Brooklyn 9-9. I may have already done this show but I had limited time today and I love this episode so… hopefully it’s not a repeat or you don’t mind if it is. This week also does not have a theme because I am (happily) very busy writing in free time but I still love this exercise. Here we go…
The Show
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is a police sitcom on Fox. It is set in the fictional 99th Precinct of the NYPD in Brooklyn and follows the team of detectives and a newly appointed captain. The seres has won two Creative Arts Emmy Awards and two Golden Globe Awards: one for Best TV Series – Musical or Comedy, and one for Andy Samberg for Best Actor – TV Series Musical or Comedy.
The Breakdown
The Cast
Jake, the self-appointed leader and trouble maker of the detectives
Captain Holt, the rules-loving actual leader of the detectives
Terry, former captain and Holt’s right hand man
Amy, Holt’s sort-of mentee and Jake’s girlfriend, smartest detective in the squad
Rosa, blunt and angry detective. Shows as much emotion as the captain
Charles, Jake’s best friend and a foodie
Gina, Holt’s self-involved assistant
Scully, one of a pair of utterly useless detectives who mostly entertain each other
The Storylines
A-Story: Jake and Holt vie for the title “greatest detective/genius”
B-Story: Amy fights for her role in the department
C-Story: Charles wants to set Gina up on a date
The Structure
TAG: Charles arrives on Halloween not wearing a costume because no one else ever does. He enters to see he is the only one wearing regular clothes. In a panic he runs to his car for an emergency costume.
Charles returns dressed as Elvis. Everyone is now in regular attire. Charles is dismayed and confused.
TITLES
A: Jake announces his new competition with the Captain and its rules. They will both attempt to steal a plastic crown out of the interrogation room after choosing teams and the winner will be declared “greatest detective/genius.” The entire office listens to the terms with excitement though Jake is annoyed at Holt’s lack of enthusiasm.
B: Jake and Holt pick teams and leave Amy out. She is disappointed as they accuse her of being a potential spy due to her relationship with each of them.
C: Charles and Gina are assigned to guard the crown from the observation room next to the interrogation room. Charles wants to set Gina up. She turns him down.
A/B: Amy tells Jake she’s hurt. Jake accuses her of spying on him for Holt.
A: Roaches fall out of Charles’s pants. Gina panics as Jake puts his plans into action.
A: Jake runs in and distracts Gina. Rose sneaks into the interrogation room and steals the crown.
A: Holt has planted a bug on Jake’s desk. He listens to Jake brag to Rosa about what they’ve done. Holt reveals letting Jake relax was all apart of his plan.
COMMERCIAL
A/B: Amy seeks out Holt. Amy wants to help Holt against Jake. Holt accuses Amy of spying for Jake and kicks her out.
C: Charles introduces Gina to Nadia, the perfect man. Gina thinks it’s a trap and screams at him until he leaves.
A: Terry hands Rosa a piece of her bike. She heads out of the office to take care of whatever supposedly happened.
A: Terry’s family arrives and wants to take a picture with Jake. Though Jake tries to stay close to the crown hidden in the file cabinet, while Jake is busy Holt slips behind and sneaks out the crown.
A: Holt walks past a motion-sensor witch, alerting Jake who runs after Holt. Holt quickly throws the crown in a nearby garbage can.
A: Jake and Holt bicker. Jake eventually backs down and they both leave the kitchen with the crown still in the garbage can.
A: Both Jake and Holt realize the crown is gone. They believe they have been snaked by the other person.
COMMERCIAL
A: Holt confront Jake. They both realize that neither has the crown and it is now missing.
C: Gina realizes that Charles wasn’t messing with her and Nadia is the perfect guy. She begs him for another chance.
A: Both teams check the security footage and see the crown was taken by the janitor, Al. They seek out Amy who will have the address.
A/B: Jake and Holt over-compliment Amy in the hopes they can now win the address from her. She’s upset and sick of the game as she texts the address to both of them.
A/B: Both teams race to the address and find that Al… is Amy. They both are distraught.
COMMERCIAL
A/B: Amy explains how she pulled off the heist. Holt and Jake concede the victor to her.
A/B: Amy is coronated as the Queen Of 9-9 and declared “greatest detective/genius.” They all celebrate.
C: Gina meets Nadia again and learns that he is related to Charles’s girlfriend. She quickly calls it quits again.
THE END
Conclusion
Super simple, right? Two clear acts with act one as the set up building up to both guys losing the crown and the second half is all pay off from Amy. If you want to look at it like the “sketch structure” that I mentioned in the Broad City breakdown then the set up is the explanation at the beginning, the action is them both stealing the crown, the turning point is the crown is missing, the climax is Amy’s reveal, and the coronation is the resolution.
Simple, clear, and hilarious. I love this episode because the relationship between Jake and Amy is hinted at from the beginning and them being together in the show could have ruined it and yet it has only made things better. They are so opposite but the chemistry between Melissa Fumero and Andy Samberg is simply fantastic. Then to top things off, instead of letting Amy fall to the wayside as many shows would, she gets to still come in and kick ass and be her awesomely OCD self all the time. In fact, all three of the main actresses on this show are incredibly underrated/valued by critics and deserve so many accolades for their fantastic work. This show does an amazing job of making sure that every character is utilized each week, definitely something to look at in our own writing.
Happy Writing!