The series opens as it means to go on, really easy watching with guaranteed laughs.
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American cop-comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine returned to E4 this week for its second series, and illustrates the second series can pack in just as much humour as the first. At the end of series one we saw Jake Peralta played by comedian, and The Lonely Islands Andy Samberg, get fired from the NYPD to begin six months undercover in the mafia for the FBI. Series two begins at the end of Peralta’s undercover operation, after a planned police mass arrest at one of the gangs wedding. Laughter starts from the outset, with Peralta’s needy relationship with Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) resuming as normal with an awkward hug.
On successfully completing the FBI operation, Peralta returns to Precinct 99 to find that out of all those arrested, one of the main mobsters Freddie, has managed to escape. He then decides to go undercover again to track the man down with fellow cop Charles (Joe Lo Truglio). They head to the Freddie’s girlfriend’s apartment Bianca, who after threatening to shoot Peralta ‘lady hands’ because he is a rat, finally confesses that Freddie is leaving on a plane to Barbados.
Meanwhile at the station, Captain Holt is making the Sergeant (Terry Crews) run daily drills, ranging from pretending to be a seven year old, an angry prostitute, an unattended bag and an old woman. Amy (Melissa Fumero) and Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) then take it upon themselves to prove how ridiculous all the drills are by hiring out a bouncy castle to keep the ‘seven year old’ entertained. Sergeant Terry is forced to confront the Captain on what is really going on, who tells him that he is apprehensive about the arrival of a new commissioner.
At the end of series one, Peralta tells Amy that although he knows nothing can ever happen with her, he wants something to happen between them, the series picks up on this with Peralta telling Amy (along with a deep conversation about the Perp Name Hall of Fame) that what he said was a mistake and he didn’t mean it. Of course for the romantically awkward Peralta, this is simply a cover up story, and at the end of the episode he tells Amy that he still meant what he said, leaving their relationship up in the air once more.
Last series also ended with Charles and sarcastically cruel Gina (Chelsea Peretti) drunkenly hooking up, so in this episode we see Gina declaring that she has to lower her social standing and her spirit animal to a naked mole rat after making a horrible ‘sexual blunder.’ Charles however promises not to tell anyone because he is afraid of her, culminating again with them having yet another drunken hook up.
The episode is filled with its normal light hearted comedy, with its continual use of flashback showing an insight in the strange day to day lives of its characters. The series success can be based to its brilliant cast, whose on screen chemistry, particularly Samberg’s contribution, brings the show together. Episode one proves an easy watch, making Brooklyn Nine-Nine a series anyone can enjoy even without having seen the first series.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is broadcast on Thursdays at 9pm on E4.
