Summary: The new captain Dozerman arrives and wants everybody working unrealistically hard. Jake and Amy debate on how to proceed with their relationship. Holt settles in to his new job and continues to battle with Wuntch.
The Good: Bill Hader's cameo was easily the highlight here. He was a fresh new character for the episode to explore and many of the episode's best jokes came from him. The character of Dozerman is so over-the-top that he works perfectly as a sitcom character, and everything from his introduction to his baffling final line was perfectly executed. The Jake/Amy story was done pretty well. I was nervous that we were going to get a very generic will-they/won't-they situation, but thankfully the show avoided continuing that trapping from season 2 and used this episode to cement their relationship more. I also thought that Charles was brilliant as the overly passionate voice of reason, and his excitement at the blossoming of their relationship was lots of fun. The ending cliffhanger with The Vulture arriving as the next new captain is excellent and I'm excited to see how the dynamic in the precinct will change due to this. The Bad: Some things didn't work that well. I found the Terry/Rosa plot to be pretty unnecessary overall and it didn't add anything to the episode. No good character exploration and no real laughs either. The Holt storyline was fine and told a good story, but it was severely lacking in comedy. The Holt/Wuntch conflict is starting to feel extremely repetitive now, and even though Holt's unique burns are still quite funny, I'm growing weary of their feud. I'm also concerned that Holt and Gina are going to be uninteresting without the rest of the cast to play off of, as this episode gave them neither an interesting or a funny storyline. Best Moment: "Tell my wife I love her... work ethic." Character of the Episode: Dozerman, a short but brilliant cameo from Bill Hader. Conclusion: This was an overall good start to the new season. The main storyline at the Nine-Nine was excellent stuff outside of the Terry/Rosa storyline, and there were lots of great laughs. I am concerned about how the show handles the Holt/Gina story, and while I like the change to the show, I'm unsure if it will result in better quality or not. Score: 69
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Summary: Jake tells Amy he still has feelings for her when they are assigned a case together and tensions between them increase. Holt enlists Gina and Terry in an effort to stop Wuntch from dismissing him from the Nine-Nine.
The Good: The stories here are really solid. Holt is the stand-out as he usually is. There was some good drama in Holt attempting to stop Wuntch from dismissing him and watching him enlist Gina and Terry for help was great and led to some funny moments. The ending moments of the episode where Holt chooses the welfare of his detectives over himself was wonderful and his departure was a wonderful moment to close out the season. Amy and Jake also had a nice story that finally got their romance underway after being teased for so long. Charles and Rosa had a nice story that pays off of the friendship between Charles and Rosa that has been building since season 1. I applaud the writers for not giving in and making this a romance because it doesn't need to be. The Bad: This episode was disappointingly lacking in laughs. The stories were good but I never laughed particularly hard at anything. The Jake/Amy story felt far too engineered and unnatural and their many kisses throughout the episode felt unnecessarily dramatic. I'm happy that they got together but I think the way that it happened could have been better, though I did like that Holt leaving is what finally brought them together. Charles and Rosa's story would have meant more if it was actually developed better. We've hardly had any storylines of just Charles and Rosa so I don't buy into them as close friends the way that this episode tells us they are. We've primarily seen Charles with Jake this season, he's only had a handful of storylines with Rosa. Furthermore, the Rosa/Marcus relationship remains a dreadful failure that is impossible to care about. Best Moment: Holt's emotional speech as he left the Nine-Nine. This was a genuinely nice moment. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: All in all, this was a pretty solid, if unspectacular, season finale. There were some big changes here and the stories were important and pretty well done for the most part. The episode was on the low side for laughs, but this is more tolerable for a more serious episode like this. Though this episode doesn't exceed expectations, it is solid enough. Season 2 ended up being something of a mixed bag compared to season 1. While most of the big problems I had with season 1 were ironed out, the show lost much of its consistency this season. Early in the season, the show seemed to fluctuate between great episodes and below par episodes which gave the season a really rocky structure. These final 5 episodes at least were consistent, but they never so much as sniffed great. I see potential for a great show here, just like I did in season 1, but I feel like that potential remained untapped for a vast majority of this season. There were some great episodes to be sure, and I did enjoy this season overall, but I can't help but want more from a show with such a strong premise and a wonderful cast. Score: 66 Summary: Jake gets excited when he gets the case of his dreams, but Holt tags along when he suspects that Wuntch is planning something. Terry manages a magnet school field trip at the precinct and gets help from Gina, Amy and Rosa.
The Good: The main storyline was a lot of fun. Jake was clearly having the time of his life and his sheer joy in every moment of the case was incredibly fun to watch. Charles was really fun here as usual, and Holt's cautious and nervous nature contrasted nicely with Jake's energy. The episode also told a nice story as Holt realized that he was missing out on the reason he became a cop to begin with, leading to a tremendous climactic sequence as Holt brought back shades of his spunkier self that we have seen in flashbacks. Then the episode ended surprisingly as Holt plays into Wuntch's hands and will seemingly have to leave the precinct, a story that is much more plausible than the lackluster attempt to make us believe Terry was going to leave in the previous episode. The cold open was also pretty great and had some really strong jokes as everyone tried to get Gina off of her phone. Terry's changed relationship status was the perfect reason to get Gina off of her phone, and was very funny. The Bad: The B-plot of the episode didn't work for me. I thought Terry Crews overacted in most scenes, and as a result the scenes weren't very funny. There was a level of restraint that should have been used here when joking about Terry's attempts to get his kids into the magnet school. Gina, Rosa and Amy came off as incredibly selfish as they sabotaged Terry's attempts to make a great impression for seemingly no reason. Best Moment: Holt taking on the name Velvet Thunder and Jake's utter joy at this was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This was a good episode with a sense of momentum and a great main storyline. Unfortunately the B-story didn't work nearly as well, but we are still left with a pretty good episode. Score: 68 Summary: Amy and Jake work a case with detective Dave Majors, an idolized cop. Gina and Charles try to remind Terry of the great things in the 99th precinct when he gets a job offer elsewhere.
The Good: The central story is pretty good. Jake and Amy are really good here and their dynamic remains extremely entertaining. There are a lot of nice laughs here that entertained me like the recurring sheep joke. Jake was particularly great throughout. I enjoyed him trying to make up for Dave's cool factor and his utter failure to keep his emotions in check was quite entertaining. I loved the continuity from last episode as Jake is still hurting from his injuries, and I really loved the unique spin on the "title of your sex tape" joke in this episode. Watching Jake attempt to sneak his way into the bar was also a total delight. I enjoyed some parts of the B-story as well, particularly Holt's "never isn't just a crater on Mars" line. Rosa didn't do much this episode, but her imitation of Amy doing the hair tuck was really funny. The Bad: Much of this didn't quite click with me unfortunately. The Jake/Amy storyline seems to start and stop at will and it's beginning to feel really awkward. Every few episodes we will get an episode focused on them with wonderful interactions, but in between those episodes, Jake and Amy's relationship is never so much as acknowledged. It's a really strange pacing choice and it makes this storyline feel more drawn out than it should be. I thought that the Terry storyline was quite poor. Gina and Charles' antics didn't feel in-line with their characters and it felt more like the writers trying to squeeze out as many cheap laughs as possible. The story was also thoroughly unengaging as Terry obviously wasn't going to leave the precinct, and it was clear that Holt wasn't going to try to push him out the door and had some other plan that he conveniently kept secret from everyone else. I was disappointed to see Rosa delegated to simply being someone that Jake can go talk to about his feelings for Amy. Best Moment: Jake's slip up with "title of our sex tape" and his reaction right afterwards. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This episode had some really good jokes but it had too many problems to engage me the way that it should have. Score: 62 Summary: Jake tries to keep working after getting injured to Terry and Charles' dismay. Holt invites Rosa and Marcus over for an awkward dinner and also invites Gina and Amy.
The Good: There's a nice story here of Jake working so hard and not taking care of himself because of his abandonment issues. The story is told well enough and it's nice to see Charles and Terry's attempts to get Jake to take care of himself. I enjoyed Rosa and Holt awkwardly dealing with the problem of Rosa's potential pregnancy (Holt's reaction was particularly amazing). Their interactions are loads of fun and seeing Holt name off orchards is an absolute blast. I liked the continuity with Charles being unable to lie well and Amy's cooking being terrible. The Bad: Much of this episode didn't quite click for me. The C-story with Amy and Gina felt like pure filler and added nothing. The main storylines had big flaws as well. Marcus remains a total non-character. I can't think of a less interesting character off the top of my head. He's been around for a long while yet I know nothing about him at all. The Rosa/Marcus story has been a complete failure. The main storyline didn't do much to make me laugh. Many of the jokes surrounding Jake's injuries were blown out of proportion and his injuries weren't consistent at all, making me hard to buy into them anyways. I'm not happy with the show explaining away Jake's attitude with abandonment issues so casually. Surely there are more layers to Jake's character that could be explored, but the show just keeps returning to this one point and hammering it in over and over again. Best Moment: Jake's plan to bring the box down going comically wrong was terrific. Character of the Episode: Jake, this was his episode. Conclusion: This was a decent enough episode but it did nothing to stand out. Outside of a couple of choice moments, this is a pretty forgettable episode with not much going for it. Score: 56 Summary: Jake is suspended after he fails his drug test but he suspects that somebody is trying to sabotage him. Charles gets stuck working with Hitchcock and Scully. Terry lies to Gina when he couldn't make it to her dance performance.
The Good: The cold open did a perfect job of setting up the episode. At first it seemed like it was going to be a fun compilation of Jake being late but it takes a hilarious turn at the end with his failed drug test. I thought the sabotage storyline was a nice bit of continuity as it saw the return of the insane Hoytsman as he tries to get back at Jake for ruining his life. His antics were fun and the hostage situation he put Jake in was pretty funny and had plenty of great moments. I enjoyed the background on Hitchcock and Scully in this episode. It's great to get a legitimate reason why they behave so inadequately all the time, and the reason made perfect sense. I enjoyed Terry and Holt's interactions in this episode as ever. The Bad: Something about this episode didn't quite click for me. The side stories were good but I thought that they were lacking in terms of laughs and interesting character work. While I liked the emphasis on Hitchcock and Scully, it felt like Charles was forced into that storyline and didn't have much to do. The Terry/Holt/Gina story felt bland and predictable and I thought that it was treading too much on familiar ground to be particularly compelling. The main story suffered from tonal issues. The hostage situation was treated like a joke yet the story still took a few more serious turns suggesting that Jake pushed his friends aside, something that he really didn't do. It was awkward and took away from the sequence. Furthermore, I've noticed that this show does a terrible job of handling legitimate conflict between its cast. They are great friends, but the show struggles when it tries to put these friendships under strain, and it feels extremely phony every time. Best Moment: Holt calling Terry a "bunny-buying coward" followed by Terry's hilarious reaction in the background was a great visual gag. Character of the Episode: Hoytsman. Conclusion: This episode had a fair amount going for it, but it certainly wasn't as well written or as funny as the best of the show. It's fine enough episode but doesn't threaten to be more than that. Score: 63 Summary: Jake is excited when his dad contacts him after a long absence and decides to pay a visit. Holt gives the rest of the precinct a brain teaser to solve with the reward being Beyonce tickets.
The Good: This was a good storyline to do. We've heard a lot about Jake's absentee father before, so it's nice to finally get a story centered around him. What we got was pretty good as Jake initially welcomed his father with open arms, optimistic that maybe something could change. But as the episode went on, he learned of his father's true nature and we got a nice series of moments towards the end with Jake standing up to him finally and also having a subtle acknowledgement of Holt's role as a paternal figure in Jake's life. The rest of the episode was pretty good. Bradley Whitford was superb as Jake's dad and I enjoyed the character. I really liked the trip to Canada and I was pleased by Scully's promotion to a more important character in this episode. The jokes that came from him were all great. The side story was nothing too special but it nicely integrated the rest of the cast in a solid storyline. The Bad: It feels weird to have Jake complete the story with his father in just one episode. It feels like Captain Peralta should have been around for multiple episodes instead of just the one. As a result, the ending of the episode didn't amount to as much emotionally as it should have. The laughs in this episode were alright but nothing special. A step down from the excellency of recent episodes. I also thought that the B-story was very simple and it provided us with yet another case of Gina proving to be more than she seems to be. We've seen this story before and I feel like Gina's proved herself to Amy so many times now that it's become redundant. Best Moment: The cold open was really funny. Charles' poor goatee Bianca didn't last long at all. Character of the Episode: Scully was the most consistently funny but I have to give this one to Jake for his story. Conclusion: This was a good episode that told a nice story. It feels refreshing to get just a good episode instead of having the show fluctuate between great episodes and mediocre ones. Score: 66 Summary: Gina tries to ensure that the wedding goes off without a hitch. Rosa is nervous about her relationship with Marcus. Jake helps Amy arrest her nemesis right before the wedding.
The Good: This was a ton of fun! Wedding episodes are great for sitcoms since it's a unique situation that almost always allows its characters to shine. There are so many wonderfully funny moments throughout this episode that land perfectly. Everything surrounding the wedding was superb. Gina really stood out in this episode and she was dropping funny line after funny line as she tried to keep things moving. Charles stood out too as his misguided antics were hilarious to watch. I also thoroughly enjoyed Rosa's alarm as she accidentally gets Lynn to have second thoughts about the wedding. Holt and Terry's side story was a little bit generic, but it had some great moments and had a lovely conclusion with Holt drawing emotion from his relationship with Kevin. Jake and Amy continue to work really well together and they had several great moments together. I especially enjoyed Jake's complete disdain towards "Fung" and anytime he brought that up was hilarious. The Bad: Jake and Amy continue to do the very played out will-they/won't-they development and it is a bit frustrating. Thankfully their interactions are entertaining enough to overcome it, but I'm still not a fan of the usage of this trope. Best Moment: Any time Jake said "Fung". Character of the Episode: Gina. Conclusion: Another excellent episode. The wedding storyline gave everything a cohesive feel and it set up for great jokes and engaging character interactions. This season has been wildly inconsistent so far but at least it's serving up lots of great episodes. Score: 74 Summary: Jake enlists Gina's help to try to prove that he wasn't responsible for Holt's bad mood. Charles tries to convince Amy and Rosa that the old man he brought in is a hardcore bank robber.
The Good: This was tremendous fun. There were only two stories to focus on in this episode, and both utilized the cast quite well and featured consistently funny jokes that led to some solid character development by the end of the episode. The central story with Jake trying to find out what caused Holt's bad mood was terrific fun. Holt's antics were hilarious as usual, and I really enjoyed the several running jokes that were established throughout the episode like Holt's rock-painting and "Peralta, you're a genius". I also really liked the way the episode concluded the Holt mystery as the character was allowed to go through more development and we got to see more of the Holt/Kevin relationship. Gina had a terrific episode as well, and I thought that her lines were consistently funny and her interactions with Jake were tons of fun, certainly much better than what he got back in "The Apartment". The side story with Charles was also very good. Marvin was a ton of fun for a side character and he was portrayed very well by Garry Marshall who nailed every line he had. It was also a nice bit of development for Charles who wants to prove himself more as a cop, and the story had a hilarious conclusion as Marvin dies after Charles passionate speech about locking him up. The Bad: Amy and Rosa come off as quite silly for not believing Charles at all and instantly presuming Marvin to be an innocent old man. They're established cops, they should know better than to immediately assume Marvin is innocent just because he's old. Hell, there was a discussion about everyone's oldest bag in season 1, so we know that Rosa and Amy have arrested elderly criminals before. Best Moment: The awkward elevator trip between Holt and Jake was a gift that kept on giving. It started off funny and got funnier and funnier as it went on. Character of the Episode: Gina. Conclusion: This was excellent material. The storylines were engaging and fun, most of the characters were handled perfectly and there were countless great jokes throughout. This is exactly what I'm looking for from a comedy series. The episode may have been a bit lowkey, but I thought that it was an exemplary episode that capitalized on all of the biggest strengths of "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" Score: 75 Summary: Charles and Terry try to get Jake to move on from Sophia, and the precinct's assignment to a federal training drill provides the perfect chance. Rosa and Amy argue over who should get Saturday off of work. Holt is uncomfortable when a personality test gives him the same personality as Gina.
The Good: This was a fun successor to last season's "Tactical Village". The story here was fun to watch as the main cast turn the tables on the federal agents in a fun contest. There were some good laughs and the episode was engaging to watch. The underlying story of Jake trying to let go of Sophia was well done, and I particularly like how it gave Charles a chance to really shine as Jake's friend. There were some other funny moments as well surrounding Terry, Gina, Holt, Amy and Rosa scattered throughout the episode. The Bad: This episode wasn't very funny. The jokes were severely lacking and most of them were far too silly and unrealistic to fully land. I found that the characters behaved so oddly in this episode outside of Jake and Charles. Amy's over-the-top need for power poses feels more like a gimmick than a quirk and it doesn't really work. Rosa's relationship with Marcus continues to be completely flat. I have no reason for Rosa to actually like him, and I'm getting tired of this underdeveloped relationship being used as a story for Rosa, especially since it is frequently being used as an explanation for Rosa's secretive behaviour. It feels forced by the writers instead of feeling natural. Holt and Gina's story was okay but I didn't get many laughs out of it and I thought that the story being told was simplistic and not as funny as their Kwazy Kupcakes story. Terry's role in this episode was also quite silly and I find it hard to believe that he wouldn't attempt to stop Jake and Charles from ruining the drill. As a final point, I thought this episode didn't work as the successor to "Tactical Village" in spirit. That episode worked so well because it gave the characters very compelling stories which made up for the lack of humour. This episode wasn't anywhere near as well written and somehow had even less humour than "Tactical Village". Best Moment: Jake's low blow telling Charles that he's going to meet his dog in hell was the one moment in the episode that got me to laugh out loud. Character of the Episode: Charles. Conclusion: This episode tried to capitalize on one of the better episode's from last season but it failed to capture the charm that made that episode so good. What we're left with is a disappointing and somewhat mediocre episode that doesn't stand out on its own at all. Score: 54 Summary: Jake tries to fix things when Sophia wants to put their relationship on pause due to tensions at work surrounding her boss. Rosa helps Holt with a moral dilemma regarding Wuntch. Charles and Amy try to get Gina to give her blessings to Charles' father.
The Good: This is another funny episodes. There are plenty of good jokes throughout the episode. The cold open matches the episode pretty well. It stretches believability a bit (see: The Bad), but there are some really nice jokes in there. The Holt/Wuntch dynamic remains a ton of fun, and I really enjoy their hostile interactions. I also liked how Rosa understands the dynamic perfectly, and I thought her amusement at everything Holt said added another layer of comedy. The main storyline wasn't quite as well done, but it had some really fun moments and the Jake/Terry friendship remains one of the show's high points. I thought the Charles/Gina storyline was fine and had some good moments too. The Bad: This episode was packed with guest actors and that shifted the focus away from the main cast. Having 1 guest actor is usually manageable, but this episode went overboard with 4(!) guest actors with key roles. I found myself wishing that we could spend more time with the main cast instead of diverting the focus to side characters so much. Amy in particular didn't have much to do, and I thought that the two side stories were short-charged for time to accommodate these guest actors. I thought that Jake and Sophia's break-up wasn't very well done. Sophia's reasons to break up with Jake seemed to change every few minutes, and none of it was consistent with what we've seen of the character beforehand. She was ready to leave Jake back in "The Road Trip" because she wasn't sure if he was committed enough, yet her reasons for leaving him now are that... she isn't committed enough? The story isn't executed well enough to make this work. As a final nitpick, the story of Jake attempting to befriend somebody who fundamentally shouldn't like him is another reused storyline from season 1 ("The Party" with Kevin). Best Moment: The absurdity of Jake and Terry's fake smiles was the best laugh of the episode for me. Character of the Episode: Terry. Conclusion: This episode was solid stuff, but it had some big issues in its fundamental structure as well as the execution of the main storyline. A fine enough episode, but nowhere near the show's best. Score: 59 Summary: Jake figures out that Terry is going to have another kid and tries to keep it secret from the rest of the precinct for Terry's sake. Amy works a case with Holt.
The Good: I liked the continuity in this episode as we actually get to see Amy working the Brooklyn broiler case with Holt and we also get a plot line that stems from the episode where Jake prevented Terry from getting a vasectomy. The character interactions were easily the highlight of the episode. The writing and acting was stellar here and everyone was hilarious consistently. I particularly enjoyed how the episode gave Terry the spotlight, after he'd been in the background for much of the season, proving once again just how good Terry Crews is. This episode did all the little things right with its humour. The characters all behaved like normal people, with little bits of their personalities sneaking out in scenes where it made perfect sense that they would emerge. Some great example include Holt always saying Martin Ormankupp's full name, Gina's "time for Gina's opinion" hoodie, Jake screwing up so ridiculous by hitting reply all, and Terry's hilarious password (Terry loves yogurt). I also really liked Amy and Holt's story which furthered their relationship in a very enjoyable way as the two got to simply coexist and let their personalities and the situations create the comedy instead of having the show force laughs where they didn't need to be. The Bad: This was a by-the-numbers sitcom episode. Even with the cop storylines thrown in there, this didn't have the usual uniqueness of "Brooklyne Nine-Nine". That doesn't mean the episode was bad, in fact I thought that the basic sitcom style was done very well here. But it does make it rather uninspiring and the episode sticks out compared to many of the other episodes this season. Best Moment: Several moments stand out. I'll go with Charles' absurd bowling alley theory which had tremendous comedic timing. Character of the Episode: Terry. Conclusion: Even though this episode was by-the-numbers, the characters and jokes were written so well that I have to give this an excellent score. Just an all-around funny episode that does a lot of things right. Score: 73 Summary: Rachel tries to keep it hidden that she is pregnant but it doesn't work out. Chandler tries to overcome his problem with slippery shoes to dance with Monica. Ross tries to make a move on a cute girl at the wedding.
The Good: The cast are quite good in this episode and it's their portrayals of the characters that carries this shallow episode. Ross stands out as usual and he's consistently funny as he gets humiliated. Rachel is the stand-out of the episode though as she deals with the baby problem. Jennifer Anniston does a terrific job in this episode and I thought that her plight was explored very well. Phoebe, Monica and Joey also have their moments throughout the episode. The Bad: This is a silly episode though and outside of Rachel's conflict, none of the stories here feel worthwhile. Ross has become a raging lunatic now and it feels like the writers have completely forgotten the essence of his character in an attempt to play up his funnier aspects. Phoebe falls into a similar trapping as some of the things she does are pretty nonsensical like pretending to be pregnant and lying to Rachel about the pregnancy test. I will admit that Phoebe's motivations to do these are more in line with the character, but her actions still stretch plausibility. I thought the fallout from the wedding was poor. Chandler almost ran away from the wedding but that's not even brought up here. Best Moment: Rachel's reaction to Phoebe revealing that she was lying was a really nice moment. It was well acted, and also quite funny as Rachel expresses how risky it was to do that. Character of the Episode: Rachel. Conclusion: This was an okay but flawed return for the show. Rachel's story was the strongest but unfortunately a lot of the issues with poor handling of characters and forgettable storylines persisted in this season premier. Score: 54 Summary: Jake invites Holt on the team's vacation to Charles' beach house. Charles helps Rosa send loving messages to Marcus. Gina tries to find out what Amy is like after having six drinks.
The Good: Putting the whole cast together in a single plot was a very fun idea and it led to a lot of nice interactions and fun moments. Holt was the glue that held everything together as Andre Braugher's performance carried this episode with Holt spewing magnificent lines throughout the episode. The overall story being told was nice and I enjoyed that Holt was able to mix in with everyone else by the end of the episode. The cold open was also very well done, and it actually fit the episode very well with Jake and Holt being together behind the desk, which was both a really funny gag and a nice bit of foreshadowing for the end of the episode when Holt ends up stooping down to the same level of his detectives. The Bad: A lot of this episode didn't work with me though. The two parties idea is incredibly stupid. How big is this beach house? There's no way that Holt wouldn't hear this other party going on, plus he would definitely be curious where everyone else has been hanging out. Furthermore, the story became woefully predictable the moment that Jake came up with the two parties idea. Another major issue was with the characterization in this episode. Vacation Terry, drunk Amy, and casino brokers Scully and Hitchcock feel much more like gimmicks for the episode instead of deeper layers to their characters. It was too silly, and I'm quite certain that we will never see these gimmicks again. It isn't expanding on what we know about a character if they ham up a trait in one episode to be funny, and we never see it again afterwards. Lastly, Rosa's romance with Marcus still doesn't do much for me. I have no idea what Rosa sees in Marcus, and I hardly even know who Marcus is. Unfortunately I just don't care very much about them. Best Moment: The cold open with Jake and Holt both sitting behind the desk without any pants on made me laugh the hardest. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This episode brought all the characters together and had funny moments which I appreciated. However, there were a number of problems with how the characters and the story were handled, making this episode much more flawed than your usual episode. This was one of the show's weakest episodes yet, and it seems like the season has entered a rough patch. Score: 55 Summary: Jake and Charles go on an 8 day stakeout together. Gina and Amy realize that Terry has been depicting versions of them in a story he is writing. Rosa starts dating Holt's nephew.
The Good: The cold open of this episode was fantastic. Holt's antics were spectacular and Andre Braugher's line delivery was even better. The moment when he accepts the medal and you think that he's actually going to be the bigger man here was well done, but it was made even better as Holt hilariously gives in and uses the line anyways a few seconds later. Fantastic comedy. The main storylines have their moments. Jake and Charles had fun interactions, and Rosa and Holt's story was so delightfully awkward and their interactions were terrific. I also love that there wasn't any lesson being taught in the Holt/Rosa storyline. They both just mutually accepted to never talk about this stuff ever, which I thought was both realistic and funny. The Bad: Much of this episode didn't work for me. Jake and Charles' storyline is as generic and predictable as it could possibly be so I didn't get much out of it. I also thought that the ending of them becoming friends again was extremely rushed and unsatisfying, so unfortunately the story doesn't even gel together well. The Terry/Gina/Amy story was pretty poorly done as well. I thought the character interactions were forced and not really funny at all. Gina and Amy come off as really immature and unstable as people which I don't think was the point. The story also doesn't really have any resolution making it seem like forgettable filler only included to give these characters something to do. Marcus' introduction wasn't very well done. I don't feel like I know who he is, only that Rosa is into him for some reason. He's the most forgettable personality in the show so far. Best Moment: BOOM DID IT! HAHA HAD IT BOTH WAYS! No regrets. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: After that fantastic cold open, I was hoping this episode would deliver. Unfortunately it was a pretty unoriginal episode with a lot of silly moments. Had it not been for the outstanding cold open, this would score much lower. Score: 57 Summary: Jake catches Doug Judy again but isn't able to put him away as he cuts a deal to take the NYPD to a giggle pig supplier. Amy tries to sneakily give Holt a gift but discovers a surprising truth about an old case. Charles and Gina try to sabotage their parents relationship when it turns out they are still seeing each other.
The Good: Doug Judy's return is a ton of fun. He was tremendous in the first season and is just as good on return. His interactions with Jake are as fun as ever with a nice new spin this time with Jake's mixed feelings. I really appreciate how the return of Doug pushes the show back into cop-show territory, which is where the show feels at its most natural. There is plenty to love about this A-story. Doug's surprise escape is a ton of fun and I love how smartly the show built up to his escape. I really like how the Pontiac Bandit episodes focus not only on Doug, but also on the Jake/Rosa relationship. Last season Jake risked his friendship with Rosa to catch Doug, but he's learned from that now and pleasingly makes the choice to please Rosa, even if it means letting Doug get away again. And it's all worth it for those hilarious final moments of Rosa smiling. It's an excellent sitcom storyline that's executed near-perfectly. The side stories aren't as well executed but they still have their fun moments. Charles and Gina sabotaging their parents makes sense and has a few really funny scenes, while Amy giving Holt a good gift by presenting him with a mistake in his work was another wonderfully written storyline that provided a number of great laughs. It was nice to see the show keeping to a more realistic feel in this episode with none of the characters behaving in an over-the-top manner in any of the scenes. The show is at its best like this. The Bad: If there's one problem with this, it's that the jokes aren't particularly great here. The episode is consistently funny but it's missing some genuinely great laughs. Ordinarily that wouldn't be a problem if this was a drama, but since I am watching this show with the sole purpose of laughing, having weaker jokes in exchange for strong character writing isn't that great of a deal. This is still a great episode, but without strong laughs an episode of a comedy series can never hope to be that spectacular. Best Moment: Rosa smiling at the end and behaving so giddily was unexpected and quite funny. Character of the Episode: Doug. If I had to choose from the main cast, Rosa stood out the most. Conclusion: This episode had a very fun dynamic and was written impressively well. Unfortunately it was a bit lacking in the memorable laughs department, but this was definitely a good time. Score: 70 Summary: Jake decides to surprised Amy by inviting Teddy to a hotel they are staying at for a case, unaware that Amy intends to break up with him. Holt comes to Charles looking for help cooking a special breakfast for Kevin. Terry and Gina try to get a sick Rosa to go home.
The Good: There were a lot of good laughs here. The 3 stories were all very strong and explored the characters in neat ways. Jake and Amy's story was a fun trainwreck that was a complete joy to explore, and it also did a nice job of furthering the Jake/Amy relationship. Now that they are both just friends, I think their chemistry has actually improved and I thought their interactions were hilarious in this episode. Sophia and Teddy were fun in their roles. Holt and Charles made for a unique pairing in this episode that worked really well. The story isn't anything too special, but it's made enjoyable by the use of this fresh pairing that we haven't seen before. And their dynamic of over-the-top and unbelievably stoic made for some great comedy. Rosa's story is mostly fluff, though I did get a kick out of seeing the usually unemotional Rosa behaving so excessively after downing the cold medicine. The Bad: Nothing stood out to me as bad. Best Moment: It's tough to choose with there being so many great laughs. Character of the Episode: Rosa. Conclusion: This was an excellent return to form. All 3 stories in this episode provided mostly great humour and were quite memorable. This was one of the show's better episodes for sure. Score: 75 Summary: Jake is assigned with Charles to work with the insufferable Jack Danger to get some progress for the task force. Terry, Holt and Gina try to help Amy get over her smoking addiction.
The Good: There are some nice jokes throughout the episode. The main plot has some fun moments in it. While Jack Danger had some significant downsides (see: The Bad), I thought he had some clever jokes, particularly all the jokes made surrounding his name. I also enjoyed the irony of USPIS being a federal agency and looking down on the NYPD. The side story of Amy trying to quit smoking had some good moments too like Amy sneaking a smoke while in the portable toilet. The episode peaked in the cold open, which as usual proved to be a hilarious short story. The Bad: This episode just wasn't that funny unfortunately. The laughs were surprisingly low and what few we got weren't memorable at all, or were fairly basic slapstick. Ed Helms in particular didn't do much for me and his character was more irritable than funny. The only thing that made the character sort of work was Jake's reactions to him. This episode also seems to have confirmed my suspicions that we've gone back to the season 1 formula of Jake screwing up and then learning his lesson. I'm very tired of seeing this story played out over and over again. There were some other things that I also didn't enjoy very much. Amy's side story had an air of pointlessness to it even though it furthered Holt's increasing interest in mentoring her. There wasn't much new done with the characters outside of some decent laughs. Charles had a particularly bad episode as he proved to be nothing more than just Jake's lackey, occasionally spitting out a funny line. The episode gave him nothing to do at all and he didn't even get to have an opinion here, stripping the character of any agency and weakening him as a result. Best Moment: The cold open was filled with fantastic laughs like Holt's time in Ecuador, Scully drinking the thumbtacks and the fake birthday scheme in general. Character of the Episode: Amy. Conclusion: This episode had some funny moments, but there were many problematic elements with this one. After a 4 episode hot streak, the show has reverted back to some of its worst habits. Score: 56 Summary: Jake is left in charge of the precinct for 12 hours as Holt and Terry leave the precinct to do some work together, and the precinct is set into lockdown when a suspicious powder is found.
The Good: This episode's saving grace is how funny it is. There are a lot of great jokes here, and I thought that the laughs were being churned out pretty consistently throughout the episode. Jake is the center star here and he does a solid job as ever, chiming in with immature jokes whenever the chance arises. But even funnier than Jake was Holt who was given a wide assortment of great jokes here from bouncing on his ball to not understanding Jake's strange texts. The return of Terry's gigantic brother-in-law Zeke was nice as well. Pleasingly the show didn't just repeat the same jokes with him, instead pushing the limits further with Zeke's insults and giving Terry a new story as he trashes Holt to impress Zeke. The Bad: Unfortunately I thought the story here was really lacking. Once again, we have a story of Jake making some silly mistakes due to his immaturity, leading to a scolding and a "lesson learned!" moment. I'm disappointed that the show has so quickly gone back to the formula that it abandoned last season. Hopefully this is just a fluke. But worse than that was the way that this episode utterly failed to utilize the rest of the cast. Gina, Rose and Charles had absolutely nothing to do in this episode, and Amy's involvement only served to be as the voice of reason for Jake. This lockdown could have been a great opportunity to explore more character dynamics between the main cast, but instead the episode foolishly centered all around Jake and his interactions with the crowd. Best Moment: There were many great lines. The funniest to me had to be Holt's deadpan delivery of "looks like we dodged a bullet there" in response to Hitchcock being locked out on the balcony. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This was certainly a funny episode, but my disappointment in the story being told really hurt the episode and made it much weaker than it should have been. Score: 63 Summary: Jake searches for somebody new to date and ends up dating a lawyer. Rosa tries to get Amy to run for union representative but Amy doesn't want it to affect her career. Gina and Charles fight over who gets to enjoy the hotel room they had booked together.
The Good: The laughs in this episode were very consistent and there was a lot to enjoy. I thought that the essence of every character was nailed down in this episode as everyone has really funny moments from Holt's chair turn to Terry's struggle keeping the buttons on. The cold open was fantastic as well, as the discussion about Amy being late was very fun, leading to a hilarious punchline as Holt enthusiastically celebrates being correct in his guess ("HOT DAMN!). The main story with Jake accidentally dating Sophia, a lawyer was actually a lot of fun. It provides a fresh dilemma for Jake, away from something involving Amy, and it's a joy to watch the character back at his immature self without being too over-the-top. The relationship between him and Sophia is well done, funny, and believable. The Amy story is also quite good. It's good to see Holt moving on to tutoring people other than Jake, and Amy feels like she has been due a story like this for a while now. It helps that the story has plenty of good laughs as well. Gina and Charles' story is alright, but it leads to a hilarious conclusion as their fighting seemingly leads to their parents hooking up instead. The Bad: Gina and Charles' storyline didn't have as many laughs as I had hoped for outside of that final scene. Other than that, I don't have much to critique. It's nice to see that the show has become much better at avoiding the trappings I pointed out last season. Best Moment: That cold open made me laugh the most. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This was another excellent episode. After some weaker episodes early on, this season has entered a very consistent stretch. While nothing has quite been must-see television so far, the last 4 episodes have been tremendous fun featuring great laughs and some very strong writing. I'm really enjoying this season so far. Score: 72 Summary: The precinct comes under investigation when a mole is suspected to be leaking information. Amy and Jake discover Charles and Gina's secret. Terry and Gina work on getting a lead in the giggle pig investigation.
The Good: The three storylines here are a ton of fun and are done very well. The whole episode is consistent fun that has plenty of laughs and does a lot of things right. The main story about the mole is engaging and it has a lot of fun moments as Jake screws up, yet corrects his mistake in a way that clearly demonstrates growth from season 1. His partnership with Holt was a ton of fun, as always, and I particularly enjoyed the conclusion with Jake and Holt outsmarting Wuntch (see: Best Moment). It's a great story that brings them closer together, ending with a fantastic final reveal of Holt's middle name being Jacob. The Boyle and Gina story is also quite well done. I'm glad that the show chose not to have them be a couple, and the casual sex between them is believable, it makes sense, and it serves for great development for both Gina and Charles. The Terry and Rosa story is the weakest of the three but it still has some fun moments as Terry's role as a father comes into conflict with his investigation. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. A really consistent episode through and through. Best Moment: Watching Jake and Holt mocking Wuntch through the video and then appearing in front of her in person for more was a ton of fun. Any time Holt does something exuberant, it's tremendously funny and that remains true here. Character of the Episode: Jake, though Holt is a close second. Conclusion: Another really great episode that had great stories and really funny moments. While not as good as the prevous 2 episodes, this is another worthy episode that shows that "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is really finding its footing. Score: 71 Summary: Jake proposes a follow-up heist to Holt after last year's halloween. Gina skips work to practice dancing and Terry finds out.
The Good: Halloween is becoming a tradition for "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" and so far I'm all for it. This yearly heist is a very unique take on the holiday episode trope for sitcoms and so far it has been a tremendous amount of fun as it fits nicely within the cop theme of the show, and it also explores the best pairing of the show: Jake and Holt. The bet between the 2 is tremendous fun and their interactions throughout the episode are a joy. Watching Jake execute his plan is really fun and it leads to a tremendously fun sequence where everything goes wrong, complete with tons of excellent jokes. That takes us to the fantastic ending where Holt pulls back the curtain and shows the more intense side of his character as his flaunts his arrogance and planning to Jake with several terrific lines, with his pronunciation of "Frans Bruggen" being a highlight. Furthermore, the use of the rest of the precinct in the bet is a ton of fun and led to one of the more memorable and funnier episodes of the show so far. I'm really excited to see what is done with this bet between Jake and Holt in future halloween episodes. The Bad: The Gina storyline is a big let-down compared to the main story. The character of Gina is always borderline annoying, but I think the show takes it too far in this episode by repeating the same story from season 1 where Rosa and Amy write Gina off only to help her by the end of the episode. Gina's behaviour can easily come off as selfish and irritating, so when the show paints her as an almost perfect person in episodes like this, it doesn't feel right. Best Moment: Holt's big reveal at the end complete with the character's incredible energy and arrogance as he basks in his own glory. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This was one of the most memorable episodes of the show for sure. The main storyline is probably the show's best story so far, and had it not been for the weak B-story, this would have certainly been the show's best episode so far. Season 2 has now had 2 terrific episodes in a row, which is a great sign for the future. Score: 76 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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