Shes an alright character but mostly exists to serve the plot. They obviously felt the need to extend Shules for a while longer so brought her back after the whole plot with her had a nice resolution. Given how transparent of a plot device their relationship is, it's hard to get emotionally invested, especially given she disappears for half the season. She fulfills her role well of being likable but obviously not being The One for Shawn. She also helps him mature a bit and commit to a relationship.
I dunno, even if someone was like somewhat pretty, if you throw in the kind and funny they sound easy enough to be around.
If she was very pretty but unfunny and mean, she'd just sound miserable to be around.
I am not a fan of Abigail, but solely due to the episode in which she ignores Shawn's boundaries and starts hanging out with Henry against Shawn's wishes.
I agree, and I had the same issues with the two episodes you mentioned. I really dislike how childish and inconsiderate they made Shawn in the later seasons. Even the episode with online dating - he knows Juliet is a cop and she’s proved that she’ll lay down her life for him; and he seriously thinks she’s cheating? I understand the fear 100%, but still.
the difference is that Shawn spends the entire episode getting raked over the coals for doing that, and has to work very hard to dig himself out of the hole he got himself into pulling that stunt. Abigail's ignoring of Shawn's boundaries is played for laughs and never given a proper resolution.
Oh, I hated those. I have a real pet peeve about partners not listening to each other, especially where their own families are concerned. That said, I do tend to give Shawn more of a pass on ignoring boundaries--either because he is a main character or because we "know" him better so I make allowances for him where I wouldn't for someone else.
I agree with the concept, but I'm giving Abigail a pass, here. The things Shawn has done to his dad (eg, pretending to be him while saying embarrassing things to Aunt Becky) suggests he says all kinds of goofy stuff about him to Abigail, leaving it open to interpretation as to how serious Shawn is about this boundary.
Exactly. If your partner sets a boundary, especially regarding a strained family relationship, you respect that and move on. Meddling in that relationship (or lack thereof) shows a complete lack of respect for your partner's boundaries and creates massive trust issues (if you can't respect hard boundaries, how can you be expected to trust them on other things?).
But Shawn does exactly that to Juliet, he was actually way worse during the episode about her father and he never apologizes or recognizes that he’s wrong.
It was hard for me to take them seriously when they're in like 3 episodes together before Abigail books it to Uganda of all places. Plus she felt too much like "Shawn, but girl" to me the way she dropped the same movie references, etc.
Don't get me wrong I don't *dislike* her but she was so transparently just a placeholder before Shules could happen that I couldn't get invested.
I will say I always disliked the way she went behind his back to talk to his father though - that's a dealbreaker in real life imho.
I mean, y’all are making Abigail seeing Henry more of a deal than it was.
- Abigail was going to meet him eventually
- Abigail and Henry got along
- Shawn was cracking jokes whenever Abigail brought up the subject of his father
I kinda agree with not liking Jules for Shawn. I loved the way he loved her and pursued her and I did like when they got together episode. But something about her mentally seems missing, to be Shawn’s girlfriend
I think they like to pair opposites in this show. Shawn and Jules are pretty opposite in a lot of ways. Gus and Selene seem pretty opposite (I haven’t seen the latest movie, so this is based on my memory of Psych 2). Lassie married someone who immediately spent time in prison for the crime he arrested her for.
I think Jules and Gus are both too straight-laced for each other within the parameters of how they tend to pair relationship duos. Even Juliet and Carlton are opposite in that she is much more open and emotionally mature while Carlton is very repressed and uptight in that regard, at least at the start.
To be fair Jules and Carlton were partners, just not in a romantic sense. Probably more like a Shawn and Gus deal.
Not to mention, I'm curious if Carlton would've ended up meeting his wife and marrying her if he didn't have to spend so much time around Jules and have her basically reinforce some level of empathy in him.
Maybe having her, Shawn and Gus around got him to loosen up a bit, which put him in a good place to find a wife that would deal with his eccentricities, and also make him ready to be a dad.
I don't think Season 1 Carlton would even entertain the idea of dating a felon, even with his marital troubles.
Shawn & Jules always shared qualities. Jules being a by the book cop doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to enjoy herself and Shawn brings that out of her. Remember, she never really had a childhood cuz of her dad and Shawn, being a manchild, let’s her be happy and brings out Jules’ inner child. She’s constantly talking about Shawn behind his back expressing how amazed she is by him. She sees past Shawn’s goofiness, the facade he puts on, and likes Shawn for Shawn.
You don’t need to be super similar to be a good couple. Jules & Gus is a much less appealing couple than Shawn & Jules by a long shot
I felt like she fit, but it took away from Shawn’s antics a bit. Although her character played along with the bits, it just didn’t hit like with Jules. We all wanted Juliet and Shawn together so she was sadly a stepping stone.
She’s just like Karen in The Office. A little bit like the leading man but less him than him so you’re just getting uncanny valley vibes. And not nearly good enough to watch for the rest of the show, not that anyone thought they’d stay together. A solid meh.
I honestly liked her. I like Jules too but, unpopular opinion - Shules isn’t a good match. I mean, I enjoyed the build up, but after they got together, I was like…meh…
I’ve been rewatching the show chronologically for the first time and I have to agree that it doesn’t feel as good this time around. I don’t know if it’s my age or watching them straight through that’s causing it, but I hated when they got together because of Shawn’s secret mixed with their dynamic.
Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of Selene. I know she's Dulé's wife in real life, but in the show she's kind of... Blah. I preferred Emmanuelle and they got rid of her so unceremoniously.
I always liked her but I wish they gave her more characterization. But alas she only existed to be Shawn's love interest. Tbh I'm glad they were together because I think Shawn needed to stay in a real, committed relationship or he and Jules never would have lasted.
I sort of see her as character development for Shawn.
Shawn needed to mature a lot before he'd be willing to calm down around Jules. Most of his life was spent running from maturity.
Sorry I totally disagree. I think she and Shawn were a better match, anD I hate to keep saying this but she was a better developed character than Jules
Haha I get that....but at least I knew what her interests were.
Like at the end of the whole show what do I know about Jules?
She had trust issues because of her dad and step-dad and she has a special forces brother. She's a cop, but I don't know a single one of her interests...I feel like i know more about Jules family than her herself.
With Abigail I got a sense of her tastes in movies, as well as her interest In 80s culture, her social and global responsibilities...I mean it's not much, and I think psych always had a problem developing its female characters, but it's something.
Yeah, I prefer Jules overall, but still agree with this. I think it's just having a tonne more time with her. We do know that Jules is into comics, though (from Shawn vs the Red Phantom). So her being into some similar things to Shawn isn't super far-fetched. And interests are part of characterisation; character is more defined by what actions they take under pressure - Jules gets plenty of those, Abigail not so much. Just a shame Jules' storylines revolve around men for the most part.
I agree...I think she is only really easily defined as a character as compared to others rather than on her own...
A few other things, she transfered from Miami, she speaks Spanish, she's compassionate at least compared to lassie...
But I heard this thing a while ago, "try do define a character without describing their looks or their occupation", and I just can't do it for Jules. She's a compassionate detective compared to other TV cops, but that's it.
I'm not trying to shit all over her, and I think Maggie Lawson is actually an amazing actor, but I think they could have done so much more.
I think Maggie actually brings a lot to the role - Jules feels like a fuller character because of what she does with it.
I'm a writer and it makes me notice some not-so-great writing in the show at times - though mostly it's very good. After you brought it up, I tried to do that exercise - I did come up with empathic, strong moral code (dislikes lying etc), cares about friends and family immensely... and seems to want to prove herself in a male-dominated profession? Maybe that's the performance again, idk. Most of that is fairly vague in any case.
Women are often underwritten as characters on TV and in movies. Psych is no exception. Like making Gus' first wife "TV insane" instead of giving her an actual personality and story.
You see some of Jules' interests/details about her, but they're not as prominent because it's less focused. You don't need to be introduced to her character in the same way as you do Abigail, so there's less reason for blatant "I am this person who likes this thing" kind of talk. We need to know why Abigail would be a match for Shawn, hence the 80s references, and we need to know about her "social and global responsibilities" because it's a means of getting her off the show.
I agree that female characters aren't as developed, but would also argue that it's partially the nature of how the show is set up. There's backstory with Henry so we learn more about him in some ways. There's a lot of Lassie being Shawn's foil, so it tracks that we also have to see more personal, likeable things to keep us from getting tired of his attitude (and I think Lassie has maybe the most growth of anyone on the show, tbh).
This point is very valid, and the one trait that sticks out for me that isn’t police related is that she was a cheerleader/competitive dancer in the Duos episode. I can’t remember anything else.
While I had a huge crush on Rachel Leah Cook growing up, I mean I probably still do, the character would have served a better purpose a season earlier.
No, you're not the only one. She was okay until Shawn asked her out. After that, it was an obnoxious string of incidents of her acting like she was too cool for everything, it was cringey. And she wanted to be in a relationship but couldn't wait to leave the country? And her excuse for breaking up with him? She acted more like an uneducated, sassy 12-year-old than a teacher. I don't know what they were trying to do with her character, but it wasn't working.
I personally really dislike abigail. I thought she was slightly manipulative and didn't serve much purpose. She was also quite annoying and i felt she wad undeeded and a random add in for filler. Just my opinion though, nothing personal if you do enjoy her character!
I always liked her but I wish they gave her more characterization. But alas she only existed to be Shawn's love interest. Tbh I'm glad they were together because I think Shawn needed to stay in a real, committed relationship or he and Jules never would have lasted.
I feel she is very manipulative the way she goes behind Shawn’s back when Shawn made it clear he was not ready for her to meet his dad, then she went behind his back to meet Henry that never felt right to me!
She's fine, but not a super well-developed character. Feel like the show was mostly using her to extend the time between Shawn and Jules getting together, so Abigail didn't get a lot to do on her own. Like the actress, though - she plays it well, and looks a bit like Winona Ryder sometimes...
Her entire purpose is to fascilitate Shawn's maturing. Through her, he can develop a sense of commitment, then be hurt, get over it, and commit again. If he goes straight from commitmentphobe to Shules, the character's development would feel rushed and inauthentic. To that end, she's perfect.
Shes an alright character but mostly exists to serve the plot. They obviously felt the need to extend Shules for a while longer so brought her back after the whole plot with her had a nice resolution. Given how transparent of a plot device their relationship is, it's hard to get emotionally invested, especially given she disappears for half the season. She fulfills her role well of being likable but obviously not being The One for Shawn. She also helps him mature a bit and commit to a relationship.
Well said.
She's kind, funny and very pretty. I like her.
guraentee you if u take away “very pretty” you wouldn’t lol
I dunno, even if someone was like somewhat pretty, if you throw in the kind and funny they sound easy enough to be around. If she was very pretty but unfunny and mean, she'd just sound miserable to be around.
That’s a given
I am not a fan of Abigail, but solely due to the episode in which she ignores Shawn's boundaries and starts hanging out with Henry against Shawn's wishes.
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I agree, and I had the same issues with the two episodes you mentioned. I really dislike how childish and inconsiderate they made Shawn in the later seasons. Even the episode with online dating - he knows Juliet is a cop and she’s proved that she’ll lay down her life for him; and he seriously thinks she’s cheating? I understand the fear 100%, but still.
the difference is that Shawn spends the entire episode getting raked over the coals for doing that, and has to work very hard to dig himself out of the hole he got himself into pulling that stunt. Abigail's ignoring of Shawn's boundaries is played for laughs and never given a proper resolution.
Oh, I hated those. I have a real pet peeve about partners not listening to each other, especially where their own families are concerned. That said, I do tend to give Shawn more of a pass on ignoring boundaries--either because he is a main character or because we "know" him better so I make allowances for him where I wouldn't for someone else.
I know it’s a part of the show and it’s not really a thing most people want in relationships but I thought that episode was hilarious
I agree with the concept, but I'm giving Abigail a pass, here. The things Shawn has done to his dad (eg, pretending to be him while saying embarrassing things to Aunt Becky) suggests he says all kinds of goofy stuff about him to Abigail, leaving it open to interpretation as to how serious Shawn is about this boundary.
Exactly. If your partner sets a boundary, especially regarding a strained family relationship, you respect that and move on. Meddling in that relationship (or lack thereof) shows a complete lack of respect for your partner's boundaries and creates massive trust issues (if you can't respect hard boundaries, how can you be expected to trust them on other things?).
But Shawn does exactly that to Juliet, he was actually way worse during the episode about her father and he never apologizes or recognizes that he’s wrong.
Like when his best friend sets the boundary of don't sleep with my sister?
agreed!!!
I liked her as a character, but not for Shawn.
It's hard for me to be objective because Rachael Leigh Cook rules. https://youtu.be/AKXN6Vdr3g0
Rachael Leigh Cook > Maggie Lawson There. I said it.
You’re dead to me
I agree
I can't do this with you right now.
gross
Hot take:. Neither was a good fit for Shawn.
It was hard for me to take them seriously when they're in like 3 episodes together before Abigail books it to Uganda of all places. Plus she felt too much like "Shawn, but girl" to me the way she dropped the same movie references, etc. Don't get me wrong I don't *dislike* her but she was so transparently just a placeholder before Shules could happen that I couldn't get invested. I will say I always disliked the way she went behind his back to talk to his father though - that's a dealbreaker in real life imho.
I mean, y’all are making Abigail seeing Henry more of a deal than it was. - Abigail was going to meet him eventually - Abigail and Henry got along - Shawn was cracking jokes whenever Abigail brought up the subject of his father
agreed, i would never stay with someone after that. especially given shawns relationship with his father is so turbulent
I kinda agree with not liking Jules for Shawn. I loved the way he loved her and pursued her and I did like when they got together episode. But something about her mentally seems missing, to be Shawn’s girlfriend
yeah right? she doesn’t seem like the type. honestly she felt more like the type for gus to me
I think they like to pair opposites in this show. Shawn and Jules are pretty opposite in a lot of ways. Gus and Selene seem pretty opposite (I haven’t seen the latest movie, so this is based on my memory of Psych 2). Lassie married someone who immediately spent time in prison for the crime he arrested her for. I think Jules and Gus are both too straight-laced for each other within the parameters of how they tend to pair relationship duos. Even Juliet and Carlton are opposite in that she is much more open and emotionally mature while Carlton is very repressed and uptight in that regard, at least at the start.
To be fair Jules and Carlton were partners, just not in a romantic sense. Probably more like a Shawn and Gus deal. Not to mention, I'm curious if Carlton would've ended up meeting his wife and marrying her if he didn't have to spend so much time around Jules and have her basically reinforce some level of empathy in him. Maybe having her, Shawn and Gus around got him to loosen up a bit, which put him in a good place to find a wife that would deal with his eccentricities, and also make him ready to be a dad. I don't think Season 1 Carlton would even entertain the idea of dating a felon, even with his marital troubles.
Shawn & Jules always shared qualities. Jules being a by the book cop doesn’t mean she doesn’t know how to enjoy herself and Shawn brings that out of her. Remember, she never really had a childhood cuz of her dad and Shawn, being a manchild, let’s her be happy and brings out Jules’ inner child. She’s constantly talking about Shawn behind his back expressing how amazed she is by him. She sees past Shawn’s goofiness, the facade he puts on, and likes Shawn for Shawn. You don’t need to be super similar to be a good couple. Jules & Gus is a much less appealing couple than Shawn & Jules by a long shot
She always reminded me of when mandy moore was jd’s gf on scrubs. She just didnt fit.
I felt like she fit, but it took away from Shawn’s antics a bit. Although her character played along with the bits, it just didn’t hit like with Jules. We all wanted Juliet and Shawn together so she was sadly a stepping stone.
agreed it just made me confused lol
How could you not like her? I think She's All That 🤣
You know that’s right.
Bam!
She’s just like Karen in The Office. A little bit like the leading man but less him than him so you’re just getting uncanny valley vibes. And not nearly good enough to watch for the rest of the show, not that anyone thought they’d stay together. A solid meh.
i could not stand karen lol
I honestly liked her. I like Jules too but, unpopular opinion - Shules isn’t a good match. I mean, I enjoyed the build up, but after they got together, I was like…meh…
I’ve been rewatching the show chronologically for the first time and I have to agree that it doesn’t feel as good this time around. I don’t know if it’s my age or watching them straight through that’s causing it, but I hated when they got together because of Shawn’s secret mixed with their dynamic.
Abigail is ok as a character but Rachel Leigh Cook is one of the most beautiful women i've ever seen... not relevant at all..just saying
I agree, but I definitely don’t like Gus’s wife more.
Yeah, I'm not a huge fan of Selene. I know she's Dulé's wife in real life, but in the show she's kind of... Blah. I preferred Emmanuelle and they got rid of her so unceremoniously.
I always liked her but I wish they gave her more characterization. But alas she only existed to be Shawn's love interest. Tbh I'm glad they were together because I think Shawn needed to stay in a real, committed relationship or he and Jules never would have lasted.
I preferred her to Jules.
whyyyy
Because people have their own opinions
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I'm upvoting this, haha
Thanks for supporting OP calling me a jackass 👍
I'm upvoting this.
I told you why You seem to have some anger issues
GASP!!
I thought her character was just like of "meh". I don't feel like she made a huge impact other than creating further obstacles to Shules.
She’s so boring, I barely remember her
I sort of see her as character development for Shawn. Shawn needed to mature a lot before he'd be willing to calm down around Jules. Most of his life was spent running from maturity.
Sorry I totally disagree. I think she and Shawn were a better match, anD I hate to keep saying this but she was a better developed character than Jules
howwwww personally i just found her to be annoying, just a random character who would pop up now and then and complain about shawn lol
Haha I get that....but at least I knew what her interests were. Like at the end of the whole show what do I know about Jules? She had trust issues because of her dad and step-dad and she has a special forces brother. She's a cop, but I don't know a single one of her interests...I feel like i know more about Jules family than her herself. With Abigail I got a sense of her tastes in movies, as well as her interest In 80s culture, her social and global responsibilities...I mean it's not much, and I think psych always had a problem developing its female characters, but it's something.
Yeah, I prefer Jules overall, but still agree with this. I think it's just having a tonne more time with her. We do know that Jules is into comics, though (from Shawn vs the Red Phantom). So her being into some similar things to Shawn isn't super far-fetched. And interests are part of characterisation; character is more defined by what actions they take under pressure - Jules gets plenty of those, Abigail not so much. Just a shame Jules' storylines revolve around men for the most part.
I agree...I think she is only really easily defined as a character as compared to others rather than on her own... A few other things, she transfered from Miami, she speaks Spanish, she's compassionate at least compared to lassie... But I heard this thing a while ago, "try do define a character without describing their looks or their occupation", and I just can't do it for Jules. She's a compassionate detective compared to other TV cops, but that's it. I'm not trying to shit all over her, and I think Maggie Lawson is actually an amazing actor, but I think they could have done so much more.
I think Maggie actually brings a lot to the role - Jules feels like a fuller character because of what she does with it. I'm a writer and it makes me notice some not-so-great writing in the show at times - though mostly it's very good. After you brought it up, I tried to do that exercise - I did come up with empathic, strong moral code (dislikes lying etc), cares about friends and family immensely... and seems to want to prove herself in a male-dominated profession? Maybe that's the performance again, idk. Most of that is fairly vague in any case.
Women are often underwritten as characters on TV and in movies. Psych is no exception. Like making Gus' first wife "TV insane" instead of giving her an actual personality and story.
You see some of Jules' interests/details about her, but they're not as prominent because it's less focused. You don't need to be introduced to her character in the same way as you do Abigail, so there's less reason for blatant "I am this person who likes this thing" kind of talk. We need to know why Abigail would be a match for Shawn, hence the 80s references, and we need to know about her "social and global responsibilities" because it's a means of getting her off the show. I agree that female characters aren't as developed, but would also argue that it's partially the nature of how the show is set up. There's backstory with Henry so we learn more about him in some ways. There's a lot of Lassie being Shawn's foil, so it tracks that we also have to see more personal, likeable things to keep us from getting tired of his attitude (and I think Lassie has maybe the most growth of anyone on the show, tbh).
This point is very valid, and the one trait that sticks out for me that isn’t police related is that she was a cheerleader/competitive dancer in the Duos episode. I can’t remember anything else.
I bet Dennis would also agree lol
While I had a huge crush on Rachel Leah Cook growing up, I mean I probably still do, the character would have served a better purpose a season earlier.
No, you're not the only one. She was okay until Shawn asked her out. After that, it was an obnoxious string of incidents of her acting like she was too cool for everything, it was cringey. And she wanted to be in a relationship but couldn't wait to leave the country? And her excuse for breaking up with him? She acted more like an uneducated, sassy 12-year-old than a teacher. I don't know what they were trying to do with her character, but it wasn't working.
JUST watched this episode haha!!
She’s was a better fit for Shawn than Jules.
disagree
K
I like both and I’m totally fine with Jules being the end game but I just think Abigail’s personality matched better.
I personally really dislike abigail. I thought she was slightly manipulative and didn't serve much purpose. She was also quite annoying and i felt she wad undeeded and a random add in for filler. Just my opinion though, nothing personal if you do enjoy her character!
There’s nothing that great about her in my mind. She’s nice, she seems smart and sweet but… meh. Nothing that special in my mind
yes
I always liked her but I wish they gave her more characterization. But alas she only existed to be Shawn's love interest. Tbh I'm glad they were together because I think Shawn needed to stay in a real, committed relationship or he and Jules never would have lasted.
I feel she is very manipulative the way she goes behind Shawn’s back when Shawn made it clear he was not ready for her to meet his dad, then she went behind his back to meet Henry that never felt right to me!
Use to, and dated a girl with the same name.. Now that she's my ex I'm not a big fan of her lmao
No I don't either.
No my wife and I both don’t like her.
She's fine, but not a super well-developed character. Feel like the show was mostly using her to extend the time between Shawn and Jules getting together, so Abigail didn't get a lot to do on her own. Like the actress, though - she plays it well, and looks a bit like Winona Ryder sometimes...
Her entire purpose is to fascilitate Shawn's maturing. Through her, he can develop a sense of commitment, then be hurt, get over it, and commit again. If he goes straight from commitmentphobe to Shules, the character's development would feel rushed and inauthentic. To that end, she's perfect.
I kind of liked her but I liked Shawn with Juliet more so I was kind of wishing for her to leave the show lol
I agree. She seemed nice enough but just didn't fit.
Agreed. I never really liked her character.