TV Recap: Brooklyn Nine-Nine, ‘New Captain’

New Captain Plot Summary:

After Captain Holt’s (Andre Braugher) promotion, the nine nine has to deal with their new captain, Sam Dozerman (Bill Hader.) Meanwhile, Amy (Melissa Fumero) and Jake (Andy Samberg) deal with the repercussions of their kiss.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a consistently funny show. Since the beginning, the jokes have been quick and smart, tailored to each character. With comedies it’s sometimes hard to create a strong first season because the audience doesn’t know the characters. Second seasons are where they hit their stride and third seasons are where they can derail. I’ve seen a ton of third season comedies flounder. They go overboard, amping their characters into caricatures or they simply repeat the same pattern from the second season.

But tonight, Brooklyn Nine-Nine delivered a strong premiere episode. However, there were a few lulls, and unfortunately, they were whenever Bill Hader was on screen. His scenes, specifically the opener, were super manic. They didn’t really fit with the rest of the show. His bits seemed like a one off from the actual episode and was without a doubt trying just a shy too hard.

Even with these pockets of okayness, “New Captain” was all-around hilarious. Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) is probably the funniest character, stemming from his innocent naivety and genuine goodness. He didn’t have an abundance of screentime this episode but every one of his lines were delivered with perfect comedic timing. His intrusion into Amy (Fumero) and Jake’s (Samberg) new relationship helped to keep this plotline from becoming innane.

They also balanced Captain Holt’s (Braugher) storyline well with the main story at nine nine. Though I hope Braugher will be back full time at nine nine soon, for now he is slaying at the PR department with Madeline Wuntch (Kyra Sedgwick.) Their back and forth grazes the line of over the top but somehow manages to stay on the gut bustingly funny side of the fence.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is by far my favorite comedy (on the air right now.) “New Captain” was a great start to the third season. I’m looking forward to next Sunday already.

Rating: 8 out of 10

https://youtu.be/aWAoTKp4Vmw
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