Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 3 Episode 2 Review: The Funeral
Robin Harry
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Well, who would have thought that the eloquent and wise Captain Holt could have messed up a speech?
On Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 3 Episode 2, Captain Holt had to deal with despair, while Jake and Amy had to deal with The Vulture. Neither had it easy.
This was another fantastic episode, but Andre Braugher and Terry Crews elevated it to a whole other level. Braugher delivering a ridiculous line with celestial gravitas? Crews dancing to Sisters Are Doin' It For Themselves? How is everyone not watching this show?
CAPTAIN HOLT
While the Jake and Amy story was interesting and well told, the most compelling story for me was easily that of Captain Holt. Over the past two seasons, we've gotten to see Holt grow just as much as Jake.
When he first joined the Nine-Nine, he was a tough loner, a no-nonsense captain with very little time for humor or levity, with something to prove as a new captain. He had to climb tooth and nail through the ranks, overcoming prejudice and adversity, and was dead set on keeping the captaincy that he worked so hard to get.
After bonding with the Nine-Nine and finding his place there, he loosened up. He still ran a tight ship, but he was able to enjoy himself and enjoy the company of his precinct. He found somewhere that he belonged, and where he liked and respected the people as much as they liked and respected him.
Now we've come to another place of Captain Holt's evolution as a character. On two successive episodes now, we've seen him give up. It's not that he's not used to being kicked down, he's had to endure that to get somewhere. Now, however, he's being kicked down with no hope of getting what he wants.
This version of Captain Holt is fascinating, sad and hilarious all at once. It's hard to watch him despair. That said, drunk Holt is probably one of my favorite things on this show so far.
I've been asked to deliver a toast here after the funeral. A message of hope. This is what I have so far. "PAIN." That's it.
Holt
Holt and Terry were fantastic together, and I loved that they didn't resolve their problems at the bottom of the bottle. They both had things to be sad about, and they were allowed to be sad about them. Holt still delivered a terrible "hope" speech, but thankfully Jake was there to sort of salvage it.
JAKE AND AMY
I know this was supposed to be the "A" story, but Jake and Amy got overshadowed by Holt and Terry, sorry to say. Not that this was any less fun to watch. I'll be honest, my favorite scenes in this story were all between Jake and The Vulture.
I have to give Dean Winters credit – the guy is phenomenal as a douche. I absolutely love to hate him. He and Andy Samberg play really well off each other, and Samberg was on point when he was threatened to be demoted.
The scene with the bagpipes was hilarious, and I loved Jake's speech at the end. It's clear that he knows what he wants with Amy, more so than she does, and he was willing to be demoted to be with her.
I'm glad that Holt came out of his stupor long enough to save Jake's job and his relationship. I also hope that this was just the first step in Captain Holt's rise to the top.
CHARLES, GINA AND ROSA
If ever there is to be a B or C story on this show, it needs to be carried by Charles Boyle, as it was now. He's the only character that makes me not care that the side-story has no real bearing on the main stories going on.
I didn't care that Charles' tryst had nothing to do with anything else, because he's just so freakin' hilarious.
Rosa: Charles, it is not like you to have sex with a stranger.
Charles: Really? Tell that to me in an hour, when we've had sex twenty-three times!
That said, I seriously hope that this was just an introduction to Archie Panjabi's character, because if not, that would have been such a waste of a guest spot. Panjabi is way too awesome for just 60 seconds of screen time.
OTHER NOTES:
- It bears repeating: Terry's dancing made my night.
- Hitchcock and Scully are back! The flippancy with which they treated Scully's news about his wife leaving was both hilarious and heartbreaking. Poor Scully!
- The quote of the week – nothing tops "PAIN!!"
- I really miss Gina's sassiness with the rest of the precinct.
What did you think? Do you like Captain Holt's growth as a character? How much longer do you think the Captain will be away from the Nine-Nine?
Remember you can always relive the best jokes (like Terry's dancing) when you watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine online.
