This week’s episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine deals with Jake and Rosa’s trauma, their re-introduction to civilian life, and how they handle that.
Squad Evaluation
Following his release from prison, Jake is assigned to desk duty and like any person with the attention span of a goldfish, he’s losing it. He contests his current situation with Captain Holt, who tells Jake that since he’s been in a traumatic experience he isn’t ready to go back out in the field.
Jake asks Charles what he has going on and he basically has the perfect case for Jake. Spending time in prison and dating Amy has given Jake better research skills, which he uses to approach the Captain with a loophole (and an inappropriate handshake). To be allowed back on the field, Jake must be evaluated, BUT he can dictate the time of his evaluation by demanding that Holt pick his evaluator.
To Jake’s surprise, Holt agrees and says that HE will evaluate Jake. Jake and Charles go to the crime scene and they’re having trouble finding clues (there’s no sign of forced entry). Jake is also having trouble concentrating because Holt is close by taking notes. Jake notices a security camera and through a series of detective work, he finds the thief.
Jake wakes up in the middle of the night because he thinks that they arrested the wrong man. He and Charles go undercover as sneakerheads (that look like Kevin Federline cosplay) just to discover that they had the right guy all along. Which would be fine, except Jake let the original perp go.
Jake tells Holt that he was right about him not being ready to be out in the field and he suspends himself for two weeks. As Jake is getting ready to leave, Boyle and Captain Holt tell Jake that because of his detailed paperwork they were able to catch the thief again and that letting him go was just a bout of insecurity.
However, Jake informs them that they’re wrong, his doubts are not based on his abilities as a cop, but on his knowledge of what prison is like (spoiler alert: it’s TERRIBLE). He is hesitant to send someone there if he isn’t 100% certain they are guilty. He’s afraid he won’t be able to arrest people anymore, but Holt redirects his fear and lets Jake know that this discernment makes him a better cop because he will be more accurate and diligent in his work.
Follow the Flan
Adrian comes to visit Rosa at work and to outsiders (us, Amy and Terry) they seem normal, but Rosa is upset because Adrian is acting weird (-er than usual). She decides to investigate and discovers bank statements that suggest he’s cheating on her. Amy tells her not to read into it, but the concept of cheating is apparently triggering for Terry because he leads Rosa toward a witch hunt for Adrian.
She borrows Hitchcock’s creeper kit for surveillance and after watching Adrian scream through various activities she sees him head into a restaurant with a woman. Distraught, Rosa’s response to Adrian allegedly cheating is to eat cantaloupe with a machete, and to break up with him, but Amy and Terry (who has gotten ahold of his trauma) try to persuade her otherwise. She talks to Adrian and he reveals that the woman he was with wasn’t his mistress but his Spanish teacher. He was trying to learn Spanish so he would be able to communicate with Rosa’s father; she apologizes for overreacting and the two get back together.
Or so we think.
Rosa tells Amy and Terry that breaking up with Adrian was the most normal she has felt since being in prison, and single life might be what she needs right now. The next night, she breaks up with Adrian and he seems to be fine with it until she walks away from him and we later see his anguish.
I really enjoyed this episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, because it had all the elements that I love about the show. I’m delighted that they took the time to really focus on the trauma and changes that being in prison has on a person. It’s encouraging that a comedy about the police doesn’t take those things lightly. It’s also a big deal for me to see growth in television characters and we see that a lot with Holt and Jake throughout the episode.
With Jake his character’s growth is the focus of the storyline throughout the show, his time in jail has made him more thoughtful about his work, but I also feel like working for Holt and living with Amy has made him a more studious and meticulous person that we don’t really see in the first two seasons. As for Holt, the constant interruption by Jake and Charles are more tolerated and probably expected and I can’t help but think he’s lightened up a little.
I’m sad to see Pimento go if only because Rosa actually seems happy with him. Someone online has suggested that now that she’s single we can see her date a woman, which I think would be cool.
Musing
- Jake having a feast of all the foods he missed from prison is something I would 100% do.
- What is the collection of Charles and Jake’s high fives? How many are there?
- This might be a dumb question, but where do they sell single tampons?
- How did Adrian get her blood!?
Quote(s)
“To sex with Amy!”
“Women be sane” – can we PLEASE make this a thing? Bitches be crazy is annoying
Stephanie Francis is an aspiring journalist with a TV addiction. She has been published in a multitude of small papers including the Gloucester Times, the Salem News and the Boston Globe. You can find a collect of her published work at adventuringsomewhere.wordpress.com. And her live tweets @stephsfrancis.
What's Your Reaction?
The single tampon thing stumped me as well