Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review: Mr. Santiago (Season 4 Episode 7)
The meet-the-parents/“you’re not good enough for my daughter” storyline has been done on plenty of sitcoms before, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 4 Episode 7, “Mr. Santiago,” does it with guest star Jimmy Smits.
After meeting plenty of main characters’ family members in Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s first three seasons, we finally get to meet someone from Amy’s big family, and he’s wonderful.
“Mr. Santiago” does add a few twists to the standard meet-the-parents storyline, with a brief case of the week thrown in and Mr. Santiago faking his approval of Jake and embarrassing him. Even with the twists, it’s still pretty predictable, but the comedic chemistry between Jimmy Smits and Andy Samberg makes it so fun to watch.
Samberg runs the gamut with Jake in this episode, going from sucking up to Mr. Santiago to being a self-assured, boasting detective to awkwardly and uncomfortably trying to be lewd in defiance of Mr. Santiago’s disapproval.
Mr. Santiago, meanwhile, is every bit as organized and detail-oriented as Amy, but Smits makes high-fiving over a crossword puzzle and discussing the best binder tabs seem far less nerdy than when Amy does it.
His performance is understated, yes — at least, compared to some of the other parents we’ve met, and even compared to Amy herself — but he’s hardly boring, and paired with Jake’s boisterous immaturity, the two make a traditional comedy trope a lot of fun.
The two subplots don’t quite live up to the main plot, unfortunately.
The whole issue with the live turkey is a bit goofy, even by Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s standards. There are some good jokes, but all it really does is remind you that, hey, it’s Thanksgiving! It doesn’t even end up having “oh no, dinner is ruined!” consequences since the episode ends before they really get into that discussion.
Holt and Pimento’s subplot is more entertaining, although Pimento has such a big personality that he can seem a little too over-the-top when he’s not in the A-plot.
He seems especially over-the-top when paired with Holt alone. His one-sided, imaginary conversations go on just a little too long, and they don’t quite land when Holt’s reaction is a stony “hmm.”
Holt being super into the dog show would have been a funny recurring joke on its own, but throwing over-the-top Pimento together with low-key Holt makes for a rocky pairing.
Overall, “Mr. Santiago” isn’t one of Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s best, or even one of its best holiday episodes, but the wait to meet one of Amy’s relatives does pay off, even if the other aspects of the episode fall a little flat.
What did you think of “Mr. Santiago”? Did you like Jimmy Smits’ as Amy’s dad? Share with us in the comments below!
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Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs Tuesdays at 8/7c on FOX.
Katie Houlis
Katie is a recent college graduate who spent most of her free time at school binge-watching shows like Battlestar Galactica, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Fringe, and Hannibal. She has watched every single episode of Lost at least ten times each (yes, even “Stranger In A Strange Land”). Current favorites include a bunch of comedies, lots of superhero shows, and a few shows with quite a bit of murder in them.