Brooklyn Nine-Nine (Season 8)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine had a lot to do for its final season. Not only did it have to bring the characters to a satisfying resolution, but it also had to deal with the events of 2020 which drastically shifted public perception of the police. Even more, it only had ten episodes to do all of that...

The main plot of B99's eighth season is about the titular precinct trying to pass a police reform policy, while combating the NYPD's union president O'Sullivan. I actually thought this storyline was... okay. It tries to tackle the corruption in the NYPD without losing the show's optimism by proposing reform. I seriously doubt any of the 99's policies would work in reality, but in the case of a fairly idealistic sitcom, I think it works fine enough. I also really like O'Sullivan as an antagonist. He's so detestable and awful that he crosses the line into downright hilarious, only bolstered by the strong performance from John McGinley (aka Dr Cox). The season also builds up to Jake leaving the NYPD by the finale, though it's pretty obvious all the way back in the first episode. However, I feel like this season in particular relied on plot twists over its characters, like Holt and Kevin suddenly breaking up even though we know they won't stay apart, or Doug Judy losing all of his character development in PB&J, or the reveal that Charles isn't actually a Boyle. These twists work really well in the heist episodes (like the finale), but it felt like this season was focusing too much on shock value.

The biggest issue with B99's final season, though, is the pacing. With only ten episodes, it's hard not to feel like the season is far too crammed, with the season premiere "The Good Ones" being the most glaring instance of this. That episode dealt with the coronavirus and the George Floyd protests while also setting the new status quo for the season and being a funny B99 episode, resulting in a premiere that just felt like it couldn't really do any of those things all that well. There also just isn't really a chance for the show to experiment in any way this season due to the short length. Compared to last season which was filled to the brim with creative episodes like "Dillman", "Ransom", and "Pimemento", the only one that stuck out as experimental was the slightly 'Knives Out'-esque "Game Of Boyles". I also just thought the show wasn't as manic and uproariously funny as past seasons, and there were plenty of jokes that not only didn't land, but genuinely fell flat on their face. Whoever thought that a subplot about Charles thinking he was going to die would be funny was wrong.

While this was definitely one of the weaker seasons, there were two episodes I think were really great:

The Lake House: Easily the funniest episode in the season, The Lake House did a good job of selling me on the Holt and Kevin plotline (even though it still felt kind of unnecessary). But even though the Parent Trap storyline is fun, the subplots are the real highlights here, with high Rosa, Terry's weird "hedges and ledges" line, and Charles locking Amy's kid in a room. It's a fast-paced and manic episode that represents B99 at its best.

The Last Day: This series finale pretty much saved the season for me, you can tell it's where the writers saved all their best jokes and setpieces. It's also one of the most fanservice-y finales I've ever seen, packed with references to past jokes, gags aimed towards classic sitcom finales, tons of guest appearances, and a 45-minute-long heist that might be one of the best in the whole series. There were so many good moments, like Rosa calling out the trope that everyone needs a love interest by the end of a TV show to be happy, or Hitchcock somehow winning the heist, or Terry screaming "Nine-Nine!", it was just a perfect ending to the series. 

Overall, this season was rough. While it had a solid main storyline, it suffered from weak humor, rushed pacing, and some really bizarre plot twists. Thankfully, by putting all of its experience points in the finale, B99 managed to end the series on the best possible note.

3/5 Stars

My ranking of the B99 seasons are:

1. Season 7: Season 7 is my personal favorite because it's almost entirely lacking in fluff. Every episode is either really funny and creative, important to the story, or both, and the level of quality remained consistently strong throughout. 
2. Season 5: Season 5 really just a fantastic collection of some of the show's most iconic episodes and moments. I totally understand if you think this season is the best, it's an easy peak for B99's Fox run.
3. Season 6: Season 6 is definitely the most polarizing season, but it has a whole bunch of some of the show's best episodes, and I actually like some of the more divisive ones like Four Movements.
4. Season 3: The first three seasons are pretty close in quality but Season 3 is the most consistently strong for me, and the final Pimento storyline is easily my favorite of these "end of season arcs".
5. Season 1: Season 1 of B99 is a really solid season. Nothing amazing, but there's plenty of iconic moments and the initial character dynamics are (aside from Charles and Rosa) fun to look back on.
6. Season 2: While Season 2 probably has the most high points out of the first three seasons, it also has the lowest lows, since I think Jake suffered a bit too much especially in the later episodes.
7. Season 8: The finale was fantastic, but otherwise, Season 8 suffers from horrid pacing where it tries to do way too much in way too little time. I admire the attempt, B99 just couldn't pull it off.
8. Season 4: There are some great episodes here but Season 4 also has the most duds as well as easily the weakest ending story arc in the whole series. Also, the Coral Palms storyline drags hard.

My ranking of the B99 finales are:

1. The Last Day: I love sitcom finales. The Last Day is the ultimate Halloween episode, a love letter to the show, and a relentless series of all of B99's biggest running gags paying off. And it's pretty emotional too.
2. Jake And Amy: The titular couple's wedding was fun on its own, but I also really like how subdued the cliffhanger was this time.
3. Johnny And Rosa: Jake and Amy ending up together already brought this finale near the top, but Holt being transferred and that rage-inducing cliffhanger only solidified it.
4. Lights Out: Though the only finale to not have a cliffhanger, Lights Out is just a fantastic episode on its own merits. Everyone gets moments to shine and Jake's chase through NYC is great fun.
5. Charges And Specs: Though the pacing is kind of all over the place, I like the unpredictability of the cliffhanger and Charles and Rosa's subplot is finally put to rest.
6. The Suicide Squad: The concept of bringing back series antagonists was really cool, but the cliffhanger was just a carbon copy of the one from Season 2's finale.
7. Greg And Larry: On its own, this is a frantic and fun episode with some surprisingly great action. As a finale, it leaves a lot to be desired in terms of telling a cohesive story.
8. Crime And Punishment: I already hate false accusation storylines so this was already very frustrating to watch, but it also didn't help that none of this finale was even that funny. 

Favorite Episode: HalloVeen