Summary: Jake is thrilled when he and Terry get to meet with Gina again but he finds that she is surprisingly distant. Holt is convinced Nikolaj is a genius and helps Charles give him the training he needs. Rosa is injured but refuses to take any help from Amy.
The Good: The physical comedy of Rosa trying to open the door was pretty funny and it also had that fantastically explicit line from Rosa (see: Best Moment). It was a dumb C-story, but had some good jokes, complete with a wonderfully ironic end with Amy absurdly being taught a lesson by watching Rosa. Holt and Charles have a few good lines in their story as well, with Holt's consistently hilarious personality shining once more. The Bad: This side stories have their problems though. The Amy/Rosa story is familiar physical comedy for the show and it feels like regression for Rosa to go back to being too tough for help after all of the development she has gone through throughout the series. The Holt/Charles storyline is honestly pretty dumb. It's blatantly clear that Nikolaj isn't a genius so the reveal that Holt is wrong isn't funny and it just makes him look like an utter fool. The main storyline was a complete failure courtesy of Gina's return. It's infuriating that the show brings Gina back only to misuse her even more than ever. Gina in this episode embodies all of her worst tendencies as she proves to be as selfish as ever, cutting off her friends and making it abundantly clear that they mean nothing to her. Yet by the end of the episode, the writers try to get us to sympathize with and understand Gina in spite of her making no moves to change who she is, acting like Gina is completely justified in what she's doing. It's every bit as frustrating as it was before Gina left the show, and I'm left feeling disappointed that Gina's return gave us all of the characters worst attributes without giving us anything worthwhile to appreciate her return. Best Moment: Rosa responding to Amy's "you can't spell independent without dependent" with "you can't spell go f*** yourself without f*** you!" Character of the Episode: Rosa. Conclusion: Gina's poorly handled return, combined with some empty side stories made this episode another failure in a season that has been extremely disappointing. Right when the show strings together some strong episodes, it falls to the bottom with this poor episode. Inconsistency has dragged down this season, and my hopes are low for the season turning into something worthwhile in the final few episodes. Score: 45
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Summary: The Nine-Nine try to stop a hacker from accessing their records. Rosa is unsure of what to do when Jocelyn arrives, wanting to break up with her.
The Good: This was another experimental episode and I really enjoyed it. The time crunch led to a lot of fun and fast-paced interactions, squeezing a lot of great jokes into the episode. Hitchcock and Scully were the highlight in their quest to get the garlic bread in time for the lasagna so they could really enjoy it. It was dumb fun that meshed brilliantly with the serious threat of the hacker to keep things feeling light and entertaining. Plus the ending gag with the two of them eating their food in silence was perfect. Rosa's story was also a good use of the character and she was given some nice scenes with Jake. Amy's FOMOW was a lot of fun as well and I really enjoyed her irrational attempts to get back to the precinct. The Bad: Jocelyn comes off as incredibly selfish for putting herself above Rosa's incredibly important job, especially since it seems like she spends plenty of time with Rosa anyways, evidenced by Rosa's everchanging hairdos in "The Crime Scene" and Rosa saying that they still see each other every day. It's hard to buy into Rosa really liking Jocelyn when we know nothing about her and when she comes off as a total bitch in this episode. The twist with Knox being the hacker was really easy to predict unfortunately which hurt the episode a bit. Best Moment: Hitchcock and Scully calling Holt and Jake, demanding to know what happened to the lasagna. Character of the Episode: Hitchcock and Scully definitely take this one. Conclusion: This was a fun and unique episode that got in a lot of laughs, even if some of the storylines weren't as good as they could have been. Score: 68 Summary: Jake helps Holt on a case when he starts feeling self-conscious interacting with Kevin's academic friends. Terry and Amy compete over who can throw the best lunch party for the Nine-Nine.
The Good: I really loved the main storyline of this episode. Having Holt, the most intelligent and robotic member of the Nine-Nine express feelings of self-consciousness and insecurity when dealing with Kevin's friends is wonderful and it's a very unique side of the character to explore. It's a clear case of impostor syndrome, a complex psychological condition that I'm really surprised to see this show tackle. Holt is wonderfully human as he deals with this and there is a surprising amount of comedy scenes throughout this more serious plot line, making it consistently entertaining, and even unpredictable at times. Holt was fantastic throughout the episode, portraying his nervousness while also being hilarious doing little things like "creating a kerfuffle" or playing crossword games. Jake is also excellent here as he tries to convince the smartest man he knows that he isn't just some loser. Jake is endearing, and his lines throughout the episode are great, with my favourite being when he learns that he's like a Hitchcock to these academic people. As a final note, it was very satisfying to have Kevin stand up for Holt against his colleagues. The show did a wonderful job of using realistic superiority complexes to make these people utterly detestable. Also, highly educated people looking down on less educated people as lesser individuals is a huge pet peeve of mine, so the ending really worked for me. The B-story has some fun moments too like Gary complaining about getting shot and Hitchcock and Scully somehow travelling to both lunches. The Bad: The B story unfortunately isn't very good overall. For some reason it's centered around John Kelly's budget cuts which feels really out of place as it's a storyline I had completely forgotten about. Furthermore, the lunches that Terry and Amy made were incredibly expensive and it's impossible to buy into both of them dropping that much money wastefully, especially when they complain about budget cuts hurting the precinct's quality of life. It should be a no-brainer to spend this money on services around the precinct rather than expensive lunches. Honestly, having such expensive lunches really undermines the threat of budget cuts anyways, and it also means that the plot makes no sense whatsoever. Best Moment: Holt playing the crossword app. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This episode had one awesome storyline and one weak one. I think the excellence in the A-story shines enough to overcome a lot of the episode's shortcomings however, so I have a much more positive feeling towards this episode than a negative one. Even with some nonsensical aspects, the high quality of the A-story helps the episode overcome a lot. Score: 71 Summary: Jake convinces Amy to have a "casecation" where they spend time together working on a case in the hospital but early on they stumble upon a serious issue when they realize that they disagree on the matter of having kids.
The Good: This was another single storyline episode and I really like how often these are coming uo. It's enjoyable to watch a single story unfold and I thought that it improved the experience of this episode. There were some good jokes here like the hilarious debate and the endless stream of debate monitors as well as Terry and Rosa's ill-times casecation dance and Pam's hilarious comments. The Bad: But unfortunately the story needs to be good for a single storyline episode to deliver. This one was not a good story because it wa shighly implausible. I could understand a couple getting haphazardly married without determining if the other wants kids or not. but I absolutely cannot buy somebody like Amy not making this clear with Jake beforehand. It's an insult to the character of Amy to assume that she didn't discuss this with Jake several years ago. Furthermore, it's absurd to think that this never came up. Did they seriously not discuss this in episodes like "Moo Moo" where Charles outright encourages them to have kids and they actually babysit? Furthermore, we have never seen Jake express that he doesn't want kids so this came right out of nowhere, and it's starting to get frustrating how the show explains away random new character beats being added to Jake with "daddy issues". It's repetitive and lazy, and this episode falls victim to it. What's worse is Amy threatening to divorce Jake having not given him even a few hours to search his feelings. It doesn't feel consistent with the relationship these two have had over the past 5 seasons, and it's a complete overreaction from Amy. Lastly, Holt's arrival in this episode made no sense. There's no way that Holt would ever stop working to monitor a debate between Jake and Amy. Hell, he thought Amy was keeping Jake in check during an investigation! Why on Earth would he be okay with this debate? Much of the episode was written poorly like this. Lastly, the bomb scene felt tonally out of place in this episode. It was needlessly intense without any stakes and it very much feels like it was forced to give Jake the necessary moment where he realized he wants kids. Like the rest of the story, it felt lazy. Best Moment: The countless membership credentials being listed off was a funny joke that kept getting funnier as it went on. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This episode was hugely disappointing. This should have been a great episode but the horrible continuity and writing dragged this one down badly. Another poor episode in what is turning out to be a really disappointing season. Score: 48 Summary: Jake and Charles work a case involving a therapist who Jake thinks is guilty of the crime. Terry tries to hide that he ordered a sex book. Holt tries to get Rosa to let him meet her girlfriend Jocelyn.
The Good: The 3 stories here are fine enough. Jake not liking therapy has been a trait of his for a long while, so I really enjoyed seeing an episode dedicated to this idea. There were some good moments in the storyline like Jake's horrible accents. The side stories were solid enough. Rosa's fake date was fun once you realized what was going on, and I thought that the relationship between Holt and Rosa was nicely explored in this storyline. It's great to see how much these characters have grown from the time they struggled to speak to each other while Rosa was dating Marcus. The Terry/Amy story is pure filler but it's funny filler and I enjoyed it. Unlike last episode, this episode clowns Terry in a believable and funny way. It humanizes Terry to have him have sexual flaws and it's funny to see him go to such lengths to keep his secret. The Bad: There was something missing from all three of the storylines. Since Gina's departure, the show has had fewer storylines per episode on average which has helped make each of the storylines more significant, for better or for worse. This episode has 3 storylines and it really hurts the episode because none of the three storylines ever hit their full potential because they feel very rushed. Best Moment: The ridiculous cold open using B words the entire time and ending in an absurd scream of "BABUSHKA!" is funnier than it has any right to be. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This was a solid episode of comedy. The storylines were rushed, but they were all good and easy enough to watch. There isn't anything special about this episode, but it meets my expectations. Score: 65 Summary: Jake and Charles work together to stop Nikolaj's birth father Gintars from confusing Nikolaj. Holt and Amy get excited when forensics expert Dr. Yee comes down to the precinct.
The Good: There are some good jokes here. Holt and Amy's awe towards Dr. Yee is funny, as is Terry's deteriorating face. Jake and Charles have a nice enough story with some good moments to it. The Bad: I did not like the stories in this episode. The A-story was the better of the two, but it had weaker jokes and a pretty dumb premise. Gintars coming to see Nikolaj is strange. You get the sense that he would have given up all rights to contact Nikolaj when he put him up for adoption yet this was never mentioned. Furthermore, it's idiotic that Jake and Charles would allow Gintars to meet Nikolaj purely because he said he would not reveal Nikolaj's true parentage. It feels dumb for them to be so trusting of Gintars. Additionally, I did not like that Jake inexplicably went behind Charles' back to get rid of Gintars when typically they would do something like this together. And it feels even more forced that Charles wants Jake to get out of his family life when Charles gets involved in his and Amy's life all the time. The story was not well written here. The B-story is a typical sitcom story that sabotages its characters. Holt and Amy are annoying and out of character as they inexplicably geek out over Dr. Yee. It's beyond stupid that they kept up this behaviour after Dr. Yee was revealed to be a fraud and it makes them look awful. Holt gets it the worst here as the character is completely sold out for jokes. He insults Terry and Rosa at will and shows no concern whatsoever for his detectives or his position while dealing with Dr. Yee. It's an insult to the character of Holt to have him behave like this, and several decent jokes are ruined because Holt is such an out-of-character asshole in this episode. Terry ruining his face is funny but the reason for him doing so is idiotic. Everyone knows that microbes live on the human body so having Terry get rid of his facial hair to prevent this makes him look like the dumbest person in the precinct. Best Moment: Gintars and Charles trying to out-Nikolaj each other. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This was a bad episode. Dumb storylines, characters behaving woefully out of character, weak jokes and poor writing all combine to make this one of the worst episodes of the show. Season 6 has been incredibly inconsistent so far with some great episodes but some bad stinkers like this one. Score: 43 Summary: Amy takes Jake to a dinner with her mom and perfect brother David who is obviously the preferred child. Charles enlists Terry and Holt in a competition to determine who can go undercover to get information from a criminal.
The Good: I enjoyed both storylines. They have their fun moments and I laughed numerous times. Jake is perfect in the Amy storylines as his reactions to Amy's unhinged responses to David being arrested are fantastic. He seems genuinely confused and almost scared for her which is realistic but still funny. Furthermore, the end of the episode where he lashes out at Amy's mom was excellent and I really enjoyed it. The Charles story is also pretty good. Charles isn't allowed to show how smart he is in most episodes but thankfully he got to prove that here as he sets up the horrible Holt and the average Terry for failure in order to send Rosa to extract the information. Terry and Holt are really funny here and I enjoyed their roles. At first I was annoyed that Charles' worst attributes were being focused on to ruin the plan, but the writers came up with a clever twist to end the episode and I really liked it. The silly traits that these characters exhibit are always far better when they are clearly being done as a joke rather than these traits just being who the characters are. The Bad: Amy's arc doesn't feel like the right one. It seemed like the episode was going to tackle how unfair it is for parents to clearly have a favourite child but instead what we focused on was just pure jealousy from Amy and the greater problem of Amy's achievements not being recognized by her parents was completely ignored. It felt awkward throughout the episode to not address this, and I always felt like the wrong story was being told. Best Moment: Jake raging at Amy's mom. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This is another solid episode with a lot of good jokes. It doesn't end up being anything special, but I liked it. Another typical "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" episode. Score: 67 Summary: Jake helps Amy solve a sexual assault case. Holt suspects that his nemesis the Disco Strangler has escaped prison though it is far more likely that he is dead.
The Good: I enjoyed both of the storylines in the episode as they were quite fun. The Jake/Amy story feels like a spiritual successor to "Moo Moo", bringing light onto the serious issue of sexism. This story ran a huge risk of failing but I think it worked overall, particularly with the consistent jokes throughout the episode that kept everything fun and breezy. Jake in particular was handled really well as he was comedically ignorant but respectful when he needed to be and I really liked that. I also liked that the episode did not have a simple happy ending and Amy only got to provide a small victory instead of a full victory. It's a realistic resolution for a situation like this and I appreciate that the episode didn't sugarcoat it. The guest star characters at the office were also a lot of fun with how scummy they were. The Holt story is also pretty good. It's a story that uses the character of Holt really well and it allows him to be at his sassy, hilarious best as he tries to hunt down this old man he insists is still alive. The Bad: The Disco Strangler as a nemesis of Holt feels forced because we're only told that Holt obsesses over him and are never shown this happening in previous episodes. It's very clearly a retcon to make an interesting plot in this episode. Amy's problems with sexism don't work even close to as well as Terry's problems with racism. Whereas the race problem has been an issue since the beginning of the show with Holt, this sexism problem has been introduced out of nowhere so unfortunately it feels like it was forced into the show instead of being a natural episode like "Moo Moo" was. If an episode like this was the plan, I wish that Amy and Rosa had been characterized better to reflect the ideals that they expressed in this episode. Best Moment: Holt giving out a warning about the Disco Strangler. Everything he says is made 100 times funnier simply because he is the one saying it. Protect your neck! Character of the Episode: I want to give it to Holt but Amy feels right for this episode. Conclusion: This was a solid episode. While not as well done as "Moo Moo", this was a strong episode that tackled a serious topic in a way that didn't detract from the humour you would expect from "Brooklyn Nine-Nine". There were still flaws of course, but I liked this episode. Score: 69 Summary: Jake and Holt work together when they discover a spy has been sent to their precinct. Amy tries to get the precinct more organized.
The Good: The A-plot is brilliant and is "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" at its best. Watching Jake and Holt work together to take down the spy is brilliant and it's their dynamic at its absolute best. On one hand there's Holt who is fantastic here, be it his never-ending barrel explanation or from his reactions to his assistant's "obvious" flirting. He's hilarious throughout and this is Holt at his best. Then there's Jake who is the loveable, energetic detective we have known. What starts as an innocent plan to get Holt a new assistant becomes a spy thriller as Jake channels his inner "Thomas Cruise" while trying to get Holt to engage in the spy dynamic. The story throughout is tremendous fun, and it culminates in a wonderful moment as Holt commits to the spy dynamic to frame John Kelly. It's a satisfying story with numerous funny moments. The Bad: But then we get the B-story which is not good. First of all, it's hard to believe that Amy hasn't already tried to clean the precinct. Second, why does everyone here keep so many possessions? They have homes to put this stuff do they not (looking ta you Charles)? I get that this is why it's supposed to be funny, but it's so stupid to see nobody bring up the sensible solution of taking your stuff home instead of leaving it at the precinct. Furthermore, the reveal Terry's connection to the suspenders is because he wanted to wear them as a lieutenant feels cheap. Why would Terry not just say that before instead of keeping it secret and making everyone feel guilty afterward?! It's an absurd story twist to force an emotional element into the story. Best Moment: I'll go with Holt's hour-long dialogue on barrels. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This was an episode of two halves. The A-plot was magnificent and had me tremendously entertained, but the B-plot was a typical stupid sitcom plot idea that was executed poorly. The good does outweigh the bad, but I'm left wondering at how good this episode could have been with a better B-plot. Score: 68 Summary: Jake and Rosa work together to solve a crime after Jake foolishly promises the victim that he will solve it.
The Good: This feels like an unofficial sequel to "The Box". Here's an episode that focuses heavily on the police work aspect of the show while exploring a relationship between Jake and a secondary character without being burdened by B and C stories. It worked wonderfully well once again. The story here was really fun and the detective work was engaging. I really enjoyed the dynamic between Jake and Rosa as per usual, and their relationship remains one of the high points of the show. The jokes were also really good here. Jake's lunatic behaviour was surprisingly funny and led to the great scenes with Charles and Amy. I was also consistently amused by Rosa's changing hairstyles, Agent McCoy's hilarious speaking style and the antics of the high delivery man. The Bad: This feels like familiar content for Rosa. The show has really cheapened the character by making her come off as the most emotional of the detectives because they fall back on her emotional side far too often. I appreciate the continuity between her and her mother, but it feels like it was sloppily inserted in the second half of the episode. It didn't feel organic to switch from Jake's unnecessary promise and lunacy to Rosa's personal problems. Best Moment: The delivery man being horrified by the crime scene felt real and was absolutely hilarious. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This was an excellent episode, and was exactly what this season needed. The story was flawed but engaging, and the jokes throughout were consistent. It's an excellent episode overall. Score: 77 Summary: Jake and Terry find out that somebody is impersonating Doug Judy and they investigate the case. The rest of the precinct battle with the fire department over who gets to have Shaw's as their bar.
The Good: Doug Judy episodes are always fun. Though they have gotten formulaic and repetitive as time goes on, I still have a good time with the Jake/Doug interactions which are always a blast. This was no exception to that as I greatly enjoyed their interactions. Bringing in Terry and Doug's younger sister as the actual culprit is fun and it shakes things up a little bit for a more engaging storyline. The B story is fine. It's nice to see the fire department come into play again because it has been a long while since they last appeared. There were some nice moments in this storyline too like Rosa's drunken phone calls and Charles vomiting after his speech. The Bad: The episode is formulaic and doesn't do much to surprise, even with the Trudy twist. Like I said before, it's a fun episode. It just never threatens to do anything more. Best Moment: Charles vomiting after his dramatic speech. Character of the Episode: Doug. Conclusion: This was another solid Doug Judy episode. The character is fun and I look forward to his appearances each season, but I have to admit that the episodes haven't been anything too memorable in a long while. This episode continues that trend and does nothing to change that. Score: 66 Summary: Gina announces she is leaving and decides to give "Gina Moments" to everyone in the precinct.
The Good: There are some clever ideas here. The scene between Holt and Gina is really good, the chess match is an interesting idea and leads to several pretty solid jokes, and the story being told here is good. Holt and Gina have always had a pretty good relationship and it was nice to see that explored in this sequence as Holt makes sure that Gina will be okay after she leaves. The Bad: This was a celebration of Gina and unfortunately all of her worst attributes were put on display in this episode. This show has almost never used Gina correctly. Throughout the series she has been completely unlikeable, being selfish, cold and an outright prick in many moments. Yet the show refuses to acknowledge these flaws and likes to pretend that she is perfect and that she knows just about everything, with there being nothing else for her to learn. Gina is a narcissist that thinks she is perfect, but instead of getting Gina to grow past these traits, the show sends the message that there's nothing wrong with it and that she actually is perfect. That is not the correct way to handle a selfish character, and it makes her irritating and frustrating. This episode falls for all of these trappings with the Gina Moments which paint the character as some sort of goddess who blesses everyone else in the precinct with important revelations. What the heck? I don't buy for a second that any of these characters need to get Gina's validation for any of the things that were brought up. Amy's is just a repeat of the exact same story for her that she shouldn't try to be cool and just be herself, only the catch is that this time Gina tells her to do this. We have seen Amy overcome this flaw herself countless times, but apparently she needs Gina to tell her this (a person she should despise by all means by the way). Rosa's moment isn't earned at all and there's no reason to believe she would feel emotions just like that. It's a cheap joke that sells out the character. Jake's moment is perhaps the worst since Gina's actions caused him to be brutally beaten up for no reason, yet Jake acts like it was the best thing ever. It's a consistent stream of frustrating moments, encapsulating everything that I disliked about Gina. What a waste of a farewell episode. Best Moment: The Holt/Gina chess games. Character of the Episode: I want it to be Gina but it really can't be. Terry gets it instead. Conclusion: This episode was downright annoying. The show has tried to justify Gina's horrible actions for too long, and it was a terrible decision to do this in her farewell episode, reminding me of everything I disliked about the character. I should be much sadder that she's leaving, but after this episode I was almost glad to be rid of her. This show really let down the character of Gina by writing her so poorly, and this episode sums up everything I've disliked about Gina with perfect accuracy. It would be impressive if it wasn't so damn irritating. Score: 44 Summary: Jake takes Gina and Amy to a high school reunion but everyone remembers his for tattling when he never did it. Charles helps Rosa choose between love interests. Holt joins Terry, Hitchcock and Scully in a radio sound-guessing game.
The Good: I enjoyed parts of this. There are some solid jokes throughout. I thought Amy's role in the episode was really unique for her and it led to several great jokes. I liked the way that the show set up for Gina's departure which is coming this season. The conversation with her and Jake towards the end of the episode was a good way to set it up. The side stories are harmless fluff with a few good jokes in there. The Bad: But of course harmless fluff is nothing special and does not add to the episode. This episode as a whole was rather bland. The side stories added practically nothing to the episode and the main story was lacking in jokes. Gina was at her worst again as she did something bad to Jake yet the show decides to justify it rather than admit it as a mistake. This show never figured out how to do Gina properly and it's disappointing to see her be as annoying as ever in one of her final episodes. Best Moment: I'll go with Amy being turned on by Jake's perfect attendance record. It was a clever joke. Character of the Episode: Amy. Conclusion: This episode had decent jokes, but flat storylines and Gina being at her worst again made this another rather weak instalment. Season 6 hasn't gotten off to the greatest start outside of the honeymoon episode. Score: 50 Summary: Jake and Charles investigate into Hitchcock and Scully's past. Holt tries to get an interview to slander Commissioner Kelly's plans. Terry and Rosa go up against Amy when the downstairs people coming upstairs causes problems.
The Good: This episode had decent ideas. The Hitchcock and Scully story is fun, and it's nice to see how they were badass cops in the past only for Wing Sluts to completely change them. It's a funny story that manages to show the heart that these two have. The other storylines are passable for comedy. The Bad: I thought this episode did not have good jokes. The storylines weren't a natural fit for jokes and it showed. For an episode titles after Hitchcock and Scully, the jokes surrounding them were simplistic and bland, far from how funny they usually are. The upstairs people vs downstairs people conflict felt phony and unnecessary, and the jokes were too over-the-top to be believable. The story wasn't given enough depth to succeed, and watching the characters argue is hardly compelling comedy. The Jake/Charles story is also quite silly. Dragomir is obviously not who he says he is and Charles looks like a total moron for not noticing that. Charles has always been trusting, but this was definitely a step too far. And, the story doesn't even have any good jokes to make up for its issues. The Holt/Gina/Kelly story is fine but again it is lacking in comedy and didn't really make me laugh at all. Best Moment: The opening scene showing the old Hitchcock and Scully. Character of the Episode: Hitchcock and Scully. Conclusion: This episode really disappointed me. An episode hinging on Hitchcock and Scully's background should be a slam dunk, but the stories in this episode were uninteresting and the laughs did not connect with me at all. This should have been far better than what we got. Score: 52 Summary: Holt doesn't get the commissioner job. Jake and Amy go for their honeymoon in Mexico but are shocked to find a depressed Holt there. Terry is in charge at the precinct but questions his own abilities when Rosa comes to him with a difficult problem. Charles goes to Gina for help when he learns that her mom is divorcing his father.
The Good: The main story was superb. The idea of Jake and Amy running into Holt during their honeymoon is hilarious, and Holt's constant self pity bringing down the mood was a fantastic use of the character. It made perfect sense as well with Holt falling into depression after he failed to achieve his life's goals. I also really liked how Amy managed to bring Holt back to normal with a surprise outburst of frustration at how her mentor was behaving. It's solid storytelling that manages to have a bunch of awesome jokes along the way like Amy's Die Hard costume and Holt's increasingly ridiculous shirts. The side stories weren't as effective but they were decent enough. Terry as top dog had some funny moments as he tried to get into Holt's computer, and the Charles/Gina story is pretty solid for what it is. The Bad: The side stories aren't anything special. It's familiar stuff that really isn't too big of a deal. Best Moment: As awesome as pretty much all of Holt's lines were in this episode, the funniest moment for me was the "this B needs a C in her A" joke which was executed really well and even cleverly broke some of the show's rules with the unexpected censorship. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This was a great season premier. The Holt/Jake/Amy plot was the definite highlight and everything else was solid enough. An excellent way to kick off the new season. Score: 75 Summary: Jake and Amy's wedding is under jeopardy when a bomb threat is called in. Terry tries to get Rosa hooked up while they tend to Amy's veil. Holt gets an e-mail telling him if he became commissioner or not but he is terrified to open it.
The Good: This is a really strong episode that utilizes the characters well. Jake and Amy are really sweet here as a couple in love, and it's only fitting that they would work on a case on the day of their wedding. They have great moments together and the vows scene was done really well. It's easy to see what these two saw in each other, and this is one of the most earned weddings you will see in sitcoms. The other characters have nice stories too. Terry and Rosa get a really nice side story. Terry going from playfully pushing Rosa towards finding love to panicking once the veil is ruined was really amusing to watch. Charles' constant unease at having ruined Jake's wedding is really funny and there are some really clever jokes on the way to Charles finally saving the wedding by setting it up at the precinct. Holt's story is pretty good and it fits nicely in the background. I'm aware that the show was almost cancelled in this episode, and the ending with Holt reading the e-mail and not revealing the answer was the perfect way to conclude the season, providing a satisfying ending while also leaving the door open if the show was renewed (which it was on a different network). I appreciate that the story wasn't altered to be more like a series finale due to the threat of cancellation, and only the end of the episode served as one final joke had the series been cancelled here. The Bad: I thought the guest star appearances were weak in this episode. Teddy came back but he brought no original new jokes with him, just rehashes of what we already know. I had to look up on google who Mlepnos was since its been so long since he appeared and the character was really forgettable. It was cool to have a recurring character from the series pilot return, but Mlepnos wasn't utilized well enough since then to justify his appearance. Best Moment: The final joke of Holt looking at the e-mail and nobody being able to tell what it said. It would have worked really well as a final joke for the series and it perfectly encapsulated what makes holt so great. Character of the Episode: Charles. Conclusion: Wedding episodes are always entertaining and this was no exception. This was a really fun episode with quality jokes and some sweet moments as Jake and Amy finally marry. This would have been a solid enough episode to conclude the series but thankfully, the writers didn't treat this episode as a series finale, allowing it to shine as the season finale it is meant to be. This season as a whole was really good, much better than any of the other ones. The show still has problems going from good to great, but it did so much more consistently this season, with more highlight episodes than all the other seasons combined. I really enjoyed the season and it feels like the show has finally started to live up to its potential. Score: 76 Summary: Amy and Rosa chase down their nemesis who has returned to town. Jake gets Terry's help to do Amy's wedding prep. Gina and Charles try to get Holt to undermine his opposition.
The Good: I thought all three plots here were pretty good. The Amy/Rosa story is nicely done and does a good job of exploring the characters and their friendship. I thought Amy in particular was handled really well as the character's strengths, flaws and quirks were given a nice examination as her past lies anger Rosa before the two of them easily make up, a result of how their relationship has grown over the past 5 seasons. Jake and Terry's story is harmless fun as Jake predictably is unable to keep up with Amy's crazy schedule. The jokes here are really strong and there's a nice story here with Jake learning what he needs to do in order to be a great husband. Holt's story with Olivia is also quite nice. Holt's comments to Olivia are still a joy to watch, but the episode took a surprisingly serious turn as Olivia steps down in favour of Holt so that he can beat John Kelly. The story was well told and had some good jokes. The Bad: This episode was a bit lighter on the jokes, but I'm very accepting of that considering the quality of the stories being told. One thing that annoyed me was that Rosa has apparently had this nemesis for all these years yet we never heard her mention his name. It breaks your immersion when you realize that the only reason for this is because the character of Sergio hadn't been thought up until this very episode, and it's ridiculous to see Rosa and Amy act like they have this long backstory with him when it's clearly not the case. The show has had problems with storylines like this for a while now. A second problem is how every case always goes the same. There's always some sort of chase sequence as the bad guy runs away, and there's never a case where the detectives don't catch the criminal. This results in them all feeling incredibly similar and uninteresting. This has been a problem for many cases in the past, not just this one. Best Moment: I'll go with Jake destroying Terry's windows in his excitement. Terry's reactions and Jake's thoughtless excitement were wonderful. Character of the Episode: Amy. Conclusion: This was a good episode with three very strong stories and some good jokes throughout. I had some complaints, but they are levelled more at the show as a whole rather than this specific episode. This was a much better effort than the past 4-5 episodes. Score: 68 Summary: Rosa gets involved in a shooter situation leaving the precinct concerned for her. Jake tries to work a case with Charles to distract himself. Amy and Gina try to repair a broken toilet. Terry tries to get life insurance.
The Good: On paper, this is a good idea. For a cop show, it's sensible to explore the idea that somebody is in a dangerous situation and might die. I liked the concept behind the episode and it led to some unique moments. The jokes here hold up really well. Hitchcock and Scully are used fantastically here. They pop up every now and then, and each time they do results in an excellent joke that utilizes the characters well. The main storyline has its moments too. Amy and Gina working on the toilet leads to some nice slapstick, and it's also nice to see Gina not completely abusing Amy as she always does. Gina is actually supportive here but is still in character as she still laughs at Amy's struggles. Jake and Charles have some nice moments as well, and I particularly laughed at their ridiculous attempt to get Jake to help Rosa. The return of the Holt soundboard was one of the episode's funniest moments. We also got another great cold open with Holt trying something new (it definitely didn't work). The Bad: Despite the high quality of humour, much of this episode fell entirely flat for me. If this was going to tackle the serious concept of somebody from the precinct possibly dying, it needed to have a more serious tone like "Moo Moo" did. This episode didn't do that. It still went really heavy on the jokes, resulting in really jarring tone shifts throughout the episode. The ideas in the episode just did not flow well at all. I also thought that doing an episode like this so late in the show's run was a poor decision. We've seen the characters in situations like this before, some situations being even worse than this. Because of that, it's hard to buy into how distressed the squad gets when their friend is in danger. They have been in danger before, this should not be treated like a new experience for them or for us. Best Moment: Hitchcock and Scully's penis-punching battle was unexpected and hilarious. Character of the Episode: Hitchcock. He had excellent lines throughout the episode. Conclusion: The jokes were really good here, but the story was disjointed and unengaging. Another disappointing episode and this season is really starting to drop in quality with these past few episodes. Score: 61 Summary: Charles prepares an overly elaborate bachelor party for Jake but Jake, Terry and Holt end up having their own fun instead. After a game of I Never, Amy learns that a guy she used to date will be playing at her wedding so she and the other girls scramble to cancel the performance.
The Good: This is a fun episode. Weddings and bachelor/ette parties are very familiar ideas for sitcoms (it's nothing new for this show either) but they always end up being a good time. Jake's bachelor story is fun with some good ideas throughout. There's a good story between Jake and Charles throughout and Terry's hungry rage as well as Holt being "one of the boys" was decent fun. Amy's party was the highlight for me though. Rosa and Gina were utilized very well here, and we even got a nice return from Kylie. The added background on Amy's relationship with Constantine was great and it led to the hilarious climax of the episode as Amy finally does something wild. It was also very nice to see Gina be a likeable person in this episode, which is something that the writers don't do nearly often enough. The Bad: As I mentioned above, this is not new territory for the show at all. We have seen all of this stuff before so there isn't much about this that really excels. As well executed as this episode is, it's all familiar stuff. We've seen strife between Jake and Charles, just as we've seen Amy be desperate to prove that she isn't tightly strung. It's fun to watch but it feels like there isn't a single original bone in this episode. I thought that Jake choosing to leave Charles and have his own fun with everyone else was a tough moment to buy into. Were all three of the guys really so willing to exclude Charles? Also, I found this to be a weak utilization of Holt in an unfamiliar environment. His behaviour here felt more like a one-off gimmick for this episode rather than an extension of the character. Best Moment: I guess the streak of excellent cold opens being here had to end. I'll go with Hitchcock and Scully returning to trick Constantine. Character of the Episode: Amy. Conclusion: This was fun, like your usual "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" episode, but much of this episode treaded familiar territory and nothing here even came close to feeling special. Score: 58 Summary: Pimento appears as an insurance agent to help Charles when his food truck burns down, but Pimento thinks Charles did it for insurance fraud. Rosa gets Amy to openly look for wedding dresses. Gina and Terry help Holt get a social media presence.
The Good: Pimento is back in all of his wacky glory. A lot of the jokes surrounding him are a lot of fun and the uniqueness of the character is enough to get in some really good laughs even if he doesn't quite fit in at times (see: The Bad). I thought that the main storyline had some really good moments with Pimento being wild and unpredictable. The side stories ended up being inoffensive fun. Holt being a robot is always funny, and I liked the examination of the Amy/Rosa relationship. The Bad: Pimento's presence feels strange after he was missing for so long. To not address Rosa at all barring one line was weird, as was having Pimento return and interact with nobody but Jake and Charles. Pimento seems less like a part of the Nine-Nine and more like somebody like Bill. With Pimento feeling more and more like an outsider, it's awkward for him to come back and butt heads with Jake and Charles immediately, making you really question why he is still considered a friend anyways. The story of Pimento realizing that Jake and Charles are his friends didn't resonate with me as well as it should have since I don't have any reason to believe that these people are close. The side stories are fine, but like a lot of side stories they don't do a whole lot. Holt's story feels very familiar and there aren't any memorable laughs despite Andre Braugher being brilliant as usual. Rosa and Amy had a good episode but their storyline was light on laughs as well. Best Moment: The Mad Max food truck cold open was hilarious from start to finish. The streak of amazing cold opens continues. Character of the Episode: Pimento. Conclusion: The episode started off really strong with the cold open, but the episode's three storylines didn't fully connect with me for various reasons. This was one of the season's weakest episodes. Score: 55 Summary: Jake meets with one of his half-sisters but finds her to be extremely difficult to handle. Terry hurts himself while doing yoga with Charles and Holt but is ashamed to admit it. Gina tries to set Rosa up on a date but Rosa doesn't want her to.
The Good: There are a lot of good jokes here across all storylines. The Jake storyline has nice continuity with one of his half-sisters emerging, and things like the statue man and the Mongkut story were quite funny. I also quite liked Scully getting "tricked" by Holt and Charles into giving away the nap room and Holt shaming Charles for using wordplay, as well as Gina's absurdly funny Holt soundboard (I desperately want one now). I also thought that the cold open was fantastic, and one of the best jokes of the series (see: Best Moment). The Gina/Rosa story in particular was quite good. We haven't seen these two interact much so this was a fresh pairing and they got a good amount of time to tell a nice story and have several good jokes. The Bad: I thought that Kate as a character left a lot to be desired and the story told with her was bland and predictable without enough feeling to make it really work. I feel like the character of Kate never quite went far enough to make this story really work. Amy's role in the episode was also quite underwhelming as she was nothing more than a background character in most scenes. The Terry story wasn't that good either. Terry getting hurt was overly dramatic to the point that it wasn't really funny anymore. Having him get stuck in the supply closet wasn't a very compelling story either and while the payoff of Charles carrying was funny, it also made absolutely no logical sense. Best Moment: Jake getting carried away and having his prime suspects sing "I Want it That Way" was hilarious, made even better by the dark joke at the end of the episode. This scene is the essence of Jake as a character and it is tremendously funny. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This is a decent episode. The stories leave a lot to be desired, but the comedy was consistently good, saving the episode. Score: 62 Summary: Jake and Charles work to expose the pyramid scheme of NutriBoom which they got themselves caught up in. Amy struggles to handle a difficult police officer when she starts working as a sergeant.
The Good: This was a really funny episode centered around two stories. Jake and Charles investigating NutriBoom is an engaging story that provides nice continuity from this season's Halloween episode. Plus we get to see Bill again which is always great. I thought that the character interactions and jokes were great in this storyline as this was Jake and Charles at their absolute best. Amy's story is quite good, and the idea of having her go to everyone else to learn how they put up with her is excellent and it leads to some really funny moments like Holt calling her a massive tool. The Bad: It felt strange to not resolve the NutriBoom story in this episode. The episode felt almost unfinished in a way, and I found the conclusion to be rather abrupt and anticlimactic. Best Moment: I'll give it to the cold open and the hilariously unexpected fate of the pigeon which completely caught me off guard. Character of the Episode: Charles. Conclusion: This was a rock solid episode with two really strong storylines and memorable jokes. The episode doesn't quite hit the highest levels of the show but it is consistent fun. This episode is the perfect example of a typical good "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" episode. Score: 69 Summary: When Amy becomes a sergeant, Jake invites her idol, the puzzle master Melvin to join them on one last case as two detectives and Jake starts feeling jealous. Terry, Rosa, Hitchcock and Scully argue over who gets the new squad car. Holt meets the other commissioner candidates and tries to announce himself as the commissioner who wants change.
The Good: I enjoyed Holt's storyline. It provided a good moral dilemma for the character as he was faced up with Olivia who makes him like just as much of a dinosaur as the other commissioners. I liked his decision to support Olivia's chances while she was being oppressed even though he despises her. It was a fitting character moment. Jake and Amy's story has some fun moments and funny laughs which is to be expected. Terry's inability to cheat without feeling guilty and Hitchcock's professional detective work to find it out were very funny. The Bad: It's hard to believe that Rosa wouldn't let Terry have the squad car immediately. Surely she already knows how hard working Terry is, she doesn't need to see it on a camera. This entire story screams filler. The main storyline was funny but it was lacking in substance. The jealousy plot is overused and it didn't do much for me to see it again. I also wasn't a fan of Jake leaving his posting. Charles could easily have kept watch alone instead of having Jake there, and it felt like this was written in specifically to serve the plot, ignoring all logic. Best Moment: The end of the episode with Charles getting jealous was a lovely bit of irony. Character of the Episode: Terry. Conclusion: This was a decent episode but it did nothing to stand out. It was a solid 20 minutes, but it never threatened to be anything more. Score: 62 Summary: Holt and Jake stay overtime to get a suspect to confess to a crime that they know he committed.
The Good: I love the concept of this episode. A full 20 minutes just with Jake and Holt examining their relationship while they try to get a suspect, played by guest actor Sterling K. Brown, to confess. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" has pulled off some real highlights in its parody episodes, and that is the case here as the show parodies cop and detective shows, something that I'm surprised it hasn't parodied more often. The jokes worked really well here and I thought that the seriousness of the interrogation and the comedy from the jokes were balanced perfectly throughout. The writing of the overall story was superb and I thoroughly enjoyed seeing Phillip attempt to play Jake and Holt against each other, getting Jake to make a big mistake before correcting it with a dramatic monologue that gets Phillip to confess to protect his pride. It was very entertaining and was also the best example of the classic "Jake screws up and has to fix his own problem" trope which was used ceaselessly back in season 1. We haven't seen very much of this trope since then, so it's actually refreshing for it to return here. The jokes were funny too. Jake's silliness was mixed in with Holt being Holt in several instances while also having Holt hilariously going out of character a couple times (his epic rant and the trio of oh damns). The interactions were excellent, and while there were fewer jokes in this episode, the ones that we got were high quality. The jokes that didn't land were few and far between, which is impressive since this show usually has several jokes that miss the mark in each episode. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. Best Moment: The return of the Jake guitar gag from season 1. Not only is it hilarious once again, but it also serves as a great reminder of how much these characters have changed (and remained the same) since season 1. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This was a really fun and creative episode. Whenever "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" gets creative and breaks the formula in a one-off episode, it usually results in something wonderful. That was absolutely the case in this episode, as the Jake/Holt centric story was a joy to watch while also providing some wonderful laughs. This is undoubtedly a series highlight. Score: 81 Summary: Jake is tasked as a negotiator when Doug Judy returns, having secured hostages in an attempted robbery. Charles opens his new food truck and gets Amy and Gina to help. Terry and Holt work to prepare Hitchcock for an interview.
The Good: I really enjoyed the main story. The writers keep coming up with unique ways for Doug to show up and escape after a short period of fun with Jake. This episode managed it very well with the negotiation sequence as well as Doug being in over his head rather than an outright criminal in this episode. I thought the laughs here were really strong and Jake and Doug's interactions were excellent. I also really enjoyed the small role played by the actual negotiator, who was given a lot of funny lines. Hitchcock was very funny in his role and the writers have learned how to perfectly use Hitchcock and Scully now that they have been given a more regular role in the show. The Bad: The side stories are pure fluff even if they have some funny moments. Hitchcock's interview never feels like it will have consequence so it's horribly bland and impossible to invest in. Charles' food truck is a rushed and predictable story that is short on laughs and doesn't use Charles, Amy or Gina in good ways at all. Doug's story doesn't have much to it compared to his previous episodes. It was disappointing to not get much of a character exploration from his episode this time around. Best Moment: Doug and Jake singing karaoke. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: Doug's return made for another very fun outing, though the poor side stories and lack of overall purpose detracted from this episode. It's still enjoyable television, but it's missing something. Score: 66 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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