Brooklyn Nine-Nine Has A New Home But The Same Charm

We pick up with the Nine-Nine after the season five finale cliffhanger. The crew are hanging out at Shaw’s Bar after Jake and Amy’s wedding and Captain Holt is about to announce whether he will be NYC’s next commissioner. The tension in his labial commissure reveals he received the job. In order to celebrate, Peralta leaves to obtain his Jock Jams CD. Upon a second reading of his email, Holt realizes he missed the word “not” in the message and dejection sets in. Clueless about the sudden change in news and mood, Jake returns dancing with a boom box blaring.

[*Spoilers for 6.1 Ahead!]

The newlyweds set off on their honeymoon to an exotic resort in Mexico. They are looking forward to being pampered and are excited for the opportunity have sex for the first time outside the U.S. Unfortunately for them, they see their fearless leader at the same resort trying to recover from the disappointment of not becoming commissioner. The man who did, John Kelly, is another old white guy with the same old ideas. Holt is not only sad he didn’t receive the job, but is angered at the policies of the new commissioner including reinstating stop and frisk. He understands that the last person a married couple wants to see on vacation is their boss so he promises to stay clear of the couple. The resort must not be that large because the three awkwardly bump into each other several times and Jake and Amy try hard to not let Holt’s negativity and depression ruin their good time.

In order to lift the Captain’s spirits, the pair invite him to tag along in their activities. At first there is some uncomfortability as they do sensual food tasting, but Holt begins to relax and improve with the mud facials and flower infused bath. He realizes there is more to life than the NYPD and plans to quit his job to pursue other options. Fearing he might lose his mentor, Jake kidnaps his boss to try and convince him to stay. Peralta opens up and confesses he is a better cop and person because of Holt’s influence but is brushed off. Seeing her husband hurt sets Amy off and she admonishes her boss for his behavior.

The tough love seems to work and Holt apologizes and confesses his frustration about how being a company man did not help him climb the ladder. He has a change of approach, no longer caring for rules and avoids the chain of command. He reports directly to the mayor to voice his concerns and is able to have the new commissioner’s initiative under review. In retaliation, Kelly closes the precinct basement indefinitely causing overcrowding. The Nine-Nine is now at war with the NYPD.

In the subplots, as one marriage is formed, another is shattered. Charles and Gina’s parents are getting a divorce and Charles spends the episode trying to find what went wrong. He learns that Gina was responsible but it was because her mom was cheating. She gives an ultimatum in order to spare her stepdad and brother from being hurt. Also, Terry fills the leadership void and runs the day to days at the precinct. He becomes stumped when he tries to help Diaz with a sensitive case and searches for a training manual Holt wrote to help guide and transition his successor. When he finally finds the manual, he is flattered by his Captain’s kind words of seeking Terry’s advice and trusting his judgement whenever the new captain is stumped.

It was great to have Brooklyn Nine-Nine back on TV, especially since the show was briefly cancelled. The premiere did a good job reaffirming how close the bonds are between the members of the precinct. People sacrifice their honeymoon to help a friend out of a rut, others confront their own mother in order to spare the feelings of a stepbrother/ex-lover and it’s quite the compliment to have the full confidence of a colleague to keep things together after they leave. Comedy wise, the different tourist shirts Holt wore throughout were an entertaining running gag and Jake and Amy’s sexual roleplay was gold. Die Hard’s Holly Gennero and Melvil Dewey of the Dewey decimal system are not a couple I would ever picture being intimate. The episode also set the stage for a main conflict during the season, the precinct versus the rest of the police department and I’m interested how it plays out.

My Favorite 3 Lines:

Gina: New phone. Who dis?

Charles: You can’t do that in person. It’s Charles. Boyle. Your coworker.

—

Holt: I bought a bundle of novelty shirts at a nearby gift shop. This one says, “What’s up, Beaches” instead of bitches for humor reasons.

Amy: But you hate humor.

Holt: Well, I’m the joke now so it suits me.

—

Rosa: How’s it going Sarge?

Terry: Not good. I’ve been reading this book on religion and apparently there’s some debate as to what God is.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs Thursdays at 9:00 pm on NBC.