Episodes like “The Mole” highlight Brooklyn Nine-Nineits greatest strength, the cast of characters and the joke/heart ratio. Tonight’s subplot involving Terry and Santiago going to the Silent Disco in search of dope is one that hits on all cylinders. The writers together with the actors did a brilliant job introducing what appeared to be the ideal teenage influence for Terry (father of two little girls, it wasn’t even sex). He went to the same preschool as his daughter, claims he does not drink or do drugs and appears to be adjusting well. Terry offers a free bottle of water and comments to Santiago how great it’s that he does not do drugs, before commenting that they really should find some drugs.
A first for the show is the proven fact that A and B plots provide tension through both. It’s also hard to remember seeing this exhausted Captain Holt, seeing how the Drug Task Force and his police station spiraled out of control. The Task Force hasn’t found any drugs in their district and now it seems that there’s a spy in the department forcing Captain Holt and Peralta to work together and find out. This leads to a standoff in which the two of them accuse one another of being informers and Holt demands that Peralta return his guest’s pajamas and the most significant guest’s toothbrush.
By the end of the episode everything comes full circle with Jake realizing he knows everybody in addition to he thought when he discovers that there wasn’t a mole all along and was simply a scheme by Holt’s rival, Chief Wuntch, to ruffle some feathers. Terry also discovers that the perfect angel he introduces in the top half of the episode is not really a user but a supplier leading him to a big score for the task force. This also leads to a sentimental moment between Santiago and the Sgt where he expresses what a good father he’s and that he does not must worry about his daughters going down the same path.
In the final storyline, after Diaz and Peralta walk in the middle of copulation, we see Gina reveal her non-relationship with Boyle in a really moving way. Well for Gina. Brooklyn Nine-Nine is one of those sneaky comedies that makes you laugh almost every second of the show, but will also find a way to make you care about crazies like Gina and eccentrics like Boyle.
And someone, for the love of all things holy, please give credit to Andre Braugher for his monologue revolving around “Am I OK?”. His delivery was brilliant and Skully’s response (“I hear ya, I have this toenail fungus”) brought tears to my eyes.
Point a-
