“Welcome back to my weekly review and recap of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine.” To catch up on previous coverage, click here.”
Okay, first things first-a month and a half break is far too long for me to wait for this show to be back every Sunday.
It was a strong episode to get us well acquainted with the characters and storylines with a good mix of laughs and characterization. I even broke the three main storylines up for you!
AMY & GINA
I think this pairing may have become one of my favorites on the show. Melissa Fumero and Chelsea Peretti have a bizarre pair of energetic characters and the mix of Amy’s high-strung nature with Gina’s ego is made for comedy. Their friendship is also one of the more surprising developments of the show. Female friendships need to be more visible on television, and one of my favorite moments from this week’s episode was when Amy gave up, sat down on Captain Holts front step, and took a swing from her bottle of wine before passing it to Gina. It’s a small moment for a thin storyline but it was sweet and spoke to both the characters quirks-something that pops up often in this week’s episode. These characters are so richly defined at this point that not only do we accept whatever antics they get up to as simply their nature; we also can watch them interact and allow that to elevate a weaker storyline, which is something I thankful for in regards to the B storyline.
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ROSA & HOLT
I care about Rosa and Holt’s relationship more than I care about Marcus and Rosa. I care about Holt and Kevin’s relationship more than I care about Marcus and Rosa. I care about Kevin and Gina’s relationship, more than I care about Marcus and Rosa.
Marcus isn’t a character that I care about, at all, because his characterization hasn’t moved past Nick Cannon guest starring and us as the audience being told how much Rosa likes him.
So, no matter what this storyline was, it was never going to win me over completely. Luckily Andre Braugher and Stephanie Beatriz are dynamic performers who make Rosa and Captain Holt’s discomfort at the dinner party hilarious. Their stilted line deliveries and awkward conversation beats were some of the strongest moments in the episode.
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Rosa has a moment of panic during their small talk and runs from the room, and Holt follows only for Rosa to tell him she thinks she may be pregnant. Of course, she doesn’t end up being pregnant, but it’s a nice way to allow Beatriz to play Rosa with a bit more vulnerability and Braugher to play Holt with a bit more panic-it’s rare for there to be an instance where Holt isn’t in control of the situations and it always provides for the best reaction shots. The two of these characters getting to share more screentime together is one of the strongest decisions of season two.
JAKE
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Oh Jake Peralta.
“Your tone sounds like bragging, but the words are just sad”
No sentence on the show has summed up the character so perfectly. It’s an episode where Jake keeps breaking things and himself while Terry and Boyle run after him both worried and exasperated. The episode allows for another great Andy Samberg showcase in both his broader comedy and his quieter moments. His physicality is on its A game as he grows increasingly more injured and his sounds of pain were fantastically timed and drawn out. Jake is a little obsessive with his work, this is something that’s been obvious since season one and this week he brings it to a new level as he puts himself in harm’s way.
He’s determined to catch his suspect and is only slowed down, pretty much stopped dead in his tracks, when he’s hit by an oncoming police car. It’s a hard hit and a nice visual gag.
The next scene in the hospital shines a light on a little more of his sensibility when he tells Terry why he hasn’t been taking any days off to heal. This only happens after Terry is about to give up on him. Jake tells them that back in his earlier days on the force he took a few days off while he was on a case and his suspect came out of hiding and two civilians died. It’s a tad dark for the show but it works because it doesn’t dwell too long on how somber it is. Terry tells him that if he keeps going this way he’ll be no use to anyone because he’ll be dead.
Jake’s alarmed “real talk” sums it all up nicely.
It’s rare that I love a lead male character so much since oftentimes it’s the supporting characters that are so much more interesting. The supporting players on the show are just as interesting and sometimes more so, Jake holds his ground as lead because he’s nothing what I’d expect and I’ve genuinely enjoyed his characterization so far this season. A little sad, a little over eager, and still playing up that Samberg, elastic charm.
A great episode to toss us back into the end of the season and I’m already sad that it’s ending so soon.
8/10
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