Summary: Jake, Rosa, Terry, Gina Hitchcock and Scully rush to the hospital to save Holt from Bob. Charles tries to calm Amy's nerves while they head back to New York on a plane.
The Good: This was a fun conclusion to the season. The Bob story was very dramatic and the writers came up with a genuinely cool plan for the crew to enact with some lovely twists and turns throughout. In ways this reminded me of the brilliant "Charges and Specs" with how this episode used its characters perfectly to effectively sum up what they have been through this season. It didn't do it to the same level naturally, but I still appreciated how climactic this episode felt. The show doubled down on the drama in this episode, and thankfully it didn't leave comedy behind. There are plenty of funny lines and jokes in this episode which made the episode really work. Things like Holt and Bob's continually amazing interactions, Hitchcock and Scully's antics and Rosa's house were all terrific jokes. The ending was interesting. I'm not entirely sure what to make of it just yet, but we'll see next season. At the moment I'm very intrigued. The Bad: Amy's prison story didn't get the ending it deserved. In the end it was a complete waste of time that didn't accomplish much at all and that was disappointing. The Amy and Charles story was very dull to me and it made Amy and Charles seem like dreadfully unfunny characters with the stale jokes that story had. Furthermore, their inclusion in the main story was tough to buy into since I can't figure out how everyone else was able to coordinate a plan with them. Best Moment: Holt and Bob's hospital conversation in the cold open. These two are absolute gold and I'm sad that Bob's story is seemingly finished. Hopefully he can return in a later episode. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This was a really good season finale. It was funny, exciting, and it closed out season 3 in a memorable way. The season as a whole was a real mixed bag. I enjoyed it overall but the consistency that was there in the show before is completely gone. This is easily the most ambitious season and it took a lot of risks with the way it told its stories. Sometimes it worked wonderfully, like with the fantastic "Yippie Kayak", but other times it led to fairly uninspired episodes. Sometimes it was a mix of both. It's nice to see the show taking risks though and hopefully season 4 can learn from what worked this season and what didn't. I found that the overarching storylines that took up much of the start and finish of the season were surprisingly weak. The start of the season was particularly rough and almost every storytelling decision disappointed me. The end of the season was much more consistent, but it never threatened to be anything particularly special and felt very ordinary. The best content of the season came in the middle which saw the writers experimenting with storylines, which led to several hilarious concepts and episodes that I enjoyed very much. As a whole, this season was the weakest of the 3 so far, but it was still a good time. Hopefully the show can continue to be a good time in future seasons. Score: 70
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Summary: With the help of Holt's FBI friend Bob, Jake, Holt and Rosa break into the FBI to get convincing proof to arrest Jimmy Figgis' agent in the FBI. Terry realizes there is a leak in the Nine-Nine and gets Gina's help finding the source. Maura flirts with an uncomfortable Charles, giving Amy the idea of an alternative approach.
The Good: This episode committed to the overarching story in its main storyline and it ended up working wonders. The heist on the FBI was fun, and even though it does feel implausible (see: The Bad), it's a fun storyline to watch unfold. Plus it has the additional bonus of emotional engagement since the story feel important. The best aspect of it by far is Bob. Having a Holt doppelganger is a tremendous idea and watching Holt and Bob interact is nothing short of gold. The two of them easily steal the episode, and Jake's reactions to everything they say were spot-on with what we would expect from the character. The twist that Bob is working for Figgis is very easy to see coming, but it works really well because it's obvious why nobody would suspect him for anything - after all he's just another Holt. The two side stories have some fun moments as well. The Bad: The idea that the FBI could be infiltrated so easily is just silly and is the one black mark on an otherwise excellent main storyline. The biggest problem with this episode is the side stories which are completely flat and uninteresting. You get the sense that the Maura storyline should be furthering in a big episode like this, but nothing of substance happens there. Charles' attempted connection with her feels like filler since it doesn't go anywhere. Also, Amy returns to her normal self in this episode after perfectly assuming a prison personality in the previous episode. It's a jarring change, and it makes it difficult to believe that Maura hasn't realized that there's something up with her. The Terry/Gina story is pure filler and doesn't have very much for laughs either. The side stories really let down a superb A story, and I wish that the entire episode had been centered around the main storyline. Best Moment: Holt and Bob repeating "let's break into the FBI" was such a joy to watch. Every scene between them was outstanding but this was certainly the best. Character of the Episode: Holt/Bob. They're practically the same anyways. Conclusion: The main storyline of this episode was so much fun and the inclusion of Bob as a Holt clone was fantastic. It's the show at its very best. Which is why it's so disappointing that the other stories fell flat for me. Had this whole episode been about the FBI break-in, it could have easily been the show's best episode. Instead, the episode ends up being a mixed bag. Score: 67 Summary: Amy goes undercover in a prison to connect with Jimmy Figgis' sister and Jake becomes overprotective. Holt and Gina organize a fake funeral for Pimento.
The Good: I liked parts of this. There were good lines throughout the episode as per usual. Holt had some brilliant dialogue to say, and Charles was a fantastic source of levity for the prison storyline. I also really liked the misdirection with Rosa to start the episode. Having her get made the moment she set foot in the prison was great. Some of Jake's interventions when Amy made contact were pretty funny. The fake funeral storyline was also pretty good, and utilized the characters well. Stephanie Beatriz in particular was wonderful and she portrayed Rosa's emotions in a perfectly subtle way, which was certainly the right call here. The Bad: Some things didn't work about this episode. I wish the fake funeral went a little further in being weird. Pimento is a strange and unstable character, so it would have been fitting for the show to get a little bit weirder at the funeral to have better laughs. I'm also sick of the chase sequences the show does literally every time a criminal is encountered. Not every criminal tries to run away like that! The main story fell into the trappings of season 1 of the show. Jake felt far too cartoonish as he constantly got in Amy's way, and the rushed way he learned from his mistakes felt so sloppy and prevented the storyline from connecting with me at all. I thought that "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" had learned from its lack of subtlety in season 1, but apparently not. Best Moment: Rosa being speechless after immediately getting busted in prison was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Rosa. Conclusion: This was a fine episode, but one that should have been better than it was. Lots of smaller things bothered me and prevented me from enjoying this as much as I should have. Score: 60 Summary: Rosa and Pimento get engaged and have parties before the wedding. Jake tries to get Terry to know Pimento better during their party. Charles, Gina and Amy compete to throw the best party for Rosa.
The Good: This was a really fun and focused episode. Rosa and Pimento's relationship was short-lived but it has far more depth to it than Rosa and Marcus' and I found myself to be invested in them because their interactions have felt unique, funny and understandable. I really liked the farewell between Rosa and Pimento. I enjoyed their storyline. The parties thrown in this episode were a ton of fun and really worked for the show. Even though it's a familiar sitcom concept, it was executed well enough that I wasn't bothered by it. Charles, Gina and Amy competing worked out surprisingly well and I was impressed that the writers handled each character so well without ever stepping into silly territory, making ti feel like these were four friends partying together with a fun contest going on. Their scenes were consistent fun. The story of Jake trying to get Terry to like Pimento was a lot of fun, and Pimento's wacky antics were extremely enjoyable. I was also pleased with the new overarching plot that has arisen from Pimento's arrival to the show. With somebody out to kill Pimento, this episode had some urgency and importance that recent episodes have lacked, and the reveal of somebody in the FBI working for Jimmy Figgis gives the end of the season an interesting story to explore. This may not have been the funniest episode ever, but it's one that did a lot of good for the show overall and I'm excited to see where things go from here. The Bad: Tonally, something about this episode feels off from the rest of the season, and the series as a whole. As much as I've enjoyed Pimento, he doesn't fit in quite right with the show. He's a funny character and a breath of fresh air, but the kind of erratic and over-the-top danger he brings to the table makes the show feel almost entirely different. His insertion in the back half of this season has changed things in a way that doesn't fit what the show was like before. While I'm happy to see an overarching storyline finally being added into this season, it has changed the show in a way that feels jarring and makes me unsure whether I'm supposed to be taking the show seriously or if I'm supposed to just laugh and be along for the ride. This tonal dissonance hurt this episode and it makes me really question the structure of this season. As a final note, Holt was hardly in this episode. That's always a bad thing. Best Moment: I really liked Jake taking Terry and then Pimento outside the van for a talk in quick succession. The comedic timing was excellent, and the final joke of Scully wanting to talk to Jake too because he felt left out was hilarious. Character of the Episode: Pimento. Even if he doesn't properly gel with the show, he's very entertaining. Conclusion: This episode was very focused and told a fun story that took a surprisingly serious turn. However, the poor handling of the tone did make me have some reservations towards this episode. I do think that this is an overall positive episode for the show, but I'm hoping that in seasons 4 and beyond, there can be more consistency to the tone that "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" is trying to hit. Score: 68 Summary: Jake tries to help Terry solve an old case that he was never able to solve. Holt, Rosa and Amy attend a bomb defusing class. Charles deals with Pimento living in his house.
The Good: This episode has some good jokes throughout. Holt, Rosa and Amy trying to outcompete each other was a fun sub plot, as was Charles trying to get Pimento out of his house and being a complete beta. The main story has some fun moments too as Jake and Terry have always had good chemistry and they share some great lines throughout the episode. The Bad: This episode just feels flat. Nothing of importance is happening here, nor has it been happening for much of this season, which is disappointing. This episode feels the most filler out of all recent episodes though and that hurts it. The stories here are fine but completely unspectacular, and outside of a few chuckles throughout the episode, it really didn't do a great job of being entertaining. I'm also very tired of a case going badly only for the very next scene to have Jake immediately figure out the solution to the case. The trope has been used many times and it's starting to bother me now. I also found the reveal that the wheelchair reveal was faked to be pretty weak. Did the police really not verify if the guy was actually confined to a wheelchair? Best Moment: The cold open was the best laugh of the episode for me. It was pretty predictable (yet entertaining) stuff throughout but really shone at the end with Jake's "Goodbye tank" followed by Holt's "Tank? I gained three pounds in Paris. THREE POUNDS!" Character of the Episode: Terry. Conclusion: This was a very ordinary episode that felt like filler without much for laughs. While nothing outright bad was in this episode, I was consistently unengaged which usually doesn't happen in "Brooklyn Nine-Nine". A weak effort overall. Score: 54 Summary: Holt leaves Jake and Amy in charge of his house while he goes to Paris. Jake and Amy take care of Charles who is temporarily blind after eye surgery. Rosa and Pimento disrupt the precinct with their constant flirting.
The Good: There was a lot of good comedy here as everyone was entertaining to watch. Jake was very good here as he tried to fix the mess he created. Gina was entertaining in her attempts to stop Holt. Charles' blindness led to some great lines and visual gags (pun intended). And Rosa and Pimento's flirting was fantastic, made even better by Terry's dumbfounded reactions to it all. I enjoyed the joke cuts to Cheddar minding his own business while Jake dramatically treats him like some hardened criminal. The overall story of the episode concluded nicely with Holt admitting to problems with Kevin and having a surprisingly serious and human moment. The Bad: This was a very by-the-numbers sitcom plot that I saw coming from a mile away. I thought that the set-up for this story was ridiculous. Why would Holt ever trust Amy since he knows full well that she is allergic to dogs and will do anything to suck up to him? Why would everyone in the precinct drop their jobs immediately to find Cheddar? Do they even have jobs anymore? Charles' blindness was handled poorly in a way that made Charles look like a complete idiot to make things worse. The writing here just wasn't up to the standard that I expect. Best Moment: Jake: I know some of you are thinking who cares, it's just a pet? Terry: No one was thinking that, you monster. Character of the Episode: Terry. Conclusion: Typical to "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" episodes, this was fun but flawed. However, I found the writing flaws to be more serious in this episode so it gets a bit of a lower score from me. Score: 62 Summary: Jake offers to partner up with detective Adrian Pimento who recently returned after being undercover for 12 years. Charles makes a huge mess in the break room and he has to go to the janitor Mean Marge for help. Holt enlists Gina to make a promotional video for the precinct.
The Good: Pimento ended up being a really entertaining character to watch. It seems from this episode that he will be a recurring character which I'm all for if he can be as unique and funny as he was in this episode. His interactions with Jake were always fun, and Rosa's awkward infatuation with him has to be the funniest that Rosa has ever been. The A-story was overall really fun to watch and it told a nice story. The side stories weren't as compelling but they at least had some really funny moments like Charles constantly making messes, Terry's rage at almost dying and the actor Gina got to play Holt. The Bad: The side stories were flat from a storytelling perspective and I felt like they underutilized most of the characters that were involved in them. I never got engaged in either story. The story of Jake coming to terms with accepting that his time undercover was lame was a good one but it was really shoved down our throats with the amount of times it was mentioned. Some restraint would have gone a long way. Best Moment: I'll go with Terry shouting that he will die saving the president or he will never die. Character of the Episode: Pimento. Conclusion: This episode was a lot of fun, especially in the A-story with introduction of an exciting new character, but there were some issues that prevented this from being as good as it could have been. Still, I'm pleased with how consistent this season has become after a really rough start. Score: 66 Summary: Jake wants to get involved with a celebrity case so he pawns off a nothing case to Hitchcock and Scully who take things too far when the case turns out to be hugely important. Holt assigns Charles to the celebrity case and works with him. Amy, Rosa and Gina face their fears together.
The Good: It was nice to see Hitchcock and Scully take center stage. I've always been a sucker for episodes that bring background characters into focus, and this one did that in a fun way. The episode comes up with a ton of excellent jokes for them and it's fun to see these two idiots work a case together with disastrous results. Jake and Terry's involvement with this story is also fun and Terry's disbelief towards Jake's actions and both of them being stunned at Hitchcock and Scully's stupidity is very funny. The two side stories are solid enough and have plenty of funny moments. Holt and Charles remains an underused dynamic, so it's fun to see them working together. The classical musicians all being broke was a fun joke to conclude their story. Amy, Gina and Rosa don't get up to very much in this episode, but it's fine because all three are on their A-game, and the jokes surrounding them are excellent every time. The Bad: Weren't Hitchcock and Scully supposed to be secretly good cops that only pretend to be dumb to get out of hard work? What happened to that aspect of their characters? The show contradicts this by simply painting them as buffoons in this episode. Best Moment: There are so many great lines in this one. My favourite will have to be the out-of-nowhere racist joke with "Black Fred" which was surprisingly funny and handled appropriately. Character of the Episode: Hitchcock and Scully. I can't possibly separate them. Conclusion: This was a really funny episode that gets a lot right. I had a consistently good time watching this. Score: 71 Summary: The Nine-Eight invades on the Nine-Nine's precinct when their own precinct is shut down due to a gas leak. Holt, Amy, Rosa and Terry struggle to make compromises with their rude guests. Jake reunites with an old friend Stevie and brings him in to work a case with Charles, who quickly gets jealous.
The Good: This was a fun episode focused on a singular story of the Nine-Eight invading. There's a lot to enjoy here and I thought that the characters were used especially well with a lot of natural jokes highlighting the characters, like Hitchcock and Scully protecting the microwave, Amy's hate for the false service dog, Rosa mocking her chatty deskmate, Charles trying to prove himself as the superior friend, Holt hating that somebody would change the lumbar support on his chair, and Terry's distress when his yogurt was eaten (see: Best Moment). The jokes here landed very well and I was laughing consistently. Everything built up really well to the climactic brawl which ended up being an immensely satisfying, and funny, moment. The story with Jake, Stevie and Charles was also quite fun and put a unique strain on the Jake/Charles relationship that felt much more natural and realistic than what happened in "Stakeout" last season. The Bad: There were some story details that really bothered me. Having a fake service dog is very implausible, and it casts a poor light on disabled people with service dogs, which seems unnecessary. Furthermore, Amy surely should have simply been positioned far away from the dog considering her allergies, and forcing her to work in those conditions is very unrealistic. Lastly, I was surprised at how easy Stevie's arrest went since arresting another cop should bring out some sort of conflict, yet that isn't brought up here at all. Perhaps there will be consequences to this in the future, if so I will retract this complaint. Best Moment: The entire rooftop scene was hilarious, but the best part of it had to be Terry's distress when the Nine-Eight ate his yogurt. After several seasons of knowing how much Terry loves yogurt, this was a hilarious and inventive take on a familiar gag. Character of the Episode: Terry. Conclusion: This episode was very fun and had a brilliantly focused plot. There were some minor problems, but overall this was a purely entertaining episode on every level. Score: 71 Summary: Jake takes Amy to meet his mother on his birthday but gets a surprise when he gets there. Rosa and Charles use bodycams on a case and end up in an embarrassing situation. Holt, Gina, Scully and Hitchcock do an escape room together.
The Good: There are some good jokes throughout this episode like Jake doing charades (see: Best Moment), Terry's reaction to the situation of Charles' nudity, Amy's awkwardness, and more. I also like the story of Jake accepting his father back into the family because his mother wants him back. The side stories are fine enough for an odd laugh here or there. The Bad: I really don't have much to say about this episode. It's completely forgettable. The jokes were average at best and the stories never really engaged me. I thought Amy was used very poorly in this episode and that she should have had a larger role. Jake's mom was incredibly bland. Charles and Rosa have been paired up for a few weeks in a row now and the pairing isn't growing as much as they probably should be. It was nice to see Hitchcock and Scully used in a main storyline, but the entire escape room story was boring filler. One more thing I want to note is a flaw that has plagued the show for a while. It seems like every single criminal in this show notices an undercover cop and runs away, triggering a chase sequence. This happens every time and it has been predictable for a while now. The show needs to stop doing this and find some other ways to showcase being a cop that hunts down criminals. Best Moment: The sharp cut to Jake's horribly vulgar attempts to tell his father that he knows about his cheating was the best laugh of the episode. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This episode didn't have any outright problems with its writing or structure, but it was just incredibly forgettable with nothing interesting happening for most of the runtime. Not a good effort. Score: 55 Summary: Jake and Amy go on a cruise after winning a free trip and they find Doug Judy there. Holt tries to find a way out when his dramatic little sister Debbie arrives in town for a bit. Charles and Rosa go against each other to lease an apartment belonging to an old woman who recently died.
The Good: This is a very consistent episode, possibly the most consistent of the season. All 3 storylines are very solid and I enjoyed the episode the entire time. Doug's return was a lot of fun as expected and his relationship with Jake remains a highlight. The cruise setting made the episode feel unique as it showed us the same storyline of Doug aligning with Jake for a bit only to dupe him by the episode's end. Furthermore, the A story had the added depth of Amy's involvement and the interesting, brief exploration of Jake and Amy's relationship. The two side stories were decent fun. Charles and Rosa were much more entertaining as a pairing in this episode compared to the last and their friendly competition had some great moments. Holt's relationship with his sister had some fun moments and the resolution of the storyline was surprisingly touching. It was nice to see Holt behaving like the reasonable character he was in season 1 instead of having a lot of overblown comedy from him. The Bad: It was disappointing not to have Jake and Rosa together during the Doug Judy episode since these episodes had been great because the depth given to their relationship was just as much of a highlight as Doug was. This episode felt a bit by-the-numbers. The laughs weren't too special throughout, and the main plot felt like it was treading familiar ground with the Doug story. Best Moment: I'll go with Holt pretending to be really stressed and having both Gina and Terry enter the room to deliver laughably terrible lines. Character of the Episode: Doug. Conclusion: This was a solid episode all around, but one that felt too familiar and had very few risks to it. I enjoyed it, but it's nothing special. Score: 67 Summary: Jake sees that Holt has been lonely so he comes up with a fake case to work with him which ends up with the two of them getting mumps. With Holt on leave, Terry takes over at the precinct. Charles is upset when his dog Jason dies.
The Good: This was one of the funnier episodes of the show. I feel like I've been saying that a lot, but it is indicative of how the humour in the show is getting better. The episode was incredibly silly and stupid but it just worked and made for a wildly entertaining 20 minutes. Holt and Jake contracting the mumps and having to deal with it in quarantine together was stupidly fun, and Amy's inclusion played off of this dynamic brilliantly. This was a decent episode for Jake and Holt too as Holt got to show his gratitude for Jake bringing him back to the Nine-Nine while Jake shows how important of a bond he has developed with Holt by actually trying to spend time with him to make sure he isn't lonely. It's a very nice story that's not shoved down our throat for once, and it's helped along by the fact that these two have such an entertaining dynamic that has gotten better as the show has went on. The side stories had some fun moments too, like Rosa's complete lack of regard for Charles' loss and Terry destroying the captain's office with his strength. The Bad: This episode does get a bit too stupid at times, and while I love it, I can see how this would turn off some people. The episode's biggest failing comes from the plots. if the humour is getting better and better, the storylines are doing the opposite. The main storyline is done well but the side stories are pretty bad. Charles and Rosa get a good story to continue their friendship dynamic but there really isn't much memorable about it, plus it feels weird that nobody else is trying to console Charles over the death of his dog. This story feels like it should have been integrated into the episode better. The Terry storyline was outright bad. The idea that Gina would have a better idea of how to run the precinct that Terry is ridiculous, and having Terry be over-the-top when put in charge of the precinct was absurd. Surely he would know his fellow workers by now and this wouldn't be a problem. Furthermore, Terry has been left in charge before and he's never been this bad. This story was a bad idea, and even though it led to some funny jokes, it didn't work for me. Best Moment: I'll go with Jake and Holt's fight, ending with them poking each others goiters and falling hilariously. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: A mixed bag of an episode, but one with more that I liked than disliked. The middle of this season has been really enjoyable so far with each episode taking lots of risks and moving the show out of its comfort zone. This episode had its ups and downs but I'm overall very happy to see the creativity that this season is starting to work with. Score: 68 Summary: Jake tries to help Charles get his sperm back from his ex-wife who is extorting him (not a sentence I ever thought I would type). Amy gets Terry to write her a letter of recommendation. Holt and Rosa bring in Gina to help make a criminal confess.
The Good: This was probably one of the most consistently funny episodes this season. The jokes were really high quality, the dialogue was really clever and the storylines all led to some pretty funny moments. The sheer absurdity of Charles' storyline is what really carries the episode. The plot is so incredibly stupid, but that's what makes it so entertaining to watch. Plus, there are some really clever jokes thrown in there like Charles diving crotch first, Jake finding his dad as a sperm donor and Charles' reaction, the escalating seriousness of Eleanor's crime (a 90 year old priest sitting on a bench!) and Hitchcock's hilariously incompetence when making a deal with Jake. Also, the irony of this episode being called "Hostage Situation" after a literal hostage situation last episode is not lost on me. It's a rare case of the episode's title actually being used as a joke as well. The two side stories aren't as good but there are funny moments there as well. Terry Crews is consistently entertaining in his agonizing pain. Holt has some good lines as always. It was nice to actually see Gina get comeuppance for her annoying attitude for once, especially since the show always seems to let her off scot-free in most other episodes. The Bad: This episode has a lot of flaws which take away from how funny it is. The entire Jake/Charles plot is impossible to buy into. Can't they just arrest Eleanor for extortion of a police officer? I can never buy into this story since it paints the justice system in an unrealistically flawed light and relies on me making a huge suspension of disbelief to actually get into the story. The Amy/Terry side story didn't do much for me. Amy getting mad at Terry because she thinks that he wrote her a bad letter feels woefully out of character. Furthermore, this story screams of filler because I highly doubt that SAM-SAM will ever be brought up again. Lastly, I've noticed a bit of a pattern in the cold opens. A lot of them just end with Jake screaming "noooooo" as the final punchline. Admittedly it's funny but there have been so many cold opens like this recently and the joke is getting repetitive. Best Moment: There are lots of great jokes here. My pick is for Hitchcock being complete scum by trying to negotiate with Jake to free him. But in the end all he asks for is a dollar which he forgets to take from him. Character of the Episode: Charles. Conclusion: This episode is one of the funniest of the season and had tons of laughs. However, there are serious issues with the stories being told that take away from what could have been one of the better episodes of the entire show. Score: 67 Summary: Jake goes shopping with Charles and Gina when he forgets to buy Charles a Christmas present and the trio find themselves in a Die Hard situation. Amy joins Rosa and Holt on a polar dip to prove that she isn't a wimp.
The Good: This episode was "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" doing Die Hard and it was a ton of fun. This is everything that I wanted the show to be from its conception: a show with fun characters that pokes fun at the various situations that cops can find themselves in. And on top of that, it provides some wonderful comedy as a Die Hard parody. The trio of Jake, Gina and Charles works spectacularly well in this episode. By this point we understand these 3 characters very well and the dynamic between them is well established. There couldn't have been a better trio put into this situation, and all 3 of them have some wonderful moments throughout the episode. The main story of Jake forgetting to buy Charles a gift only to make it up to him by sacrificing his John McClane moment for Charles was funny, yet fitting pay-off that simultaneously provides a conclusion to this story and shows us how much Jake has grown as a character since season 1. Terry gets a wonderful story too, featuring the return of both Zeke and The Vulture. Terry has typically been portrayed a bit passively throughout the show which makes it really impactful when he stands up to both Zeke and The Vulture in this episode to protect his squad. There are some nice Die Hard parallels here, but most importantly it fits with his character. Additionally, I thought that The Vulture was used perfectly in this episode and was as scummy as ever. The C-story with Amy, Holt and Rosa was simply fine and served as a way to keep them away from the chaos in the A-story, but that didn't prevent it from having some good moments as well. The Bad: Nothing I would call bad. A very consistent episode overall. Best Moment: It's really tough to choose since there were so many fantastic lines. I'll go with The Vulture saying that the sniper will shoot Terry if he says so only for the sniper to say "no I won't". The whole exchange was great. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: Season 3 finally finds itself on something of a hot streak with this excellent episode. A Die Hard parody episode is a no-brainer and it was executed wonderfully here, leading to what is certainly the best episode of the show so far. Usually "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" throws in some really great episodes around the midpoint of the season so hopefully there are more highlights to come. Another Doug Judy episode perhaps? Regardless, this episode was outstanding and even if it was just a one-off episode that blew me away, I'm still really glad that we got this episode. Score: 80 Summary: Jake and Rosa work a case together with 2 Swedish detectives who are annoying. Holt picks Charles to compete in a squash tournament with him. Terry and Amy help prepare Gina for an astronomy exam.
The Good: All 3 stories here were perfectly solid stuff with some funny jokes. It was nice to examine Jake and Rosa's friendship in this episode and I thought that the Swedes offered a neat dynamic for Jake and Rosa to bounce off of. I also liked the emphasis on working a case in this main storyline which is something that "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" doesn't always do, like in the 2 side stories in this episode. Speaking of which, the side stories were solid fun. Terry and Amy nerding out to teach Gina was a lot of fun and the scene with Amy's mnemonic followed by Gina vanishing and Hitchcock being upset at Amy for calling him a gas giant (Gina did it naturally) was hilarious. The Holt/Charles story had some fun moments as well, and I like that the show utilized a character pairing that we don't see very often. Charles being an unhinged lunatic was actually a lot of fun and I really enjoyed it. The Bad: Something about this episode doesn't quite work. The 3 stories are solidly done but they all come off as simply fine to be. The 2 side stories explore some nice relationships but they feel out of place in a cop show and don't do anything that memorable. The main story is fun but it's lacking in laughs as I thought that the Swedes were too over-the-top to be particularly funny. Nothing in this episode really jumps out and grabs me, and while the episode is competently delivered, it's missing the usual spark that I've come to expect from this show. Best Moment: Amy's never-ending mnemonic. Character of the Episode: Gina. Conclusion: This is a good episode that's executed well and has some fun stories. But something about it just doesn't properly connect with me. Score: 65 Summary: Sharon goes into labour in the precinct and it's up to Jake and Gina to help her and keep Holt away since he makes Sharon uncomfortable. The precinct has an internet outage forcing Amy, Charles and the rest to work using fax machines.
The Good: I've seen a lot of birth episodes in sitcoms, and there are numerous tropes that come from it. However, this episode had such strong comedy and brilliant character interactions that the tropes didn't bother me much at all. The episode is built around a single plot and it handles all of the characters in perfect ways, leading to natural and fresh humour. Furthermore, we get a great story for Jake who steps up as Sharon's "god-husband" to take care of her while things in the precinct get increasingly chaotic. Also, it's nice to see the characters actually working for once instead of just messing around. Plus, the struggles of everyone make the episode increasingly funny as more and more things go wrong. Holt's story started off pretty poor (see: The Bad), but it evolved into something great once his ex-boyfriend Frederick was involved. I wish that we saw more of this storyline because the few scenes we got were hysterical and the brief look into the Holt/Frederick relationship was unique fun that felt like new territory to explore Holt's character. Finally, the Tommy Gobbler cold open was fantastic. The Bad: Holt has been portrayed strangely the past few episodes. He comes off as more of a petty buffoon than what we are used to seeing from him, especially early in the episode when he stubbornly taunts Jake for not wanting his help. I appreciate the writers trying to come up with fresh new jokes and I did laugh at him in this episode, but they need to make sure that they don't kill the character by making him uncharacteristically silly like he has been in the past few episodes. Best Moment: It's tough to choose with so many great laughs. I'll go with Hitchcock getting his arm trapped in the tube which had perfect timing for the story. Character of the Episode: Jake. Conclusion: This was an excellent episode. Birth episodes do offer an ideal situation for a sit-com to tell a story, but they are hampered by having many tropes to avoid. Thankfully, this episode was written so well and had such great jokes that any reservations I had going in were swiftly put to rest and I found myself enjoying this episode a lot. Easily one of the show's best episodes so far, and one that can hopefully signal an improvement in quality for season 3. Score: 77 Summary: Jake and Amy work their first case together since they started dating. Charles doesn't knwo what to do when he accidentally scratches Holt's car after he parks poorly. Terry tries to get Rosa to lighten up on her tough love approach.
The Good: The cold open was easily one of the best of the series with a perfect punchline when Hitchcock drinks his own fish. The rest of the episode had some funny jokes, and Andre Braugher put in a superb performance as always. You could make him say anything and it will be funny. It was nice to touch in on Jake and Amy's relationship again and they had some nice moments. I liked that the Holt/Gina/Charles story ended up tying into the Jake/Amy story towards the end of the episode, which was a nice touch. The Bad: Unfortunately the episode peaked with the cold open and none of the three plots presented here really got going. The Jake/Amy plot is hurt by being a pretty generic couple's argument. There was never any moment in the episode where I bought into their fight and it felt completely forced the entire time. Furthermore, it feels strange how the show completely ignores their relationship for many episodes at a time only to randomly bring it back up for an episode. This is a problem because I feel like the conflict of how Jake and Amy's relationship affects their work should have been explored much, much earlier. The other two storylines feel like filler. Terry and Rosa had a very similar story back in season 1 and this one doesn't offer much other than a callback to the episode with that storyline. The Holt/Charles/Gina storyline felt similarly aimless. I found Holt to be grossly out of character in this episode. He came off as far more immature and emotionally unhinged than what we usually get, and I'm wondering if the writers are going to start sacrificing the credibility of the character in exchange to get more funny line deliveries from Andre Braugher. Best Moment: The cold open. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This episode had some good aspects to it, but it was forgettable overall, and outside of the cold open, I don't think it ever managed to get interesting or exciting. Score: 55 Summary: Jake and Charles take Terry to Lohank's cabin for a camping trip. Rosa decides to break up with Marcus and gets help from Holt. Amy gets Gina's help to present a new product idea she came up with.
The Good: This episode was another pretty funny one. The camping trip had plenty of amusing moments and Jake, Charles and Terry played off of each other very well and did a terrific job of having consistent laughs. Holt and Rosa had an overall great episode as well as the show decided to explore how these two emotionless characters deal with intense emotions, and it managed to do so in a light and entertaining way culminating in the fantastic scene where they both cry together and thank each other for acknowledging their feelings. Holt in particular was the highlight, spewing one great line after the other. Lastly, the Amy and Gina plot is also quite solid and it's nice to see Amy and Gina working together for once instead of just havign Gina insult Amy needlessly. The Bad: Unfortunately the camping storyline suffers from being filled with tropes of camping storylines, even if the character interactions kept things feeling fun. Jake's lesson in this episode was also hammered in too hard. As for the overall episode, I thought that these 3 storylines, while good, didn't get enough time to be as good as they could have been. This episode is a far cry from "Halloween III" which really goes to show the difference between messily juggling 3 storylines and running just a single storyline to focus on. Sometimes "Brooklyn Nine-Nine" bites off more than it can chew. Best Moment: I'll go with Holt reciting an entire URL to the confused Rosa. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: Even though this episode had some problems, it was still very funny and did lots of things right. It was a good episode overall. Score: 68 Summary: Jake and Holt engage in a decisive third Halloween heist to determine who is the definitive amazing detective/genius, enlisting the help of various members of the precinct. Charles tries to hook Gina up with a guy.
The Good: The focus of this episode was easily its biggest strength. These Halloween episodes are rapidly becoming iconic for the show and they feel like something special each season. This was no exception and I'm glad that there weren't any needless side stories to detract from a very exciting main story. All of the characters outside of Jake and Holt had their main storylines integrated into the heist plot which was very smart. The contest between Jake and Holt each season has become a battle of wits of sorts and it's immensely fun to watch. Seeing both Jake and Holt reach a new level of competitiveness is tremendous fun, and their various plans to steal the crown are always thrilling. This episode had the unique twist of Amy winning which made for an interesting twist and blows open the potential for the heist as seemingly anyone can win it now. I'm excited to see next season's Halloween episode. The Charles/Gina storyline ended up being pretty good. It was pretty solid throughout the episode but the hilarious ending joke with Nadia being Genevieve's twin was fantastic. The Bad: Amy winning the heist was very predictable and I saw it coming from a mile away. That reduced some of the fun of the heist since the twist ending was so easy to see coming. Best Moment: I'll go with Holt shouting at Amy's cleavage and horrifying her before apologizing for saying cleavage. Great joke in an episode that's consistently amusing to watch. Character of the Episode: Amy. Conclusion: Typical to previous seasons, the Halloween episode delivered hugely and was a tremendous amount of fun to watch. This was easily the best episode of the season so far, and hopefully it can give the show some much needed momentum. Score: 75 Summary: Jake and Holt are frustrated under the pressure of their bosses and they team up to work a case together in secret. The Vulture gets Amy and Rosa to plan a birthday party for him. Terry gets addicted to nibs.
The Good: The main plot is very good. The show always excels when it utilizes its police precinct setting and cases like these are always fun. A serial killer does make things a little tougher to joke about, but I thought the show did a terrific job of keeping things light. The episode also centered around the Jake/Holt dynamic which was tremendous fun. Plus we also got to see Holt truly enjoying his role as a cop as Jake delights at all the little things Holt did as he got invested in the case. It was tremendously fun to watch throughout. It was Gina who stood out the most though as she proved how much she has grown as a character by actually helping out here and accepting herself as part of the precinct instead of keeping to her usual "me vs them" mentality. Gina had the most consistent jokes throughout and was definitely the episode's MVP. The start of the episode was nice as it showed us how The Vulture had been inadequately captaining the nine-nine. The Bad: Unfortunately my praise of the episode ends there. The two side stories were pretty bad. Terry in a fat suit felt like a cheap joke and that entire side story felt like pure fluff and a waste of Charles who had nothing to do. The Rosa/Amy story also felt needless and it wasn't explored enough to get anything of substance out of it. Rosa calling Amy an evil genius didn't feel earned at all. Lastly, this episode provided a full reset from the events of the season 2 finale. Holt is back as captain and The Vulture is gone. Everything returned to normal surprisingly quickly and it feels like this mini arc had no purpose overall and wasn't worth the time invested. Holt's time at a desk job was forgettable and The Vulture's stint as captain didn't get explored much at all despite how easy it should have been to get comedy from it. Best Moment: Jake awkwardly kissing Gina on the head as she reprimands him for forgetting to pay the bill was fantastic. Character of the Episode: Gina. Conclusion: This episode had a wonderful A-story, but everything else didn't work. The B and C stories were lame and this episode's overall role in returning everything to the status quo is disappointing. A fun main storyline wasn't quite enough to save this episode unfortunately. Score: 58 Summary: Charles connects really well with a new girl but is shocked when she is imprisoned and sets out to prove her innocent with Jake's help. Holt attempts a new poster campaign to make cops more respectable. Rosa and Terry try to prove that Hitchcock and Scully are stealing food.
The Good: The main story is pretty good stuff. It's nice to see Charles really connect with somebody again and having him go around attempting to prove Genevieve to be innocent was good fun. The Jake/Charles pairing is well established and they work really well together. I especially enjoyed Charles' constant innuendos that he kept saying throughout the episode. The two side stories are fun enough with decent moments like Gina's "told you so" hoodie. The Bad: This episode is far too silly, something that immediately comes up with the cold open that somehow expects us to believe that Terry can't feel a gigantic tarantula walking on his head. The rest of the episode unfortunately follows through with most of this silliness. It's especially present in the Rosa/Terry storyline which was far too ridiculous to be any good. Shouldn't Rosa and Terry be doing other things with their time? And both of them went way over-the-top as they tried to prove that Hitchcock and Scully were stealing food. Furthermore, the lactose intolerance seems like a cheap joke that likely isn't consistent with what we've seen before, and I fully expect this to be contradicted in a future episode. A sloppy storyline overall. When the episode wasn't being silly, it was being repetitive. So many repeat jokes in this episode. I've seen so many episodes where Jake and Charles investigate something together, and all of the jokes used in this episode were ones that I have seen better variations of in previous episodes. It's woefully unoriginal, and just about every line felt familiar to me. Many of the other characters were also given jokes that felt familiar and it felt like there was hardly even a shred of originality in this episode. Lastly, The Vulture has already being ignored which doesn't give me much hope that this new captain story will amount to much. Is the show already going to act like everything is normal? Running a story like the Terry/Rosa one while The Vulture is still captain is completely implausible. Best Moment: I'll go with Amy's absurd reaction of "shut up Ray!" after she got picked as an exemplary cop. One of the few jokes that didn't feel like a retread. Character of the Episode: Charles. Conclusion: This was really disappointing. Not only was there a lot of silliness and poor writing, but the joke quality took a big hit as nearly every laugh felt like something I had already seen before. This was such a by-the-numbers episode and I really expected more. This season has had a very rocky start. Score: 47 Summary: The Vulture interferes with Jake and Amy's dating life and they try to stop him. Terry and Holt reflect on how terrible things have become. Charles engages in a purely sexual relationship with somebody from captain Dozerman's funeral.
The Good: This was a very packed episode that had some really good aspects. The best stuff was certainly the Jake/Amy plot. So far the show is avoiding unnecessary drama between them and their interactions remained fun. The Vulture was as scummy as always, and I enjoyed the jokes with the always ill-timed bagpipes. Also, Jake completely messing up as he tried to lie his way into getting to the front of the church was hilarious. Holt and Terry were a lot of fun too. The toasts were very funny, and I laughed quite a bit when they were drinking together. The Bad: Charles' storyline was a complete miss for me, it offered a singular good joke (Charles being disgusted that she's a vegan) and it felt extremely random for Charles to have this specific conflict now. Furthermore, Charles completely spells out why he was engaging in this relationship by the end of the episode, once again letting the show fall into its lack of subtlety with rushed, simplistic dialogue to close out storylines. Terry not being able to handle his alcohol is a silly idea, especially since we've seen him drink heavily before without any issues. Terry Crews was fun here, but the show seems fascinated with making Terry inebriated in some way for more laughs. Unfortunately it feels cheap a lot of the time, like it did in "Chocolate Milk" last season, and this was no exception. The mango yogurt joke started out funny but it became played out by the end of the episode. Lastly, I thought the role of The Vulture was a bit too silly in this episode. He came off as a typical bad guy who is imposing when the plot needs him to be but also is easy to take care of whenever the plot needs him to be. Best Moment: Holt remarking at how alcohol has turned him into a simpleton after naming the wrong style of glass. Character of the Episode: Holt. Conclusion: This episode had some good laughs but it was deeply flawed and I feel like it wasted a lot of the good laughs it had by being too silly overall. This show is always at its best when it doesn't fall into needless absurdity, so an episode like this that feels so problematic and unrealistic doesn't land well at all. Score: 53 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 |
Aaron DhillonJust a university student who loves to watch TV. And analyze it way too much. Archives
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