TV Recap: Brooklyn Nine-Nine - "The Ebony Falcon"

Left to right: Andy Samberg, Joe Lo Truglio, and Terry Crews
Welcome to a weekly recap of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, which is one of the funniest and freshest new comedies currently airing on TV. Follow us every Thursday as we break down the episode into all of the important beats from the plot to character moments that are worth giving another shout-out. With an all-star comedy cast, this recap series will hopefully give you the information you need as well as reason to watch Fox on Tuesdays.


Crime of the Week: Peralta (Andy Samberg), Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) and Jeffords (Terry Crews) are on a mission to break down a drug smuggling ring operating out of a gym.


Peralta Problem: Despite an enthusiastic Jeffords, Peralta is also on a quest to make sure that he doesn't die and leaves his daughters as orphans.

Left to right: Eddie Pepitone and Chelsea Peretti
Subplot of the Week: Gina (Chelsea Peretti) worries about her safety after she reports a breaking and entering at her apartment.

Left to right: Joel McKinnon Miller and Terry Crews
Best Joke: During the opening, Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) talks about his weekend with someone who is spoken ambiguously as either a dog or his wife. No amount of questions can break the answer of which he's actually talking about.

Terry Crews
Culprit: Brandon Jacoby (Matthew Willig), who trained with suspect Vladimir (Joseph Aviel) late at night in order to smuggle drugs.


Resolution: Despite Peralta's worry, Jeffords solves the case single-handed. Gina confides in Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) and Santiago (Melissa Fumero) her real fears and decides to reward them for protecting her with expandable dresses. Boyle also starts up a great system for gym appointments using the Cloud.

Left to right: Matthew Willig and Truglio
Verdict: Another solid episode and one that continues to challenge the show's dynamic. It is great to see continuity in the appearance of the infamous princess castle and even better to see the Jeffords dynamic continuing to strengthen in different ways. The fact that he is undermined by Peralta and Boyle is intriguing to the point that we get to see Jeffords defend himself. He is both masculine and sensitive and thus one of the show's most complex, funniest characters. The subplot was also nice and while Gina continues to seem like the odd third party nuisance that the show drags out when it needs filler, it does feel like she had legitimate reasons. She fears for her life and even dragging in a sleazy F.B.I. agent to counterattack Diaz and Santiago was a nice touch. She is a character that works in small doses, but the big question is how she plays to the overall show. However, it is nice to see the even smaller characters such as Scully get a moment of humor not through embarrassment, but through a confusing, alliterative joke that set the tone for the rest of the episode. It was excellent and continues to work because of how the dynamics of concern play out among the differing characters.


Rating: 4 out of 5

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