Scott Schafer/Fox
Sure, you might think that Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s second season might be something that you could easily jump into without any research, but … OK, sure: you’d probably be right, more or less. It is a fairly easy show to get into, after all. Here’s all you really need to know: They’re cops; They’re funny; It’s like Parks and Recreation, but with arrests and that guy who sang about dicks in boxes. Done.
That doesn’t mean it isn’t also an easy-to-grok show that also left viewers with a pretty big status quo change at the end of last season, which saw lead character Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) getting fired from his job as a NYPD detective for … let’s call them “reasons that we’ll get to soon enough.” With Season 2 of last year’s Best New Sitcom starting this Sunday, here’s a quick primer on just why that happened—and everything else you need to know before you watch.
Last Season’s Cliffhanger
You can just imagine the writers of the show thinking to themselves, What better way to celebrate the end of a successful first season than breaking up the team that made it so special in the first place?! “Charges and Specs,” the final episode of last season, did that very thing by giving Jake his dream job at exactly the wrong time for the two most important people in his life (not that he noticed, of course).
Admittedly, Jake somewhat caused the bad timing with one of those people himself, by telling fellow cop Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) that he had feelings for her after he was leaving the force. He explained it away by saying that he wasn’t sure what was going to happen in the future and “needed” to come clean, but really, Jake: bad, bad timing. It was just as bad for his fellow detective Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), who lost his best friend when he needed him the most—he had just been dumped by his fiancee, and was facing an existential crisis as a result. (Don’t worry; he found another way to deal with it, as we saw when he woke up in bed next to office secretary and sociopath Gina (Chelsea Peretti). (Maybe that’s the true cliffhanger of the season, come to think of it.)
“But why was Jake fired?” you’re asking. Well, because he disobeyed orders to lay off the investigation of a community leader he suspected of laundering drug money. It worked out, though, because not only were his suspicions on the mark, but his being fired cleared the way for him to go undercover for the feds investigating local crime mobs’ ability to influence police investigations—even if that brings him in conflict with his former bosses.
Where Is…?
We already know that Jake is off undercover with the mob, and last we saw of Charles and Gina, they were screaming at each other in horror about waking up in bed next to each other. (Seriously, people: You apparently had no problem with it the night before, so get over yourselves.) But what about everyone else in Brooklyn’s 99th precinct?
Amy, understandably, is likely a little confused about her feelings towards Jake after the two of them got closer just before he left the force. Detective Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) and Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher) were as stoic as ever, although the former may have found herself warming up to Charles now that he seems over her, finally. Sergeant Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) is back on active duty, but still acts as den mother to the rest of the team. In other words, it’s pretty much as before, except Jake isn’t there.
Questions Season 2 Better Answer
The main one is, of course, “How will Peralta fit in back at the precinct?” After all, the audience and his friends know what really went down, but to the world at large, he was fired and left his job a disgraced cop. Will he really be able to just get rehired as if nothing happened? Add to that his declaration of … well, maybe not love, per se, but of interest in Amy and it’s a fairly safe bet to assume that Jake might have some trouble settling back into his old life, if that’s what he hopes to do. Beyond that, well, there’s a few other things we’re curious about.
- What’s the deal with Charles and Gina? Sure, it made for a fun last-minute joke at the end of the last episode, but what if the show’s most anxious character and its most oblivious, self-centered character ended up together for awhile? It sounds unlikely at first, but doesn’t it sound like it could actually work out, albeit in a somewhat unhealthy and inevitably-headed-for-misery-at-some-point way? Plus, it’d be fun to see how Rosa would react, let’s be honest.
- Is Jake/Amy going to be dragged out for a long time? Please, Brooklyn Nine-Nine writers, don’t let that be the case. As New Girl and The Mindy Project have both shown, audiences aren’t all about “will-they-won’t-they?” anymore. (The kids are more like “oh, just get on with it” these days.)
- How much more Kevin Cozner can we expect this year? Marc Evan Jackson’s guest spot last year as the husband of Captain Holt was a highlight, and there is not one person in the world who could argue that we need less M.E.J. on our television screens at any time. All of our fingers are crossed that he’ll return.
Essential Catch-Up Episodes
It would be far too easy to claim that every single episode of the show’s first season is essential to catch up. (Hey, it’s a short show! It’s a funny show! You’d enjoy it!) But, realistically, “The Party,” “Full Boyle,” “Tactical Village,” and “Charges and Specs” are the ones you really need to watch to have a good idea of what’s going on at the start of the new season. Hell, throw in “Fancy Brudgom” in there as well, because it’s particularly funny. (The entire season is available to stream on Hulu, for those who want to catch up.)
And there you have it. Now you’re ready for Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s second season. You’re welcome.
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