The second season of the comedy sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine is 23 episodes long. After the somewhat cliffhanger ending of the first season, the first episode takes place six months later. That cliffhanger is immediately resolved which feels like a cheap shot to be honest. Jake Peralta, the funny cop from the 99th precinct of New York police department, has returned from his undercover assignment with great success. It gets right into the groove of things and is an enjoyable first episode.
The whole cast returns along with some new supporting characters slowly introduced over the course of the season. Jake is the catalyst for all the out there stuff that they do in the police station. There are various callbacks to the first season such as a new Halloween heist episode, which is still a highlight in this season. Seeing the uptight and always serious Captain Holt face off against Jake never gets old. Other characters continue their shenanigans, such as Gina with her selfish attitude and Amy being a teacher’s pet. These things become their sole defining characteristic at times, which can make their characters become one dimensional, although it is often used to great effect. The once-off characters introduced are usually eccentric.
As a comedy sitcom, the style of humor is the life and blood of the show. Thankfully, the humor remains on point. However, as expected, there is the occasional joke that has been reused. The cold openings remain some of the funniest humor that the series has to offer. Each episode usually has various subplots going on, and one usually involves a mystery in which the characters have to solve it. These mysteries are usually the most interesting of the bunch. There are a mix of the police work side of things and personal matters to keep it varied. That’s not to say that there are not long running arcs that span over the season; it’s just that most of those gets resolved relatively quickly.
The relationships between the characters continue to get complicated. Gina and Boyle are a large focus in the earlier episodes. Then of course there is Jake and Amy after Jake’s confession last season. Even Captain Holt has a new rival. We’re constantly shown that Jake has no boundaries. He will do anything if he thinks it will make a good joke and is fun. He will recruit criminals to help him, manipulates others, and of course, this is all in good spirits…
Boyle on the other hand is loyal to Jake but he is an unusual person. While in the first season you can’t help but feel sorry for him at times, he’s a lot better now. He’s more confident, and picked on less by others. Some of his lines are the best, especially due to how loyal he is to Jake but can’t help but spout out something inappropriate. There are clashing styles of management, from Jake’s carefree attitude to Amy and Holt’s stricter protocol. However, it clearly demonstrates that one isn’t better than the other, but it depends on the situation. What’s good is that while the characters are competitive, they aren’t one to sulk and will accept when they have stuffed up and give credit where it is due.
As is usual with sitcoms, characters take two steps forward and one step back in terms of the progress that they make. The team may start to have Holt warm up and open up to them more in one episode, but in the next, he’s back to being cold and closed. It is a gradual process. This culminates into the season finale which results into yet another cliffhanger. After how they dealt with last season’s, it’s hard to be excited to see the development of it within the next season, even though it is an interesting turn of events.
Overall, the second season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine continues off the strong start it had. All of the characters stay true to form, for better or for worse. That being said, most of the cast is likable and there is enough charm and uniqueness in the show to keep you engaged.
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