Craig Robinson returns for a final adventure on this week’s Brooklyn Nine-Nine double header
Jake drives an old friend to prison and battles the FBI
TV Reviews Brooklyn Nine-Nine
“PB & J”
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has gotten plenty of mileage out of Craig Robinson’s annual guest appearances as Doug Judy, a.k.a. the Pontiac Bandit, the criminal frenemy of Jake Peralta who’s either one step ahead of him or genuinely trying to reform. The comedic chemistry between Robinson and Andy Samberg was evident in their first episode together, so, naturally, Judy returned every year to foil Jake’s efforts to take him down with bromantic gestures. In classic sitcom fashion, these episodes became more high-concept with each successive year as Judy became more of a buddy and less of a nemesis. Robinson and Samberg share a simpatico energy (not to mention similar musical prowess), so even as their episodes became more predictable or outlandish, their exchanges tended to ground their adventures in a buoyant sensibility. Goofy banter goes a long way.
“PB & J,” the last Jake and Judy adventure, sends the character off on a good note in an episode that follows the formula to a T. Judy has been arrested on an outstanding warrant for grand theft auto and is being sent to South Woods prison for a five-year stint. Jake takes the opportunity to pull a Last Detail-esque stunt and give him a series of “sexy-ass surprises” on the road trip to prison. Obviously, Judy remains one step of Jake and takes his act of friendship as an opportunity to escape, which he openly admits to him before the end of the first act break. In the vein of classic heist films, many misdirects and twists ensue, to the point where Jake plays the audience surrogate by being unable to trust the veracity of anything that’s happening. If Judy can reprogram the numbers in his phone and redirect his GPS while investing genuine interest in Jake’s road-trip playlist, then can he pull one over on Holt or the back-up sent to protect him? Not really, but Judy’s mental chess games are still strong enough to fool Jake because he’s blinded by friendship.
The scenes of Jake and Judy just hanging out together are obvious episode standouts. Their impromptu freestyle about sandals brings Samberg’s Lonely Island-honed skills to the table and the Who Knows Moe?: Friend or Foe?: Are You Fo’ Real or Just Fo’ Show? game (“A little wordy,” Jake grumbles) works on a one-liner level. There’s a relaxed feeling to these scenes that helps smooth out the overly twisty narrative. Even as the plot kicks into high gear, the focus stays squarely on Jake and Judy playing mind games or trading jokes, including when both are threatened with violence by the incompetent Craigslist goons that Doug’s sister, Trudy Judy (Nicole Byer), hired to help them escape.
The only thing on the line is Jake and Judy’s friendship, which has always been in jeopardy for the obvious reasons. Jake can’t help but trust Judy even though it’s in his nature to evade capture and Judy can’t help but trust Jake even though he knows it’s his job to bring him down. “I should have never become friends with a cop. I mean, how did I expect this to end?” Judy remarks right before he’s taken to prison. But because they remain “PB&J,” Jake does something out of character: he slips a pen into his pocket, which is exactly what Judy needs to “Mindfreak” himself out of prison. Jake retains plausible deniability even when Judy calls him from Amsterdam to thank him and uphold their friendship, but it’s possible that Jake’s ironclad, binaristic morality has started to falter. After all, friendship can drive a man do crazy things.
Grade: B
“The Setup”
While “PB & J” was a relatively light affair, “The Setup” features Brooklyn Nine-Nine using classic sitcom plotting—three dovetailed storylines that contain “wacky” hijinks—with updated political awareness. When Jake excitedly tries to “work a Speed” after a bomb is found on a bus (not the MTA, but a Marvelous Mrs. Maisel tour bus), his efforts are quickly when the FBI takes over what appears to be an open-and-shut case. Convinced that there’s more to the crime, Jake investigates the bomb site and arrests a civilian snooping around the area. Unfortunately, the FBI already arrested the bomber, and the innocent man plans to sue Jake for unlawful arrest. Jake suspects he’s been set up by patrolman union President O’Sullivan (John McGinley) and enlists Rosa and Amy to help prove his case.
If this were a Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode from a few years ago, Jake’s suspicions would likely be correct. Either there would be more to the bomber’s plan, or the innocent man would have been part of an internal conspiracy to target him. Instead, Jake’s determination blinds him to the obvious truth: the crime was exactly what it looked like, and his determination led him to harass, arrest, and later, intimidate a regular citizen whose only offense was fearing the police. O’Sullivan, being the corrupt, reactionary goon that he is, successfully crafts a settlement deal for the obvious bullshit reason: cops are forced make split-second, life-or-death decisions and they can’t do their job effectively if they think that they’re going to be tarred and feathered if they make a mistake. Except this wasn’t a split-second, life-or-death decision. This was Jake wanting to “work a Speed” and taking it way too far.
It’s important to emphasize that “The Setup” rightfully privileges goofy comedy over morality lessons, at least until the end. Amy and Rosa’s foolish plan to get O’Sullivan drunk so he can admit that he was trying to blackmail Jake allows Stephanie Beatriz and Melissa Fumero to play drunk in a standard “switcheroo” storyline. In order to divide the booze consumption between them, Amy and Rosa keep taking turns drinking with O’Sullivan, but the plan falls apart because, well, his tolerance is superhuman. He eventually tells them that his blackmail efforts amounted to sabotaging the unit’s snacks, mainly Scully’s candy supply from Boyle and Terry’s respective school drives. He would never set up one of his own because, after all, he lives to get cops out of trouble lest they be accountable for their actions.
When it’s time for Holt to deliver his straightforward speech, it lands precisely because “The Setup” spent most of its runtime in a softer register, even though it concerns the show’s protagonist committing an unlawful act. Rosa and Amy are drunk! Boyle and Terry are at war over candy! It all feels like a low-stakes Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode. But when it becomes clear that Jake could conceivably not suffer any consequences despite being clearly in the wrong, Holt reads O’Sullivan the riot act. If Jake doesn’t face suspension, he would be contributing to an environment of distrust and fear that pervades the city. If the cops are above the law, then the law is meaningless. Obviously, O’Sullivan doesn’t care and plans to go forward, but the speech gets through to Jake, who admits to wrongdoing and receives his five-month suspension. But even after doing the right thing, Holt doesn’t exactly let Jake off the hook. It took an innocent man to lose his job for Jake to realize his mistake. Goofballs aren’t infallible and there are consequences to wanting to make a movie come to life.
Grade: A-
Stray observations
- Jake’s least favorite word? “Buttress.” “It just makes me picture a mattress with a butt!”
- Doug’s least favorite thing? Meringue, because it looks much better than it tastes. “It’s a trick food!”
- Other things we learn about Jake: 1. He’s addicted to a realistic pizza parlor simulator game on his phone where you can earn “pizza points” to get access to better toppings, but no way to actually win; 2. He’s stealing inspirational quotes from Instagram ads for travel bidets; 3. He believes there’s “too much tension” between Zayn Malik and the rest of One Direction for him to become the primary realtor for the group.
- “You know how active the Dutch mafia is in Jersey.”
- “David Duke Marzipan?!”
76 Comments
Errors in this article:one step of Jake —> one step ahead of Jakeback-up —> backupdrive a man do crazy things —> drive a man to do crazy things
Trudy Judy is a nightmare person. I really resented her presence in the first episode. I didn’t like the second episode as much as this review, but McGinley’s ability to act like a complete ass with not even a trace of embarrassment is a sight to behold. His frustration at not being able to blackmail gay or bi people any more for their sexuality was a highlight.
Really? I thought his talents (which I first beheld as Dr. Cox on Scrubs) are not being used to their fullest in this role.
“Can’t blackmail anybody these days!”He’s been an amazing addition this season.
I get that this is now Wokelyn Nine-Nine, but the second episode severely undercut its own point, making for a very bizarre resolution. The guy lost his job? Okay, but per his social media, he was leaving for Florida for a new gig in 4 days anyway. The guy was just minding his own business and taking a shortcut home… by cutting through a locked bus depot? With only one entrance, that Jake had to pick a lock to get into? Nowhere near his apartment? And a standard-issue white 20-something guy is so afraid of the cops that he’d run and jump a fence? It was just contrived nonsense, and the only reasonable take for someone watching this was that Jake should not have been suspended for five months, if at all, because everything about that whole situation was weird and shady as hell.If the writers wanted to make a more sympathetic case to teach us all the lesson about how cops should be held to a higher standard, they easily could have done so. Hell, even making the arrestee a black guy would’ve signaled to the audience that he had a reason to be distrustful and run (even from a very calm Jake Peralta). This was a confusing, muddled mess.I did like the Doug Judy episiode, because all Doug Judy episodes are wonderful. Craig Robinson is the perfect recurring sitcom guest star, because for 20 minutes, his energy is perfect and for a minute more, it’s tiresome.
My theory: Jake’s well-known friendship with Doug Judy, who escaped from jail to another country, factored into the length of time he’s suspended.
I was thinking something similar. I get not trusting cops but running away like that would absolutely get you arrested because who the hell does that if they aren’t guilty of something? Im a mid 30s white guy, I’m not super comfortable around cops, but I’m not stupid enough to make a break for it if one starts talking to me. Police reform and accountability is super important but in the real world it wouldn’t be overreach. Now if Jake beat the guy or shot him, then yes, but the show would never go that far with the character.
But what would he be arrested for? I guess possibly trespass? People who aren’t committing crimes have no obligation to answer questions from cops.
I agree it was silly but I think its that the entrance Jake opened was the one he normally enters and if he had not bumped into Jake, he would have walked all the way through the lot and got to another still locked gate and realized something was up. That being said as soon as he bumped into Jake, before the badge was shown, he seemed kind of sketch. But the real reason Jake was getting suspended was because he was not supposed to be there in the first place. Had he actually been working the case, if arrested an innocent person under these conditions, then he would be fine. Instead he was trespassing and committed an unlawful arrest
Also, wouldn’t the fact that he was fleeing from an officer itself be a crime that Peralta would have been within his legal right to arrest him for even if the charges he was investigating didn’t pan out?
Not quite. Under Supreme Court precedent, fleeing from a cop constitutes reasonable suspicion to stop, detain, and frisk, but not probable cause of a crime for an arrest to be made.
But isn’t the fleeing itself a crime? https://www.findlaw.com/criminal/criminal-charges/evading-police.html
His being on the property is only trespassing, though, and since he didn’t even pick the lock to get there, it’s no more than a fine, assuming the owners want to press it. His running from a police officer is shady, but not illegal and he should have never been arrested. Sure, it makes sense to stop him and ask him questions about why he is there, but he didn’t do anything that was arrestable. I do agree with your point about his race meaning he is unlikely to feel the need to be afraid of cops. I mean, anyone can have reasons to be afraid, but that isn’t easily shown to the audience when it’s a white guy.
I did find myself thinking “oh this would have been way more effective if that was a black guy” as well.
Am I the only person who still really doesn’t like Doug Judy. He’s my second least favourite character after Gina and it’s in large parts precisely for the reason that makes up the lesson of the latter episode here, both are shitty people who constantly do horrendous things (Gina has her “friends” drink cement for fuck’s sake) and they never once face any real consequences for their actions.For a show that typically does in the end fall on the side of calling out negative actions the fact they never do got irritating after a while.
I would largely agree with this assessment – of both Doug Judy and Gina.
With you a thousand percent. Craig Robinson is a charming actor but Doug Judy is an awful character and I hate that his long arc ended with Jake letting him get away with everything.
I hoped, and long predicted, that it would end with Charles arresting Doug, partially out of petty jealousy that Jake has other friends, and mostly because Doug’s a career criminal who puts Jake’s job at risk by being his friend. Seeing Charles finally appear in a Jake-&-Doug caper seemed to hint at that.And if anyone’s a worse human being than Doug Judy, it’s his crazy bitch of a sister, Trudy. Whose nasty attitude and bad decision-making might get her shot.
The show’s been consistent in that it’s a good thing if cops break the rules for lefty reasons: Hitchcock and Scully stealing money from a drug dealer, Hitchcock and Scully not taking the name of an undocumented witness, Holt making a deal with a mobster to get Jake and Rosa out of jail, and then arresting the idiot nephew on trumped-up charges so the mobster couldn’t hurt him…
The only thing worse on B99 than Doug Judy is his sister.
Well, there was that one time Gina got stabbed for what she said to her fans/followers in her cult of personality.
FWIW, I strongly disliked Gina (with rare exception) but love Doug Judy (again with rare exception). Too much fun shared between him and Jake to not like him.
Agreed.Gina was the absolute worst. Doug Judy is redeemed slightly because while he always gets away and never faces consequences, he seldom sets out to hurt people just to amuse himself or get clout. It’s always to escape and remain free. Hurting people is secondary.
Drunk Amy!
Drunk Amy is the best Amy.
The quick 1-2 punch of the dirty cop’s name being David Duke, and it turning out that he literally changed his name to David Duke, was pretty great. “Hey, you can’t judge a book by its cover.”“You can when it’s written by David Duke!”
Yeah, the offhand that he changed his name TO that is perfect “extra mile” comedy
“Your family changed your name TO ‘Latrine’?”“Yeah, used to be ‘Shithouse’!”
Doug Judy isn’t necessarily my favorite, even though Craig Robinson and Andy Samberg are clearly having a blast every time they’re on-screen together. It was nice to give him a sendoff…but I probably preferred the second episode more.‘The Setup’ also just had a better run of jokes. All the Rosa-and-Amy-swapping-places-while-getting-more-drunk was an excellent use of both actors’ comedic skills. The competition between Boyle and Terry over selling candy was a hoot. And I shrieked with laughter at O’Sullivan trying to blackmail Holt and Rosa about their sexuality.
(Also, I really want to see more of Nun Rosa.)And damn, they actually let Jake get suspended. I saw it coming, but found it to be really impactful all the same. (And based on comments made by Doug in the previous episode…I wonder if the series will end with Jake finding another career/identity outside of being a cop.)
The Setup was the best episode of this season so far, so sure. really funny but the ending was genuinely powerful too. you forget what a powerhouse actor Andre Braugher is until they use him for a scene like that
Stay at home dad. Amy is actively trying to reform the department, and Jake was there for the pull up. I’m on an all night bender, but I feel good about that answer.
In a way, the second episode SHOULD be better than a Doug Judy ep. Because the Doug Judy ep was exactly what I wanted in a PB&J sendoff, and it was the only focus of the episode. The following episode had a lot of plates to spin that Doug Judy shouldn’t complete with in his last go round before heading off to Amsterdam for legalized weed and sumptuous desserts.
slurp slurp
They’re both frustrating. I like the moments when it’s clear Doug Judy is being sincere – he truly sees Jake as a friend. Gina just fucking sucked. Peretti is awesome.
Nine Drink Amy is indeed a genius. God I loved those scenes. Especially the British accent.
The Babysitters Club thing is weirdly funny. You know a writer was a fan. I also love how they never have Rosa look down on Amy for being uncool. Most shows would.
Rosa likes plenty of “uncool” things, so she’s in no position to judge (even if she denies, which she will).
Veeery relatable, tbh.
I need more Fumero doing a British accent! Lets get her and Beatriz on to Downton Abbey or something, lol…
I’ve never watched an episode of that show, but I’d watch that.
Jake deserves to lose his job for aiding a criminal escape because he vibed with him at least as much as for misreading an interaction in a closed bus parking lot at midnight.
Doug Judy episodes are with the heist episodes as just seeming to take place in a reality with slightly different rules. You aren’t meant to think about Doug Judy in the same ways. Granted, that does make things feel weirder with this double-episode season structure, where one of those ‘magical realism’ episodes runs bumper-to-bumper with perhaps the most serious episode they’ve had this year….although Jake letting Doug Judy free does ring differently in this season that’s constantly calling into question how just the police and law enforcement system really is.
Like remarked in this article; in both episodes the expectation we have of the show have been subverted. Peralta is doing something nice for a friend; even if that means not being “supercop”; then Peralta tries to play supercop; and this time actually has to witness and pay consequences for his shenanigans; which are usually at the heart of the show and made into a virtue.
The show covered that. Doug Judy made one mistake when he was 22 and then had to keep being a criminal because no one would hire him. Then, after helping the police multiple times and living straight, he gets pulled over for an outstanding warrant, for a technicality, and has to spend 15 years in jail, for what’s been stealing cars, a non-violent crime. I think they know what the criticism of the Doug Judy episodes is, and made sure to address it. Jake letting Judy escape is OK for the same reason Hitchcock and Scully stealing money from the evidence locker is OK.
It felt like Jake knew the sort of experience Judy was in for and how little he deserved it. Jake, of all people, knows that prison real bad.
Uhhh, Doug Judy also took literal hostages in one episode.
Wait…So why was that guy in a locked-up parking lot nowhere near his work or home, at midnight?
And why did he lie about his address? Maybe there will be a payoff before it’s all over, but right now it looks like a plot hole.
Or he stays over at his girlfriend’s place but uses his legal address in official documents. Or he’s in the process of moving. Or he moves a lot because he’s an unknown actor in a famously expensive city but uses the address of a family member as his mailing address. The whole point of the plot is the straightforward appearance is exactly correct. What’s more likely, deep wheels-in-wheels conspiracies from a character who’s been consistently shown to be a stupid bully who just uses threats and intimidation, or a random guy likes to use a shortcut sometimes?
I agree that that’s the point of the plot. It’s a little weird that the address thing doesn’t get an answer, but it’s also not necessarily important.The thing is, and the review points this out, B99 has taught us that when Jake has a hunch he’s usually correct. Or that he does an unrelated good thing by accident somehow (e.g. the guy works for some big name criminal or whatever). Combined with the lightness of the other plots the episode lets us believe that Jake is never in any real trouble. It’s makes the resolution with Holt’s speech and Jake’s suspension land as well as it does.
Yeah, the address thing is a plot hole
I don’t know if it’s a plot hole so much as just… a question that does not get an answer. The whole point of that plotline was showing that the police treating ‘kinda weird’ as ‘actively suspicious’ is a far bigger problem than the person being kinda weird.Now, do I want to know the answers to all the questions about this guy? Absolutely, I’m extremely curious. But it’s not a plot hole, because the answers don’t really change the plot in any way.
They established he used it as a shortcut. Even if his home isn’t near there it could still be a shortcut.
The parking lot was open, because Jake opened it.
And that’s the essential problem with the episode (or maybe the show?) – we still are left with the feeling that this guy did something wrong, when the entire point of the story was supposed to be that he didn’t.
I am Doug Judy neutral – I get the appeal, but there’s just a weeeeee bit too much in a PB and J episode. Was hoping a Final Doug Judy episode would have more going for it than what we got – the last one was a good one to go out on. This one kind of falls in the ACAB: it’s fine to shrug shit off if it’s your friend/someone you feel kinship with regardless of the laws everyone agreed to. But let that person not be like you/do something to get your empathy: you get the letter of the law. And let the person piss you off or grate against your prejudices….well….things happen. And we get conditioned to be OK with that via Doug Judy-type episodes. But then it was followed by ‘The Setup’. It made me think of a Season One episode where Jake’s gut was right on a case, but he still got away with what was really intimidation/harassment. It has basically been the backbone for a lot of ‘Jake Peralta’s the Best, Most Dedicated Detective’, something aped from many of the LEO porn on network and basic cable. Is good to see not just consequences, but accepted consequences (too many who see calls for police reform as fuck the police miss how the brunt of it is just asking for some accountability and contrition when wrongs are committed instead of shrugs) but after PB and J… eh? Would rather a Jake who had let Doug serve his bid AND accepted his suspension. Unless this actually reverberates into looking at past Peralta/99 stuff through a clean lens that ends in an indictment of it and other LEO shows.Did enjoy the Rosa/Amy team up, mostly in how it played on racism (‘those types think we all look alike’ and sexism (‘I don’t look at faces…’ [boobs implied]) while serving Amy Drinking Scale and Drunk Rosa (with a nod, I think, to how Stephanie Beatriz was up for the role of Amy). Also got a kick out of Boyle and Terry. And Huffy Holt? Yes, please.
Maybe I don’t remember everything; but Judy is just a car thief; I don’t
remember him being a killer or anything. Besides last season
established he was “reformed”; so should he actually go to jail? I think that’s a nice subversion of the cop show trope; which is what they’re going for this season; and to me that works.
The wokness killed this show
It’s been this way since moving to Nbc. But the editing of Doug Judy episode was turned up to 13. Every line said immediately after the other. And I think they have the podcast app to play at 1.5 speed. I’m sure they’re trying for a style, and think more jokes = funnier. But jokes need a second too breathe. The timing was way off. I bet it was hilarious to anyone who did a couple rails before the show.
As an American that lives in the Netherlands, Doug Judy is right about Stroopwafels. They are amazing.
Does the Netherlands have an extradition treaty with the U.S.?
You can get them at Trader Joe’s these days.
I thoroughly enjoyed the PB&J episode. Partly because Sandburg and Robinson have so much on-screen chemistry together but mostly because of what it’s gesturing towards, Jake retiring from being a cop. As a black man I’ve really been struggling with copaganda tv shows after the reckoning with the police and policing that occurred in 2020 after the George Floyd muder. It’s something the creators, writers, and cast of B99 have also been struggling with as they publicly alluded to and it’s why we are just getting the final season now, because they went back to the drawing board to rewrite large parts of the season. Despite my misgivings with the genre as whole, I have been unwilling to give up B99 and thus I was really excited to see what changes the writers and cast would bring to the final season. We’ve seen some gestures towards a change in thinking about policing in the first episode, with both Rosa and with the John C McGinley character. However, much of the 99 is still operating under the premise of business as usual. Namely Jake who was very defensive with Rosa in the first episode about her leaving the force versus him staying.But this episode brought on a major inflection point for Jake which started with a subtle gem that I haven’t seen any other critic mention thus far which is the real reason that Doug Judy turned to a life of crime wasn’t that he just loved crime (even though they used that line as a joke to lighten the scene) but that he got arrested for doing something dumb at a young age and after he served his time and got out of jail he couldn’t find a job on the right side of the law. Crime turned out to be the only way he could financially support himself. A very common and very real reality for a lot of people who have been incarcerated. I believe it was because of this that Jake ultimately decided provide the means for Dough Judy to escape. Because Jake realized that over the time that he has known him Judy is more than just a criminal. He is a person who made a mistake and after paying for it was never able to recover and there is an inherent injustice in that. I think what started in the lice episode is Jake realizing that his priorities have changed now that he’s a husband and father and that he can’t just chase bad guys all day and night. When combined with new insight that he can be fulfilled in other areas and I think a questioning of how much good is he actually doing, I think this is the first step in a crisis of conscious that I am going to really enjoy watching.
I don’t think Jake leaves the force and if he did, I don’t think it would be satisfying. There would still be systemic, entrenched, corruption, and his wife, mentor, best friend, and wife’s whole family would still be a part of it. I think they’ve hit a good balance. All cop shows show bad cops in VSEs, but not as an ongoing storyline like this, and not where there’s one bad guy villain, but multiple characters, both big guest stars and day players. I bet we don’t see characters like the Vulture again. You can’t make him funny now. Or CJ. Or Jake’s friend played by Damon Wayans Jr. Or Peralta and Amy’s dad harassing a family over Thanksgiving for a 20 years old case where no new evidence was found.
Agreed. The thing I like about Jake is that he’s a good cop and great detective. If it ends with him growing up, that would be much more satisfying than him quitting. Jake becomes Holt, Charles becomes his Terry, and they keep fighting the good fight.
But I’m not optimistic they will do that.
I totally agree. I think the only shame of this all is that the show doesnt have much time left. I wish we could see more of the rammifications of these decisions and changes. I’m really expecting just a 5 month time jump and jake deciding not to go back and a quick wrap up. I hope not but arent there only 2 or 3 more eps left?
I haven’t been watching this season, as I’m not exactly super excited to see the writers fall on their sword regarding police brutality
In defense of Doug and Trudy Judy- they are AWESOME! I wanted more! I didn’t get to hear the Rosa song or hear Trudy talk about wanting to SMUSH! More Judys! I just love that Daryl from the warehouse on The Office still kills it! Also the Star is Born joke was my favorite thing of all last night♡
Oof. Bad night for Jake; he let his best fremesis get away, and he got suspended, but he also acted OUT of character. Previous seasons showed he’s smarter than that. And Trudy Judy is just, the WORST kind of person. She’s like an evil version of Gina (who every now and then does come through for her friends in the 99). Her total lack of impulse control will lead to consequences. But I still have 2 questions from last night’s episodes:Isn’t New Jersey outside the jurisdiction of an NYPD Detective?What WAS that guy doing in a locked-off bus parking lot around midnight?
It’s nice that the show recognize that in a fictional fantasy police precinct where cops are actually decent Peralta’s hijincks and recklessness can cause actual harm. it’s a bit meta. Also super meta was the part where Amy narrates her plan with O’Sullivan but in fact tells what actually happens (which she would have no way to know). That kind of a mind bender. (see Quentin Dupieux’s work; “reality” or “keep an eye out!” (“au poste”))
Is there a grade above A+? Cause there’s no other choice for an episode where Stephanie Beatriz uses her real voice to pass herself off as Melissa Fumero
I’m a little surprised to see that this many fans in the comments dislike Doug Judy, although I do get the disdain for him getting away with everything. I just thought we all agreed to let that slide because Craig Robinson and Andy Samburg clearly have a blast together. He’s been my favorite recurring character, along with Pimento.That said, this was beyond disappointing as a final PB&J episode. Canonically, almost nothing made sense.-Was it necessary to send him back to jail? He’d already (mostly) reformed his life; seems like a cheap setup to return to the early tension when they first met. But okay, if the execution was there, fine. But then…-Didn’t Trudy Judy get busted stealing cars and escape the 99 in season 6? How was she able to just waltz into the precinct like none of that ever happened?-Boyle finally comes face to face with the only character to legitimately challenge his position as Jake’s best friend…and his response is to co-host a game show confirming they probably ARE best friends? There’s no way he wouldn’t be a nervous wreck regardless of it actually being a setup. (There’s literally an outtake of them meeting in season 4 and Boyle flat out faints when Judy claims to be his bestie, which is way more in character than whatever this was.)-Why would the Judys, who were portrayed as two of the most methodical con…man and woman (conpeople?) for the whole series randomly hire craigslist convicts to do…I’m not even sure why they needed to be there? And why would Trudy abandon her own brother after they threatened to kill him too? Why did she morph from a mischievous but caring sister to a completely nasty character that would be okay with any of that?-I can maybe buy Doug would be able to escape handcuffs with a stashed pen, but jail too? Was the pen housing knockout gas and a guard’s uniform?-Didn’t Judy say his wife was a federal judge? So she was okay leaving her career and life behind and just packing up to go to Amsterdam cause he got busted on outstanding warrants?None of this added up. After years of building an unusual but believable friendship, they just decided to blow it up with an unnecessarily mean spirited ending. For me the biggest irony is that they kept repeating “it’s about the journey, not the destination,” which is the exact opposite of how I feel about this episode. I actually liked that they ended on a bittersweet note; I just wish they didn’t take such a clumsy, off putting path to get there.Oh well. We’ll always have the cruise. Thanks for the memories, Horatio Velveteen. #rosarosaroooooosa
“If the cops are above the law, then the law is meaningless” says the reviewer (and the script basically).So Jake helps a criminal escape and it is fine cause he likes the guy, but he gets a 5 months suspension for wrongfully accusing another guy cause the show suddenly decided to make a statement.
This season is a mess..
One the one hand, I never understand why in these “getting too drunk while failing to get other person drunk” plots, the person never just gets themselves non-alcoholic drinks. On the other hand, we got Drunk Amy and Drunk Rosa.
For me these two episodes serve as great examples of why B99 is not a good show for addressing serious issues. As I’ve noted in previous comments, it does not exist in the real world and cannot have it both ways as both a goofie screwball comedy and also a show that speaks to serious real world issues.In the first episode Jake commits a number of outright crimes for which he would not only be fired, he would also end up in jail. He bribed a prison official. He transported a felon to prison in a trans am and left him unsupervised and un-cuffed, even after Judy told him he was going to escape. And then he literally gives him the means to escape prison, which he promptly does and flees to Amsterdam. And Captain Holt knew all of this. This is all fine if you are living in an alternative world of the screwball comedy.But in the very next episode Jake commits a much less serious offence and the show makes a big deal about how the only thing he can do is come clean and face the consequences. It just doesn’t work, because in the B99 world it makes no sense for the cops to face any consequences for their actions – pretty much every episode features then doing absurd things that would immediately get them fired or worse. So to me all of this rings totally hollow.
How many times has Charles said something incredibly inappropriate at work enough that would send a real person to HR for a stern talking to?