I’m a big fan of cold opens in Schur shows -- loved them in The Office, love them in Parks and Recreation. The cold open isn’t a standard Brooklyn Nine-Nine move, but when they’re included, you can be sure they’ll be short and non sequiturial. They play like the short before a Pixar
film -- it’s quick, funny, and you spend the rest of the time trying to figure out if there was a thematic connection between the short and the feature. In
this week’s standalone cold open, Amy Santiago, future union rep and uptight type-A rule follower, is 70 seconds late for work. There’s honestly not much
to this brief opener, but it’s fun to see the Captain get so intensely into one of Jake’s little games. And of course he wins. He is, after all, a
brilliant detective.
Speaking of Amy, Jake has had a hard time moving on from her and dating other women. Turns out that they’re not really into his cop stories. Sarge advises
him to talk about something
besides work that he’s interested in, and it turns out for Jake, that’s hot wings. And it’s the same for Sophia,
another singleton in Brooklyn trying to keep her professional talk to a minimum while dating. Which of course is how a detective and a defense attorney
have a one night stand right before an important court case (about a
diamond heist!). Even though their professional opposition threatens any
future they might have together, Sarge encourages Jake to ask her out again. It’s surprising, in a good way, to see Jake make an adult decision to put his
professional rivalry (pettiness) aside, and ask Sophia if she wants to spend more time together. I mean, they played Ping-Pong with an avocado pit -- it’s
clearly worth giving that relationship a shot. At least for as long as the show has Eva Longoria contracted as a guest star. Longoria and Samberg have got
some pretty fun chemistry together on screen, and the character of Sophia helps Jake seem a
little bit more like an adult. I’m looking forward to
the Jake/Sophia relationship arc, because as everyone knows, hot wings are the second best foundation on which to build a relationship. (The first being,
of course, meatloaf.)
Back at the precinct, there were two fierce battles being waged -- Gina/Boyle and Rosa/Amy/Scully. With Boyle and Gina’s relationship officially over,
they exchanged belongings, and realized the last thing they had to deal with was their nonrefundable hotel getaway. Because in TV world, people are really
big into booking nonrefundable “lovebird” trips. As they each vie for the room their tricky tactics result in both Nine-Niners pulling overnight shifts,
while their respective parents to enjoy the swanky getaway together. It was fun to see Boyle and Gina manipulate each other so well -- it’s clear that even
though their relationship was brief, they really know the things that would make the other’s day. And then use that to trick him/her into relinquishing a
fancy hotel room. Boyle’s clearly gained some self-confidence and moxie from their time as “poke pals” (ew, Boyle), as he holds his own against Gina no
problem, instead of allowing her to steamroll him.
Rosa tries to get Amy to run for union rep over Scully, who’s really just into it for the sandwiches. (Honestly, I totally understand that.) Although
Amy keeps pointing out that she can’t take the job because she wants to be captain one day, and doesn’t want to “clash with the brass,” all the
organizational aspects of the position seem right up her alley. Not only that, but she’s got
more than enough poster board at home. So, you know
where to turn if you’re in need. Of course Amy was going to run for the position in the end, even if it does threaten Scully's best friendship with her
(?!), but the Captain relenting on his non-involvement with union matters in order to encourage her was really sweet. Sure, her constant brown-nosing is
probably a little grating, but Holt knows how much she admires him, and he wants what’s best for her, and the precinct. Which is probably not Scully going to union meetings and eating subs. The Captain, while working on ignoring the trivialities continually heaped upon him by his employees, perfected
his powerful chair swivel. Congratulations Captain -- even Gina’s impressed.
Another fun episode of
Brooklyn Nine-Nine, complete with Sarge almost popping open his shirt (apparently a near-constant occurrence), Jake finally
hitting it off with a cool lady (even if they are literally enemies), and the introduction of a sad little prosecutor named Carl (who may be my new
favorite character). The precinct stories were a little less interesting than the courtroom drama, but they were fun enough to fill the gaps.
What did you think of the episode? How long do you think Jake and Sophia will last? Do you like Boyle and Gina better as secret friends with benefits, or
office rivals? How dramatic do you think Holt can make his chair swivel? Let us know below!
EDIT: This review original stated that
Hitchcock was the union rep, when in reality it was Scully.
About the Author - Kimberly
Kimberly is a big TV nerd - willing to talk any show, any time. Her tastes are various and sundry, but she’s got a soft spot for comedy. She currently writes the SpoilerTV reviews for Parks and Recreation, Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and About a Boy.
