became a detective was because Yang was ultimately defeated by Shawn. The scene where Yin has the picture of the two of them always felt like he was paying closer attention to the reason she isn’t who he wanted her to be as opposed to caring about Shawn. I do think there’s something’s that could’ve been done better but Yin’s motives felt pretty clear given the subtext.
I was disappointed with the Yang finale because I was sure I had it figured out only for them to go a completely different direction. I was expecting Yin to be a reveal of someone we already knew, not another random celebrity cameo. I actually firmly believed Yin was Woody the Coroner. He told Shawn and Gus he's been playing with dead things since he was a child, told Shawn and Gus how he thought they would die someday and had a funny yet creepy if taken out of context character. Plus as coroner, he has his ear to the ground on all things in the SBPD and has the all the evidence he needs. Also when Yin was masked in the Hitchcock episode, we see their side profile and it's of a heavier set individual, much closer to Woody's build than Peter Weller's.
I feel like they wanted Woody to be Mr Yin, realized that he added a lot to the Psych formula and couldn't afford to lose him, and the copped out by making it a random guy
Hello! I’m pretty sure Yin was originally supposed to be Shawn’s mom, the directors revealed this and said it would’ve taken the show down a darker direction. This part of the comment is a reach but in the first Yang episode, when his mother is in the trapped car, if you look really closely she doesn’t seem nervous at all. And Henry and Shawn’s relationship improves in the preceding episodes, perhaps setting up for that grand reveal but then their relationship worsens before the first Yin episode. (I’m not so sure about that actually,) however the Woody theory also makes a lot of sense!
wow this analysis was beautifully written, and as someone who saw this show when i was 8, 13, 16, and now 20, i learn something new every single time, thank you so much, and thank you to all the "psychos" out there who still watch this show and support these kinds of videos, love you all and hope yall still find this show as enjoyable as me, nowadays.
Personally, I think everything Yin did was to hurt and control Yang. When he noticed she was getting out of hand, he had her go after Shawn, where she let some of her own rules slip for him to win, and once caught, she immediately surrendered so she could be sent to prison and not be used to hurt him anymore. From there, Yin took matters into his own hands until the eventual confrontation where Yang killed him. His final words, "I never loved you", were basically his last shot to hurt her as revenge for unexpected treachery.
I love this saga and the reasons for both of them to go after Shawn actually do make sense, the fact that these two were so close to him and yet he never knew it made it pretty horrifying and suspensful to me.
@@lerdyvision It's not even that. Yin's initial interest was "oh goody another detective who I can break." He failed to realize that Yang's encounter with Shawn and his mom would inspire her to actually defy him. At that point it turned to hatred because how DARE Shawn take his tool away from him.
It's like listening to an epic comedian and then he has a headline show and at the end of a very long joke you feel like you wanted to laugh so hard but the joke wasnt very funny. That was the yang saga. Psych is still the greatest crime solving comedy of all time tho.
You want to talk about a lack luster villain, talk about “The Judge” from the final episodes of Monk. The whole series we’ve been building to this character, only to have the answer given to Monk by his dead wife on a vhc recording he had the whole time.
It makes perfect sense, though. Monk is good enough to have discovered any clues available, the only path forward was something he purposefully avoided because he couldn't let go. Ironic that in order to solve the case and let go of her death, he would have to let go and finally watch the tape. Impossible. It makes sense that he didn't solve it until he was dying.
I like to think that the theory that Yin was originally meant to be Shawn’s mother which tied in more of the connection between him, makes sense in the long run but they changed it to avoid the whole theme changing with the main characters mother being a murderer. I don’t know though.
The only thing I don’t understand is if Alison was out of prison why wouldn’t they alert everyone who was involved in her case the surprise is cool I guess but it makes no sense. The Santa Barbra police had alerted the guy who faked his death’s wife when his associates got out of prison but they won’t tell the detective who had a physical altercation and the guy she was helping to target? All I’m saying is in psych the movie it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Alison was going after them and they should have been alerted.
Ok the thing you said about Shaun and Jules not getting together at the end of the first season being unique is not true I’ve watched enough of these types of shows to know it always take like 4,5,6 season for these couples to start so the writers can milk the build up to the relationship
as much as I really enjoy the Yang Saga I was disappointed with how the episode ended with Yin. I don't know why it just never sat well with me especially with how Yin Presents was. Yin Presents was one of my favorite episodes of the whole series. same with the first episode of the Yang Saga. in a show that's mostly a comedy, I really enjoy the more serious toned episodes like Shawn Gets Shot in The Dark. it gives it more than being just a comedic show. don't get me wrong, I love the comedy of the whole show but I do also really love those episodes and the complete switch in tone.
Thank you very much for saying so! I posted it on r/Psych but found the traction surprisingly low for such a salacious title and premise. However, those that have watched the video have left very nice feedback so that more than makes up for it.
Hey! So as the official biggest psych fan in all states that start with a K (according to a Steve Franks autograph), I thought I should comment on this. Overall, the points you brought up are interesting and, as you said, possible blemishes. I don't disagree with a lot of what you brought up- but I don't 100% agree with it either. To me, the Yang saga was a VERY good story arc. I think Yang's obsession with Shawn is what is meant to be the focal point, not personal connection. with a lot of psychological issues, like the one Yang obviously suffers from, there are certain obsessions you get, that might not be reciprocated. What this whole story was about was a psychopath who got an obsession with a young boy, who ended up being a potential nemesis to her serial killer father. In your video, it can be inferred that you thought that Shawn shouldn't have this big, huge connection with Yang and that it seemed like it was just another case to solve; but that is not what I think. Shawn's life is personally affected by Yang's obsession. The evidence you brought up talks about how their pasts were not really connected, but present events can be just as traumatic and have effects on someone's life as past events. Yin's involvement could have been better, I will admit, but overall, the Yang saga puts even more personality in a show already full of it. It shows the range of the actors and the writers, while still entertaining an audience, all in all better than most shows can do after 8 seasons. P.S. None of this was to discredit your opinions, everyone can think what they want, and you have a great way of explaining that thinking. I'm just here to provide my thoughts and play a bit of devil's advocate. This was a great video.
Hi there, thanks for your thoughtful comment! I wholly welcome you playing devil's advocate on those points, and fully agree that in reality someone with those psychological problems doesn't need very much justification at all to be behaving the way they do. As you note, I view it as narratively unsatisfying personally, but perhaps it's otherwise not fair to suggest that it is unrealistic or the like. Seems like different things about the arc appealed to you compared to what appealed to me, so I'm definitely glad you got what you wanted in that respect! Thankyou for watching the video and providing some valuable insight on such a great television series.
Mr. Yin presents is the best episode of psych, 2nd being the first yang episode. The disappointment comes in the 3rd installment. When Yin reveals himself as no relationship to Shawn at all. I wanted it to be Shawn's mom who had connection to the Police departments as she does psych evaluations and therapy, and the clue in the first yang episode about the answer being at the police station and the first thing he sees is his mom at the station. And for this to bring about a closeness to Shawn and his dad. Ultimately I'm glad they didn't go this route for the series. But it would have been better for the specific yang story arc
One change I would have made would be that when Yin is about to kill Gus Shawn asks "why are you obssessed with me?" Yin at this point gets distracted, ranting about how he's not obsessed with Shawn. Even based on what we see it's clear that Yin is himself rather childish; Shawn indirectly helped his tool finally defy him, and it's heavily implied THAT'S why he hates Shawn. He sees his daughter as his tool and how dare Shawn take his tool away from him
This was very well,done you definitely deserve more subscribers. Only think i wish was that u would talk about the musical more and how it strengthens yangs and shawns relationship. Other than that very well done video new subscriber from me
Thanks a lot! I definitely wanted to touch on Psych: The Musical somewhere in the video to mention how Yang was manipulated in to being a bad guy but I couldn't find a good way to put that in the script without going on a huge tangent. I also thought about mentioning Mary's appearance in The Musical as well but I think his scene in Psych: The Movie was much better narratively. As an aside, I was not a fan of the Mary scene in Lassie Come Home and I think they should have stopped having him come back after the first movie.
Honeslty if psych went darker, and more realistic but keeping the personality of Shawn and Gus and the rest of the characters it would have ran for much longer
@@cptKamina First of all, it didn’t run long enough that’s why they have made three movies since it’s end, people clearly want to see more of it. And having more serious moments and maybe taking a darker turn at times would make the show more diverse and make it better while putting the character in situations where they are out of their comfort zone.
I think its an oversight to say jules and shawn engaging in will-they-wont-they shenanigans was a positive for the show. Most procedurals from the era used the same tropes. The positive aspect of the shenanigans is the way the conflict is framed. S1&2 Juliette is a new cop and can't risk her position for a relationship. S3&4 the two have competing relationships that are natural and seem to be healthy for both of them (Abigail is good for shawn, at least). They get together in S5 but face the most impactful conflict, Shawn's fraud. Its good writing, it highlights how relationships have to be able to withstand conflict to be healthy.
This not so serious tone is what this show is all about. We all wish what someone else created would be greater, that's why everyone always replies "the book is better than the movie". Because it is in your perfect imagination setting.
I get that idea, but that really seems to be a case of Psych trying to have its cake and eat it too in that case. If it wants to keep a not-so-serious tone, then it seems counter-productive to have the kinds of events that occur in the Yang saga like Mary's death, Juliet's kidnapping, etc. There are plenty of examples of over the top characters and settings that don't cross that line in Psych, but you only need to look at Lassiter's expression following the "if that girl dies, you're an accessory to murder" remark and compare it to other ways he chides Shawn to see that this is night and day for Psych. As for comments of "the book is better than the movie" I think a lot of that boils down to how descriptive books can be for pages and pages vs. the runtime of a film, how films need to truncate scenes that some readers may consider vitally important, and how - as you say - some elements don't resemble what the reader has imagined. But there's a lot more to it than simply "this isn't how I pictured it, therefore it's bad."
I don't really have much of an insight about that I'm afraid. We know she never killed any of the people she was blamed for, so it just seems an expedient way to demonstrate that she is a good person who was manipulated by an evil father.
I agree overall that the yin story was weak, but I disagree that yin had insufficient motive here. Yin didn't directly target Shawn in the first place. He was out to defeat the team that bested his apprentice. He needed to win to keep his dominance, and his new apprentice had to help. Serial killers don't need motivation the way other killers do. Yang picked the new opponent, and had she won, yin never would have gotten involved.
That's a great interpretation, I guess I just wish they weren't so wishy-washy with the allusions to Yin being obsessed only to flip the switch and not really explain it clearly.
This is what made the show unique in its own way. I started the show with an expectation that Shawn would mature and he would deal with more mature and heavy themes that the show foreshadowed in the beginning regarding his relationship with Henry, and Gus, his commitment issues, and of course his dealing with the big LIE. Even after he and Juliet came into a relationship, I always thought that there would be a time when he would have to face his real nemesis i.e. his lie that would have had every relationship and development he made throughout the show on the stake... the Big Stake. But strangely enough, that time never came. It really became unpredictable that way. Then I realised that the show was never about serious and heavy themes anyway, it was always about never growing up, holding onto the innocence and ignorance of childhood. In the Yang saga and the one where Shawn was shot, my old expectations got a little hope but that was thrown out of the window before it became reality. It seemed like the showrunners decided to tune up the tension a little but it came off real soon, too soon even. Maybe those sagas were there to change the pace a little, to surprise the audience a little but that was it. Loved the show regardless.
I agree with the fact that Yang 3 in 2D is quite lack luster, but the emotional moments between two bestfriends embracing each other before they think they're about to die are really nice, but that's all for that episode for me. But Mr. Ying Presents is just as good as the first episode. And Mary's murder was a direct homage to the Private Eyes murder in Psycho, with the same camera shot for falling down the stairs the way he did. Mary's death was a good and shocking one, and I love that Mary was gonna use a flare gun to be the hero lol
Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't want to write the episodes off in their entirety. Psych is still Psych, and it's great. Just could have been so much more.
You forget to mention though that there was a murder in every single episode before that s3 Yang episode! The stakes were never lower! But it's presented as the most intense episode they ever made
I always enjoyed the Yin saga, but I thought it would have been better served if there’d been some kind of foreshadowing or build up to S3 finale. Because to me it felt like a kind of jarring tonal shift. And I would have loved to see more of Mary.
If psych gets a reboot ever they should remake remake ep and try to get as much of the og cast back but shuffle all the characters filling in gaps of those that did not or were not able to return
I disagree, Psych definitely earned the Yang saga, every time I watch it, it get better, I discovered something new every time and I actually really liked the last episode Mr Yin 3 in 3D!
I always thought it wouldve been a nice tie in if Yins true anger was towards Henry. Like Henry arrested Yins father, this destroying Yins home life. And his best way to get back at Henry would be through Shawn. And hw was so obsessed with The Spencers that he drug Yand into it, because he talked about it so much Yang couldnt help but be interested in The Spencers. So much so that she Wished her family could be like the Spencers. If for no other reasong because she never got the love from her father due to his 24 hour obsession with Henry and his family. Thus, instesd of fealing anger towards them she became Jealous of them or even, like most kids, she does the opposite of what her parents want her to do. Im no show writer, and the writers from Psych were as good as they come. But, to me personally, the ending of the Yin/Yang trilogy felt rushed. Or maybe a writers disagreement on how they should tie it in. So, they just compromised, and any time you compromise, usually NOBODY really wins. Idk. What do you think about this angle of tying this all together? And idmf you dont like it, whats your idea? Or, is there a way of taking the basis of my idea and improving it? You WILL NOT hurt my feelings one way or the other. I love feedback. Lmk, one way or the other. Chow for now.
Do you all agree that the events with Yang never actually happened in Psych: The Musical, because at the end it’s revealed to be all just a story told by Shawn. Is it possible Yang might have just died while at that place Z was at and Shawn went ahead and cremated her right when he heard about it and saw her body?
I quite liked Peter Weller's performance. He was very strange, and his style and mannerisms felt like in character affectations. Yin didn't really think of himself as being psychotic. I think he saw himself playing the role of psycho out of boredom maybe or for the challenge. He's clearly watched too many movies and chose to adopt a style that reflects them. In truth though I think he's deluding himself and is actually much more emotional and like Yang than he thinks he is. Yang's love for Shawn is a threat to Yin, even if he tries to pretend its not. He also pretends not to be obsessed with Shawn, but that's also clearly not true. He spent whole episodes orchestrating very elaborate crimes just to play with Shawn. Overall the story probably would have been better if they had revealed the photograph earlier, and given more weight to Yin's relationship with Yang and how Shawn inadvertently put himself between them.
I'll always go to bat for Mr. Yin Presents. Especially the funeral scene. The bit with the racquetball there is one of the ultimate underscores to Shawn's need to disassociate himself with any kind of seriousness or maturity. Rather than respectfully see his friend off, he overcompensates and hides his grief in his immaturity with the gag. It's supposed to be at odds with the scene and is 100% in-character for him. While I agree Mr. Yin 3 in 2D is anti-climactic, Yin as presented in MYP is still very good and the bit in the beginning with the waitress that served them being the victim is chilling and a perfect tone-setter. Yang's target was on Shawn, Yin's target being everyone around him is even scarier for the stakes. Everything after MYP is a mess, but the series earned these two episodes.
I love the whole saga, but one problem I have is that Shawn basically only wins vs. Yin bec of Yang. He's sort of on rails the whole episode and doesn't do much to actually keep Yin on the back foot. I don't necessarily think Yin outsmarting Shawn is bad, it does make him an imposing villain, but he already "won" against Shawn once before--Shawn did beat him, but Yin certainly made it a pyrrhic victory--it's a lot less cathartic to have Shawn basically lose and then get lucky. There's the argument that it's like Kira's defeat at the hands of the ambulance: Fate itself is rejecting the villain. However, I think Shawn showing off his deductive reasoning and soundly defeating Yin with Yang's help, rather than throwing the game and getting rescued, would have been a lot more satisfying.
I think Declan would have been the best choice for yin as he's clearly demonstrated to be Shawn's equal but richer and more believable. he would also have a clear draw to Shawn as someone who pulled off a fraud rivaling yin and yang's games. I think the real meat of the conflict could be yang's infatuation and betrayal followed by Juliette falling for him but ultimately choosing Shawn. I think for characters like Declan and yin who have everything, losing to the Shawn's of the world would be unbearable
So I think if the 3rd episode didn’t exist and yin was revealed and captured after the 2nd it would have been better. I always liked all of them but the 3rd did always feel weird
Trying to make a super villain for psyche is sort of silly. The show does not take itself too seriously. And like you said yourself. No matter how hard our hero tries. He never really manages an extra ordinary life. But a mundane with a fun job and good friends.
Great video, but I really don't consider Yin/Yang to be "Shawn's greatest foe(s)" as you describe them to be. Just because their arc took three episodes doesn't mean they're any more/less significant to the show than Deckland or Desperaux, or even Shawn's foils like Lassiter and his father. To me, this was another of the show's many examples of illustrating coincidential luck (which happened a lot in Shawn's case throughout the show), whether to his benefit or downfall. Shawn and/or his loved ones would be dead if Yang hadn't met him by chance all those years ago. On the other hand, Shawn might never have been targeted. At the end of the day, they were just another villain that Shawn happened to have some one in a million connection to. I would argue the status quo of what to expect from the show wasn't changed, and the significance of a three-episode arc doesn't provide enough significance to make Yin/Yang Shawn's "main foes". I'd sooner make the argument that Yin/Yang are Jules' main foes, or even Mary. But not Shawn's. While I could split hairs about when each of the Yin/Yang episodes released, I wouldn't go so far as to say that this trilogy is a "blemish" either. Far from it.
This was a very well put video! I’m my opinion I feel like they balanced the comedy with the action, drama and brilliant storytelling perfectly until around the 5th/6th season. I do feel like they leaned too hard on the crazy humor towards the end instead of the stories that they were initially good at. Nonetheless I agree that the one thing they did right was build meaningful connections among each character 💯
I don’t mind yin’s motivation (I assumed that Yang picked shawn, and now yin can’t stop until he’s defeated shawn. Also, Shawn got his daughter locked up. That must sting his pride) however, the 3rd installment was a bit of a let down. Shawn and Gus’s last moments were great, and I loved Juliet overcoming her trauma from the last season. But the episode itself just needed more, a more clever way to defeat the boss, a more active role in Shawn’s part. I think that is what makes the ending disappointing. Also I think I read Mary differently than you. His death wasn’t heroic, it was tragic and an act of cruelty. He’s basically another victim. I don’t think Shawn liked Mary before his death, he thought Mary was weird, which is exactly why his death made such a big impact on shawn. Watching someone he dismissed and suspected die in an attempt to be a hero really traumatized shawn, which is why Mary pops up in visions and the musical. I honestly really love that. I loved this video! Good job! Let’s always talk about psych more lol
Definitely think they kinda went for a little too much spectacle probably trying to up the stakes and emotion fans got from the the first one however i felt like yin issue with shawn was he was obsessive over yang not out of love or need but to have that power over her and when she focused on shawn over him it made him annoyed that he wasnt the star they definitely could have done the nemsis beginings better though
I always thought that if anyone had bothered to get Yang's real name, the whole thing would've been obvious. Like was she convicted and sentenced as Mr. Yang 😂 I also have to point out that Mary asks Shawn to take care of Ben (his pet mouse) and I think he was sadly left to die because he's never seen again. Lol
I love Peter Weller, so I was underwhelmed by his Yang 3 appearance. I wish he was built up to throughout the season/show. That being said, I love both Evening With Mr Yang and Mr Yin Presents. I felt like the connection to Yang in the Psych the Movie was unnecessary and kinda forced, especially when Zachary Levi's fun villain was reduced to a henchman
To be honest, I assumed the whole Yin thing was a lie. Like she never killed anyone why would she send them on a scavenger hunt to try to stop her father? Why would he give her that much control when he thought she was a failure (and frankly while seeming like a major control freak). And with how unstable/manic she seemed was she even capable of the level of planning and insight that the killer Yang had? Could she have overpowered Juliet to kidnap her (also without Juliet catching on to her gender)? Also doesn’t it sort of ruin the whole theory that they had for the choice of the name Yang in the first episode it came up? Why keep Yin a secret? I assumed he was Yang all along and he chose Shawn because he was getting press and developed a reputation as a case closer. But because of Shawn’s history with his daughter, she stepped in to save his mom by showing up at the end and then turning herself in which also did what she said she wanted but was to weak to do, stop her father. At least for a while. And instead of him taking up the mantle of Yang again, he ruled it a failure and let that identity end with her and picked up a new one as Yin, with the idea that it would be an improved version of himself. So his beef with Shawn comes from losing his assistant, but more so having to walk away from the infamy he had built as Yang and had to start over with a new assistant and new killer modus operandi. Also could have been almost not at all to do with Shawn really. If he was upset with his daughter for ruining his plan, getting arrested, then writing a book taking credit for his crimes, he could have been targeting Shawn and Gus because he knows how she is drawn to them and wanted to punish her for disappointing him. Of course that was just my theory.
So before you get into it, based on what I remember, here’s where I disagree… the purpose was to overtly show how an intellect on par to Shawn’s would go wrong. And usually (if you actually put his IQ into a real person) people with his level would be heavily unstable personality wise, and very low functioning as a human being. Kind of take the Pretender as an example. (Btw they used Broots as a character in the show) Jarod was a special case. His brother became a desensitized killer, and ‘Angelo’ can’t process emotions. So back to Psych, all of the characters involved are highly intelligent, but much more flawed, leave open ended sometimes OBVIOUS clues or loose ends that make it seem lack luster… but in reality, sometimes a genius is so intelligent that they leave stupid things out on the table. That’s my take now I will watch lol
I totally get where you're coming from. But to me, they way it's played out made it seem really... real-life? Let me explain. If the Yin/Yang saga were to be really tied to the story and the characters, sure it would make a great story that had a lot of depth, but having a criminal just exist and be a random person (despite her being present in Shawn's childhood) is more realistic. Some Dude is really good at being a detective, hijinks and shenanigans ensue while also doing good work, Big Bad finds out about Crime Solver, engages in challenges.
Psych the movie: made me very disappointed. They hyped up Zachary Levi like it was going to be a Chuck crossover nearly. Seeing him get three minutes of screen time and then be shot, made me want my money back. Levi was supposed to play Z from psych musical. His initial carried over even though he couldn’t make it. It just felt wrong.
If psych had some sort of mysterious super serial killer a very psych thing to of with it is having it not even be real but a made up “unsolvable crime” shawn made up in the background of the show over the seasons. And after his dad gus and all of em solve it it gets revealed and then he has to pay the bet which is like free food at a diner or whatever. Not having some sort of overarching super murderer just seems like something in theme with the show cause its just a bit different then the rest.
It's a "Dramedy" with multiple times a beloved character or family member is either killed , traumatized or on deaths doorstep also it's obvious you don't have a very good understanding of half a century of American pop culture. Youi missed a whopping amount of references to Hunter S. Thompson and William S. Burroughs both of whom had great influence on midcentury American counter culture movements i.e. The Beatniks and The Hippies. Peter Weller, who played Yin, had more than a passing resemblance to both of those cultural literary icons in looks, mannerisms and voice. Just listen to William S. Burroughs on Laurie Andersons Mister Heartbreak and any Hunter S. Thompson interview. Psych more than earned the Yin/Yang saga - it crushed it! (sound of Beatnik fingers snapping and hippies shouting, "Right on!").
An Evening with Mr. Yang and Mr. Yin Presents were both unique and exhilarating episodes, which made Yang 2 in 3D such a let down. Don't get me wrong, it started out alright, but the last 10 minutes or so are an absolute farce. It's a shame because it could have been a really kool trilogy of episodes inside an already badass show. What should have been a triumphant roar ends up being nothing more than a whimper.
Not that it matters, I was totally on board with the old fan theory that Yin was actually Maggie, Shawn's mother. She was a psychologist who worked closely with the police, even did psych evaluations on detectives who hunted "Mr. Yang" in the first round of killings. Note that the time the first killings were done also coincidentally is around the time Maggie and Henry were having martial problems and she left him. It explained the picture, the caress of said picture, how Yin knew about Shawn's feelings about Abigail and Juliet and even how Abigail was stood up by Shawn in highschool at the pier. I'm not saying it's air tight, I'm just saying I would have been on board if that was the direction the show went with Mr Yin. The reveal would have been huge, it would have impacted the show, Shawn and Henry in ways that could have pushed the show into uncharted territory. Who knows?
They really ruined the yin character......an evening with mr.yang ended perfectly.....Yang is a psychotic lady.....that's super genius.....but yin was unlucky in the scriptwriting part....maybe the show just focused too much on Yang ,they forgot about presenting yin in the right way
I agree with everything. But you said it didn't force romance between Juliet and Shawn, and that's true as well. However I absolutely hated the forced and rushed relationship between Gus and Selene in the movies. Like wth.. Shawn gets full 8 seasons to build upto a marriage, and my man Gus only gets what? Like 3 hours? Holy hell that's unfair. Even Lassie got way, way more emotional of a love story than Gus. Ironic, considering that Lassiter was portrayed as robotic and Gus as a romantic. Almost every other girl that Gus came into a relation with before was better than Selegay.
Seems to me like a symptom of the movies trying to be "Psych: All Grown Up" and so Gus had to have someone as important to him as Juliet is to Shawn - not a bad idea in theory I suppose, but yeah it's executed rather hamfistedly. Lassiter had a really compelling romance actually, and it's a shame that we didn't get to see a hell of a lot of it in Lassie Come Home, but I suspect that was likely a result of Timothy Omundson's reduced abilities as an actor as he was still recovering from a stroke. There's no doubt Gus is being sold short with his romantic subplot.
I didn’t really like the yang story line either, the first episode was okay. But the rest them was kind of off and stupid. It really should have been just a one off storyline.
I love the series, but the weird turn to super serious that the trilogy was continues to be off-putting to me. I see the appeal of it for folks that enjoyed it, but it was decidedly not for me.
Marry absolutely got built to die a heroes death. He's been dealing with yin and yang way longer than shawn has. He's a comedic character, yes, but he's seen so many deaths and fails from these killers. Of course, he wants to beat yin himself in Mr. Yin presents.
The reason Yin chose to be Shawn's nemesis is because Yang chose Shawn. Yin is a narcissist, when Yang not only chose to target Shawn on her own but then lost to Shawn it shook him. Yin taught Yang everything she knew so if someone beat her that means they could beat him so he had to challenge Shawn to prove to himself he was better. He tried putting Shawn in an impossible position and forcing him into a loose loose scenario and Shawn still managed to pull off a tie game; he saved the girls but didn't catch Yin. This drove Yin mad and brought him back once more with his third ploy. And all of his grandstanding at the end the "I don't care about you, that was all Yang" was simply his narcissistic tendencies trying to protect his ego. His last words to Yang as he died are straight out of the narcissist playbook, anyone who's dated an abusive narcissist was probably told the same thing when they finally broke away from their abuser, it's one final play to show they still have power over the person by causing pain
I loved the yang saga. I mean it was Psych. A show that doesn’t take itself too serious and I think for all the stupidity and childish tone of the show this was one of the most serious and well handled plots
I liked it for the most part too, and make no mistake, I still absolutely adore Psych on the whole regardless. I just couldn't help but feel a little disappointed that the Yang saga fellshort of what it potentially could have been because there were a few things not properly ironed out.
@@lerdyvision I know psych inside and out. I usually get "heated" when criticism is poor and wrong.
Not this time though, I thought the SantaBarbaratown I believe this saga was its HIGH point.
Yang was not my favorite but it was good. I wish it stopped after mary was killed 🥺
@@lerdyvision Is it possible that the events with Yang in Psych the musical are non canon because her story was supposed to have been concluded in Yang 3 in 2D when she was sent back to jail seemingly for good. Like I doubt the police would’ve wanted anything else to do with her after that
I would have loved it if Yin and Yang were a more overt parallel of Henry and Shawn. Yin training Yang to be the ultimate criminal, learning various skills that makes these near-omnipotent puzzles possible - direct foils to Henry training the ultimate detective.
Maybe there could be deeper ties to Henry as well. Maybe the reason he was so adamant in training Shawn was in response to Mr. Yin's past murders, still unsolved.
To put icing on the cake, the YinYang duo could have their own flashback "close your eyes" type of scene, but instead of scanning the crowd for criminals, they could be scanning for victims. How many security cameras are there? What pieces of evidence could we leave behind? etc. etc.
Wow that would have been really cool, great idea. We do have Shawn having a "shadow" in the form of Declan but to have that idea reach its full potential would be awesome. Maybe something down the road for Movie 4?
This is exactly where I thought they were going with the YinYang plot it was also interesting that they both ended up rebelling against the person who trained them and where as Shawn eventually found peace with his father, Yang killed Yin. I do wish they had shown Yang witnessing one of Shawn and Henry’s lessons instead of him just riding by on a bike though. It would have helped support the idea that she saw a parallel of herself is Shawn and her obsession with him would have made more sense.
@@ShadowWolfKidI was thinking something kinda like this. Where they see Shawn doing his training and decide to watch him to see if he’ll be come a cop to challenge him later, but then as they watch him Yang grows her unhealthy obsession with him and then in the third episode Yin could explain that he now wanted to kill Shawn cause he chose Shawn at the young age and then Yang betrayed him for Shawn and he kinda blames himself for that and decides to kill Shawn and Gus out of revenge and anger
@@lerdyvision In a way they kinda did go that route. Meeting Sean and his mom was Yang's first clue that family life didn't have to be cruel and abusive, and so the prospect of hurting them is what finally gave her the strength to defy her father.
Yin's anger for Sean is rooted in pure pettiness. He's angry that Sean took his tool away from him.
Was looking for this. I was a huge fan of the Yang episode, but the execution of Yin WAS half baked. The “I never loved you” line was as close as we got, and in stark contrast to Henry, who truly loves Shawn even though Shawn doesn’t always accept it.
Good video. They wore the racquet ball gear at Mary’s funeral because he asked Shawn if there would be racquet ball in heaven when he was dying.
You're totally right. I forgot about that and it definitely contextualizes his appearances in The Musical and The Movie more.
I still maintain that it's using his funeral to deliver a punch line, but I concede to what you're saying.
@@lerdyvision the ending of that episode was heavy enough, a small bit of levity helped keep things from getting too heavy.
@@nygma619 Mary deserved better though
@@nygma619 yeah I thought the racquetball gear was very sweet and totally something Shawn and Gus would do
@@lerdyvision Highly disagree. It's not a punchline, it's a funny little joke that's also pretty sweet.
I mean think of it like this: It's really the only show of respect or gesture of friendship Shawn and Gus have shown him.
I think you made some really good points. I do agree that the yin aspect was a little underwhelming at times, but I think that the reason behind him targeting Shawn actually does make sense. As you said, yin is a genius. He was also the dominant member or the yin/yang duo. In this type of relationship, it is not uncommon for the submissive partner (yang) to look up to or idolize the dominant partner. Though I don’t have any evidence to support this, my hypothesis is that before yang met Shawn when he was a boy, the only person she idolized was yin. Yin most likely liked, if not craved, that idolization. But when Shawn came into the picture, yang shifted at least part of her focus onto him. Yin didn’t appreciate losing all of that attention. He expresses that he didn’t like that yang was so obsessed with Shawn. However, he didn’t feel the need to come after Shawn until after yang was in jail because she was still an accessible pawn to him. But once yang was in jail, he not only lost her idolization but also his ability to use her for his own gain. And to lose that because of the very person who first caused yang to stray from him? Yin wanted payback. Yin wanted to prove that he was smarter than Shawn because Shawn was the only rival for yangs attention. Now, you might be wondering “but what about the fact that he never loved yang?” Yes that is right. He never loved yang. He loved the attention and idolization he got from her (also his easy access to her as she is his own daughter). He wants to take back the idolization he lost, prove he is the smartest in the room, and kill the only person who he saw as competition. Now, I do agree that the plot is not perfect and there are some holes or things that don’t mesh 100%. But I do understand why yang targeted Shawn. However I think this aspect of the storyline is better suited for a show like criminal minds as that show delves more into the psychology of killers, which is the key aspect of the yin revenge storyline. This was a great video!
That's a really cool interpretation of not only the Yin/Yang relationship, but also the "rivalry" of sorts between Shawn and Yin. You had an answer for everything. I kind of wish the show leaned it to something like that. Thanks for your comment and for watching.
He's also a control freak. In his mind Shawn took his tool away from him.
I think you have just convinced me that Yin might be a deep representation of a covert narcissist.
I thought it was made clear that Yin is the type to suppress his emotions, "feelings are the enemy of efficiency shawn".
That belief doesn't come without experience, like his daughter letting him down.
I don't think he loved his daughter so much as he loved what he could mold her into.
The parallels between Shawn & yin/yang are clearly between Shawn & his father/Yang & her father.
Both Yin & Henry raised their children with the expectation of what they wanted their child to be.
Where as Henry accepted that his child wouldn't become what he wanted him to be, he still accepted him for who he was, warts and all.
But Yin didn't want that. He wanted to mold a protégé in his image still (Allison Cowley). He didn't want to accept his daughter, and only took her back at the end when he thought he could still mold her. But her unhealthy attachment actually saved him.
That's a great perspective, I just wish it was elaborated on a lot more than it was.
The Yin reveal was slightly lackluster, but at the same time I don't think they could've done it any better. By keeping it (mostly) to one episode a season and only for a few seasons, they avoided the trajectory of a more serious show like The Mentalist where the Red John arc took up more time and made the show more serious.
It's pretty clear they were pretty heavily handicapped by it being a formatted TV series with one episode a season dedicated to the plot - and if I was watching it as it came out rather than binging it years later that might have hit me a bit harder - but it is still a bit of a shame. Not enough to ruin Psych as a whole, not at all, but still a shame.
@@lerdyvisionI mean yeah. The yang/yin plot was clearly never meant to be the main part of psych like the serious plot stretching across seasons is so often in other cop shows. It, like many plot points mainly exists either for comedic purposes or in this case to drive forward the character development and relationships of the show. for example Shawns mother coming back into the picture, Juliets breakdown and Lassiters growth, Shawn finally taking something seriously, Gus getting over his fears to some degree etc. It definitely misses the mark a bit, but I always felt like it was more meant as just an exciting season finale and less as an overarching villain.
Psych is one of my favorite shows of all time. It really puts the ghee in my butter snaps.
😂😂😂😂😂😂😂
Good points but I think that it is more of a play on the randomness and of life and the fact that everybody has their own super complex lives, feelings, thoughts, and ideas. Sometimes things happen and there is no rhyme or reason to it especially with psychopaths. That being said I think that Mr. Yin could have been played out better if the first interaction he had with Shawn at the pier had more than just Yin looking back at Abigail and running off.
That's what I really tried to address to 13:42, since Yin's unremarkability and lack of motive could have been very interesting commentary on Shawn's "ideal" life. But if that was the intention, it was pretty underdeveloped in my opinion.
I loved this show so much as a teenager.
I really think there's something special about it.
If you haven't already, take the time to watch the 2 movies that have come out since the show ended.
This going to sound crazy, but every night as i lay down to go to sleep i put on an episode of psych, i only ever skip the yang episodes and gus's dreams episode from season 8. Not great to have bruce campbell fuck with you while youre trying to fall asleep only to end up you yourself having dreams that curt smith is going to be eaten by zombies.
I agree yang is brutal
me too.
I enjoyed the yang saga. I think what you said at the end about those psychpaths not being special, really hit the nail on the head. I think the emotional cost of the yin and yang episodes were better than the villains. I don't think it was an accident.
I wish there had been tidbits throughout the season leading up to the Yin/Yang episodes. Subtle little one-off scenes that became important clues at the end. Like for Yang. It would've been cool to have Ally Sheedy appear in the background of a scene here or there watching Shaun to go back to and say "AHA! She -was- there watching him the whole time!"
I always assumed the reason Yang was so interested in Shawn was because she wanted a normal life of her own. She never wanted to kill or be like her father, and because of that Yin wanted to take Shawn away from Yang. Even if he didn’t care about his daughter he definitely can get upset that Shawn took something away from him that he felt was his. To me the reason Yin didn’t care about Shawn until after he became a detective was because Yang was ultimately defeated by Shawn. The scene where Yin has the picture of the two of them always felt like he was paying closer attention to the reason she isn’t who he wanted her to be as opposed to caring about Shawn. I do think there’s something’s that could’ve been done better but Yin’s motives felt pretty clear given the subtext.
I was disappointed with the Yang finale because I was sure I had it figured out only for them to go a completely different direction. I was expecting Yin to be a reveal of someone we already knew, not another random celebrity cameo. I actually firmly believed Yin was Woody the Coroner. He told Shawn and Gus he's been playing with dead things since he was a child, told Shawn and Gus how he thought they would die someday and had a funny yet creepy if taken out of context character. Plus as coroner, he has his ear to the ground on all things in the SBPD and has the all the evidence he needs. Also when Yin was masked in the Hitchcock episode, we see their side profile and it's of a heavier set individual, much closer to Woody's build than Peter Weller's.
I feel like they wanted Woody to be Mr Yin, realized that he added a lot to the Psych formula and couldn't afford to lose him, and the copped out by making it a random guy
Hello! I’m pretty sure Yin was originally supposed to be Shawn’s mom, the directors revealed this and said it would’ve taken the show down a darker direction.
This part of the comment is a reach but in the first Yang episode, when his mother is in the trapped car, if you look really closely she doesn’t seem nervous at all. And Henry and Shawn’s relationship improves in the preceding episodes, perhaps setting up for that grand reveal but then their relationship worsens before the first Yin episode. (I’m not so sure about that actually,) however the Woody theory also makes a lot of sense!
@@DoodlesArtAndStorytelling13The greatest thing I’ve read all month
@@DrTocan Thank you!!! Have a great day!!!!!
wow this analysis was beautifully written, and as someone who saw this show when i was 8, 13, 16, and now 20, i learn something new every single time, thank you so much, and thank you to all the "psychos" out there who still watch this show and support these kinds of videos, love you all and hope yall still find this show as enjoyable as me, nowadays.
Thanks for the kind words, and I'm really glad to hear you enjoyed it so much.
Hope you've found the time to catch the 3rd movie!
Personally, I think everything Yin did was to hurt and control Yang. When he noticed she was getting out of hand, he had her go after Shawn, where she let some of her own rules slip for him to win, and once caught, she immediately surrendered so she could be sent to prison and not be used to hurt him anymore. From there, Yin took matters into his own hands until the eventual confrontation where Yang killed him. His final words, "I never loved you", were basically his last shot to hurt her as revenge for unexpected treachery.
I love this saga and the reasons for both of them to go after Shawn actually do make sense, the fact that these two were so close to him and yet he never knew it made it pretty horrifying and suspensful to me.
I can appreciate that perspective. The serial killer next door is definitely chilling, especially one that has had eyes on you since childhood.
@@lerdyvision It's not even that. Yin's initial interest was "oh goody another detective who I can break." He failed to realize that Yang's encounter with Shawn and his mom would inspire her to actually defy him. At that point it turned to hatred because how DARE Shawn take his tool away from him.
It's like listening to an epic comedian and then he has a headline show and at the end of a very long joke you feel like you wanted to laugh so hard but the joke wasnt very funny. That was the yang saga.
Psych is still the greatest crime solving comedy of all time tho.
No disagreements here. Can't wait for the next movie to see them all over again.
You want to talk about a lack luster villain, talk about “The Judge” from the final episodes of Monk. The whole series we’ve been building to this character, only to have the answer given to Monk by his dead wife on a vhc recording he had the whole time.
It makes perfect sense, though.
Monk is good enough to have discovered any clues available, the only path forward was something he purposefully avoided because he couldn't let go. Ironic that in order to solve the case and let go of her death, he would have to let go and finally watch the tape. Impossible.
It makes sense that he didn't solve it until he was dying.
I respectfully disagree. I think that it was perfect how they played that out & how he's had the answer this whole time.
I like to think that the theory that Yin was originally meant to be Shawn’s mother which tied in more of the connection between him, makes sense in the long run but they changed it to avoid the whole theme changing with the main characters mother being a murderer. I don’t know though.
The only thing I don’t understand is if Alison was out of prison why wouldn’t they alert everyone who was involved in her case the surprise is cool I guess but it makes no sense. The Santa Barbra police had alerted the guy who faked his death’s wife when his associates got out of prison but they won’t tell the detective who had a physical altercation and the guy she was helping to target? All I’m saying is in psych the movie it shouldn’t have been a surprise that Alison was going after them and they should have been alerted.
Just one of the minor issues that are kind of necessary so that the story can play out the way that it does, I suppose.
Who says they didn't when she first got out?
Ok the thing you said about Shaun and Jules not getting together at the end of the first season being unique is not true I’ve watched enough of these types of shows to know it always take like 4,5,6 season for these couples to start so the writers can milk the build up to the relationship
as much as I really enjoy the Yang Saga I was disappointed with how the episode ended with Yin. I don't know why it just never sat well with me especially with how Yin Presents was. Yin Presents was one of my favorite episodes of the whole series. same with the first episode of the Yang Saga. in a show that's mostly a comedy, I really enjoy the more serious toned episodes like Shawn Gets Shot in The Dark. it gives it more than being just a comedic show. don't get me wrong, I love the comedy of the whole show but I do also really love those episodes and the complete switch in tone.
The fact this video hasn't had more recognition astounds me
Thank you very much for saying so!
I posted it on r/Psych but found the traction surprisingly low for such a salacious title and premise. However, those that have watched the video have left very nice feedback so that more than makes up for it.
Hey! So as the official biggest psych fan in all states that start with a K (according to a Steve Franks autograph), I thought I should comment on this. Overall, the points you brought up are interesting and, as you said, possible blemishes. I don't disagree with a lot of what you brought up- but I don't 100% agree with it either. To me, the Yang saga was a VERY good story arc. I think Yang's obsession with Shawn is what is meant to be the focal point, not personal connection. with a lot of psychological issues, like the one Yang obviously suffers from, there are certain obsessions you get, that might not be reciprocated. What this whole story was about was a psychopath who got an obsession with a young boy, who ended up being a potential nemesis to her serial killer father. In your video, it can be inferred that you thought that Shawn shouldn't have this big, huge connection with Yang and that it seemed like it was just another case to solve; but that is not what I think. Shawn's life is personally affected by Yang's obsession. The evidence you brought up talks about how their pasts were not really connected, but present events can be just as traumatic and have effects on someone's life as past events. Yin's involvement could have been better, I will admit, but overall, the Yang saga puts even more personality in a show already full of it. It shows the range of the actors and the writers, while still entertaining an audience, all in all better than most shows can do after 8 seasons.
P.S. None of this was to discredit your opinions, everyone can think what they want, and you have a great way of explaining that thinking. I'm just here to provide my thoughts and play a bit of devil's advocate. This was a great video.
Hi there, thanks for your thoughtful comment!
I wholly welcome you playing devil's advocate on those points, and fully agree that in reality someone with those psychological problems doesn't need very much justification at all to be behaving the way they do. As you note, I view it as narratively unsatisfying personally, but perhaps it's otherwise not fair to suggest that it is unrealistic or the like. Seems like different things about the arc appealed to you compared to what appealed to me, so I'm definitely glad you got what you wanted in that respect!
Thankyou for watching the video and providing some valuable insight on such a great television series.
@@lerdyvision thanks for the video! It's truly an amazing take. You are pretty talented at getting your point across.
Mr. Yin presents is the best episode of psych, 2nd being the first yang episode. The disappointment comes in the 3rd installment. When Yin reveals himself as no relationship to Shawn at all. I wanted it to be Shawn's mom who had connection to the Police departments as she does psych evaluations and therapy, and the clue in the first yang episode about the answer being at the police station and the first thing he sees is his mom at the station. And for this to bring about a closeness to Shawn and his dad. Ultimately I'm glad they didn't go this route for the series. But it would have been better for the specific yang story arc
One change I would have made would be that when Yin is about to kill Gus Shawn asks "why are you obssessed with me?" Yin at this point gets distracted, ranting about how he's not obsessed with Shawn.
Even based on what we see it's clear that Yin is himself rather childish; Shawn indirectly helped his tool finally defy him, and it's heavily implied THAT'S why he hates Shawn. He sees his daughter as his tool and how dare Shawn take his tool away from him
This was very well,done you definitely deserve more subscribers. Only think i wish was that u would talk about the musical more and how it strengthens yangs and shawns relationship. Other than that very well done video new subscriber from me
Thanks a lot!
I definitely wanted to touch on Psych: The Musical somewhere in the video to mention how Yang was manipulated in to being a bad guy but I couldn't find a good way to put that in the script without going on a huge tangent.
I also thought about mentioning Mary's appearance in The Musical as well but I think his scene in Psych: The Movie was much better narratively.
As an aside, I was not a fan of the Mary scene in Lassie Come Home and I think they should have stopped having him come back after the first movie.
Is there racquetball in heaven? I know there is!
Honeslty if psych went darker, and more realistic but keeping the personality of Shawn and Gus and the rest of the characters it would have ran for much longer
I'm kind of hoping that the next movie goes for a darker turn, but given the villain they've set up I doubt it.
Strong disagree.
First of all it ran on for long enough.
Also, more importantly, that would genuinely make it a much worse show.
@@cptKamina First of all, it didn’t run long enough that’s why they have made three movies since it’s end, people clearly want to see more of it. And having more serious moments and maybe taking a darker turn at times would make the show more diverse and make it better while putting the character in situations where they are out of their comfort zone.
@@cptKamina either way tho your allowed to have your opinion brother 🤷♂️
I think its an oversight to say jules and shawn engaging in will-they-wont-they shenanigans was a positive for the show. Most procedurals from the era used the same tropes. The positive aspect of the shenanigans is the way the conflict is framed. S1&2 Juliette is a new cop and can't risk her position for a relationship. S3&4 the two have competing relationships that are natural and seem to be healthy for both of them (Abigail is good for shawn, at least). They get together in S5 but face the most impactful conflict, Shawn's fraud. Its good writing, it highlights how relationships have to be able to withstand conflict to be healthy.
I think parts 1 and 2 are absolutely amazing and memorable, i think part 3 kinda just falls short
Best part of the Yang series is Mary. Loved that character.
This not so serious tone is what this show is all about. We all wish what someone else created would be greater, that's why everyone always replies "the book is better than the movie". Because it is in your perfect imagination setting.
I get that idea, but that really seems to be a case of Psych trying to have its cake and eat it too in that case.
If it wants to keep a not-so-serious tone, then it seems counter-productive to have the kinds of events that occur in the Yang saga like Mary's death, Juliet's kidnapping, etc.
There are plenty of examples of over the top characters and settings that don't cross that line in Psych, but you only need to look at Lassiter's expression following the "if that girl dies, you're an accessory to murder" remark and compare it to other ways he chides Shawn to see that this is night and day for Psych.
As for comments of "the book is better than the movie" I think a lot of that boils down to how descriptive books can be for pages and pages vs. the runtime of a film, how films need to truncate scenes that some readers may consider vitally important, and how - as you say - some elements don't resemble what the reader has imagined. But there's a lot more to it than simply "this isn't how I pictured it, therefore it's bad."
What about Yang dying in The Musical to save Shawn? Just curious as to what your insight is about that
I don't really have much of an insight about that I'm afraid. We know she never killed any of the people she was blamed for, so it just seems an expedient way to demonstrate that she is a good person who was manipulated by an evil father.
I agree overall that the yin story was weak, but I disagree that yin had insufficient motive here. Yin didn't directly target Shawn in the first place. He was out to defeat the team that bested his apprentice. He needed to win to keep his dominance, and his new apprentice had to help.
Serial killers don't need motivation the way other killers do. Yang picked the new opponent, and had she won, yin never would have gotten involved.
That's a great interpretation, I guess I just wish they weren't so wishy-washy with the allusions to Yin being obsessed only to flip the switch and not really explain it clearly.
This is what made the show unique in its own way. I started the show with an expectation that Shawn would mature and he would deal with more mature and heavy themes that the show foreshadowed in the beginning regarding his relationship with Henry, and Gus, his commitment issues, and of course his dealing with the big LIE. Even after he and Juliet came into a relationship, I always thought that there would be a time when he would have to face his real nemesis i.e. his lie that would have had every relationship and development he made throughout the show on the stake... the Big Stake. But strangely enough, that time never came. It really became unpredictable that way. Then I realised that the show was never about serious and heavy themes anyway, it was always about never growing up, holding onto the innocence and ignorance of childhood.
In the Yang saga and the one where Shawn was shot, my old expectations got a little hope but that was thrown out of the window before it became reality. It seemed like the showrunners decided to tune up the tension a little but it came off real soon, too soon even. Maybe those sagas were there to change the pace a little, to surprise the audience a little but that was it. Loved the show regardless.
I agree with the fact that Yang 3 in 2D is quite lack luster, but the emotional moments between two bestfriends embracing each other before they think they're about to die are really nice, but that's all for that episode for me. But Mr. Ying Presents is just as good as the first episode. And Mary's murder was a direct homage to the Private Eyes murder in Psycho, with the same camera shot for falling down the stairs the way he did. Mary's death was a good and shocking one, and I love that Mary was gonna use a flare gun to be the hero lol
Don't get me wrong, I definitely don't want to write the episodes off in their entirety. Psych is still Psych, and it's great. Just could have been so much more.
You forget to mention though that there was a murder in every single episode before that s3 Yang episode!
The stakes were never lower! But it's presented as the most intense episode they ever made
Psych 4 just started filming…do you think there’s a chance we’ll get some more content referring to yang?
there was so much potential with using dennis(freddie prince jr)has a minor character who could of been reworked for a serial killer in the making
The yang saga was the best of Psych next to the episodes with Pierre the art thief/Indiana Jones.
hey now yin liked the fact shawn had a black sidekick i thought that was a nice touch
I was going to complain but I watched the video and was surprised that I didn't actually remember who Mr Yin was... which means you are correct.
I always enjoyed the Yin saga, but I thought it would have been better served if there’d been some kind of foreshadowing or build up to S3 finale. Because to me it felt like a kind of jarring tonal shift. And I would have loved to see more of Mary.
My wife and I loved Psych. We joke about either ourselves or our cats "going boneless" when one of us lays down and refuses to move.
I did want psych to be more serious at points but god do I like that show. I hope we get a happy ending one day.
Well done.
If psych gets a reboot ever they should remake remake ep and try to get as much of the og cast back but shuffle all the characters filling in gaps of those that did not or were not able to return
I think if they just did a 2 part yang episode instead of a 2 part yin, it would’ve fixed everything.
Idk man, Mr Yin Presents is easily the best of the Yang Saga
There's a lot to love about it, despite my gripes they're some of the best episodes of Psych. I'm just frustrated from wanting that little bit more.
I disagree, Psych definitely earned the Yang saga, every time I watch it, it get better, I discovered something new every time and I actually really liked the last episode Mr Yin 3 in 3D!
I always thought it wouldve been a nice tie in if Yins true anger was towards Henry. Like Henry arrested Yins father, this destroying Yins home life. And his best way to get back at Henry would be through Shawn. And hw was so obsessed with The Spencers that he drug Yand into it, because he talked about it so much Yang couldnt help but be interested in The Spencers. So much so that she Wished her family could be like the Spencers. If for no other reasong because she never got the love from her father due to his 24 hour obsession with Henry and his family. Thus, instesd of fealing anger towards them she became Jealous of them or even, like most kids, she does the opposite of what her parents want her to do. Im no show writer, and the writers from Psych were as good as they come. But, to me personally, the ending of the Yin/Yang trilogy felt rushed. Or maybe a writers disagreement on how they should tie it in. So, they just compromised, and any time you compromise, usually NOBODY really wins. Idk. What do you think about this angle of tying this all together? And idmf you dont like it, whats your idea? Or, is there a way of taking the basis of my idea and improving it? You WILL NOT hurt my feelings one way or the other. I love feedback. Lmk, one way or the other. Chow for now.
Yang is fantastic! She is a charwcter with depth and nuance. They are among most peoples fsvpirite episodes
Do you all agree that the events with Yang never actually happened in Psych: The Musical, because at the end it’s revealed to be all just a story told by Shawn. Is it possible Yang might have just died while at that place Z was at and Shawn went ahead and cremated her right when he heard about it and saw her body?
I quite liked Peter Weller's performance. He was very strange, and his style and mannerisms felt like in character affectations. Yin didn't really think of himself as being psychotic. I think he saw himself playing the role of psycho out of boredom maybe or for the challenge. He's clearly watched too many movies and chose to adopt a style that reflects them. In truth though I think he's deluding himself and is actually much more emotional and like Yang than he thinks he is. Yang's love for Shawn is a threat to Yin, even if he tries to pretend its not. He also pretends not to be obsessed with Shawn, but that's also clearly not true. He spent whole episodes orchestrating very elaborate crimes just to play with Shawn. Overall the story probably would have been better if they had revealed the photograph earlier, and given more weight to Yin's relationship with Yang and how Shawn inadvertently put himself between them.
I'll always go to bat for Mr. Yin Presents. Especially the funeral scene. The bit with the racquetball there is one of the ultimate underscores to Shawn's need to disassociate himself with any kind of seriousness or maturity. Rather than respectfully see his friend off, he overcompensates and hides his grief in his immaturity with the gag. It's supposed to be at odds with the scene and is 100% in-character for him. While I agree Mr. Yin 3 in 2D is anti-climactic, Yin as presented in MYP is still very good and the bit in the beginning with the waitress that served them being the victim is chilling and a perfect tone-setter. Yang's target was on Shawn, Yin's target being everyone around him is even scarier for the stakes. Everything after MYP is a mess, but the series earned these two episodes.
I love the whole saga, but one problem I have is that Shawn basically only wins vs. Yin bec of Yang. He's sort of on rails the whole episode and doesn't do much to actually keep Yin on the back foot. I don't necessarily think Yin outsmarting Shawn is bad, it does make him an imposing villain, but he already "won" against Shawn once before--Shawn did beat him, but Yin certainly made it a pyrrhic victory--it's a lot less cathartic to have Shawn basically lose and then get lucky. There's the argument that it's like Kira's defeat at the hands of the ambulance: Fate itself is rejecting the villain. However, I think Shawn showing off his deductive reasoning and soundly defeating Yin with Yang's help, rather than throwing the game and getting rescued, would have been a lot more satisfying.
I always saw Yang as the star of the arc, and Yin was mostly a tool to further her story.
It feels like they missed an episode it should of been 4 instead of 3
Dang i have never heard of this program
I think Declan would have been the best choice for yin as he's clearly demonstrated to be Shawn's equal but richer and more believable. he would also have a clear draw to Shawn as someone who pulled off a fraud rivaling yin and yang's games. I think the real meat of the conflict could be yang's infatuation and betrayal followed by Juliette falling for him but ultimately choosing Shawn. I think for characters like Declan and yin who have everything, losing to the Shawn's of the world would be unbearable
Villains are probably the most challenging characters and require talented actors who make the character their own.
you are wrong about there being no psychics in psych , Ivana was definitely able to read shawns mind.
So I think if the 3rd episode didn’t exist and yin was revealed and captured after the 2nd it would have been better. I always liked all of them but the 3rd did always feel weird
Trying to make a super villain for psyche is sort of silly. The show does not take itself too seriously. And like you said yourself. No matter how hard our hero tries. He never really manages an extra ordinary life. But a mundane with a fun job and good friends.
Great video, but I really don't consider Yin/Yang to be "Shawn's greatest foe(s)" as you describe them to be. Just because their arc took three episodes doesn't mean they're any more/less significant to the show than Deckland or Desperaux, or even Shawn's foils like Lassiter and his father.
To me, this was another of the show's many examples of illustrating coincidential luck (which happened a lot in Shawn's case throughout the show), whether to his benefit or downfall. Shawn and/or his loved ones would be dead if Yang hadn't met him by chance all those years ago. On the other hand, Shawn might never have been targeted.
At the end of the day, they were just another villain that Shawn happened to have some one in a million connection to. I would argue the status quo of what to expect from the show wasn't changed, and the significance of a three-episode arc doesn't provide enough significance to make Yin/Yang Shawn's "main foes". I'd sooner make the argument that Yin/Yang are Jules' main foes, or even Mary. But not Shawn's.
While I could split hairs about when each of the Yin/Yang episodes released, I wouldn't go so far as to say that this trilogy is a "blemish" either. Far from it.
It was sherlock vs moriarty
I wished yin was declan whatever his name was
This was a very well put video! I’m my opinion I feel like they balanced the comedy with the action, drama and brilliant storytelling perfectly until around the 5th/6th season. I do feel like they leaned too hard on the crazy humor towards the end instead of the stories that they were initially good at. Nonetheless I agree that the one thing they did right was build meaningful connections among each character 💯
Thanks for your kind words and for enjoying the video!
I don’t mind yin’s motivation (I assumed that Yang picked shawn, and now yin can’t stop until he’s defeated shawn. Also, Shawn got his daughter locked up. That must sting his pride) however, the 3rd installment was a bit of a let down. Shawn and Gus’s last moments were great, and I loved Juliet overcoming her trauma from the last season. But the episode itself just needed more, a more clever way to defeat the boss, a more active role in Shawn’s part. I think that is what makes the ending disappointing.
Also I think I read Mary differently than you. His death wasn’t heroic, it was tragic and an act of cruelty. He’s basically another victim. I don’t think Shawn liked Mary before his death, he thought Mary was weird, which is exactly why his death made such a big impact on shawn. Watching someone he dismissed and suspected die in an attempt to be a hero really traumatized shawn, which is why Mary pops up in visions and the musical. I honestly really love that.
I loved this video! Good job! Let’s always talk about psych more lol
Definitely think they kinda went for a little too much spectacle probably trying to up the stakes and emotion fans got from the the first one however i felt like yin issue with shawn was he was obsessive over yang not out of love or need but to have that power over her and when she focused on shawn over him it made him annoyed that he wasnt the star they definitely could have done the nemsis beginings better though
Dudes a perv, he like hey.... Nobody does that deal broken
I always thought that if anyone had bothered to get Yang's real name, the whole thing would've been obvious. Like was she convicted and sentenced as Mr. Yang 😂
I also have to point out that Mary asks Shawn to take care of Ben (his pet mouse) and I think he was sadly left to die because he's never seen again. Lol
The worst part of the saga is honestly that the first episode was too damn good that the ones that came after were a little disappointin
I love Peter Weller, so I was underwhelmed by his Yang 3 appearance. I wish he was built up to throughout the season/show. That being said, I love both Evening With Mr Yang and Mr Yin Presents. I felt like the connection to Yang in the Psych the Movie was unnecessary and kinda forced, especially when Zachary Levi's fun villain was reduced to a henchman
Also if Yang didn't commit any of the crimes, then what was her book about? 🤔
To be honest, I assumed the whole Yin thing was a lie. Like she never killed anyone why would she send them on a scavenger hunt to try to stop her father? Why would he give her that much control when he thought she was a failure (and frankly while seeming like a major control freak). And with how unstable/manic she seemed was she even capable of the level of planning and insight that the killer Yang had? Could she have overpowered Juliet to kidnap her (also without Juliet catching on to her gender)? Also doesn’t it sort of ruin the whole theory that they had for the choice of the name Yang in the first episode it came up? Why keep Yin a secret? I assumed he was Yang all along and he chose Shawn because he was getting press and developed a reputation as a case closer. But because of Shawn’s history with his daughter, she stepped in to save his mom by showing up at the end and then turning herself in which also did what she said she wanted but was to weak to do, stop her father. At least for a while. And instead of him taking up the mantle of Yang again, he ruled it a failure and let that identity end with her and picked up a new one as Yin, with the idea that it would be an improved version of himself. So his beef with Shawn comes from losing his assistant, but more so having to walk away from the infamy he had built as Yang and had to start over with a new assistant and new killer modus operandi. Also could have been almost not at all to do with Shawn really. If he was upset with his daughter for ruining his plan, getting arrested, then writing a book taking credit for his crimes, he could have been targeting Shawn and Gus because he knows how she is drawn to them and wanted to punish her for disappointing him. Of course that was just my theory.
I love this show so much and it means so much to me so i respect your thoughts but i dont agree
Fair point.
So before you get into it, based on what I remember, here’s where I disagree… the purpose was to overtly show how an intellect on par to Shawn’s would go wrong. And usually (if you actually put his IQ into a real person) people with his level would be heavily unstable personality wise, and very low functioning as a human being.
Kind of take the Pretender as an example. (Btw they used Broots as a character in the show) Jarod was a special case. His brother became a desensitized killer, and ‘Angelo’ can’t process emotions.
So back to Psych, all of the characters involved are highly intelligent, but much more flawed, leave open ended sometimes OBVIOUS clues or loose ends that make it seem lack luster… but in reality, sometimes a genius is so intelligent that they leave stupid things out on the table.
That’s my take now I will watch lol
I totally get where you're coming from. But to me, they way it's played out made it seem really... real-life? Let me explain. If the Yin/Yang saga were to be really tied to the story and the characters, sure it would make a great story that had a lot of depth, but having a criminal just exist and be a random person (despite her being present in Shawn's childhood) is more realistic.
Some Dude is really good at being a detective, hijinks and shenanigans ensue while also doing good work, Big Bad finds out about Crime Solver, engages in challenges.
Yeah it was weirdly too serious
Love yang but ya never like yin
Psych the movie: made me very disappointed. They hyped up Zachary Levi like it was going to be a Chuck crossover nearly. Seeing him get three minutes of screen time and then be shot, made me want my money back. Levi was supposed to play Z from psych musical. His initial carried over even though he couldn’t make it. It just felt wrong.
As someone who was massively in to the early seasons of Chuck, I can understand your disappointment.
If psych had some sort of mysterious super serial killer a very psych thing to of with it is having it not even be real but a made up “unsolvable crime” shawn made up in the background of the show over the seasons. And after his dad gus and all of em solve it it gets revealed and then he has to pay the bet which is like free food at a diner or whatever. Not having some sort of overarching super murderer just seems like something in theme with the show cause its just a bit different then the rest.
It's a "Dramedy" with multiple times a beloved character or family member is either killed , traumatized or on deaths doorstep also it's obvious you don't have a very good understanding of half a century of American pop culture. Youi missed a whopping amount of references to Hunter S. Thompson and William S. Burroughs both of whom had great influence on midcentury American counter culture movements i.e. The Beatniks and The Hippies. Peter Weller, who played Yin, had more than a passing resemblance to both of those cultural literary icons in looks, mannerisms and voice. Just listen to William S. Burroughs on Laurie Andersons Mister Heartbreak and any Hunter S. Thompson interview. Psych more than earned the Yin/Yang saga - it crushed it! (sound of Beatnik fingers snapping and hippies shouting, "Right on!").
An Evening with Mr. Yang and Mr. Yin Presents were both unique and exhilarating episodes, which made Yang 2 in 3D such a let down. Don't get me wrong, it started out alright, but the last 10 minutes or so are an absolute farce. It's a shame because it could have been a really kool trilogy of episodes inside an already badass show. What should have been a triumphant roar ends up being nothing more than a whimper.
Not that it matters, I was totally on board with the old fan theory that Yin was actually Maggie, Shawn's mother. She was a psychologist who worked closely with the police, even did psych evaluations on detectives who hunted "Mr. Yang" in the first round of killings. Note that the time the first killings were done also coincidentally is around the time Maggie and Henry were having martial problems and she left him. It explained the picture, the caress of said picture, how Yin knew about Shawn's feelings about Abigail and Juliet and even how Abigail was stood up by Shawn in highschool at the pier.
I'm not saying it's air tight, I'm just saying I would have been on board if that was the direction the show went with Mr Yin. The reveal would have been huge, it would have impacted the show, Shawn and Henry in ways that could have pushed the show into uncharted territory.
Who knows?
I loved Mary :(
Valid. I was pretty underwhelmed with the saga. Lots of wasted potential.
They really ruined the yin character......an evening with mr.yang ended perfectly.....Yang is a psychotic lady.....that's super genius.....but yin was unlucky in the scriptwriting part....maybe the show just focused too much on Yang ,they forgot about presenting yin in the right way
I get what you saying , I don’t agree
I agree with everything. But you said it didn't force romance between Juliet and Shawn, and that's true as well. However I absolutely hated the forced and rushed relationship between Gus and Selene in the movies. Like wth.. Shawn gets full 8 seasons to build upto a marriage, and my man Gus only gets what? Like 3 hours?
Holy hell that's unfair. Even Lassie got way, way more emotional of a love story than Gus. Ironic, considering that Lassiter was portrayed as robotic and Gus as a romantic. Almost every other girl that Gus came into a relation with before was better than Selegay.
Seems to me like a symptom of the movies trying to be "Psych: All Grown Up" and so Gus had to have someone as important to him as Juliet is to Shawn - not a bad idea in theory I suppose, but yeah it's executed rather hamfistedly. Lassiter had a really compelling romance actually, and it's a shame that we didn't get to see a hell of a lot of it in Lassie Come Home, but I suspect that was likely a result of Timothy Omundson's reduced abilities as an actor as he was still recovering from a stroke.
There's no doubt Gus is being sold short with his romantic subplot.
I didn’t really like the yang story line either, the first episode was okay. But the rest them was kind of off and stupid. It really should have been just a one off storyline.
My favorite part of psych is how they mock police work, the yang saga aint really do all that
I love the series, but the weird turn to super serious that the trilogy was continues to be off-putting to me. I see the appeal of it for folks that enjoyed it, but it was decidedly not for me.
Imo, I feel like the blemish in this series is the movies unfortunately, it's the only parts I didn't enjoy
Marry absolutely got built to die a heroes death. He's been dealing with yin and yang way longer than shawn has. He's a comedic character, yes, but he's seen so many deaths and fails from these killers. Of course, he wants to beat yin himself in Mr. Yin presents.
nice
The reason Yin chose to be Shawn's nemesis is because Yang chose Shawn. Yin is a narcissist, when Yang not only chose to target Shawn on her own but then lost to Shawn it shook him. Yin taught Yang everything she knew so if someone beat her that means they could beat him so he had to challenge Shawn to prove to himself he was better. He tried putting Shawn in an impossible position and forcing him into a loose loose scenario and Shawn still managed to pull off a tie game; he saved the girls but didn't catch Yin. This drove Yin mad and brought him back once more with his third ploy. And all of his grandstanding at the end the "I don't care about you, that was all Yang" was simply his narcissistic tendencies trying to protect his ego. His last words to Yang as he died are straight out of the narcissist playbook, anyone who's dated an abusive narcissist was probably told the same thing when they finally broke away from their abuser, it's one final play to show they still have power over the person by causing pain