This was a filler episode- but a wonderful one because of one character: Captain Raymond Holt. It’s been said many times before (myself included) but Andre Braugher brings a hell of a lot to this show and not a moment of it is wasted. We’re nearing the end of the season and some shows flounder a bit when they’re not quite ready to tie things together, but also can’t introduce any new storyline that won’t feel rushed by the seasons end. What the Brooklyn Nine-Nine writers do instead is put trust in their actors and the idea that fans simply want to see new versions of these characters we enjoy so much.
Gina, Jake, Holt and Kevin get the greatest amount of screentime this week but the supporting players still get some great bits to play with.
Holt is in a terrible mood, which most of the precinct is blaming on Jake due to the previous Wednesday when he accidentally set off Holt’s fire alarm sprinklers in his office. Jake doesn’t believe that it’s all his fault, obviously, so it’s Terry who is left to try and keep things together while Jake is off trying to get to the truth of the situation. This gives him little moments to play with such as keeping Hitchcock and Scully under control and making sure no personal calls are made but the best has to be the split second we see of him in a break dance battle.
Boyle takes the other supporting plot which essentially all culminates in his assertion in his abilities. Sure, he may not have the looks or the charm or aggression of the other cops on his team but he’s still damn good at his job. So, if that means buckling down on an elderly man who’s robbed six banks in three weeks, much to the suspicion of his other coworkers, he’ll do it.
Sadly his suspect dies before he can get him to admit the truth. However, Amy and Rosa still make sure to tell Boyle that they too believe he’s a good cop. It’s a nice moment that’s played well by Joe Lo Truglio who’s been doing some fine work this season in making an annoying character into a hilarious and fully fleshed out one. And it would seem one who still has some pride about his job that he wishes to express. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is never going to be about the bigger emotional beats and it would be weird if they just decided to write one however moments such as Boyle’s determination to prove himself is close enough to emotional potency that it’s all that’s really required for the episode.
Gina and Jake spend the episode retracing Holt’s steps to try and figure out what happened to him that Wednesday that could have put him in such a foul mood. He’s in such a bad mood at the start of the episode that I didn’t even laugh because I was so surprised with how strict he was being. We go through the motions of his day, learn that Gina is on a first name basis with Holt’s husband, and learn from various stops that Holt complains about Jake and his antics a lot. However, the result is far greater than I could have envisioned because it’s the exact opposite of what I would have guessed.
Holt was involved in an attempted mugging where he incapacitated the three men who attempted to jump him and in the process was lightly stabbed. He’s not embarrassed that it happened but how he handled it, believing he shouldn’t have behaved so rashly and shouldn’t have lied to Kevin about what had been going on. It’s a starkly honest moment on the show and one that shows how a real person might deal with a personal admonishing. The scene where Holt apologizes to Jake is a nice touch and brings everyone back to their status quo by the episodes end.
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It’s a filler episode with a lot of jokes so it’s already surpassed many sitcoms.
8/10
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