Working for a site called SpoilerTV, I often become very paranoid about spoilers and I find that spoiling things for myself is the safest way to avoid anyone else spoiling me accidentally or purposefully. This time, however, I truly wish I didn't spoil the episode for myself. In the promo for this episode, they very clearly revealed who the winner of the heist would be. Although I didn't know what way the winner would win, I kept expecting it to happen and although the twists were very well executed, I kept waiting for the "real" winner to be revealed. Nevertheless, however, everyone knows by now that no one does Halloween like Brooklyn Nine-Nine. This outing was no different. I think "Halloween III" (3.05) still reigns supreme, but this episode fit perfectly into the quartet. Let's talk about it.
Every Halloween episode involves a grand heist to determine which detective is the "best"/most genius. This time, the title is officially "The Ultimate Detective/Genius". After last year when Amy completely outplayed the entire squad with practically no one rooting for her, I was really hoping the show would let her keep that title and focus on something else. Amy earned that crown and more last year, so to see them take it away, so to speak, was a bit hurtful. But I moved on, because it was structured a bit differently this time around. I forgot to mention the cold open of the episode, because it was pretty wild. Amy, Jake, and Holt all took turns announcing the heist, all in different ways. They were all extravagant and comical, but none more than Holt's, who literally hired a marching band to announce the heist. I've seen a few comments complaining about how much Holt has integrated into the 99 lifestyle and that he's no longer just "the stoic" and his characterization has flown out the window. I do not agree with this idea at all, because I think it's completely natural that their habits and traits are rubbing off on him. Look at where he started until now. And I don't just mean in the 99, but in law enforcement in general. I love seeing Holt let loose, and in my opinion, it doesn't happen enough and when it does it's magical. Oh, and Hitchcock happily announced that his wife is dead, which means no more alimony payments. Oh, Hitchcock...
Speaking of Holt, Andre Braugher, once again, was on fire. He was pretty harsh when it came to the reasons why he chose Boyle. It's understandable, but it still made me a bit sad. Pretty much every line he spoke, though, had me laughing on the verge of tears. Calling Boyle a pork chop and grabbing the pizza man and shouting, "WHO DO YOU WORK FOR, PIZZA MAN?" in his face was the best. Also worth pointing out that Cheddar came back and I'll never get Holt saying, "It's time to make daddy proud" out of my head. Holt's favourite exclamation Bingpot! also made a resurgence, and that's very welcome with me.
Transitionally, the dynamics in the episode were very interesting to me. Jake basically hired a prostitute because he didn't really have a partner in the heist, due to Gina supposedly bashing her two front teeth out during this rollerskating moment. I haven't mentioned probably the most interesting feat of the episode and that's Terry thinking the heists are dumb. I always wondered why he didn't contribute much to them aside from helping with something in the background. He kept trying to do his work, but the squad either bothered him or thought he was in on the heist the whole time. That was hilarious. But my favourite dynamic was Amy and Rosa, who bonded throughout and had great chemistry together. The Babysitter's Club references were adorable, and Rosa hasn't smiled this much practically ever. I think they are the dream team, whether it's a heist or not. When Rosa organized the pizza raid I was smiling from ear to ear. But like I said earlier, I knew it was too good to last. Much like when Jake obtained the plaque like 7 minutes into the thing. Holt using Cheddar to get it from Amy's secret stash of cigarettes in the vent was cute. It was also REALLY cute how Rosa cared about Amy and wants her to stop smoking. I know they mentioned this many episodes ago, but the fact that they remembered was very nice to see.
"I will split you both open from mouth to anus and wear you like jackets." "Huh. Is it weird that turned me on a little bit?"
And the star of the episode of course was Gina Linetti. It's incredible how much she has grown on me, and how much she has grown as a character. Her line delivery is nothing short of genius, and for her to get the win, I think, was completely justified. I
really wish I didn't know it was coming because I would've enjoyed it much more. But it was still brilliantly done. When everyone had found plaques, and they were all revealed to be fakes reading, "Heists Are Dumb" under a black light, they immediately blamed Terry, who apparently thinks a lot of things are dumb. But alas, it was actually Gina, who trapped the whole squad in the interrogation room and was the mastermind behind pretty much everything. She was manipulating Holt into choosing Boyle as her partner, dressed like Amy to seem "invisible", took out her fake teeth to make it seem like she needed to go to the dentist right away, and had a watchful eye over when each person took a plaque so she could replace the real one with fakes. She ordered the fakes when Holt asked her to make the order for the real one. I mean, that's amazing thinking. And for the fact that she had to talk with a lisp for pretty much the entire explanation earned Chelsea Peretti enough praise for a lifetime. And when finding out why she did it, it made total sense to me. Hey, remember a few weeks ago when I was worried about her potentially wanting to become a detective one day? Well, this episode reminded me that this could indeed be a possibility one day. That wouldn't be as bad as segregation, but so few things are, Gina. And of course it ended with a group scene in Shaw's bar. "I love you guys", proclaims Gina, after receiving the crown. It was a really sweet moment, especially every beat she shared with Rosa. I love those two together. I love this show. I love Halloween. Can we just fast-forward to Halloween V already?
What did YOU think of "Halloween IV"? What's your favourite instalment of the Halloween episodes? Do you agree with the winner/who were you hoping to win? Who would you want to win next year, if they do this again? Please leave a comment down below!
About the Author
Laura is a Media Studies student from Canada, infatuated with several TV shows, and is trying to expand to movies. She also enjoys music from all genres, but her favourite band is Muse. She is a huge Potterhead, and loves books by John Green. She will be reviewing Brooklyn Nine-Nine, The Real O'Neals, Please Like Me, Mindhunter, and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia for the 2016-2017 season. Feel free to connect with her on any of the social media sites listed below.
