Warning: This article contains spoilers for Psych 3: This Is Gus.
Psych 3: This Is Gus redefined one of Shawn and Gus’ favorite lines from the original series. For the duo, “C’mon son!” was a commonly used catchphrase during the show’s last three seasons. It was such a ubiquitous line that it would sometimes be said by Shawn (James Roday Rodriguez) and Gus (Dulé Hill) multiple times in just one episode. The question wasn't whether or not Gus or Shawn would say their famous Psych catchphrase, but which one would say it more, and Psych 3 gave it new life.
Its evolution into one of the show’s biggest running gags began with the season 6 episode, “Late Night Gus”, which featured a guest appearance from rapper Ed Lover. In the 1990s, Ed Lover popularized the phrase “C’mon son!” on his MTV show, Yo! MTV Raps Today. Shortly after Lover used it during his Psych cameo on Shawn and Gus in Chief Vick's office, the two turned it into one of their catchphrases. It became a go-to phrase for them whenever they would become engaged in an argument. Numerous instances saw the two repeat it back to each other. The line was also dropped on occasion by Gus’ season 7 girlfriend, Rachael (Parminder Nagra). It became such a popular joke that Psych even brought back Ed Lover to say it one more time in season 8.
Like many of Shawn and Gus’ iconic lines from Psych, “C’mon son!” was revisited in the third reunion movie, albeit in an unexpected way. At the end of the movie, Psych 3: This Is Gus character Selene (Jazmyn Simon) went into childbirth, forcing Shawn to deliver the child while Gus watched anxiously. As his son was being born, Gus brought back Ed Lover’s catchphrase and gave it a new meaning at the same time. In the past, Shawn and Gus’ “C’mon son!” always served the same purpose. Just like how Lover used it in his MTV show, Shawn and Gus would say it to express disapproval or criticize someone for saying or doing something foolish. Psych 3: This Is Gus repurposed their long-running line into something heartfelt that spoke to the depth of their friendship.
Bringing back and finding new ways to use audience-favorite running gags from Psych’s eight seasons represents a theme in the three Psych reunion movies. This applied to Gus’ Pluto pick-up line in Psych, which played a role in his romance with Selene in Psych: The Movie, and several other Psych jokes as well. It’s fitting with this approach that Psych 3: This Is Gus changed the meaning of Shawn and Gus’ “c’mon son!” line.
Inserting it into a life-changing moment for Dulé Hill’s character in Psych 3: This Is Gus’ ending appropriately paid off all the times it’s been used by the two characters. It also gave it a new level of significance, as it came at a pivotal time in Gus’ Psych journey that the franchise has been building to since the second movie when it was revealed that Gus was about to become a father. As a result, a new status quo awaits his character if and when the Psych 3 cast of characters reunites for Psych 4.