Mr. Yin, also known as Karl Rotmensen, was a serial killer who made his first (faceless) appearance in "Mr. Yin Presents...". Yin's counterpart and former partner is Mr. Yang, and he is even more murderous than she. Yin is extremely unpredictable as Mary Lightly warns that, while Yang followed a set of rules, Yin would not. He said that once a person discovered the rules of Yin, the rules would change. He is portrayed by Chris Turner in "Mr. Yin Presents..." (face not revealed), and then by Peter Weller in "Yang 3 in 2D".
Appearances[]
Mr. Yin Presents[]
In "Mr. Yin Presents...", his existence was unknown until Mary proposed that Yang had a partner during the events of "An Evening with Mr. Yang". He begins murdering people, starting with Shawn, Gus, and Mary's waitress, who served them pie. He arranges the body (with two rocks) into a Yin/Yang symbol.
After Yang confirms Yin's existence, it is revealed that Yin was at the movie theater the night Shawn and Gus were there at the Hitchcock festival, sitting in the same row, though Shawn does not remember seeing him. Shawn is forced to think long and hard about who Mr. Yin could be. After a series of flashbacks, he concludes that all the evidence points to Mary being Mr. Yin. He informs the SBPD of this theory, and tells them his theory. At the same time, Yin leaves a note on Mary's doorstep with clues from Hitchcock films, which the SBPD trace to a fountain in the park. In the meantime, Yin boards a nearby bus as Lassiter and Juliet watch on.
Later that night, it is revealed that Mary isn't the murderer, but a victim, as Yin stands behind a door in an abandoned building while Mary is walking up the stairs, just like Detective Arbogast before he is killed by "Mother" in Alfred Hitchcock's Psycho. Yin opens the door and stabs Mary as he falls down the stairs to his death. Gus sees Yin standing in the shadows, but Yin flees before the police can catch him. He then "casts" Shawn, Gus, Lassiter, Juliet, and Henry as archetypal characters from Hitchcock's canon, supporting Mary's claim of changing the rules since Yin changed from following killing in the theme of Psycho to setting the team up as a distraction.
While the team is distracted by the roles they are cast in, Yin kidnaps Juliet and ties her to the top of a clock tower. He then travels to the airport, where Buzz McNab picks up Shawn's girlfriend Abigail Lytar. Yin then drugs McNab and kidnaps Abigail, forcing Shawn to choose which one he wants to save. Yin ties Abigail to the bottom of the pier, and forces Shawn to make another decision - catch Yin or save Abigail. Shawn initially picks Juliet, due to knowing her location, but thanks to a hint from Yang, discovers where Abigail had been hidden. While he trusts Lassiter and Gus to save Juliet, Shawn and his father go to the pier to save Abigail. Shawn comes face to face with Yin (albeit masked), and upon realizing that she was under the pier with high tide coming in, he is forced to allow him to escape once again. The episode ends with Yin stroking a picture of Yang hugging a happy young Shawn.
Yang 3 in 2D[]
He makes another appearance in "Yang 3 in 2D" where he orders his new apprentice, Allison Cowley, to lure Shawn and Gus to his home to kill them. Allison pretends that she was kidnapped by Yin to trick Shawn and Gus to follow her. They get help from Yang to find the clues to lead them to Yin. As they arrive at his house, Yin leaves a note in his mailbox and forces Shawn to make a choice - come alone or Allison dies. Shawn and Gus are eventually led to him by Allison where they are held captive and await their impending death. Yin then begins filling a syringe and intends to murder Gus in front of Shawn. He admits to Shawn that at first he was only interested in Shawn due to his skill; however, after Yang sacrificed herself and ruined the plan in order to save Shawn's mother, he developed an intense hatred of him.
Just before he kills them, Yang comes into the room, revealing that she is Yin's biological daughter. After convincing Yin to forgive her for betraying him, she kills him with his poison needle originally intended for Gus (a personal mixture of cyanide, strychnine, atropine and boat cleaner, affectionately designated "The Last Kiss"). As he dies, he admits that he never loved her.
Trivia[]
Yin's assessment of Allison without him 'holding her leash' is very similar, in essence, to that of Curly Bill Brocius (Powers Boothe) regarding Johnny Ringo (Michael Biehn) in the 1993 western Tombstone.
RINGO: I want them spitting blood!
CURLY BILL: Easy, Johnny. Now ain't the time. (turns to others) I tell you, boys, even I'm worried what'll happen once Ringo runs this outfit! God have mercy!