I’m slightly and understandably upset that this season is shorter and that it’s also the second last season, but as I was watching it, I could see how it was slowly running out of ideas in this penultimate (new favourite word) season. It’s not that the stories are stale, it’s just that it feels that we’ve done it before, and as much as I love seeing these characters get into more wacky situations… as Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) said, some issues were already dealt with last year, and I think many characters’ storylines have come to a close.

Synopsis

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a cop comedy that also somehow has police procedural elements in it. It focuses on the hijinks of a New York police precinct, which is of course, the 99th Precinct. Season 7 revolves around Jake and Amy having a baby, as well as Holt’s struggle to adapt to his demotion.

Directors: Cortney Carrillo, Luke Del Tredici, Matthew Nodella, Dan Goor

Writers: David Phillips, Carol Kolb, Evan Susser, Van Robichaux, Luke Del Tredici, Jeff Topolski, Dan Goor

Cast:

• Andy Samberg (Jake Peralta)

• Stephanie Beatriz (Rosa Diaz)

• Terry Crews (Terry Jeffords)

• Melissa Fumero (Amy Santiago)

• Joe Lo Truglio (Charles Boyle)

• Dirk Blocker (Michael Hitchcock)

• Joel McKinnon Miller (Norm Scully)

• Andre Braugher (Raymond Holt)

Competent cops 

Although Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a comedy, I like how it has always emphasised that these characters are competent cops. I think there are many things that can be made fun of, but if the character is a police officer, their competency shouldn’t be made fun of. Otherwise, it sort of signals that the show takes place in a dystopian world (and if that’s the intention, then by all means, that is what should happen). Anyway, I like that there’s something to look up to, that they’re heroes. This season continues that trend by showing them expertly solving crimes, even though have character flaws or there are systemic faults which result in the comedy of the show.

Morality still matters

More importantly than competency is the fact that these are the good guys. As in, they are moral folk, through and through. There’s one episode where Jake (Andy Samberg) could have let a crime slide for the sake of pacing and comedy, but the show went out of its way to make sure that Jake, as an upright police officer, reported the crime. And that despite all his foibles, Jakes was still a really moral dude (like a police officer should be) and did his job and fulfilled his responsibility as a police officer.

Baby narrative undercut earlier plot developments

Jake is the central character so it makes sense that the story should focus on him. However, the Jake and Amy (Melissa Fumero) pregnancy storyline was a letdown – mainly because in an earlier episode, it seemed like they were having trouble conceiving. That ep concluded on a slightly sombre note, that Jake and Amy might not be able to have a baby, and sort of acknowledge the realities of life – we don’t always get what we want, and sometimes it’s just the luck of the draw. However, right after accepting life’s lemons, the show did a U-turn and went “surprise, Amy is pregnant!” This completely undercut the message of the previous episode, which was a serious look at a very real issue, and kicked the foundations out of what could have been one of the best episodes of the series. Mind you, I don’t mind Jake and Amy having a baby, but I didn’t like how they pretended that they couldn’t conceive before springing the baby on us later.

Holt’s side plot took too long

The whole “Holt struggling as a patrol officer” thing went on for too long – considering that this season is only 13 episodes. I felt that the show needed to get back to its status quo quicker – or if not, keep the status quo change for the entire season. Just as we were getting used to the new dynamic, Holt (Andre Braughter) came back as captain. Meh. I think we should have wrapped it up in ep 1, or have it last the rest of the series.

Missed chances with a missed arc

Because it was 13 episodes long, it felt that there needed to be a stronger overall season arc to tie the season together. There wasn’t, unless you count Jake and Amy’s baby shenanigans. It was weaker as a result, and there were fewer instances of character development to be had because of this. I had hoped for more stories about Rosa, but like she said, her tale was more or less wrapped up in the previous season.

Should you watch it?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 was too short, but it was evident that it couldn’t have gone on any longer than 13 episodes. I liked the general premise and how the officers know their stuff and are good people, and the broad strokes of the series. But when it comes to the minutiae… yeah, I think it’s better that it goes out on a high. I still like it though and I’m looking forward to the final season. Nine Nine!

Rating 3.9/5

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 is available on Netflix.