The fact that Brooklyn Nine-Nine was snatched up by NBC after spending barely a day in television limbo is a testament to both its magnificent comedy and its overwhelming popularity. Currently, about to enter its 8th season, the show is yet to lose its charm (or falter in any way), which in itself is surprising given that sitcoms rarely have such a distant expiry date.
One of the great things about the series is its ability to produce perfectly episodic segments of narrative, in that each episode is self-fulfilling and kind of works on its own without having to refer back to its predecessors. However, some storylines are a bit too large/complicated to explain away so easily, so here is a (short) list of all the multi-part episodes ranked according to IMDb.
7 Coral Palms, Pt. 1 (S4E1) — 8.2
After the disastrous conclusion in Season 3, Raymond Holt and Jake Peralta are forced to move to Florida (under witness protection), so they don't get caught and brutally murdered by the mobster, Jimmy "The Butcher" Figgis. Although under the tentative protection of the bizarrely brilliant Karen Haas, U.S. Marshall, Jake insists on secretly trying to solve the case and locate Figgis before vice-versa.
The plot must go ever onward, and some random lady records both of them getting into a go-kart accident — to prevent the internet from exposing their location, Jake and Holt try to bribe her fake currency (a ploy that inevitably fails.) Luckily, this is Jake's plan all along, as he slyly "exchanges" phones with the unsuspecting woman. At the end, the pair choose to upload the video anyway, hoping that it would be enough to convince Figgis into hunting them down.
6 Coral Palms, Pt. 2 (S4E2) — 8.2
The second installment of "Coral Palms" begins with Holt and Jake accumulating an ungodly number of weapons to fight off Figgis, but the local Sheriff throws them in jail for not having a license (and because it's Florida.) They are confident that he'd release them after learning about their status as NYPD cops, but their plan fails when Figgis abducts U.S. Marshall Haas.
Running out of time, the duo try out a new tactic: they kiss each other in order to get a rise out of the homophobic Sheriff, and while he's distracted by the unexpected inmate rebellion, Holt and Jake escapes. In NYC, the nine-nine are introduced to their idiotic but extremely lenient new Captain, CJ, who lets them have practically anything they want. However, when they request permission to travel to Florida, given the situation, he refuses to let them have it.
5 Coral Palms, Pt. 3 (S4E3) — 8.4
Moving on to the third in the set, Holt and Jake try to hideout in Jake's secret storage unit, but a stray rod impales the captain's leg while jumping over a fence. To his protégé's horror/disgust, he performs a quick surgery on his wound, by the end of which the nine-nine has arrived at their location (after traveling in a minivan.) The squad now plots their best course of action: drawing Figgis and his gang to the Fun Zone, where they take them out one by one.
Unfortunately, Jake is trapped between Figgis and Sheriff Reynolds, but the latter is shot almost immediately by the mobster. Thankfully, Gina and Holt are unable to sit around doing nothing, so they drive a truck to the Fun Zone, accidentally but conveniently crashing into Figgis' escape vehicle. It doesn't end that well for the team, though, as CJ punishes them for absconding by shifting them to the dreaded night shift.
4 The Big House Pt. 2 (S5E2) — 8.4
In the second part of The Big House, the squad is on the hunt for Lt. Dirty Cop Hawkins' so-called diamonds, which is where Seamus Murphy contracts Amy — he offers enough evidence to put Hawkins away if she agrees to do something for him as a favor. The nine-nine come up with an elaborate and rather smart plan of ensnaring their target via Snapchat, but they are continuously outsmarted.
In prison, Jake is forced into a prison gang when he discovers that a secret drug is being passed around hidden inside soap, as this knowledge turns out to be a threat to his safety. However, Jake's prison buddy, Cannibal Caleb attempts to save him and gets himself stabbed. In a stroke of luck, Rosa and Jake are released when Holt discovers that Hawkins was using literal pigs to transport her stash. At the end, we see that the only way the captain could have received this information was through Seamus Murphy, and now a dangerous debt has been accrued.
3 The Fugitive Pt. 1 (S4E11) — 8.5
When a bunch of prisoners escape the scene of a prison van accident, the nine-nine goes looking for them. The only clue they have is in a Slavic language, as the Macedonian woman who witnessed the event cannot speak English. She keeps harping on about "kanalizacija", which Holt only realizes at the last minute refers to sewers. At the same time, Amy teams up with Charles, leaving Jake to partner with Terry (she is upset with him as he can't decide if he wants to move out of his place.)
The four of them capture 8 inmates between them, but the final guy is caught by both teams. However, Jake allows Amy to have the win, and agrees that they should be living together in her apartment. Plot-twist: the last inmate is not the man they want; the real one, George Gessilnick, turns out to be Jake's best friend/worst enemy, Doug Judy's foster brother.
2 The Fugitive Pt. 2 (S4E12) — 8.5
In order to capture George, Jake agrees to give Doug total immunity for everything he has ever done, greatly upsetting his captain. Judy takes the two of them to a posh gala, where he claims his foster brother will be there to steal the most expensive item being auctioned.
As expected, the robbery that occurs is not in plain sight (George steals the most expensive cars, including Raymond's precious Gertie.) Doug Judy naturally betrays them, which only proves Holt's admonition of Jake correct. At the end though, the Pontiac Bandit does an even more shocking u-turn, showing that he wants George to be caught and his "best friend" safe. If this isn't enough, the episode closes with Gina getting herself hit by a bus.
1 The Big House Pt. 1 (S5E1) — 8.5
Circling back to The Big House, viewers learn that Rosa and Jake have been stuck in prison after Lt. Hawkins' double-cross. Jake attempts to barter specific varieties of Ramen to get his hands on a phone, which he then uses to call Amy. The warden, Grenville, quickly discovers the scam, and as punishment, makes Jake and his cellmate, Caleb, bunk with the general population.
Grenville further makes a deal with Jake, telling him that he will give him protection and fire the guard who beats him up if he joins Romero's prison gang. In a different jail, Rosa pretends that nothing is wrong, only requesting mundane things from Holt and Terry (like canceling her cable or keeping her motorbike in its best condition.)
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August 12, 2020 at 05:30AM
