One Good Point (Show) - Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Seasons 7 and 8

So for starters, I was actually surprised at how much I enjoyed Brooklyn Nine-Nine. From the little previews and clips I saw online, the show looked too absurd for me to really enjoy; I like sitcoms as much as anybody, but there's a level of silliness that sometimes I find off-putting. And while 99 gets pretty silly here and there, it's actually a gentler sort of silliness than you might expect.

So then, seasons 7 and 8! Well, the show continues the same general format: diverse but slightly over-dramatized police work, occasional silliness, occasional heartfelt moments, and overall satisfying conclusions. Season 7 is pretty eventful, lots of character progression, people have babies, classic guest stars return, and it's all very entertaining and very much what you would expect.

Season 8, however, is a whollllle different animal. Season 8 debuted in 2021, after Covid, and more importantly for this particular show, after the George Floyd protests. Plenty of shows, especially sitcoms, could've just gone about their business and done another standard season of episodes, with the standard police-related hijinks that the first seven seasons offered. But Brooklyn Nine-Nine did something pretty daring. They acknowledged the importance of George Floyd's death and the aftermath, and the evolving public perception of police, and they did so in a way that was true to the show while still being pretty responsible.

Rosa leaves the police force to become a private investigator, specifically focusing on improper police behavior. Jake wrestles with the classic concept of being "one of the good ones," and is confronted with his own bad behavior, even while doing "good things." The series hits on the ideas of ally-ship, mortality, identity, and (as all good final seasons ought to do) turning the page on a part of your life.

There are a ton of emotional moments in the final season, and the two-part series finale is saturated with them (possibly over-saturated with them, but that's how it goes with TV). The jokes are good, but I found the social commentary to be a refreshing way to buttress the final season. Sometimes at the end of a run, a show can get too attached to old jokes, tropes, repeat guest stars, and overall less creative content. Brooklyn Nine-Nine stayed compelling to the end, in different ways perhaps, but compelling to the end.

And R.I.P. Andre Braugher. Holt was the best character on the show.

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