Brooklyn Nine-Nine, “Halloween Part III,” (3.5) - TV Review

October 25th, 2015, 8:30 PM, FOX

Holt and Jake continue their annual Halloween heist mission (“Halloween Heist 2: The Heistening”, as Jake dubs it). The object of desire is a briefcase filled with a cheap party crown, the competition is for theft-related bragging rights, and this time the title of “Amazing detective slash genius” is on the line. Conflicts grow more and more ridiculous as Terry and Rosa resort to petty criminal mischief on each other’s property, Amy ends up left out of the hunt when neither man feels comfortable enough to trust her on their team due to her admiration of Holt and her current relationship with Jake, and outside forces are mustered for an assist. At the eleventh hour the crown goes missing and Holt and Jake must scramble to try and capture the title before it slips from their hands – and into the grip of an unexpected third party. Meanwhile, Charles tries to set up Gina on a date with another man but she’s reluctant to trust his instincts, even when he produces a model-like man with dangerous-slash-interesting pastimes.

This year’s Halloween episode is more of a wrapped Snickers bar versus an apple filled with razors. Jake/Holt rivalry episodes always tend to be a ton of fun, and their mutual sense of respect-cum-annoyance with one another is always a solid basis for a good plot. The best part is the spoiler for the whole shebang; Amy, whose detective skills and innate competitiveness should never have been discounted by either man. All of my worries that Amy’s personality might be somehow flattened due to her relationship with Jake have generally been alleviated over the past couple of weeks, and tonight’s episode cuts those fears to thin ribbons; she’s still an amazingly cool, amazingly confident cop ready to swing into action, determined to be the best, and to be Holt’s #2.

There’s a good mix of physical comedy and verbal humor this time out; highlights include Charles trying to distract Gina by stuffing live cockroaches into his pants and Rosa’s stone-cold-warrior-woman flips and spills through open air grates. As always the best thing about the show continues to be the fact that it values the characters’ friendships so highly. Maybe that’s why the cold open was actually a little too cruel for me to take this time out; there’s a difference between making Charles the unit’s buttmonkey and indulging in actually mental cruelty toward him. It was mean-spirited and unnecessary.

But in the end the episode’s worthiness wins out; it’s always fun to watch the 99 unite, even if the big twist is obvious, even if you see it coming, and even if you’re wondering how someone like Gina doesn’t already have some kind of boyfriend. The treat is in the grand scheme of things and the tiny details make everything worth the effort of watching, especially when the final scheme plays out in a brilliantly ludicrous moment of comedic clarity. A highly recommended episode that continues the show’s string of strong Halloween showings.
The Roundup

• Halloween costumes of the 99: Terry is dressed as Popeye, Jake is Genghis Kahn, Amy is an Elf, Rosa is Little Bo Peep, Gina is a matador and Charles is Elvis Presley.
• Low points in Charles’ life: Doesn’t dress up for Halloween after years of being the only one in costume and then the whole office dresses up; he rushes down to get his emergency costume and they’ve all already changed back.

li>Jake and Holt actually give up all of their overtime as a reward for this competition.

• Charles and Gina had a brief affair in season 2, which led into their parents meeting and marrying within months of its conclusion


• “…Why are you yelling at my boob?”
• ”BECAUSE THE CELVAGE CLOAKS THE CAMERA WITH ITS CURVE.”


• ”I look so strong standing next to them – should I have kids?” Mark this down for future notes.


• There’s also a proposal and a declaration of love, though not as romantic as one might have hoped those moments might be.


• Jake apparently doesn’t throw away garbage.


• Amy is a lip reader. A poor lip reader at that.


• It’s worth noting that Terry’s twins are being aged up properly as the show goes along. We last saw them as infants in season one; now they appear to be about three, as inferred earlier in the season.


• Gina’s potential beaux is played by , best known for his work on the soap One Life To Live.


• Apparently dinners end at the Boyle/Linetti house with slow dancing. Because of course they do.


• Next Week: The show is preempted for the fifth game of the World Series.