Episode Title: "Pilot"
Episode Grade: B-
A few weeks ago, when writing about Rome's first episode, I made the entirely obvious and cliched point that pilots are exceptionally difficult (and like any good, ass-covering 21st century ironist, I defused my lack of originality by pointing it out). This is doubly true for comedies. It can take a while for the writer's room to find its voice, and network executives often excise anything original or innovative from pilots in an effort to make them more familiar to viewers. The humor is often broad and wacky, and characters reside on the extreme ends of personality spectra.
Keeping these factors in mind, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is an exceptionally fine start, and if the episode grade doesn't seem to reflect that, it's important to recognize that there's a healthy foundation here.
Because Brooklyn Nine-Nine is largely a vehicle for SNL alum Andy Samberg, secondary and tertiary characters aren't sketched out in much detail for the pilot. But Samberg's performance here is strong enough and likable enough to carry the initial episode.
Samberg has always been a funny, enjoyable presence; handsome in a goofy, non-threatening way, with a sense of humor whose target is usually himself. Those are important traits for Jake Peralta, the police detective he plays in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, because the wrong actor could make this character utterly insufferable and un-watchable.
Peralta is, in the pilot at least, largely a comedic archetype, a cocky man-child with a rebellious streak. I don't blame you if you fell asleep during that description, but it works here. This is partly the result of solid writing (Samberg never does anything too grating), but it's mainly a product of the work put in by Samberg, who's aware enough to deflect much of the humor back on himself.
The plot here is strictly workmanlike and paint-by-numbers: the precinct gets a new captain, Ray Holt, played by Homicide veteran Andre Braugher. Braugher is the other stand-out in this episode, which was probably to be expected considering his skill and pedigree. Captain Holt's something a tough, no-nonsense type, and again, this is the farthest thing from innovative. But Braugher brings a little smirk to the role, a slight humorous edge that keeps him from being a true stereotype.
The other characters are introduced in the clumsiest fashion possible, by way of blatant exposition in which Terry Crews, playing the precinct's squad leader, flatly lays out the traits of all the detectives. Rose Diaz is tough and sassy. Charles Boyle is not terribly bright, but he works hard. Amy Santiago, Samberg's partner, is competitive, driven and intent on proving herself.
There's an indifferently written murder plot here that intersects with a sub-plot where Braugher insists that everyone wear a tie and Samberg resists him. The only thing of interest here is the revelation that Captain Holt is gay, a piece of information that is delivered matter-of-factly and with little attempt to draw attention to it. We'll see how Brooklyn Nine-Nine deals with this moving forward, but it's an encouraging start.
And that can be said about the show as a whole. There's work to do with the other characters, and at some point there has to be a plot or two that's worth a damn. But the pilot episode succeeded in doing what pilot episodes are supposed to do: bring the viewer back for another episode.
Notes
- But is it funny? Yep. Not uproariously so, but consistently and frequently. There's a lot of humor mined from Peralta's arrogance, and Samberg's delivery and timing are, as always, excellent.
- "They called me Terry Titties, because I had large, um...." "Titties, yes, I remember."
- Joe Lo Truglio does admirable work as a character who is almost literally described as average and boring. You don't want to turn him into too much of a sad sack, but he's quite funny in a sub-plot where he tries to ask Rose out to a classic movie festival.
- "OK, I'll do it. I'll pick a better movie than Citizen Kane."
- Samberg is quite upset to realize that he missed the signs of Braugher's homosexuality, including a newspaper clipping with Braugher's picture and a headline that says "NYPD's First Openly Gay Captain."
- "Damn, I am not a good detective."
- The show's not above lampshading the stilted nature of its introductory exposition, as Terry Crews' character admits that he "talked a lot about Jake in my departmentally mandated therapy sessions."
- "Humility over. I'm amazing."
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