This could have been another really good episode. The mystery is entertaining. Sadly it's super racist. Can't even say it aged poorly. It was bad when it came out. Shawn does say slightly, mildly racist things here and there in the series as "jokes", but this episode is hard to watch.
It starts with shoehorning in Ken in the beginning just so he can be brought back later on as their source then interpreter. Because Shawn and Gus seem to know absolutely no other Chinese people and the show, filmed in Vancouver, has had virtually no East Asian people on it for four years. That's a problem in itself.
Then you have all the instances they have Gus point out are problematic. They're supposed to be jokes, but hanging a lantern on their racist nature doesn't make them funny or acceptable. Yet Shawn doesn't stop. He just keeps going and going and going. It's just really awkward for long sections of the show. As I said, Shawn has made the rare borderline joke here and there in the show. But I hate watching this and finding out the character we all love can be so horrible.
I have no idea why this was allow to be made. I'll have to remember to skip it on any future rewatches.
It starts with shoehorning in Ken in the beginning just so he can be brought back later on as their source then interpreter. Because Shawn and Gus seem to know absolutely no other Chinese people and the show, filmed in Vancouver, has had virtually no East Asian people on it for four years. That's a problem in itself.
Then you have all the instances they have Gus point out are problematic. They're supposed to be jokes, but hanging a lantern on their racist nature doesn't make them funny or acceptable. Yet Shawn doesn't stop. He just keeps going and going and going. It's just really awkward for long sections of the show. As I said, Shawn has made the rare borderline joke here and there in the show. But I hate watching this and finding out the character we all love can be so horrible.
I have no idea why this was allow to be made. I'll have to remember to skip it on any future rewatches.