Season 7 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine genuinely surprised me when I watched it, as it felt like a nearly perfect season of the series. Strong pacing, great humor, varied episodes, and a satisfying resolution made for a well-crafted season that might just surpass the fifth as my favorite to date.
Similarly to the previous season, Season 7's storylines are fairly lighthearted, with none of them being anything special. Holt spends a surprisingly large portion of the season as a patrol officer, and only rejoins the precinct after Wuntch's death halfway through. Amy and Jake spend the season having a kid, which does feel a bit rushed after they decide to take things slowly last season, but it does lead to a really heartwarming finale so I'll let it pass. The worst storyline of the season for me was about Debbie Fogle, who starts out as fun foil for Holt but ends up being written out of the show after having been revealed to be a dirty cop. While the main storylines are pretty standard for the series, the standalone episodes are excellent. Similarly to Season 6, B99 is far more willing to experiment, and this season contains far more hits than misses. As a matter of the fact, the only episode that I could call somewhat weak is the Debbie episode, otherwise, this season is nearly flawless.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine isn't the type of series to have "filler" episodes per se, but the pacing of Season 7 was incredibly strong due to its short length. With only 13 episodes, nearly every outing was unique in its own way, without any episodes that would feel like they're just padding out the season length. Nearly every episode of the season did something cool, from homages to movies like Memento and John Wick, to strong story-driven episodes like Ding Dong and Manhunter, to series mainstays like the heists and Pontiac Bandit, to sequels to episodes in earlier seasons. There was never a dull moment this season and nearly every episode had something to love. I don't think this season is the most uproariously funny season of the series, but the humor and acting was still consistently strong throughout as well. This also was the only season so far to not have any Gina in it, which can only be a good thing.
While I liked a large portion of the episodes this season, these were the highlights:
Pimememento: Easily my favorite Pimento episode of the series, Pimememento is a hilariously bizarre parody of the movie Memento which has the titular character lose his memory and try to figure out what's going on. There's a ton of weird and wacky setpieces throughout the episode, along with a cute subplot about the dynamics of the 99th precinct as a whole.
Ding Dong: A big turning point in the season's storyline and the series as a whole, Ding Dong has Wuntch die, though not without putting Holt through the ringer one last hilarious time. Thankfully, the episode ends on a really heartwarming ending, with Holt becoming captain again and Amy learning she's pregnant, setting up the main story for the rest of the season.
Dillman: Easily one of the best guest stars in the series, the titular character played by JK Simmons is a hilariously brutish detective who's way less intelligent than he makes out. The entire episode is a focused and fun whodunit that gives Charles a surprising moment to shine in the ending.
Ransom: Whoever came up with this episode is an absolute genius. B99 has done action movie parodies before, but the decision to do a parody of John Wick where Holt's dog Cheddar gets kidnapped was just too perfect. It's a lot of fun too, Holt gets a chance to really let loose culminating in a really badass action climax to end off the episode.
Lights Out: Lights Out is an oddly focused finale for the series, being the first to completely lack a cliffhanger. The entire episode is just about Amy delivering her baby and Jake trying to get to the precinct in the middle of a blackout. It's frantic, hilarious, and ends on a really heartwarming note. It also has Terry teach Holt to dance which ranks as the funniest moment in the entire season.
Overall, Season 7 was just really, really solid. Aside from one tiny subplot that I found a bit weak, the season was fast-paced and jam-packed with creative episodes, fun callbacks, and heartwarming moments.
5/5 Stars
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