Brooklyn Nine-Nine - The Chopper - Review

Let’s get this out of the way to start -- no major Jake/Amy action this episode after the reoccurrence of the storyline in “Det. Dave Majors.” Instead, Jake’s got all his attention turned toward his epic case, involving the murders of member of the Fulton Street Four -- a group who robbed an armored car depot a quarter century before, and made off with $21 million, never recovered by the feds. After the first murder Jake is sure that one member is knocking off the others (all recently released from prison), in order to get all the money. Holt warns him not to make it an epic case just because he wants it to be, but after the second murder even Holt admits that Jake’s hunch was right. Since the case is so important, Wuntch calls in Jake, Boyle, and Holt, to offer them any kind of support they need to solve the case. Although Holt knows that she’s up to something, he can’t tell whether she wants them to fail or to succeed, and therefore doesn’t know how to stop her evil doings.

Part of the reason that Jake became a cop was to jump out of choppers holding a knife in his teeth and machine guns in his hands. Although it doesn’t quite play out that way, Jake’s chopper obsession combined with Wuntch’s unlimited support means that Death Blade, Rum Tum Tugger Sidewinder, and Wet Blanket all jump in a helicopter to make it upstate for the capture of the murderer and recovery of the $21 million -- from a barn! But it turns out that Michael D’Angelo was murdered by Bludsoe, the member of the Fulton Street Four who claimed D’Angelo tried to kill him. Holt is frozen-in-place-mad when he finds out that Bludsoe escaped, certain that Wuntch will have his job for it, until Jake tells him to forget about the politics and focus on the fact that the case is epic! At which point Holt undergoes a fascinating transformation, deducing with Jake where the money is, and calling the detectives back to the chopper as he purrs his new call sign -- Velvet Thunder.

The team heads back to the city in time to catch Bludsoe, recover the money, and pose for pictures in front of millions of dollars. While Jake and Boyle really soak it in, the moment quickly turns for Holt when he finds out that Wuntch really wanted them to succeed because she needed a reason to promote Holt out of the Nine-Nine and into a desk job as Head of NYPD Public Relations.

This was a great case -- relatively predictable, but that wasn’t really the point of it. In true B99 fashion, this case was a classic movie-worthy case; an homage to epic “Ron McClane movies” (aka Die Hard according to Holt). It’s hard to tell who loves these stories more -- Jake, or the writers. This one was done really well, including those epic elements like choppers, call signs, secret keys, and barn “shoot-outs,” while playing them in a very B99 way. They only get access to a chopper due to politics, they storm a barn holding only a dead body and a speedy dove, the real criminal escapes entirely off-screen and very discreetly, and Holt shouts “Bingpot!” when they recover the missing money. It’s an epic action film transposed into a sitcom, and it totally works.

Back at the Nine-Nine, Sarge hosts a field trip from a magnet school that he’s hoping Cagney and Lacey can attend. He recruits Amy (former magnet school student and Latin enthusiast), Gina (the preteen whisperer), and Rosa (the one who knows what kids really want to see), to help out with the students. When Sarge goes off to talk with the principal, Amy begins to flounder with the children (since she hasn’t listened to rap music in three years. At Rosa’s insistence Amy relents and shows the kids crime scene photos. Which they love! But their teacher is not too happy about… Luckily the detectives show that the kids learned a lot of interesting things (enucleation, anyone?), and Cagney and Lacey get off of the school’s waitlist. Also, everyone should listen to Rosa all the time about everything (her words), Amy wants to redo middle school knowing what she knows now, and Gina is named Spring Dance Princess.

Kind of a random story, but pretty fun at the same time, especially Gina’s deft navigation and mediation regarding middle school relationships.  When it comes to the tech-generation, Gina is apparently very socially literate.  I wish we could have seen a little bit more of her at work, though perhaps less is more when it comes to overly complicated 12-year-old frenemyships.

I’d like to end this review with a couple of shout outs:
- Shout out to Boyle for always supporting his best friend, Jake, whether it be attempting to take videos of the important moments in his life, coming up with his memoir title, or briefing the team on Jake’s intention to fan himself with recovered cash and say “It’s all here.” Also, shout out for calling the middle seat on the chopper
- Shout out to Terry for getting Gina to look up from her phone in the cold open. Also, I hope you can patch that all up with your wife.

What did you guys think of this season’s penultimate episode? Do you like it when B99 tackles “epic” cases, or do you prefer the precinct-based stories? If the other members of the Nine-Nine got to ride in a chopper, what would their call signs be? What’s going to happen with Holt and his new job? Do you have any predictions for the season finale? Let us know what you think below!

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.

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