James Roday, who plays fake-psychic Shawn Spencer, took the reigns in this week’s episode of Psych by expanding his duties to director and co-writer.

The episode, titled “Tuesday the 17th,” is an obvious play on the “Friday the 13th” slasher films and Shawn and Gus find themselves in the middle of a serial killer’s twisted game.

Shawn and Gus help solve the disappearance of a counselor at their old summer camp.

We start with a flashback to Camp Tikihama. Shawn is miffed at Gus for teaming up with Jason Cunningham for the pinata challenge where they knocked him out of the water with their pineapple pinata. Sadly, it was no match for Shawn’s Rick Astley pinata, though I can’t see why. I’m pretty sure everyone loves Rick Astley.

But Pinata Rick finds a new home at the bottom of the lake, since that’s where the rock Shawn tied around its leg took it.

Then, in present day, we see a woman named Annie, all alone in her cabin. It’s windy out, and she keeps thinking she sees someone – or something – outside, but she chalks it up to the cold medicine she’s taken and starts to get ready for bed. Only it isn’t the cold medicine making her see things. There is something out there. It’s a man lumbering around with a potato sack over his head and little x’s where his eyes should be. And he murders poor Annie by strangling her through the glass window in her door.

It was quite the theatrical opening, and it actually scared me a little. Which really isn’t hard to do.

A day or so later, we see Shawn and Gus are walking up to their Psych office, only to find Jason Cunningham sitting out front. He brought along Shawn’s Pinata Rick and hung it outside of the office by a noose. Nice.

Jason tells Shawn and Gus that he found Pinata Rick when he drained the lake at Camp Tikihama, since he is now the camp’s owner. He explains to an excited Gus and an annoyed Shawn that the camp is set to open in a few days, but one of his counselors, Annie, has gone missing. And rather than risk bad press by going to the cops, he’s hoping Shawn and Gus can help.

Shawn, still smarting over the Pinata Incident, is less than eager to accept the case, but Gus convinces him.

So they set off for camp. After turning down the dirt lane to the camp, their path is blocked by a creepy, one-toothed old man on a rickety bike who announced to them that they’re “doomed.”

Dun, dun, dunnnn.

Arriving at Camp Tikihama, Shawn and Gus are introduced to the counselors. There’s Counselor Clive – who played Fulton Reed in the Mighty Ducks movies, Counselor Billy and Councelor Sissy.

Jason emerges from a nearby cabin, all whacked-out and cradling this creepy looking puppet thing.

The counselors take Shawn and Gus to Annie’s cabin, where Shawn notices that the panes in the window in the door look like they have recently been replaced. Aside from that, Shawn doesn’t see much else, so they head out into the camp to look for more clues.

There is quite a clamor coming from the laundry cabin, which, as Sissy points out, is strange since the counselors aren’t allowed to use the machines. Shawn, Gus and Sissy go off to investigate and find the dryer running. Gus opens it to reveal a load of laundry – Annie’s pajama’s – covered in blood.

Counselor Billy and Counselor Clive decide to go off into the woods to look for whoever put the clothes in the dryer. Jason is still stumbling around the camp like he’s taken too many sleeping pills. Gus goes traipsing after Sissy and Shawn decides to stay put just in case the laundry doer comes back to the scene of the crime.

Shawn, rather than sitting out in the open, hides in a closet in the laundry cabin and calls Juliet for backup. She arrives without Lassiter since he’s having dinner with his estranged wife, played by Justine Bateman.

While off looking for the missing counselor, Billy meets his end when Potato Sack Man shows up. Don’t these people know they’re supposed to stick together?

Juliet calls a meeting with the remaining counselors and asks them to tell her what they know. Sissy begins to tell Juliet that Jason hasn’t been completely honest, but he pops up out of nowhere, still all creepy, and cuts her off and storms out into the night.

Shawn goes off on his own to find Jason who Sissy says is “not well.” Yeah, that’s obvious.

Shawn ends up back at the laundry cabin where he opens the door to see a blond girl, Annie, it turns out, in a chair – strangled to death. And then, there he is. Potato Sack Man. He chases Shawn across camp. Just as he is about to whack Shawn with his machete, Juliet is there, gun in hand, ready to shoot.

Only Shawn stops her. Because he realizes he’s been set up.

Say what?

Everyone, save Juliet and Shawn, are in on the joke. Apparently Jason, aka Potato Sack Man, wants to open a “scare camp” where people come and pay to have the life scared out of them.

Jason then invites everyone back inside to party until the approaching storm passes.

While inside, Shawn notices something floating in the lake near the shore. They run out to see what it is, but it ends up being a who. The old one-toothed man, who we learn is the camp’s janitor, Irwin, is dead.

With the roads blocked and the phones dead thanks to the storm, they have no choice but to wait it out at Camp Tikihama.

Annie decides to go back to her cabin – bad move. We see her through the eyes of someone creepy, but the only creepy guy we’re aware of is back in the cabin drinking with everyone else.

Once nice and snug inside her cabin, Annie is attacked by Potato Sack Man and killed. For real this time.

And then there’s Billy. Naked from a game of strip cribbage – seriously – he sets off to check the circuit breaker after the lights go out. Another bad move. Doesn’t he know the naked ones always die first?

Potato Sack Man electrocutes poor Billy death using a mop and the circuit breaker. Creative.

The rest of the group realize something is wrong when Billy doesn’t come back and Clive is nowhere to be found. Juliet and Shawn head out into the dark stormy night to find him, but it turns out he was in the house – trying to kill those he hadn’t gotten around to yet.

This time, Jason is the one who gets stabbed, but nothing life-threatening. Sissy and Gus run outside to escape, but somehow they get separated – Sissy runs to Juliet and Gus runs into Clive. And before we know it, Shawn, Gus and Clive are locked in battle.

It turns out that Clive is avenging the death of his father, who died at the camp years before, and is po’d that Jason is exploiting the reputation the camp earned because of it.

Clive, Clive, Clive … what would Coach Gordon Bombay think?

But then there’s Jules, who shows up like G.I. Jane, and fires at Clive, shooting him in the hand and saving the day.

Shawn, well aware that Juliet saved his life, thanks her for what she’s done. “Thank you for shooting that psycho-killer in the hand.” Not quite the emotional progress I had been hoping for with those two.

In the middle of all that creepiness, Lassie and his wife had a death of their own – their marraige. Poor Lassiter thought they would be making up, but his wife wants a divorce.

I really love this honest, romantic Lassie and would like to see more of him. Shame on Justine Bateman for walking out on him.

James Roday did an amazing job with this episode and I am looking forward to seeing what else we get from him.

Next week, though, is Psych’s season finale. And it’s personal.

Don’t miss it.

In the meantime, what did you think of James Roday’s behind-the-scenes debut?