‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Comes Back With a Bang for Season Seven

Season Seven of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” premiered on Feb. 4 with two episodes filled with the shenanigans and multifaceted characters that fans have come to know and love. Given that the show is already renewed for an eighth season, it comes as no surprise that the showrunners deliver a classic combination of tense police business, fast-paced comedy, and touching moments between characters for a successful premiere that bodes well for the rest of the season.

Season Six ended with the removal of corrupt Commissioner John Kelly (Phil Reeves), but at a price. Beloved Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) was demoted to serve a year as a street cop by his arch-nemesis, Commissioner Madeline Wuntch (Kyra Sedgwick). The first episode of Season Seven, titled “Manhunter,” resolves this cliffhanger, revealing what life is like in the Nine-Nine without Holt in charge. In an exciting search for the man behind an assassination attempt, the episode follows the familiar dynamic duos of goofy Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and sidekick Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio), intimidating Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) and anxious Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero), along with the new partnership of stoic-yet-sassy Holt and indecisive Debbie Fogle (Vanessa Bayer). Peralta is thrilled when Sergeant Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) puts him in charge of the manhunt, until he runs into “Officer Dad,” AKA Captain Holt, at the crime scene. Eager for his big break as “the manhunter,” Jake hopes to take credit for cracking the case, but his aspirations are crushed when Holt steals his thunder.

The premiere is an excellent reminder of the amazing friendships formed in the Brooklyn precinct over the last six seasons. Rosa helps Amy through a pregnancy scare that’s as touching as it is laughable. Her attempts at calming Amy’s nerves include suggesting she aggressively kick things or listen to babbling brooks, which Rosa attempts to replicate with a hilarious series of “glubs.” Amy’s concerns also prompt a necessary conversation between her and Jake about their future, making up for the lack of intimate “Peraltiago” screen time in Season Six. Other than a few oddly placed and unproductive scenes, in which Terry Jeffords complains about his gossiping daughters, “Manhunter” is a well-composed reintroduction to the squad in all of its quirky yet lovable glory. Vanessa Bayer’s debut as Debbie Fogle also makes a valuable contribution to the episode’s comedic appeal, creating a funny contrast between her overly cheerful personality and Holt’s neverending pessimism. The tension of the manhunt is settled by the end of the episode, allowing the squad to focus less on crime and more on their new captain in episode two.

The second half of the premiere, titled “Captain Kim,” returns to the typical structure of “Brooklyn Nine-Nine”’s standalone episodes. Holt’s replacement is revealed to be Captain Julie Kim (Nicole Bilderback), the NYPD’s first Asian American female captain. Immediately, the bullpen is filled with doubt after meeting the seemingly too kind stand-in. Suspicious of Captain Kim’s motivations for joining the Nine-Nine, the squad searches for ties between her and the resentful Commissioner Wuntch at a dinner party that she invites them to. As per usual, the squad’s plan to discover her secrets falls apart, resulting in cringe-worthy yet amusing chaos. In one of the episode’s greatest plotlines, Holt is not the only character experiencing a change of role; Charles Boyle is temporarily rebranded as the bullpen’s “bad boy” after he borrows Rosa’s leather jacket for the weekend. Charles’ new mojo, Terry’s exchanges with an ex-convict whom he testified against, and Holt’s laugh-out-loud versions of drunken escapades make this episode a must-see, even funnier than the first half of the premiere.

Ultimately, the premiere episodes set an excellent tone for the rest of the season. As the only remaining Mike Schur show on air after the finale of “The Good Place,” “Brooklyn Nine-Nine” maintains the tradition of interspersing comedy and heartwarming, relatable moments, creating a wholesome family atmosphere in the NYPD precinct. While one can never know what the writers have in store, audiences should expect further explorations of the shifting character dynamics following Holt’s fall from grace, developments in Jake and Amy’s relationship, and the potential introduction of a long term villain as the show has done in prior seasons. Upcoming episodes include a renewal of the precinct’s Jimmy Jabs contest, titled “The Jimmy Jabs Games II,” and a dive into Holt’s new partner, with an episode titled “Debbie.” Who knows what kind of trouble the squad will get into next?