Here we are, back so soon after Brooklyn Nine-Nine was holding out all week to air in the post, post Superbowl slot. With the success of New Girl already established, I was hoping to see the Nine-Nine get placed right after the Superbowl and pick up some new viewers in any channel lurkers or dedicated New Girl fans hanging around. However, the show was dropped into the post, post Superbowl time slot and delivered another solid episode that returned the focus onto the shows main characters.
Last night’s episode, “The Party”, had the entire gang over to Captain Holt’s house for his birthday party and meeting his husband, Kevin, for the first time. The episode focuses mainly on Holt and reveals his off-duty casual side, but while he is enjoying his party Terry is left to babysit everyone at their first “adult party”. I felt that this episode spread the time out really well and did a good job with the storytelling arcs. The main emphasis was, like last week, kept on Holt, Peralta, Santiago, and Terry, but differed from “Operation: Broken Feather” by handling the supporting character’s minor side plots better.
Everyone is looking forward to meeting Kevin, but Holt really just wants them to act normal. Kevin picks on Peralta at first, which makes Jake determined to earn his approval, even if he has to lie for it. I also like how they are playing up Santiago’s perfectionist attitude; with her, “come on Amy…”, after addressing Holt as Raymond and then trying to cover that up by complimenting his slacks. The only biggest problem I’ve had with the show is the underdevelopment of the female characters and how I have just never found them funny, but tonight definitely changed that. Last week Santiago was caught wearing Holt’s hat, and this week she continued by snapping pictures of everything in his kitchen so she can learn about him. Santiago is a funny character, because while she is an admirable detective, I love watching her try so hard and striking out with trying to impress Holt day in and day out. Tonight she tries to bond with him over their same microwave models and a mutual love for hummus, but is completely wrong and, again, fails to catch Holt’s interest, realizing she “has only scratched the surface.”
Throughout the episode Peralta, like I mentioned, is trying to earn Kevin’s approval and gets in over his head by claiming to have read a New Yorker article that he only remembered the title of. Everyone in this episode went off to do their own thing at the party, but just like Santiago, Peralta goes snooping, except into Holt’s private office. I loved when Terry is trying to mingle and sees them consecutively sneak upstairs despite it being roped off and then goes to collect his un-behaved children. They have to hide in the bathroom when they hear Holt and Kevin coming towards the room, but this brings the focus back on Holt and how he really does like the Nine-Nine squad, defending them as good people, even after he catches them all hiding in his bathroom.
One of my favorite arcs from last night was watching Terry play parent to the rest of his squad. When he attempts to educate them on how to act at an adult party, and what he says clearly goes in one ear and out the next because once they get there, it takes all of four minutes before everyone is creating a scene. Boyle spills salsa onto his shirt, Hitchcock was about to take his shirt off, meanwhile Peralta is doing things like trying to eat crab legs with the shell still intact. Terry is really funny, but I like how they counter his overly manliness by having his intuitive fatherly instinct makes him hustle around to keep everyone in check. Peralta and Santiago end up ruining Holt’s birthday party, but let’s be honest, who didn’t see that coming? And sadly Terry gets caught in the act when trying too hard to stop them.
I really enjoyed “The Party” and think that Brooklyn Nine-Nine is starting to find its footing for the characters and the styles of humor that work. I would like to see some more development for Diaz and Gina, because right now I feel like they are the dumb girl and tomboy who have hit or miss one liners. Last night’s episode was very funny, and I thought that it felt very full and appropriately split its time among all of the characters, delivering an all-around good episode.
My Moments of the Night:
– Peralta learned the word “flummoxed” (adj. bewildered or perplexed) for the party.
– Captain Holt tells the funniest jokes that I’ve ever heard.
– Gina actually made me laugh tonight! This was the first time I enjoyed her random sentences of stupidity while she had all of the psychologists analyzing her. “I’m thinking of one thing; Richard Dreyfuss, hunkered over, eating dog food.”
– Captain Holt’s DVR includes recordings of, Masterpiece Mystery, Bones, Sherlock, and How It’s Made: Contact Lenses.
What did everyone else think of Brooklyn Nine-Nine last night? Did you enjoy the episode? Hate it? Share your thoughts!
[Photo via Eddy Chen/FOX]
