A quick review of tonight’s “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” – or, I suppose I should say, of Golden Globe winner “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” – coming up just as soon as I take a seminar on hand-shaking…
The “Brooklyn” pilot suggested some Unresolved Sexual Tension between Peralta and Santiago, but the show quickly moved onto other ideas for both characters, and later occasions where they teamed up didn’t so much as hint at the idea of them hooking up. As someone who hates it when sitcoms force this kind of thing because Jim/Pam (or, before them, Ross/Rachel), I was pleased, especially since Santiago turned out to be a lot more interesting (and funny) once she became more than just Peralta’s wet blanket partner.
“The Bet” is the end of the show’s initial 13-episode order (a full season order came later, and Kevin Reilly has been talking for a while like a second season renewal is just a formality), and having built out both the ensemble and Jake and Amy as individual characters, the show feels comfortable revisiting the idea that these two opposites might be attractive to each other. And I’m more interested in it now than I was then, for a few reasons. First, as I said, Santiago has become a much richer character than she was back then. Second, the stakeout sequence showed a more grown-up version of Jake, which is both something Amy would want but also something “Brooklyn” in general could use more of. He doesn’t have to be mature and sensible all the time, but if his half-hidden interest in her forces him to take the juvenile behavior down just a couple of notches, it’ll be worth it.
Beyond that, “The Bet” was another strong episode for the whole ensemble. Boyle being upstaged by Sgt. Peanut Butter was maybe too similar to L’il Sebastian, but his bout of candor from the painkillers led to a lot of funny moments, plus one absolutely perfect stunned reaction from Stephanie Beatriz after Charles told Rosa of his plan to win her heart by being himself. Holt getting Terry into trouble felt a bit formulaic, but it’s also good to see something Holt isn’t good at, and to have Merrin Dungey (Francie!) join the larger ensemble as Terry’s wife Sharon.
What did everybody else think? And how did you feel about the show’s big night with the Hollywood Foreign Press Association?