Brooklyn Nine-Nine: ‘Pontiac Bandit’

It’s been a very strong freshman season for Brooklyn Nine-Nine. At its core, it’s a workplace comedy which we’ve seen hundreds of times over, but the fact that it takes place in the police world brings so many fresh flavors. Any “serious” plot from a crime show or cop procedural that have taken place countless times over the years can be flipped into the whacky world where The Nine-Nine chase around crazy characters and it fits.

For instance, what may have been an arc about a cop who has been trying to find a criminal that they have been chasing for years, turns into a fun story about how Jake Peralta can never locate this allusive Pontiac Bandit he’s been searching for. In addition to the promising plot, Craig Robinson guest stars as said bandit and is immediately a welcome addition to the cast. Every scene he was in, he played off really well with Andy Samberg and Stephanie Beatriz and, thankfully, the writers wisely leave the door open for a return(s) from Doug Judy. Another great part of the story was the pairing of Peralta and Rosa and we got a sense of their backstory with the “1000 pushups” guarantee.

Back at the station, the rest of the ensemble was interwoven amongst two very enjoyable B and C stories. The catalyst was how the gang slowly began to turn on Boyle after he returned from his injury of being shot in the buttocks, the best gag coming out of it being when Terry was forced to literally pick him up and shake him so he Boyle could use the urinal. I also continue to find Gina’s sense of the world charming as she leaves a “Gone Leavin” sign on her desk; she’s essentially what the offspring of Tom Haverford and April Ludgate would be.

Andre Braugher continues to show that deadpan humor can be the funniest. Anything involving him trying to get others at the station to adopt the puppies was gold. And after finding out Gina was live-tweeting (an act he no longer approves of since Downton Abbey was spoiled for him) the unit hiding from Boyle, it was nice, albeit predictable, moment when he decided the puppies would be best for Boyle. An all-around strong episode and hopefully the show will close out its first season with more to come like this.

Other moments of note:

• “He’s stolen 230 that I know of. The real number could be in the millions.”…. “Do you need a math tutor? Because the department will provide one for you.” I will never grow tired of The Captain’s deadpan delivery in response to Peralta.
• “Why stop there? Why not tell her you’re an astronaut?” – Rosa … “Because space is scary!” – Doug Judy
• “This is my personal assistant, Mangy Carl.” – Doug telling his Mom who Peralta was to him.
• Doug Judy helps down on their luck white people.
• “What about choppas? You got choppas?” – Doug. Damn Robinson was on fire this episode.
• “Please get out of my way, I’m physically disabled.”  Robot voice on Boyle’s scooter