TV Review: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (2×21) “Det. Dave Majors”

If season two has seemed less cohesive overall than season one, it might have something to do with how splintered the storylines are within an episode. A typical sitcom is running at around 21-minutes, making it decidedly difficult to tell all of one storyline, nevertheless two or three and yet, that’s what Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been doing. As one of my favorite television shows currently airing, I find little to complain about but episodes tonight, where the storylines shrink in focus, certainly making the present concerns disappear a bit.

Both storylines offer an abundance of fantastic lines and all of the characters get to be utilized in some fashion. The A plot centers around Jake and Amy who end up assigned on a case with Detective Dave Majors (Garret Dillahunt) who is considered the best detective in the NYPD. Both are excited to buddy up to him, each trying to impressive Majors with equally lame tricks. Jake’s involves his sunglasses moves and Amy’s is flipping her notebook.

Obviously they’re soulmates.

Jake thinks he’s bagged himself a win when Majors asks him out for a drink in a private bar, only to learn that Majors only wanted to ask him if it was cool if he asked out Amy.

This sets Jakes emotions into a whirl because, as he tells Rosa, he still likes Amy. However, he doesn’t think it’s his place to tell Amy and ruin a chance with Major, but also, he’s scared. Rose tells him to go for it and soon or else he’ll regret it. This motivates Jake to lay his feelings for Amy on the table, but the two keep getting interrupted. The case is finished and Majors takes Amy out but Amy turns him down. Curious as to why, Jake learns that Amy doesn’t want to date fellow cops anymore due to the awkwardness that follows if there’s a breakup. Jake visibly needs to recover from the shock of this and he leaves as the camera lingers on a shot of Amy doing the “double tuck”. Earlier Rosa mentioned that this is something Amy does when she likes someone and it’s a sweet way to play out the end of the episode.

Jake and Amy have been an obvious potential pairing since the start of the series, but I never figured I’d like them as much as I do. The show is smartly taking their time without making it feel tediously dragged out. The two are getting there but life keeps getting in the way. Melissa Fumero and Andy Samberg’s chemistry is obviously there and the characters have been built so wonderfully up until this point that their mutual attraction isn’t surprising. Now we just have to wait and see when they act on it.

The B plot storyline involves Terry who might be leaving his job for one that offers better hours, better pay and an office with walls (something Terry does like). He also gets swag; another thing Terry loves which allows Terry Crews some fantastic comedic beats to play with. Gina and Boyle aren’t okay with this and try their best to persuade him to stay, even doing his work for him. However, in the end he’s convinced by Holt’s maneuvering which allowed him to reminisce about all of the good he’s done at the Nine-Nine.

This episode didn’t offer so much in the form of big laughs but was still one of the more consistently funny of the season with some fantastically written lines that play off of the characters and past jokes. Check out some of my favorites below.

“If Rosa had a twin she would have eaten her in the womb”

“I can’t make a woman’s choice for her

 “Why doesn’t your mouth work-title of our sex tape”

“Gina where have you been? You left your phone on your desk and I assumed you were dead”

9/10