On My Gay Shit

And then, when the case they're investigating becomes too much, Gus drives away and leaves his best friend stranded to investigate alone. Because Gus is done with Shawn’s antics and he’s his own person and can do whatever he wants.

A scene later, Shawn breaking into Gus' house and convincing him to help him again, the bond between Shawn and Gus re-establishes, when Shawn says “Let’s go, I’m driving, where are your keys? Nevermind, I got them!”.

Gus driving away in his car and leaving Shawn proved that he has autonomy, now that scene shows how close Gus allowed Shawn to get to him, how much Shawn is ingrained into his life and how much he trusts Shawn. Indeed, in the next scene, Shawn is behind the wheel. It also demonstrates that they are equals – both of them can be in the driver’s seat despite the fact that the car belongs to Gus, Gus trusts Shawn enough with the car despite Shawn being portrayed as very much not the most responsible person, especially compared to Gus.

Third transport Shawn is seen in is the police car, Lassiter is behind the wheel, Lucinda Barry and he are driving both Shawn and Gus to the crime scene. Shawn is backseating Lassiter and telling him where to drive, Gus supplies the correct details, and this is pretty much the dynamic of the show in a nutshell. Lassiter is seemingly in charge, but he has to rely on Shawn to direct him, and Shawn has to rely on Gus to keep him on track.

Lassiter also provides the means to support Shawn’s antics – the car, same as Gus, but he’s also the one who’s able to execute Shawn’s plans, he has the power, the authority that comes with being the head detective that Shawn doesn’t have. And Shawn doesn’t need to have it because Lassiter has it, and Shawn has Lassiter. Much like at this point Shawn doesn’t need a car – Gus has a car, and Shawn has Gus. 

Later in the episode,Shawn drives to Henry on the motorcycle. Instead of inviting Shawn in, Henry says : "I was on my way out to lunch. You can come with me, if you don't bring this thing [the motorcycle]”. The motorcycle is Shawn’s means of being independent and showing that independence, the way Shawn lives his life is tied to it. Henry disregards that, he judges Shawn’s way of living, while Shawn is with his father he has to play by his father’s rules, thus, leaving the bike. Henry sees the fact that Shawn drives the motorcycle as a sign of his immaturity, in his eyes, a person who drives a motorcycle is not a reliable person, and that defies everything Henry thought his son should be. So, the fourth venicle Shawn gets into on screen is Henry’s truck. 

The “company car” is mentioned once again when Shawn tells Gus he needs to tail someone and he can’t use his motorcycle, since it’s not very “stealth-like”. This could be an example of how Shawn’s life is changing. In this instance the motorcycle becomes impractical, unusable for Shawn’s purposes, for his new job as a "psychic" consultant. That scene results in Shawn on the passenger seat, yet directing Gus where to turn. When Shawn and Gus sit in the car, Shawn uses his binoculars and says to Gus that they need to stop on their way back and buy new ones. Guster replies “Why don’t you just take your big loud motorcycle?”. And one hand, it’s Gus bantering with Shawn, making a callback to their earlier conversation, but it also serves to show that Shawn needs Gus. For the job, for the car, but most importantly, because Gus is his best friend. So by asking Gus for the car he includes him in his life, which is especially important because Shawn has been gone for so long. Gus’ feelings towards the motorcycle, similar to Henry, might also be negative. He may not judge Shawn and critique him as much as Henry does, but in my opinion, Gus might very well despise the motorcycle because it’s what allowed Shawn to get away, what allowed Shawn to leave him. And as long as Shawn has his motorcycle, who’s to guarantee he won’t leave again? And so he's taunting Shawn, reminding him that they need each other (subconsciously, at least, in my interpretation).

From this perspective, a scene later, Shawn trying to steal the bag from Katarina McCallum, becomes more than just comedic. Shawn gets out of the car to get the bag, then with it runs back to the Blueberry – but there’s no-one in the driver’s seat, Gus and he collide. This exchange happens:

Shawn: You were supposed to stay in the car!

Gus: You didn’t tell me!

So, to break it down: Shawn runs off somewhere without telling Gus, which is a very in-character thing of him to do. Now, keeping in mind the fact that Shawn left Santa Barbara for several years, Gus’ reaction is very interesting. He is shown as the most responsible, sensible person of the duo, and yet he leaves the car, blindly following Shawn to help him. Gus has been abandoned before and he’s not getting left behind this time. Unfortunately for them, it ends badly: Katarina catches up to them while they’re stumbling and the smooth escape becomes impossible.

To summarize: firstly, Shawn needs to work on his communication skills, secondly, Shawn’s and Gus’ dynamic works better when on of them – primarily Gus – stays on the ground. In this instance, Shawn doesn’t need someone who follows him, he needs someone he can come back to. And he will come back, but Gus has to wait and let Shawn do it on his own. 

And building from that context, in the next scene Shawn stays in the car while Gus goes to retrieve the bag. He shows Gus that he’s here, he’s back.

Until he leaves the car. Without telling Gus. Because Gus was a decoy. And yet, it works – the scene ends with Shawn jumping in the car head first while Gus is hurriedly driving away and making their escape, because ultimately, Gus always has Shawn’s back. 

Almost at the end of the episode, Lassiter tries to force Shawn in the police car. That scene is also very telling for both of their characters – Lassiter trying to control Shawn, to make him play by the rules, because that’s how Lassiter lives. But Shawn stays unchanged, Lassiter’s attempts practically don’t affect him. Shawn stays a “free spirit”, he doesn’t let people contain him. The struggle between Lassiter and Shawn is, no doubt, extremely physical, but it also shows their dynamic on several other layers.

The scene ends with both Shawn and Gus leaning against the police car. The door through which Lassiter attempted to shove Shawn stays open. 

Now, the pilot episode started with Shawn riding the motorcycle. It ended with Shawn and Gus, together, in the Blueberry, Shawn behind the wheel. 

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also, some statistics:

the blueberry is seen on 5 separate occasions, Gus and Shawn always together in it

the motorcycle – 2 times

the police car – 2 times, Lassie&Lucinda&Shawn&Gus and Lasiter trying to shove Shawn in the car

Henry's truck – 2 times, we don't see Shawn drive with him, in the end of the episode Henry also drives alone (with the newspaper that has an article about Shawn)