Brooklyn Nine-Nine Focuses on Its Best Buds

The Mindy Project‘s Ike Barinholtz guest stars in one of the season’s goofier outings.

This is going to be a little shorter than my usual reviews, just because I liked the episode a lot but don’t feel like I have much to say about it. It was another strong episode in a strong season that relied on a lot of Brooklyn’s most dependable elements: Jake and Boyle’s friendship, Amy and Holt geeking out over something obscure, Terry over committing, and Rosa just generally being confused by it all.

It was nice to see a Jake/Charles story again, and Charles definitely needed his best bud for this one. I’ve been really pleased with the number of Jake/Amy stories this season, but that’s meant that both of them have had less time with other characters.

This show is great at taking a ridiculous premise, like Boyle having a Latvian son named Nikolaj, and turning it into a realistic and sort of lovely story. Here, we ended with a discussion about the complexities of adoption and the importance of friends listening to one another. Not bad for an episode that also had Terry Crews doing his best Caesar Flickerman.

Other quick thoughts:

Amy and Holt are such a pair in episodes like this, from laughing way too long to needing a thirty minute discussion over who was apologizing.

The Disney references cracked me up, and I can 100% relate to that being a point of commonality among friends.

Ike Barinholtz was the perfect person to play Gintars, and he and Andy Samberg were a lot of fun together.

What did you think of  “Gintars”? Hit the comments, and let me know!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Takes on #MeToo

Jake and Amy tackle workplace sexual assault in a surprisingly balanced episode.

We’re over a year out from when the #MeToo movement picked up speed, and at this point, a lot of shows have addressed it in some way. I went into this episode impressed and pleased that Brooklyn was tackling an important issue so far outside their comfort zone, but also a little skeptical that they could pull it off. It’s just so far outside their comfort zone, even taking into account their solid history of dealing with serious issues.

Sexual assault is inherently unfunny, and while murder is as well, the victim is long gone, making it a little easier to crack jokes. It’s much, much harder when the survivor is standing right there, and when, as Amy dealt with this episode, her future is at stake.

All that’s to say that I’m shocked by how well-balanced this episode was. Even within what should have been a very serious A-story, the writers found opportunities for humor that provided relief without making light of the situation. Amy, Rosa, and Jake’s conversation in the break room was the best example of this; Jake’s commentary was funny while also interrogating the role men should play when these issues arise.

That scene also reminded me of something Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero have spoken about in the past: that when you have two members of one group in the same show or scene, neither person has to represent their group entirely. Here, as two women, Rosa and Amy were free to disagree and show that this is a messy issue. Namely, you can be two people completely in support of women who have different ideas of how to support those women. Like Amy said at the end, it showed that “We can be different and still have the same cause.”

Jake and Amy’s conversations were also a high point, the first of which showed harassment and sexism Amy has faced and the second where she shared her story of sexual assault. I think it’s important that they included both scenes because while harassment, sexism, and assault are different things, they all contribute to and are symptoms of the pervasively misogynistic culture we live in. Basically, it was a smart way to show that sexist behavior comes in all shapes and sizes, but none of it is ok.

The second conversation was impressive as a pretty standard length scene that still gave Amy enough room to tell her story. Melissa Fumero really showed off her dramatic chops there, and Andy Samberg had a fine line to walk as well, cracking jokes one minute and playing supportive husband the next.

The Disco Strangler B-plot also helped the episode’s balance; it was just ridiculous enough to cushion the blow of Jake and Amy’s storyline without taking away from its importance. It’s always fun when Holt is so convinced of something that he basically goes crazy. Let me be bold and state that Andre Braugher is a pretty good comedic actor. The idea of Holt trying to convince everyone that an eighty-year-old man was a dangerous criminal was hilarious enough on his own, but add in Terry and Boyle parroting back a story they’ve heard a thousand times and Holt having to repeat his carefully chosen insults to the hard-of-hearing Strangler, and it became my favorite B-story in recent memory.

Other thoughts:

This was Stephanie Beatriz’s directorial debut. Go, girl, go!

The ending scene with Amy, Rosa, and Jake was great too, especially the reveal that the co-worker came forward.

I think this episode just generally did a good job of showing that, unfortunately, there are few outright victories when it comes to this issue. It’s not as neat and tidy as I wish it could be, but definitely realistic.

What did you think of “He Said, She Said?” Hit the comments, and let me know!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Focuses on One Case in “The Crime Scene”

Jake and Rosa work the same murder for two months in a more somber than usual outing for the Nine-Nine.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine has taken some cool narrative risks in the last couple of seasons (I’m thinking especially of last year’s “The Box”). They often pay off, too: different enough to keep things interesting for the audience but without changing the show’s inherently goofy tone. This week’s episode, “The Crime Scene,” was effective and entertaining, but a bit lighter on laughs.

I usually find these case deep dives refreshing, even if they serve as an awkward reminder that, oh yeah, murder really sucks when it isn’t being played for laughs. Here, we got to know the victim’s mom more than we usually would have, which worked, even if it put a damper on things. Jake and Rosa have been cops for a long time, and to buy their rookie mistake of promising justice to a vic’s family member, that family member had to be especially sympathetic.

I also think the slightly more serious tone in the case worked because Rosa was going through something serious in her personal life as well: deciding if she should reach out to her mom. Even if the episode as a whole was a departure in tone for the show, the episode itself was pretty cohesive.

This was a great episode for a Jake and Rosa pairing because she tends to confide in Jake more than she does the others, especially about specifics in her personal life, i.e. her new girlfriend. Plus, Rosa calls Jake out on his mistakes more than anyone else does, not in a way that’s cruel, but by acting disappointed and supportive at the same time. Because they’ve worked together for so long, they have an easy back and forth that was perfect for this episode.

After chastising Jake for getting too close to the victim’s family, it was a fun turn for Rosa to do the same thing. Stephanie Beatriz plays those moments of emotion so well even if they are less surprising than they used to be. If anything, she has to work even harder to make them seem genuine.

I also liked that this was a Rosa/Jake episode because it felt right that he was there for the follow-up to her coming out to her parents since he was also there for the actual event. Nine-Nine has done a great job with this storyline, and much as my heart breaks for Rosa, I’m glad they haven’t glossed over the pain that comes from a parent rejecting you like that. It would have been easy for them to write her parents as instantly accepting, but this kind of messy middle she’s working through with them is more realistic.

A few other thoughts:

Rosa’s hair was a fun way to show the time passing and also a great sight gag. It felt like an indicator of how serious her relationship with Jocelyn must be, too; I don’t think Rosa would let just anyone mess with her hair, especially in such a public way.

The line about Jake and Rosa being immune to horrendous things was funny and something I think about a lot while watching crime shows.

I like single storyline episodes, even if I missed more time with Amy, Holt, and Co. I thought it might be a bottle episode at the beginning, but they ended up spending a little time at Jake and Amy’s, the precinct, etc.

What did you think of “The Crime Scene”? Hit the comments and let me know!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s Farewell to Gina Linetti

Jake, Holt, and Co. say so long to the “human form of the 100 emoji” in an especially heartfelt episode. 

It feels a little jerky to say this now, but Gina has never quite worked for me as a character. She operated at a disadvantage as the only civilian on a show full of cops, and her brutal honesty sometimes veered on mean-spirited, especially when Amy was involved.  That being said, Gina was very, very funny in small doses, even rivaling Holt as Nine-Nine‘s chief gif-giver. She’ll be remembered for her supreme confidence and ability to be surprisingly astute about her colleagues, both of which were on display in “Four Movements.” Equal parts spectacle and substance, this was the right way to say goodbye to Gina Linetti.

The first movement, which found Holt and Gina playing chess and exchanging trash talk, was the most grounded and also worked the best for me. Holt has always believed that Gina brings something valuable to the table, and this exchange of services, so to speak, was both funny and jived with his overall view of her. I’ve always felt like Gina and Holt stealthily had the most in common; on the surface, they’re polar opposites, but they’re also both blunt realists, albeit Gina under that layer of crazy confidence.

Their back and forth here was smooth and believable, and like I said, grounded. For instance, Holt asking about healthcare plans was something I immediately thought of but assumed they wouldn’t bother to address. TV characters quit jobs with impunity, but that kind of real-life consequence is hardly ever acknowledged.

If Holt and Gina’s goodbye was mostly substance, Jake and Gina’s was appropriately fun froth. More than any other character, Gina has a specific side that comes out depending on who she’s with, and for Jake, it’s definitely her goofy, anything goes mentality, something that makes a lot of sense when you remember they were childhood friends. It also worked nicely that last week’s episode felt like the beginning of the end, which let Gina and Jake have a nice heartfelt moment there and a bit more fun in this one.

Their storyline was a series of hilariously over-the-top sight gags and jokes, from their rich people outfits to weird half-laughter and excessive “Daddy”s. I love that they got Mario Lopez to do this, just for the reveal that both Gina and Jake had huge crushes on A.C. Slater (and bi Jake is officially canon now, right?). Gina’s speech about only needing her friends was sweet, but I also suspected that she wanted to turn a celebrity away from her party which, of course, she confirmed.

Her story with Rosa and Amy – technically the second movement – was ultimately nice, but also an indicator that, like I said above, Gina’s comically mean treatment of Amy stuck out on what’s otherwise a warm, feel-good show. I’ll also admit that people making fun of others for their passion or enthusiasm is a sore spot for me. We need more passion in this world, not less! At any rate, I’m glad they ended in such a good place, with Gina encouraging Amy to embrace the very thing she’s mocked her for. Plus, that group hug was a wonderful reminder that these three very different women ultimately have each other’s backs.

Breaking the episode into movements was a smart way to honor each of Gina’s relationships with a specificity that would’ve been impossible with an episode-long group goodbye, though they did come together for the last act. Leaving behind a giant gold statue was perhaps the most Gina move ever, and the perfect bookend to her last episode as a series regular. She’ll be back for one more this season, at which time Terry will hopefully thank her for “the best moment of all.”

What did you think of Gina Linetti’s swan song? Hit the comments, and let me know!

Jake and Gina’s High School Reunion Takes “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Back to the ’90s

Chelsea Peretti and Andy Samberg shine in a sweet episode that teed up Peretti’s upcoming exit.

I enjoyed this week’s episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine more than last week’s, though both had flashbacks and a cold case of sorts. There was less at stake in “The Tattler,” but it ended up being one of the show’s more heartfelt episodes, mostly thanks to Gina and Jake.

At this point, Gina’s had moments of warmth with pretty much every character on the show, but I always buy them the most with Jake because of their long history (it certainly doesn’t hurt that, like Jake and Gina, Peretti and Samberg are childhood friends).  The real consequences for Jake if Gina hadn’t lied back in high school gave their storyline a lot of heart, and their ending conversation was among the sweetest they’ve had. Next week’s episode is (I think?) Peretti’s last as a series regular, and it feels right that Jake was the one to convince Gina it might be time to move on. He’s known her the longest, and it has to help knowing that her friend supports her.

I also really loved the role Amy played here, zig-zagging between being a supportive wife and getting increasingly—and hilariously—in her element at school. Nine-Nine has previously been a little stingy with couple storylines for Jake and Amy (leave ’em wanting more and all of that), but the ones we’ve already gotten this season have been a treat. It certainly helps that this wasn’t solely about them as a couple, but the fact that they are one gave us some fun scenes.

Back at the precinct, we had one sweet and one silly storyline, with Boyle helping Rosa choose between two suitors and Holt, Terry, Scully, and Hitchcock getting swept up in a radio contest. I always enjoy it when we get info about Rosa’s personal life, and while I’m bummed Gina Rodriguez won’t be making an appearance any time soon, that info dump Diaz gave Boyle was textbook Rosa, complete with an aside about her homemade jewelry line.

The radio contest story was intentionally scant, I think, and it was good for what it was: an opportunity for Holt to express his disdain for F.M. radio and realize fun could be had sans productivity. Can’t wait to hear how Kevin feels about this revelation!

A couple of other thoughts:

Does anyone else feel like Jake and Amy are…sexier as a married couple? We got that fun role play in the premiere and then the attendance-related foreplay here. I’m o.k. with it; the various turn-ons of these weirdos are a comedy treasure trove. Plus, Jake’s “keep it in your pants, Santiago!” made me laugh.

Gina giving everyone a different story about her career was hilarious, and I love that one of her lies actually turned into something.

This episode was a great example of the show blending its various strengths really, really well, from heart and silliness to clever jokes and sight gags.

What did you think of “The Tattler?” Hit the comments, and let me know!

Hitchcock & Scully Take Center Stage in a Fun “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”

Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s most mysterious duo get their own origin story in the aptly titled “Hitchcock & Scully.”

Coming off a strong premiere, this week’s episode had its work cut out for it, so it makes sense that they focused on the underappreciated Hitchcock and Scully. While I didn’t laugh quite as much as I did last week, this was still a solid episode, particularly for Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller. I’m all for shows giving background characters a chance in the spotlight, and these two have shown that they’re more than up for the challenge.

We got a lot of what you’d expect in an episode focused on the ensemble’s two weirdest members: a creepy van, lots of food references, and an argument for the surprising power of wing sauce. Despite the hilarity, though, I was impressed by what a legitimately good case this was. I knew Hitchcock and Scully were hiding the bag for some heroic reason, but the wing shop reveal still managed to surprise me, as did the origin of the IA call. Most surprising, of course, was that the two were hot gym rats before their first wings made them the men they are today. I kind of wanted a few more flashbacks, but also that would have been hard to top.

Jake and Boyle’s scenes were a little repetitive for me—they hit a lot of the same “Boyle is naive and maybe too obsessed with Jake” beats we’ve seen before. However, their involvement gave us the great “That’s definitely the language of the innocent” line, as well as the two of them yelling feminist things out of a sex van. Both topical and hilarious, as Brooklyn so often is.

The two precinct-based storylines—which kind of dovetailed into one by the end—didn’t make much of an impression on me, though they were worth it for Amy’s Downton Abbey accent and her and Terry literally bowing their way out of Holt’s office. I felt like there was more potential with the “upstairs/downstairs” storyline, but they also may do more with that in the future. It’s a smart way to keep Amy a part of things, at any rate.

A couple of other thoughts:

This show’s great at treating the supremely dumb so seriously that it becomes funny. Case in point, Andy Samberg’s delivery of “But Scully, you’re lactose intolerant!”

I love how seriously Holt’s taking Amy’s “don’t give a hoot” policy, to the point where even Jake noticed.

Jake cheerfully calling Amy and Holt “wife” and “dad” when they showed up at Wingsluts made me so happy.

What did you think of “Hitchcock & Scully”? Hit the comments, and let me know!

Back From the Dead: “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” Is the Same Goofy Show We Know and Love

The show’s change from Fox to NBC doesn’t make a bit of difference in a strong season six premiere.

To say I was disappointed when Fox canceled Brooklyn Nine-Nine last year would be an understatement. It’s easily one of my top five favorite shows, but I also took for granted that it would be around if that makes sense. I figured a show this sweet, goofy, and good had to stick around, making me that much more relieved when NBC rescued it a mere day later. My plan this season is to savor this weird, wonderful show, and it’s pretty easy to do when they start with an episode this good.

Nine-Nine‘s premieres follow a formula of sorts in that there’s usually a change that has a slight impact on the season, but not a big enough one to affect the show too much. This year, it’s a crowded bullpen, or as Holt phrased it, “The Nine-Nine at war with the NYPD.” I’m impressed that a cliffhanger that seemed to have two possible options led to a third, and this resolution is both believable—of course a mediocre white man got the job—and very much a respectable, bold Holt thing to do.

On comedies where people genuinely like one another, the writers rely more on outside sources of conflict, and these kinds of moves have proven to be good comedy fuel for the show (I’m thinking of the night shift arc in particular which, of course, allowed for The Full Bullpen). Plus, the commissioner storyline blessed us with an entire episode of one of my favorite iterations of our dear Captain: sad, overly dramatic Holt, this time with a fondness for resort wear. Sidebar for those of you who watch The Good Place, but Chidi’s wine shirt would have fit right in there.

I also enjoy Holt when he’s lost his sense of personal boundaries, and crashing Amy and Jake’s honeymoon had that in spades. This is not an original thought by any means, but I was struck this episode by just how good those two are together. Maybe it was because this episode had everything that proves why they’re perfect for each other: they care immensely about their friends, they bring out one another’s goofy and sweet sides, and they’re both totally willing to role play the other’s fantasy, even if it means nothing to them personally. All that’s to say, getting married feels like it was the right call.

The storylines back at the Nine-Nine weren’t quite as funny or fleshed out as the main one, but they both had that gooey sweet conclusion that Brooklyn is so good at. I always enjoy Terry and Rosa subplots because her measured approach is a great counterpoint to his more frenetic energy especially when he’s spinning out a bit, as he was in this episode. It was also a nice moment for the absent Holt, as it showed how highly he thinks of Terry.

Gina and Boyle’s story worked a little better for me, just because Gina doing something kind happens slightly less regularly than Rosa. The enormity of it didn’t really strike me until the end of the episode, when I thought of how hard it must have been for Gina, gossip queen, to keep that to herself. Also, her phone fight with Charles was delightfully “sibling” y, an aspect of their relationship that’s been used sparingly. Though, now that that part of their relationship is over, I kind of wish we’d gotten more of it.

A couple of other thoughts:

I love that this show still makes time for a quick aside about the bee population.

That. roleplay. I about lost it when Jake announced who he was.

Charles in the Gina mask. What a good sight gag.

Melissa Fumero’s “I’m hootless!” run was excellent, and I love that she did it because Holt hurt Jake’s feelings.

This is random, but something about Jake saying “Sir, my wife would like some grapes!” tickled me to no end. They were so excited about the whole experience, and I’m not immune to the first “husband” or “wife” reference, especially with a couple I like so much.

What did you think of Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s triumphant return? Hit the comments, and let me know!

2018 in Review: The 10 Best Shows

As is usually the case with my Year in Review posts, these are in no particular order, mostly because it’s hard enough to just pick ten :).

I’d call 2018 a great year for returning shows, but just an o.k. one for new shows, especially on network TV. Because of that, all of my top ten are returning favorites who had particularly great years or just continued doing what was already working. Obviously, I don’t watch everything, so this is by no means a definitive list, but rather the best of what I got around to.

1. Brooklyn Nine-Nine. By season five, a lot of comedies have become caricatures of themselves. Brooklyn Nine-Nine has somehow done the opposite, not only maintaining the greatness of the first couple seasons but actually improving on it. This year alone had Rosa’s lovely, bittersweet coming out story; “The Box,” which cleverly turned the show’s usual format on its head; and “Show Me Going,” where Rosa responded to an active shooter situation, all of which tackled serious issues or new ideas without tonal whiplash. Of course, this year also brought more of the sweet, silly fun we expect, from arguably their best cold open ever to Amy and Jake’s hilarious, romantic nuptials.
2. Late Night with Seth Meyers. Seth Meyers remains my favorite of the five-shows-a-week late night hosts, especially for political commentary. “A Closer Look” talks about news intelligently and with just enough wit that it becomes palatable, but never a cloying spoonful of sugar. The show also walks the walk when it comes to diversity and inclusion, featuring great segments like “Amber Says What” and “Jokes Seth Can’t Tell.” Plus, watching Meyers tell the story of his second kid’s dramatic birth in the lobby of their apartment building (complete with emotional kudos to his wife) was legitimately one of the sweetest, most entertaining TV moments this year.
3. Jane the Virgin. This show is definitely in the consistently good category, but this year was somehow my favorite so far. There was so much to love about the back half of season four especially, which found Jane and Raf in a healthy, mature, but also hot as hell, relationship and Petra continuing to evolve, both in her wonderfully messy friendship with Jane and new romance with J.R. Plus, we had Xo’s heartbreaking cancer diagnosis (played beautifully by Andrea Navedo and Jaime Camil), Alba finally taking her citizenship test, Jane’s totally relatable career dilemmas…I could go on, and I haven’t even mentioned that crazy cliffhanger.
4. GLOW. This year, the ladies of GLOW avoided the sophomore slump in glorious fashion by expanding on what worked well in the first season: Ruth and Sam’s complex dynamic, the empathetic portrayal of Debbie and Ruth’s friendship, and of course, the hilarity and sweetness that comes from watching a bunch of supportive women wrestle each other. With Ruth and Sam, they added a genuine warmth and mutual respect; with Debbie and Ruth, a continued understanding that neither woman is the villain. And, with the rest of their insanely talented cast, a hospital “cheer up” montage that turned a good episode into my favorite of the season.
5. The Good Fight. In what’s becoming a theme on this list, the first season of The Good Fight was excellent on its own but became even sharper and more specific in its second year. I’ve talked about the show as the perfect microcosm of the Trump era, which became even clearer as our favorite Chicago lawyers were hunted down this year, unable to shake the foreboding that’s plagued many of us since the 2016 election. It makes sense, too, that Diane Lockhart remains a fascinating portrait of a woman handling the Trump years with equal parts furious, measured resolve and tailspinning mania, exploring microdosing and martial arts while reaching new heights in her career and refusing to let an ex who continues to disappoint define her.
6. Legends of Tomorrow. LOT is the rare show that isn’t trying to be prestigious by any means; rather, it succeeds because it knows exactly what it is: an exceedingly silly, action-packed romp with perhaps the zaniest cast of characters I’ve ever encountered. Chock full of various castoffs from the Arrow-verse, every character becomes more fun when they board the Waverider. For example, Sara, a character I found overly morose on Arrow, has slowly become one of the most dynamic characters around. This year, she started a relationship with Ava, an actual robot, and turned it into one of the sweetest romances on air. I could do this with pretty much every character on the show, which is Legends’ biggest strength.
7. One Day at a Time. This show reminds me a lot of Brooklyn Nine-Nine in that it’s effortlessly inclusive but never makes tackling important issues feel like, well, issues. This year had the adorableness of Elena and Syd, a teenage lesbian couple; a storyline that addressed guns in the home in a frighteningly specific way; and an entire episode devoted to Penelope going off her antidepressants that never succumbed to the temptation to make light of it. It’s also not afraid to make you cry; I thought last season’s finale was emotional until I saw season two’s. But impressively, ODaaT is also just a funny, sweet family sitcom, one that never sees that format as a barrier or blueprint that must be followed to a T.
8. The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel. Despite a slightly disappointing finale, the second season of Maisel was just as enjoyable for me as the first. It smartly maintained the frothy fun of the first season, with its larger than life characters and pastel-colored version of NYC. This year, though, Maisel proved its worldbuilding skills aren’t confined to the Big Apple, offering dreamy, immersive takes on late 1950s Paris and the lush fun of the Catskills. This season was lower on plot, higher on tangents and stand-alone episodes and gorgeous nuggets of scenes I wanted to go on forever. It’s the perfect example of a show getting a lot of creative freedom in its second season and doing exactly what it should with it.
9. The Good Place. I’m pretty much constantly waxing poetic about The Good Place, which slightly edged out Brooklyn Nine-Nine as my favorite comedy of the year. This show has such a high degree of difficulty, making it even more impressive that this year’s episodes were so good. Eleanor, Chidi, and the rest of the gang proved they’re meant to be, regardless of time, place, and even memories. Michael, a literal demon, continued to surprise by becoming the steady moral center of the group. And Janet…well, Janet mostly became an even more impressive vehicle for portrayer D’arcy Carden. Whether quietly developing her character’s human-like empathy, showing off stunt skills in a bar fight, or giving one of the best performances of the year in the insane—and aptly named—“Janet(s),” Carden is a big part of why The Good Place continues to work.
10. Crazy Ex-Girlfriend. Coming off Rebecca’s brutal suicide attempt at the end of 2017, our title heroine embraced her diagnosis this year while slowly building herself and her relationships back up, realistic backsliding included. Appropriately, as Rebecca started to look outward, so did the show, having Paula bond with her teenage sons, Heather take major steps in her amusingly no-nonsense way, and Valencia move cross-country with new girlfriend Beth. CEG also had a ton of fun with unexpected pairings and storyline moves this year, from the fun road trip episode this season, to the brilliant mid-episode time jump in season three. Plus, their recent reinvention of Greg led to the charming “Hello, Nice to Meet You,” my favorite song of theirs this year.

What were the best shows you watched in 2018? Hit the comments, and let me know!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Returns with the Very Funny “Safe House”

Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been off the air for what feels like forever now (the last episode aired back in December), but it returned in top form with “Safe House,” which found Jake and Holt’s husband, Kevin, locked together in a safe house for two months. This premise had a lot going for it, especially the largely untapped pairing of Jake and Kevin. We got a taste of their potential way back in season one’s “The Party” (to this day one of my absolute favorite episodes), and they definitely delivered here. From the episode-long Nic Cage gag to the pepperoni exchange that showed just how well Kevin got to know Jake during their time together, everything involving these two was pure gold.

It would have been easy for Jake’s conversations with Kevin to feel pretty similar to his with Holt, but leaning into Jake’s love of pop culture and Kevin’s of academia stopped that from happening. The funniest moment of the episode for me was Kevin asking Holt if he knew what a clapback was, something that wouldn’t have been possible if he hadn’t been, well, lying on the floor listening to Jake talk about pop culture for two months.

It’s a testament to how strong this episode was that the other elements weren’t completely overshadowed by what happened in the safe house. It helped that this was one of the usually pretty good single case episodes, so no one was off too far on their own. Everyone played their part perfectly in the cold open, and Stephanie Beatriz’s work in the beauty parlor was especially hilarious. I always love when she gets to do something totally different on this show, and the little moments where she let Rosa peek through—the slightly terrified “I’ve always wondered what I’d look like as a blonde!”—were pitch perfect. This was also a fun return to form for Gina and proved exactly how useful she can be to the team.

I felt like the precinct bit (I don’t know if it really qualifies as a C-story), with Amy, Terry, Scully, and Hitchcock piecing together documents could have used maybe one more scene to reach maximum potential, but I also don’t know that you could have done much more with it than having Scully be surprisingly useful and having Terry convince himself that “Apache” was a likely word. Plus, it worked out nicely that both teams provided valuable intel in the end, regardless of how much screen time they got.

Since it was his husband’s life on the line—as he pointed out numerous times—it made sense that this was a big episode for Holt as well. I don’t want to say it was nice exactly, but it was definitely appropriate that Holt was a little on edge here, particularly when it led to the humorously low-key “vicious fight” between him and Kevin. Zany as it is, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is always sure to add in at least one 100% believable moment, and this episode it came with Kevin telling Raymond that he might not have a husband when it was all over. Not only did that show the realistic strain on their marriage, it also led to Jake talking about how many failed marriages he’s witnessed, a beat that was poignant in the way his conversations with Holt often are.

Of course, because it is Nine-Nine, we got a happy ending here, with Kevin saving both himself and Jake and Holt from Seamus Murphy thanks to a well-timed throat punch. This felt like the right time to end this storyline, too; there were real repercussions to Holt getting Jake and Rosa out of jail, but next week we get to go back to business as usual. And presumably, the lead up to those long-awaited Santiago/Peralta nuptials.

What did you think of “Safe House?” And more importantly, yay or nay on Rosa keeping that perm? Hit the comments, and let me know!

2017 in Review: TV That Made Me Happy

I don’t think anyone will call 2017 the greatest year on record. Because of that, I found myself drawn to good, escapist TV even more than usual this year, seeking shows and stories that would make me happy above all else. With the generally horrific state of our country, TV was both a refuge and frankly, a reason to get up in the morning, making me especially grateful for its existence. Here are are some TV things that made me happy this year:

The idealism of Madam Secretary

There’s a lot I love about Madam Secretary: it’s feminist, it lets its characters be happy, and it features what’s currently my favorite marriage on television. And, impressively, it’s politically relevant while still feeling escapist. M Sec takes place a few years in the future, which allows it to comment on current happenings—fake news, for instance—but with a happier outcome. The promise of what could be gave me some much, much-needed fuel this year.

Supergirl‘s Lena Luthor

I think everyone has a handful of fictional characters they just flat-out love, even if they can’t quite explain why. This year, Lena became one of mine. It’s not that I relate to her necessarily; she’s got a tragic backstory, her best friend is Supergirl, and someone tries to kill her at least once a week. It’s more that she’s such a fully realized character—thanks in no small part to Katie McGrath’s performance—that I can’t help but both root for and admire her. Plus, she’s just a fun character to watch: fierce, funny, self-deprecating, and insanely good at her job.

Heartfelt comedy

The same way I like my TV escapist, I like my comedy heartfelt, and that was especially true this year. I certainly enjoy the occasional piece of cynical comedy, but Parks and Rec isn’t my favorite show of all time for nothing. Luckily, 2017 offered a whole host of shows that would make Leslie and Co. proud: the wonderfully specific Speechless, the consistently warm  Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the already sweetly hopeful The Mayor.

The fierce females of Legends of Tomorrow

I love the term “badass lady,” but its meaning is often reduced to “literally kicks a lot of ass.” The ladies of Legends, Sara, Amaya, and Zari, do that—and man is it fun to watch—but they’re also leaders and strategists, as well as empathetic and caring people. There are various types of badass-ness, and I took just as much pleasure in watching Sara captain the Waverider as I did her honest conversation with Alex Danvers about lost loves.

Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.

I maintain that AOS is one of the best shows no one’s watching—not even one of the best superhero shows, just one of the best shows. Last season’s third “pod” of episodes, which found Team S.H.I.E.L.D. trapped in a computer simulation, was one of the tensest, most heart-wrenching series of episodes from any of my shows last year. What’s more, this season’s first few episodes have somehow kicked it up a notch, with a truly great premiere episode reveal that left the gang in a terrifying dystopia on…well, I won’t spoil it.

A genuinely lighter Grey’s Anatomy 

I’ll admit I was very skeptical when the creatives at Grey’s promised this season would hearken back to the show’s slightly less angsty, significantly more fun glory days, but I’ve never been happier to be proven wrong. This fall, the show wrapped up relationship drama that had long grown stale, hit character beats I’ve been waiting forever for, and delivered a beautifully nostalgic 300th episode that reminded me exactly why this show is still on the air.

Late night comedy

I don’t know that this made me happy, per say, but it did make me feel understood and because of that was even more essential to my sanity this year than last. This was a mind-numbingly sad year in a lot of ways, but watching the likes of Meyers, Colbert, Bee, Oliver, and even Kimmel shake their heads in disbelief reminded me that this isn’t normal, and we can’t let it become so. Gallows humor also played a big role in 2017; sometimes you have to laugh for a second before you can pick yourself up and do something.

A creative resurgence for The Flash

Like with Grey’s, my hopes weren’t high that The Flash would actually be able to rediscover the fun of its excellent first season, but this season has struck the perfect balance of hilarious and high stakes. As their first non-speedster villain, The Thinker has proven to be an original and formidable opponent for Team Flash, and the show’s epic fall finale cliffhanger has me counting down the days ’til its return.

Shows that take risks

My two favorite shows on the air right now are Crazy Ex-Girlfriend and The Good Place, two shows that couldn’t be further from one other in regards to plot, setting, tone, etc. However, they both have one thing in common: they surprise me at every turn. I don’t want to spoil for those who haven’t watched, but The Good Place has redefined itself countless times in its first two seasons, supremely confident that its viewers could make the leaps required. Meanwhile, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend offers smart, funny, genre-defying storytelling week after week while also meditating on mental illness and the female experience. As a student of TV, watching these shows take risks no one else is taking has been an unmitigated delight.

A bloodless May

Every TV fan has a love/hate relationship with the month of May: sweeps are awesome, but May brings with it the possible renewals and dreaded cancellations of your favorite shows. However, this May, for the first time ever, every single one of my shows got renewed. I’m unfortunately drawn to shows consistently on the bubble, so I’m not expecting it to happen again anytime soon, but it certainly made me happy this year.

A truly great Once Upon a Time “requel”

With more than half of its cast leaving last season, I went into this seventh season of OUAT completely expecting to be disappointed. Imagine my surprise when I actually loved the first half of this season. I genuinely like the new characters, the storytelling has been familiar but refreshing, and, most impressively, the writers found a way to keep Emma and Killian happy despite Jennifer Morrison’s departure. Plus, though not part of this season’s “requel,” last season’s wedding/musical extravaganza and truly lovely finale managed to hit all the right notes, giving my favorite past characters the perfect sendoff.

GLOW

The first ten episodes of this show were pure joy: fizzy, feminist, and funny, it offered nuanced portrayals of a whole host of female characters, all badasses in their own way. Each episode flew by, a crackerjack of a story that fed into a smartly plotted and wholly entertaining first season. This was one of the most confident introductions to a show in recent memory, and binging it was one of my favorite TV experiences of all time, not just in 2017.

Your turn! What TV things made you happy this year? Hit the comments, and let me know!