Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an American police television sitcom that premiered on Fox on September 17, 2013, starring Andy Samberg and Andre Braugher. It is set in the 99th Precinct of the New York Police Department, based out of Brooklyn (hence the title).
Cast:
Andy Samberg as Jake Peralta
Stephanie Beatriz as Rosa Diaz
Terry Crews as Terry Jeffords
Melissa Fumero as Amy Santiago
Joe Lo Truglio as Charles Boyle
Chelsea Peretti as Gina Linetti
Andre Braugher as Raymond Holt
Dirk Blocker as Michael Hitchcock (season 2–present, recurring season 1)
Joel McKinnon Miller as Norm Scully (season 2–present, recurring season 1)
Review by Matt Giudice
A grand sigh of relief was heard around the world last night when cult favorite Brooklyn 99 rose from the dead after being canceled by Fox last year. The New Season 6 premiere entitled “Honeymoon” aired on NBC in the old’ fashion quirky cop style we’ve grown to love so. Personally, I was relieved to hear the news of its revival. I am a huge fan of Goor and Shurs’ ensemble powerhouse of established layered characters, unlike Schur’s NBC sister show Good Place (Yea! I said it! Don’t @ Me.) “Honeymoon” kicks off where last season ended with Jake and Amy going off on their honeymoon only to find it ambushed by a depressed Holt. The episode is packed with quirk and though some plot points may come off a bit predictable it laid down the groundwork for a promising season.
Jake and Amy are married! It’s always a make or breaks moment for a show when the Will-They-Won’t-They couple ties the knot. We will see how they handle their happy endings in the rest of the season but for now, everything looks great for the squad until the sweet moment is ruined when Captain Holt finds out he did not get the Commissioner job. (Of course, he didn’t because that would be a TOO happy ending and then there would be no more show) The hilarity of this A story ensues when Jake and Amy discover Captain sulking at their honeymoon in Mexico. Holt inadvertently picked the same resort as them when running away from his problem. The plot is CHOCK FULL of the classic Brooklyn 99 humor like Holt’s unbearable tacky shirts and Jake and Amy’s ridiculous sex fetishes. (Amy in an 80’s wig? Yes please). What I like about this plot is it’s the conclusion when Holt decides he will take on the newly appointed commissioner John Kelly, a conservative old white guy with outdated ideas. The story sets the stage for an arch with a promise of heart and morals.
The B and C stories certainly seemed a little half baked to me. But a half baked 99 plot is better than a full baked Good Place (Fuck off! @ Me!) Back at the precinct, Terry feels the pressure of being temporarily in charge and becomes fixated on finding Holt’s manual to validate his leadership choices. The whole story takes place in the Captain’s office which makes the story seem a bit boring to me but of course, the heart is there. Rosa helps Terry realize that everyone, including Holt, believes in him. A sweet but lukewarm story, especially with Rosa’s love life cliffhanger from Season 5, still hanging over us but I’m sure that will come back soon.
Meanwhile, Boyle confronts Gina about her mother divorcing his dad. I always hate when sitcoms undo key plot points (especially off the screen like this) but I persevere. The plot is just a lot of talking and no action but Boyle’s crazy and nutty tactics to get Gina to squeal save the day reminding us why we love the show in the first place. The chemistry of goofy Boyle and impatient Gina will be missed when Chelsea Peretti leaves the show later in the season.
Overall “Honeymoon” shows that 99 is not down for the count yet. With Amy and Jakes’s love story at its end, the writers will have to dig for some new storylines but I have no doubt they will succeed, especially with this newly established arc by the Captain. My constant gripe with 99 has always been its tone-deaf approach to police oppression in America. But with Holt’s war cry “The 99 is at war with the NYPD” chills went down my spine. I am looking forward to seeing this critically acclaimed comedy tackle real-world issues in their clever vulnerable way!
