Brooklyn Nine-Nine has had a rollercoaster of a television existence from having a solid first five Seasons followed by less-than-the-best Seasons 6 and 7 and ending with a tragically weak Season 8. That is not to say, however, that, in the most humble of opinions, to me, Brooklynn Nine-Nine has THE BEST television series finale – even better than Breaking Bad’s. Yes. I went there.
Let me just say I had a LOT of fun watching this series finale, much to my surprise, and I even brought out a freshly bought Spider-Man notebook to take notes on so I can be thorough with this review. I am going to be walking you through the episode, listing out all the references to seasons’ past, and giving my overall opinion for the season as a whole, the series, and the season finale.
Spoilers for the entirety of Brooklynn Nine-Nine, especially Season 8 + the series finale: The Last Day
Let’s start out with a brief overview of the series leading up to the finale. ABC has been dumping B-99 episodes onto Hulu two episodes at a time. That’s shocking considering if you were to ask your best friend, Google, “broklynn 99 season 8 episode count” (typos and all), then Google, your best friend, will tell you “Did you mean Brooklyn 99 season 8 episode count?” because, of course, they have to point out your every mistake every time you write! I failed the typing test in college, Google! All because I didn’t use my right pinky enough, Google! Lay off my back, GOOGLE- *clears throat*
In any case, these episodes were coming out faster than normal – probably to hide the fact that this season – like many seasons of many other sitcoms (like Black-ish and Superstore) who fell victim to the circumstantial filmmaking of 2020 and suddenly became the spokesperson (and honestly, seemingly preaching to the choir at most times) about the pandemic, masking wearing, BLM, and every other issue that 2020 brought with it. Whereas bringing issues to light is very well encouraged, I do believe there is a time and place for that. Dare I say, again in my own opinion – however right or wrong it could be – politics have no place in mainstream media for entertainment purposes. To me, watching TV sitcoms gives me the same feeling a reading book would give a bookworm. It’s the ability to escape the reality that life sucks and there’s not much we can do about it because whining clearly hasn’t helped any. So, turning to a world that is funny, bright, and cheery for 21-minutes at a time coupled either with cute life lessons or fantastic character development that might hit you deeper than you ever realize is something that enthralls me and that I look forward to when watching a sitcom. The ability to still incorporate real-life but still create a whole new world (sort of like Marvel’s What If…?) is usually what carries a sitcom for me.
With that being said, I was going to say the start of Brooklynn Nine-Nine truly suffered from the obvious commentary many social issues that had either resurfaced or appeared in 2020 such as police brutality and racial bias within the police force, Black Lives Matter, the Pandemic and wearing masks, the “corrupt moral injustice of police punishment” (air quotes because there’s not a full term and I wanted it to be known it is one solid idea… ellowell), gay rights (as always but you messed with my Holtner [Holtner? Cozholt? Oof.] and every though it ended happily, you still messed with my heart, man.), and working roles for parents. Where these issues can totally be handled well in any form of media, I feel B99 may have missed the marks on these. The presentation was a bit too in-your-face and at many times, as I aforementioned, preachy with characters doing things that just seemed flat out ridiculous or slightly out of character, things happening for the sake of things happening, random new revelations that mean nothing in the overall arc of the series, and just poor execution overall.
Now, I am not going to go over these issues episode by episode as you’re here for the finale discussion. However, here are the episodes I had issues with; you can watch them for yourselves: Episodes 1, 3, semi 4, semi 5, 6, and semi 7. Honestly, I am as shocked as you as I had lumped all of these episodes into like a solid three? Basically, episodes 2 and 8 were my favorites of the series as they were mostly filler episodes (except the very subtle nad appreciated execution for the normalization of Weed/Cannabis with Rosa eating an edible. It proved for some of Rosa’s most outrageous gags and, as I said, brings up both sides to the normalizing cannabis debate with Jake commenting “that sounds like fun” and Amy’s aversion to even watching Rosa take the edible to finally Rosa ending with “I’m never doing drugs again” after realizing she had agreed to join Scully on a road trip while high claiming to not be high [I was dying at Stephanie Beatrice’s performance in this episode, hat’s off to you!]). By the time episode 8 had come out, I knew the last two episodes would come and I would likely get a very disappointing series finale. I even sat down last week and uttered, “let’s get this over with” but then found no two new episodes and that’s because the final two episodes are actually one 46-minute episode that ABC is calling two episodes for… “taxing purposes” – I don’t know. That’s always my go-to air-quote excuse. Either way, no, we didn’t get ten episodes, technically, and I am a technical man… I am technically angry, ABC, but that’s neither here nor there, so onto the review!
Brooklyn Nine-Nine Series Finale Review
As soon as the episode opened up, I could immediately tell the finale was playing upon the traditional TV trope where the production value for the final episode skyrockets and suddenly everything looks more pristine and almost like a film. Brooklyn Nine-Nine did that for their finale, and it’s greatly appreciated because the entire series looked like it was shot on Sony A73’s and a film lut that made everyone look like they were in an early 2000s Micahel Bay’s movie (i.e. Transformers). So, the upgrade was much appreciated! Also, because of the extra time, the whole episode felt almost as long as a very well-written feature-length movie. The pacing was beautifully handled and there was never once a lull in the episode. Aside from how the episode looks (and it looks GOOOOOOD), it is immediately revealed in classic Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) fashion that this is a Heist episode, which is the perfect way to end the series. They even did the thing they do in Power Rangers where they reference key moments that happened in the series prior (which those Power Ranger episodes are usually Halloween-themed… hmm….), except Brooklynn Nine-Nine did it way better – a Memory Lane; they did a memory lane. Of course, this episode was packed with TONS of twists that keep the story going and keeps the audience hooked to see what will happen next.
Let’s talk about these twists. There were too many of them to jot down, but classic Michale Shur and Heist style, there is a twist that happens in almost every scene at least once or twice (could be a hyperbole, but I think Gina’s sweatshirt’s speak for themselves). The first and best twist, (in my opinion) is that Jake is working with Amy Santiago Peralta (Melissa Fumero), finally, after all these years, HAHA! The second best twist is that Jake is leaving the Nine-Nine. Andy Samberg’s performance in this episode is truly the best he’s ever done in terms of development for Jake Peralta. My hats are also off to you, sir! It hits especially hard because you realize what this episode is: elaborately Brooklyn Nine-Nine and you would only understand if you’ve seen Brooklynn Nine-Nine all the way through at least once, you’re honestly going to have to from here on out because of the many references they throw at you. I will say, I enjoyed discovering the honestly often hard clues for the past eight years of Brooklynn Nine-Nine.
The rest of the episode plays out in true Brooklyn Nine-Nine fashion by placing characters in a series of hilarious events caused by each character’s own desire: to be the best at the heist. The finale placed characters on location sets like Amy on the balcony watching Rosa jump onto a moving armored truck driven by Gina Linetti (seriously, watch the finale – well, series, then finale!) or having Jake wake up in a hospital bed from a coma “seven years later” only to find out Amy had orchestrated this elaborated set up in less than forty minutes. This finale was bonkers and the gags were through the roof – some of Michael Shur’s and Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s best. We will get to the hospital bed scene in another article but that might have been the best scene in the entire hour-long episode. This finale had top-notch comedy, top-notch writing, top-notch directing, and the whole episode was top-notch, my little peaches.
Needless to say, we got to see character arcs come to a full circle and close exactly how each character’s arc would close, which is where we are going to close. It is truly the characters and their arcs and what they brought to this episode that truly makes it the best that TV has seen in a LONG time and quite possibly ever.
Jake Peralta
Hinted during the closing moments of season 8’s episode 7, Jake reveals at the five-minute mark of the finale to Amy, his wife, that he is officially leaving the Nine-Nine and that this is not only Amy and Holt’s last day, but Jake’s last day, as well, and the heist is an elaborate set up to soften the blow of sad goodbyes (You’re one clever son of a gun, Michale Shur!) It is revealed really early that Jake has decided he wants to be a stay-at-home father for their son, Mac, as Amy takes on more responsibility being the newest Chief of Police.
Something that Amy and Jake kept saying was that all Jake has ever wanted was to be a cop and that his new dream is being a father to their son. Except, I would make the argument that his dream has always been to be a father all along. All he has ever talked about since the first season was his broken relationship with his father and how that had affected him. I mean, he clearly has had daddy issues with both Captain Holt and Kevin together before. The fact that this is his arc, he finally realizes that sure being a detective is fine and all, but he now has a wife he loves with all his heart and a son for whom he would do just about anything. This was a beautiful moment and one that came VERY early in the episode, which served the rest of the story perfectly as the finale is about facing reality but being okay with it, but I’m getting ahead of myself. All in all, Jake’s character arc truly is one that pays off fully and is handled beautifully having been sprinkled throughout the entire season.
Amy Santiago
We had seen Amy Santiago go from the stick-in-the-mud by-the-book detective opposite to Peralta’s lazy, childish, immature, but highly effective personality. It only makes sense that these opposites attract each other throughout the first seasons only to get them hitched and have a son! What’s more beautiful is seeing them sacrifice their own desires at times for the other person. Jake really instilled that into Amy – after all, Amy was the one who wanted kids, but Jake was too afraid but was able to break those walls down for Amy with Amy. Even Amy became more like Jake, as evidenced in her wedding vows, and various hilarious gags throughout the rest of the series. In the series finale, we see her having to come to terms with the new role as the primary breadwinner of the family. It was so sweet that she was willing to sacrifice her goals to keep her husband happy. THAT’S a strong wife right there. It was even sweeter that Jake made her realize essentially that it wasn’t Jake’s dream to be a cop, but Amy’s dream to be Deputy Chief of Police and that it is perfectly okay for her to go work while Jake takes on homely duties! In the end, both Amy and Jake remain happily married in their roles, and they do it together, which is a very nice message.
Captain Raymond Holt
I talked a little bit about Captain Holt already so I won’t divulge much. I really enjoyed Holt’s final speech with Jake in which he basically told Jake he considers Jake to be Raymond’s son and that he was proud of him. This was Holt’s arc completed. He finally accepted that he is allowed to have emotions, he is allowed to have human reliability, and that he doesn’t have to be the wisest in the room always. Holt’s speech not only causes him and Jake to tear up, it caused me and many others, I’m sure. Thank you, Da- I mean, Captain Holt…
Rosa Diaz
Rosa always shines anytime she’s on-screen. It’s also amazing how it is almost always Rosa who handles the controversial issues in a matter-of-fact kind of way, possibly in an attempt to normalize said issues. It’s a storytelling tactic, something Schitt’s Creek uses with characters like David Rose, Patrick Brewer, and many others. It’s just something they treat as is and Stephanie Beatrice and Michael Shur do a really good job at tackling the issues they wanted to tackle without it seeming in-your-face whatsoever. The only time I felt where Rosa ventured into SJW territory outside of her “this is what it is, live with it” attitude is when she quit the force, and then that was later brought back up with Jake’s suspension from the Nine-Nine. Either way, her becoming a private investigator caused the writers to have to shoe-horn her into the series somehow incredibly conveniently and it just made things kinda weird and awkward. Her lack of screen-time, I felt, also hurt the final season as Rosa is, as we can see, a vital character to the series overall message.
The best of Rosa this season comes in Episode 2: The Lake House where it seemed like a knock-off of Parks and Recreation’s own camping episode (both series are created by Michael Shur, so no surprise there, he REALLY like caping themed things). This is where Stephanie Beatrice had to act being high on edibles to deal with the shenanigans of the Nine-Nine. Her performance was incredibly hilarious and gave us a bunch of great Rosa moments to gif.
In the end, Rosa delivers a concise, but powerful few lines about success and happiness not having to look like getting married and having kids, the traditional social symbol of “success.” She even put to rest the Dimento (Pimentaz?) ship with Adrian Pimento making a cameo to help her in the heist.
Terry Jeffords
Terry felt underused this season. He kind of stood around awkwardly almost as if he knew the show had gotten canceled and his existence was about to end. Terry Crews is a phenomenal comedic actor and it genuinely made me sad that we would be no more Terry Jeffords once this series ends. Well, it’s over but we got a good handful of Terry. We got a plethora of “Terry _____” lines (my favorite being “Terry’s reeling”) in the finale and we even had great lines about body image from the recurring comment on Terry can bust through walls easily because of his massive build. He even proves his worth that he can be both brawn and brains by figuring out how to escape the locked faked office with Captain Holt, only to impressively and hysterically bust through a wall Kool-Aid Man-style. IN the end, Terry was chosen to be the newest Captain of the Nine-Nine (not without Terry delivering yet another hilarious line about his being his life people are meddaling with for the sake of a Heist, as they have definitely manipulated and withheld important information from Terry in past heists), and he could not have been the more obvious choice. Honestly, the proof is in the entire series pudding. Terry continues on as the next/second black man (in a row, mind you) to be Captain of a precinct in NYD.
Charles Boyle
Charles also seemed a bit off this season. I mean, all the characters did, to be honest. But with the revelation that Charles Boyle isn’t a blood-Boyle (EW, MICHAEL SHUR, YOU’RE A GENIUS, BLOOD BOILS/BOYLES, HAHA!), but the product of an affair his mother had with a non-Boyle before marrying Charles’ father. Honestly, this episode was a filler episode, and I believe an attempt to give Charles closure as they tried to give each character a closure before the finale. By the end of the Boyle Murder Mystery episode, it is understood that being a Boyle isn’t about being a Blood Boyle (still gets me), but rather being a Boyle by choice. You choose who you want to be! You want to be a Boyle? Congratulations! You’re a Boyle! And you’re a Boyle! Everybody gets to be a Boyle! (sorry, tangent).
In the finale, Boyle has to come to terms that Jake is leaving when he stumbles upon Jake’s resignation letter foolishly left in Jake’s locker. However, we got to see the time and place where Charles and Jake first called each other best friends, during a crime scene and they both wore ridiculously hilarious scarves. It was a touching moment to see Charles admit his Phileo (brotherly) love for Jake and his fear that he may not be able to be a cop without Jake. Jake and Charles have been through SO much and the distinctly different personalities despite being on the same sanity spectrum prove that best friend combos can come in many different pairings. Charles comes to terms with Jake’s early retirement when Jake gets them into the Fancy Bestfriends magazine where they’re Best Friends of Venice.
Hitchcock & Scully
Due to COVID, Dirk Blocker, the actor who plays Hitchcock, did not return for season 8 in physical form, but appeared in iPad form – the classic method sitcoms use to keep their main cast in the show without having them physically present due to behind-the-scenes reasons. Hitchcock’s absence was truly felt by not just the fans, but by Scully. This best friend paring is one that is truly beautiful and goes alongside some of the top best friend parings in TV history to date. I know many of you shipped these two as a gay couple, but that would honestly ruin a beautiful friendship. Not everything needs to be sexualized, some things can remain pure and beautiful, like these two friendships. I mean, look at this gif. This is a beautiful thing to say to your best friend who is closer to you than your own brother.
Either way, the way they both said “I missed you” to each other in the finale after revealing that Hitchcock (of course) was not in Brazil after all and that his revelation had nothing to do with the heist but it ended up accidentally handing him the victory, something everyone, even he, thinks is flat out wrong.
Gina Linetti
Of course, I could not end this review without mentioning the fabulous Gina Linetti. I literally screamed when gina made her first surprise reveal! I knew the show couldn’t truly end without bringing her (or Hitchcock) back for one final episode. Honestly, every good finale should do this and bring back past characters (COUGH COUGH COMMUNITY YOU HAD A GOOD CHANCE TO LEGIT BRING BACK CERTAIN CHARACTERS FOR THE FINALE BUT NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO-). Gina’s return cemented her own arc that she’s rich, she’s all that, she’s forever Gina Linetti. Her comeback is hilarious as she is fully utilized for hilarious and memorable Gina moments (even paying tribute to her amazing sweatshirt, haha!)
The episode ended with a flash-forward “about a year later” and it seems to be Halloween. Suddenly, Jake Peralta pops in while Captain Terry Jeffords debriefs the new team of the Nine-Nine and Charles Boyle who remains to be a detective at the precinct. Not going to lie, I was feeling sad when everyone got into the elevator and the elevator stopped just as Jake smiles satisfyingly. I would have lost my absolute guts had it ended there, but I’m glad they gave us with the headcanon that every year the Nine-Nine will come back to always do their heist as a Nine-Nine, saying their famous phrase: Nine-Nine!
All in all, Brooklyn Nine-Nine had a rocky life on the silver screen and even rocker season 8. Despite its occasional problems, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has proven to be one of television’s best as it chose to focus more on the characters rather than one long strand of story. Brooklyn Nine-Nine had many homages to its past without seeming desperate for story but rather respectful in its own right. The series finale summed up why we all fell in love with the 99th Precinct of the NYPD in the first place. This show wasn’t about one character’s journey while at the Nine-Nine like the Community crowd at Greendale or a romantic story arc like Amy Susa and Jonah Simms in Superstore or Jim and Pam in The Office. Brooklyn Nine-Nine exists to tell the story of the 99th Precinct of the NYPD that exists between the time of Seasons 1 – 8. You could say it is Raymond’s Holt story as the series ends with him leaving the Nine-Nine with Amy to start their Police Change initiative (which was a very nice thing for the show to do, not going to lie). That’s what sets this show apart from other shows, it’s about this particular crew, not the place itself. The delicate care to treat the finale as an hour-long episode rather than a half-hour episode helped Michael Shur and Co craft the best Brooklyn Nine-Nine story ever told. Watching the series finale is basically watching the entirety of all 8 seasons in one hour-long episode. And that is why Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s series finale is TV’s best finale ever.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine can be found on Hulu free to watch with ads or ad-free with a subscription. This is not sponsored, I just love both Hulu and Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Conclusively, Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s finale gets a 10/10 for me with the overall show getting an 8.5/10 rating for me. Thank you for reading! Feel free to browse my website and check out what other stuff I do! I am taking inquires for my cover art, package, and logo designs, as well as videography!