After the season 3 finale proved that the series could handle darker material, season 4 upped the stakes before Yin and Yang even made their second appearance. The episode “Shawn Takes a Shot in the Dark,” which features guest stars Michael Rooker (Guardians of the Galaxy) and John Hawkes (True Detective: Night Country) as the bad guys, sees Shawn in real danger because of a case. This episode isn’t the first time that Shawn’s been held at gunpoint nor is it the first time that he’s gotten himself in trouble snooping around, but it is the first time that he’s shot and abducted.
Aside from having to save his mom from a serial killer the season before, this is the most vulnerable that Shawn has ever been while solving a case. It’s up to Gus, Lassiter (Timothy Omundson), Henry (Corbin Bersen), and Juliet to follow the trail that Shawn has been leaving and try to find him before he either bleeds out, or the bad guys decide to finish the job. Shawn can really only hope that the skills his dad taught him as a kid, like kicking out a taillight, will be enough to save him.
When Yin and Yang are both finally out of the picture after season 5, the show decides that it’s the perfect time to put Henry, Shawn’s dad, in danger. The episodes “Santabarbaratown” and “Santabarbaratown 2” sees the reopening of a case that Henry worked on when he was on the force. As new evidence comes to light, Henry realizes that his former partners, including Jerry Carp (Max Gail) were dirty, and involved in covering up this evidence in the first place. When Henry goes to confront Carp, he gets shot by his former partner, and left for dead.
Shawn has to find a way to manage his anger and the fear of losing his father in order to find Carp before he vanishes for good. Even after all of the stuff with Yin and Yang, this might be the angriest we ever see Shawn. With them, it was easier to compartmentalize. They were very clearly criminal masterminds. With Carp, however, it’s harder to stuff those feelings down because this is a man that Henry once trusted. It’s a betrayal that cuts deeper and ups the stakes.
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