Summary: The entire precinct has to stay overtime when Jake screws up and books a criminal with insufficient evidence. Gina and Rosa turn to Charles to decide whose personal favourite pie is the best. Holt tries to get Terry to go home when he's obviously exhausted at work.
The Good: The show continues to get funnier as it goes on. The 3 main storylines here were very strong and had a number of funny moments. The main Jake plot was very engaging and it was fun to see Jake try to track down evidence to get Whitman booked, and he had many genuinely funny moments. I also like that Jake's continual screw-ups have been lading to some very real character development for him as he becomes more acclimated to working as part of the team. Amy also had a pretty good episode after being a largely background character in the past. Her story is directly tied to Jake's in this episode and we leave the episode with a really good idea of their relationship. Terry's story is also quite good, and Terry Crews once more does a phenomenal job of producing comedy, with the stifled yawn and chin-ups scenes being highlights. I also really like how what seemed like a dumb side story became a surprisingly good arc for Terry when it's revealed that he's been having troubles at home with his brother-in-law. Holt comes off very well as he helps Terry get through this and their relationship grows, while Terry also continues to regain his toughness that he had put away for a while when he became a dad. The Bad: Unfortunately I wasn't a huge fan of the Gina/Rosa/Charles story. The Charles/Rose romance still doesn't do much to captivate me and that doesn't change here. Their storyline didn't bring many laughs to the table, and while it was ultimately a decent story arc for Charles (who thankfully wasn't humiliated again), I thought that the story didn't get utilized enough to be particularly memorable or funny. The main plot has one glaring hole in it. Jake's mistake here is absolutely ridiculous and should have had more ramifications than it did. Booking somebody without evidence is a serious error and a seasoned cop like Jake would never mess up this badly, regardless of how immature he is. Unfortunately the main concept of this episode is a bit too big of a leap for my liking. Best Moment: Jake playing the guitar to annoy Whitman was a hilarious joke that utilized the show's quick-cut editing to its fullest comedic potential. Character of the Episode: Terry. Conclusion: This was another really funny episode that had some of the best jokes so far, though some issues with the plot lines presented to us hurt the episode a little bit. Score: 70
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Summary: Jake makes a bet with Holt that he can steal his medal of valor from his office by midnight. Charles tries to get Amy to enjoy the festivities of halloween. Terry tries to uncover more about Rosa's past.
The Good: This was another tremendously fun episode. The concept of the main Holt/Jake plot was superb and it was a lot of fun seeing it unfold. The idea of Jake trying to openly outsmart Holt is very good and it led to some hilarious interactions and a lot of downright funny scenes, culminating in a fantastic reveal that neatly incorporated a well thought-out master plan, comedy and satisfying character development. Jake has seemed like a bit of a clown in these early episodes, so it was definitely important to show us why he is considered to be such a good detective. This episode showed us why and it changes our perspective of Jake a little bit which is very necessary. The side stories were solid enough as well. Terry and Rosa were fun in their story, and Charles and Amy were pretty enjoyable too. I particularly liked Jake's "title of Amy's sextape" jokes. The Bad: Nothing that was outright bad. Best Moment: Jake's big reveal at the end. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: Another excellent episode. This one gelled together a little more as a whole due to the halloween consistency, and I thought the comedy was more original and even a bit stronger than the previous episode. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is on a roll now. Score: 75 Summary: Jake selfishly tries to solve a case on his own to get credit for it but is then furious when the case is taken by The Vulture. Holt takes Terry to a shooting range in an attempt to covertly get him licensed to be in the field again.
The Good: This episode did an excellent job of handling the characters. Everybody had a purpose here and we learned something new about many of the characters. But most importantly, everyone was funny and there were plenty of great jokes throughout the episode. The cold open was hilarious stuff. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is nicely building a reputation with these great cold opens which have little to do with the main plot of the episode. In this case, watching Charles defend his decision to have sex with a 68 year old in such a serious voice was hilarious, made better by a small pay-off later in the episode when Charles and Jake encounter a naked old woman. The rest of the episode was also quite good. Jake was given a good story here as he learned to work as part of the team, something which he's clearly not been very good at (though he still hilariously attempts to shift the blame onto Amy whenever the chance comes up). It's a good arc for the character, and it also allows us to better understand his dynamics with Amy, Rosa and Charles who are with him for much of the episode. Holt and Terry have a good story as well as Holt tries to get Terry back to the position he should be in. Terry Crews is excellent as ever and does a tremendous job making some heavy-handed jokes legitimately funny. As for the other characters, I thought that Gina, Hitchcock and Scully were given very good scenes for their personality to shine, and they made me laugh a couple of times. Lastly, I thought The Vulture was a very fun new character to introduce and I hope to see him again in a future episode. The Bad: Nothing that's outright bad. As mentioned before, some of the jokes with Terry were outright silly but I'm not too bothered by that. Though I don't think silly humour is as good as humour that's more grounded in reality, I'm still fine with it if the show decides to be a little more over-the-top with its comedy. Best Moment: Plenty of great lines to pick here, but I have to go with the cold open as the best joke in the episode. Character of the Episode: Charles stood out to me in this one. Though I could easily make a case for Jake and Terry as well. Conclusion: This is a much better effort than the previous effort, and is a prime example of the kind of quality that a comedy show in its first season can put out. The story was meaningful and focused, we learned more about the characters, the cast was utilized perfectly, and just about every joke landed. All of this made for the best episode of the series yet. The show is sillier than I would like (a personal preference which lowers the score a little bit for me), but that doesn't distract much from what was otherwise an excellent episode. Score: 73 Summary: Jake is assigned as Charles' secondary in a case but struggles to pull back and let Charles take control. Jake eventually meets a cute medical examiner and starts playing to her creepy fetishes. Amy tries to cheer up Holt when she thinks he is in a bad mood.
The Good: This was more solid stuff with some really funny jokes. This episode pulls back and spends more time exploring the Amy/Holt relationship which has received very little time in previous episodes. Amy as a whole hasn't really had too much to do so far outside of bickering with Jake so it's refreshing to have her lead in this story. Jake continues to have some fun scenes. The cold open sequence was a nice bit of levity disconnected from the main plot, and Jake's struggles to adapt as a secondary as well as his awkward conflict with the medical examiner were good plot ideas and helped us understand Jake a little more. Holt remains a joy to watch as Andre Braugher's delivery remains incredible. The repeated encounters of Holt being "unreadable" for the rest of the squad were hilarious. The Bad: This was the weakest episode so far though. A lot of the characters felt quite silly here and they continue to be defined by their traits rather than any deep personality. Terry Crews is very fun, but his character is really flat for me, and giving him yet another quirk of being artsy feels a bit much. The character has received far more in quirks than he has received in personality. Amy was also over-the-top in this episode and it took away from the comedy. Jake was also surprisingly annoying throughout most of this episode. Separating him from Holt exposed the character's weaknesses and he is substantially less funny when Holt isn't there for him to bounce off of. Naturally, the one encounter with Holt and Jake ended up being the episode's best moment, but outside of that I thought that Jake was pretty tedious as he behaved irritatingly and made endless fat jokes which were cheap and never funny. Lastly, I didn't find Jake's sexual encounters with the medical examiner to be particularly funny, more creepy than anything. It was a good idea but I don't think the show used its potential very well. Best Moment: Jake interrupting Holt with a "bup bup bup" to hide his irresponsibility from him was good, but what was better was Holt proceeding to awkwardly use it against Jake to dismiss him. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This was solid stuff, but notably weaker than the previous episodes. There are several issues that the show needs to iron out, most importantly the personalities of the main cast. Score: 58 Summary: Jake finds himself in a slump as he struggles to solve even a single case. Holt asks Amy to run the program for at-risk youth and she goes to Rosa and Gina for help. Terry tries to assemble a dollhouse for his girls.
The Good: In terms of pure laughs, this was quite easily the best episode yet. A number of strong jokes permeate the episode. The particular highlights came from Terry and Gina. Terry Crews is a wonderfully expressive actor and his skill brings some quality laughs to scenes that really shouldn't be as good as they are. The dollhouse story is so dull on paper (see: The Bad) but Terry does a good job of making it watchable. Gina on the other hand is proving to be a ton of fun. Her egotistic behaviour is surprisingly funny and while I don't particularly like her (she does come across quite poorly), she is certainly one of the more developed and charismatic personalities on the show thus far. The Jake/Holt story as ever was quite solid. I'm enjoying Holt's efforts to make Jake into a better detective and this episode is another welcome piece of that story. As a final bit of praise, I thought the cold open was excellent. The Hitchcock video was quite entertaining, as was the discussion of best cop movie, which seems like something that would be discussed in a police precinct. I found Rosa's response to be the funniest. The Bad: The characters aren't getting as much development as I would like, and most are currently defined by just a single trait. Ordinarily, most quality comedy shows would have engaged in storylines that better allow us to understand the characters. "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" seems to be more interested in being funny than developing characters. While it is succeeding with the jokes, I'm starting to worry that these characters will be left feeling quite 1-dimensional if they aren't given more development. This episode is one that I feel would be better had we understood the characters more. Some characters in desperate need of more development are Amy and Rosa who I don't fully have an understanding of by this point. Best Moment: The black people can't sell drugs chant was hilarious, capped off with Holt's stunned expression as he walks into the room. Character of the Episode: Gina. Conclusion: This was the funniest episode so far quite easily, but the lack of characterization remains an issue as most of the main cast are only driven by a singular trait. I hope the show understands that these characters need to be fleshed out more if it is to put out some next level comedy. Score: 65 Summary: Holt continues to press Jake to be a better detective. Jake works a case to catch somebody who has been tagging police cars and Holt tags along. Gina introduces her psychic friend Carlene to Charles who is unnerved when she says that Rosa will never love him.
The Good: The Holt and Jake dynamic remains tremendously fun. The two of them play off of each other extremely well. Andy Samberg's over-the-top immaturity clashes perfectly with Andre Braugher's hilariously blunt and emotionless delivery. The cold open in particular was extremely funny as Holt humiliates Jake for is lack of professional conduct. I thought the rest of the episode was pretty well done too. Jake's conflict between risking his career and once again disobeying Holt was pretty good and it did a good job of continuing to move him towards being a (slightly) more mature detective. The B-story was decent as well. I particularly liked the subtlety of how Gina was using Carlene to mess with Charles rather than have her demonstrate any actual psychic powers. Lastly there were two jokes I really liked: Charles' grandmother having the "gift" as she predicted her death 2 years in advance, and Jake threatening to try the deputy commissioner's son as a highlander. The Bad: There isn't anything drop-dead hilarious in this episode. Outside of the two jokes mentioned above and the cold open, the episode is actually quite forgettable. The side characters still remain pretty unspectacular as well. Rosa and Charles' dynamic is getting old pretty quick and it really isn't funny. The rest of the side cast didn't get very much development which is unfortunate. The Jake and Holt stuff was good but everyone else did not get explored at all. Best Moment: Jake threatening to execute the deputy commissioner's son was quite funny, and the delivery of that line was perfect. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This was a solid if unspectacular episode of comedy. Jake and Holt continued to grow a better relationship while the other characters got a fine side story. The show is still finding its footing, but there hasn't been anything outright bad yet. Score: 64 Summary: A new captain, captain Holt arrives in the nine-nine precinct and works on improving the precinct. His main obstacle is Jake Peralta, a goofy detective. Jake and another detective Charles work a case to solve a murder but Jake's unprofessional approach puts off Holt. Charles also tries to get a date with fellow detective Rosa.
The Good: This episode did a very good job of introducing the characters and the premise of the show. The arrival of a new captain provided an organic way to give us a formal introduction to all of the characters in a lovely sequence that showed us basic traits of these characters while also offering a few small laughs. I think this episode did a very solid job of introducing the ensemble and creating some personalities that have potential to be really funny. The cast of the show is excellent as well, with a lot of reputable actors who know how to carry themselves effectively. The highlights for me were Andre Braugher as Holt and Andy Samberg as Jake who quickly established a very fun dynamic that I look forward to seeing more of. I also enjoy the idea of bringing humour to a police precinct. Casework leaves plenty of opportunities for creative ideas, and the workings of a precinct does have a chance of providing a style of humour similar to "The Office", though with a slight twist and some flashier editing, which was on display in this episode. The Bad: As with most comedy pilots, so much time is spent introducing the characters that the comedy doesn't stand out yet. We don't entirely understand the dynamics of these characters yet so the humour isn't as effective as it could otherwise be. Additionally there are some jokes that fall flat and some storylines, like the Charles/Rosa storyline, that don't really connect with me. Best Moment: I really liked the Holt/Jake dynamic. The highlight of the episode for me was Holt bringing everyone to marvel at Jake wearing a speedo, a fitting punishment for Jake's irritating behaviour. Character of the Episode: Holt. This seems like a perfect role for Andre Braugher. Conclusion: This was a very well done pilot. It was decently funny and did a good job of introducing the characters and the premise of the show. I see potential with this show and I'm ready to see where it goes from here. Score: 68 Summary: Ross and Monica's cousin Cassie comes by for a place to stay for the wedding. Joey lands a big role but with one key catch: he has to do full frontal nudity. Rachel and Phoebe forget to throw a bridal shower for Monica and scramble to get it done last minute.
The Good: This is a really funny episode. All the storylines are entertaining and there are strong jokes everywhere throughout the episode. The weakest story here is Rachel and Phoebe's but even that one had some redeeming moments, especially the ending as Rachel and Phoebe throw a strong surprise party only for Monica to unknowingly insult all of her guests in a hilarious twist. Meanwhile the Cassie story is really strong. The show gets creative in showing off her attractiveness in a funny way leading to two extremely strong jokes with Ross (see: Best Moment) and Phoebe. Lastly, Joey is given a solid conflict here and though he deals with it in a silly way, it is a fun plot line with a funny joke at the end. The Bad: There is a bit of silly writing here. Rachel and Phoebe forgetting to organize a party seems a bit unbelievable and their struggle to put together a quick party is tough to get invested in since it never seems very difficult. Joey pretending to be uncircumcised is ridiculous, especially the lengths he went to conceal it, though this is partly excusable because lying about it does fit Joey's character. However, I don't believe that Joey would stick with the lie to this degree. Best Moment: Ross debates whether or not he should make a move with Cassie. And when he finally does make a move we are gifted this fantastic sequence where he desperately tries to convince himself to talk, ending up with "I haven't had sex in a very long time" which was a hilarious pay-off from a weaker joke from earlier in the episode. It's so satisfying to see a comedy show call back to previous moments, and it made for one of the funniest moments of the entire season. Character of the Episode: Ross. His inner conflict was hilarious to watch. Conclusion: I had my qualms with this, but they feel like minor details when you consider how well set up the jokes were and how funny this episode was overall. An excellent effort from "Friends". Score: 74 Summary: After watching Phoebe date a new guy, Monica realizes that she won't ever have the spark of a new relationship again. Joey is nominated for a Soapie award. Ross is conflicted when a male student admits that he loves him.
The Good: There are a few good jokes scattered throughout the episode and some character beats are done really well. Monica's story has a simple but nice resolution. The Bad: This episode is pretty dull. The stories are extremely by-the-numbers with nothing interesting about them. The characters aren't explored in any meaningful ways and it's all pretty generic stuff. My biggest problem comes from the lack of an explanation for Chandler being unafraid of marriage and the show perplexingly playing up his insecurities as a joke instead of as a legitimate point. The jokes feel cheap and uninspired and the story feels empty because of this glaring hole in the character's mindset. Furthermore, the jokes in this episode are pretty bad. Joey's award storyline is as unfunny as they come without a single inspired joke. It just plays up Joey's character to an unnecessary degree every time with hope that it'll lead to comedy. It doesn't. Meanwhile Ross' story has some potential but nothing even remotely funny is done with the idea of a male student having a crush on him. Best Moment: Phoebe leading Monica to believe that she was being eyed by the other guy was pretty funny and a perfect character moment for her, though she is handled poorly a couple of times after this. Character of the Episode: Phoebe. Nobody else really stands out. Conclusion: This is the most uninspired episode of the show in quite some time. With sitcoms being just 20 minutes, it's usually a quick and easy watch. But in this episode I was unusually bored and I never got into the episode. The mix of poor writing and lazy storytelling is what caused this, and the result is one of the show's absolute worst episodes. Score: 42 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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