(Contains Spoilers, duh)
Thank God Twitter saved this show.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is known for its iconic one-liners and unique diversity of the cast. This show got abruptly popular in 2017 for some reason, and thank goodness that it did.
But the real question is, why did it get so popular? What does this show necessarily do to appeal to the 21st century demographic?
This show has a very sharp and intricate way of its line delivery, it’s all very fast and doesn’t contain a laugh track (thankfully). But I am not here to write about the mechanics of its comedic value, I’m here to write about how they portray racial issues and brilliantly blend it with comedy. These two remarkable actors really channeled their skills for this scene in particular.
Season 4 Episode 16. This entire episode brought me to tears, and not from laughter. Captain Raymond Holt’s (Andre Braugher) line delivery between him and Sergeant Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) is absolutely astonishing.
I could analyze the whole episode in depth, but I am going to focus on a few main points. From the start, the writers of this show use their comedic relief to lighten the harsh reality of police brutality. This is apparent throughout the episodes. Terry tells the squad about his encounter with a racist police officer that arrested him in his own neighbourhood whilst he was looking for his daughters toy. The protagonist, Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) flashes back to his own experience from police officers. Except that his experience was significantly different. Peralta was pulling a prank on his friend while wearing the mysterious “Psycho” mask. The officer asked Peralta what he was doing and he got let off easily. No further questions were asked.
The writers use Peralta as an example of how double standards are portrayed. If Terry was doing the same thing as Jake Peralta, would he get away with it? Would Jake ever be stopped in his own neighborhood just for walking at night?
Usually throughout shows we have that one problematic character that kinda ruins the whole vibe of the cast as a whole *cough cough Ross Gellar cough*. However, they still wanted to have comedic relief so that the audience still knows that they’re watching a comedy, not a drama.
If you have seen this episode, you know that when Terry and the racist police officer have their discussion, it doesn’t go well. Terry believes that when he files a complaint with Holt, an African American as well, he would get reassurance. On the contrary, Holt didn’t want to file a complaint. This brings us to the most powerful scene, probably ever.
(Slide to see images from the scene)
Terry (left) and Holt (right) discuss the racial sensitivity topic in Holt’s home. Screenshot take from Season 4 Episode 16 "Moo Moo." Brooklyn Nine Nine.
Terry goes into an emotional monologue about how scared he was for himself, and for his daughters. The series of pictures of his dialogue really highlights the issue of police brutality against people of colour.
(Slide to see images from the scene)
Screenshot take from Season 4 Episode 16 "Moo Moo." Brooklyn Nine Nine.
Captain Holt later reveals why he denied Terry’s complaint. He doesn’t want to see Terry’s career go down the drain by besmirching another officer. He later conveniently shares his perspective and relates it back to his personal experience of being an openly gay black cop for a long time. This whole exchange had more depth to it than normal police conversation. It’s the heaviness of each sentence that depicts the truly disastrous repercussions racism has had on both these scarred individuals.
(Slide to see images from the scene)
Screenshot take from Season 4 Episode 16 "Moo Moo." Brooklyn Nine Nine.
The reason I say scarred is because of how in other episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine Captain Holt always refers to how hard his police life has been. The encounter Terry had may have hit too close to home for Captain Holt and his presumably similar experiences. Andre Braugher’s film career was very dramatic, he doesn’t have a concrete comedic history. Yet he is one of the most lovable and comical characters in this show. This goes for Terry Crews as well, he was always portrayed in movies as the “big black angry man” (watch Expendables if you need more evidence). However, in this show he plays a funny relatable character that is generally under appreciated.
(Slide to see images from the scene)
Screenshot take from Season 2 Episode 12 "Beach House." Netflix.
The audience now knows why Holt dismissed Terry’s problem, he was scared for Terry and his career. This scene also elaborates more on Holt’s past and how he got to be where he is today. This forms an emotional tie between these two characters and shows character growth between Terry and Holt.
Most comedy shows are just that. Comedy shows. Brooklyn Nine-Nine took the risk of addressing the issue of racial profiling and still executed the episode as a comedy.
Comments