Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review: Nutriboom (Season 5 Episode 16) and DFW (Season 5 Episode 17)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5 Episode 16, “Nutriboom,” and Season 5 Episode 17, “DFW,” are two big hugs for the fandom that smartly use guest stars to keep the show interesting and fun.

Again, please FOX: RENEW B99!

You would think that killing a pigeon is kind of like introducing a gun in the first act — that pigeon is coming back in the last act.

But no, it never reappears.

Something that Brooklyn Nine-Nine does really well is just lean into their robust silly side and leave it there for us to enjoy. But wow, that poor bird.

Jake and Charles go on an entirely silly escapade on “Nutriboom” that doesn’t captivate mystery-wise but does give us some great awkward moments.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine leans as heartily into the awkward as it does the silly, thank goodness.

Charles pretending to be his doppelgänger from Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5 Episode 4, “HalloVeen,” to infiltrate Nutriboom isn’t my favorite bit. But it gives us the from-the-front neck massage, complete with sustained eye-contact, and for that, I will always be thankful.

The main and most powerful plotline on “Nutriboom,” is Amy facing her own Amy. Amy’s Amy is a talkative, boundary-pushing officer who gets in the way of getting stuff done.

Amy does a kind of “Are You My Mother?” walk around the 99, gathering advice for how to deal with her Amy, based on how others deal with her.

It’s quite sweet to see Terry, Rosa, and Gina offer up how they deal with Amy’s Type-A spirit. I think my favorite is Rosa, who just disappears herself.

It is equally fun to see and hear how it goes when Amy tries out the strategies.

The best part of the exchanges is really that Amy has become so much more confident than she was in early seasons. She takes the feedback about her personality without any offense or defensiveness.

Considering that Captain Holt has laid the pressure on thick, telling Amy that she represents every Latina officer now, it is remarkable that Amy is undeterred and not particularly flustered by the critical feedback from her 99 family.

Amy’s blossomed confidence is yet another example of representation done keenly well on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Amy has done hard work to become confident in her unique personality, and she embraces that without ever having to isolate or become more like someone else.

Amy also masters the art of the pause-to-pour power move. That’s a big win, Sergeant.

Captain Holt delivers the emotional crescendo on “Nutriboom,” when he shares with Amy how he dealt with her. He tells her, “Amys are massive tools. Always listen to an Amy. Amys will always make you better.”

It is sweet, simple, and a new lens on how Captain Holt has viewed their relationship from the beginning.

Stray Thoughts (“Nutriboom”):

• I need a screenshot of Scary Rosa holding a scary owl for my bedroom wall.
• Scully and Hitchcock not recognizing Boyle is peak 99 hilarity.
• No one delivers lines like Rosa. My favorite of the episode is, “That was captivating as hell.”
• I want to know more about Gina’s Mommy and Me class. More Gina, please!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine follows-up the fun and sweet “Nutriboom” with the quirky — and thankfully more Gina-centric — episode “DFW.”

Nasim Pedrad steals the show as Jake Peralta’s newly discovered half-sister, Katie. Pedrad’s performance takes a more middle-of-the-road episode and makes it great.

Katie’s antics with the Times Square Tin Man/Robot bring out the boring in Peraltiago, without criticizing the nerdy couple. We’re just able to see how some drama can do the characters a bit of good!

It is a good move by Brooklyn Nine-Nine that they give Katie backstory and depth. She isn’t purely a zany, volatile person who threatens to upset the main characters’ plans.

She brings calamity, but a history of trauma too. In the end, she recognizes the importance of family and that she can’t just escape her life by moving in with Jake and Amy.

I appreciate the pull-back from full-on chaos, and Katie provides a nice lens to see the privilege Jake and Amy have with each other.

Gina has me rolling on the floor with her Captain Holt sounds machine.

Gina is the most brilliant character on the show. It is so fun and funny when we get to see that brilliance.

I would really like to see an episode that focuses just on Rosa and Gina. Their connection is surprisingly natural and tender.

And I love the instant chemistry between Rosa and the planted-bartender — but, ahem, excuse me! I’ve been promised Gina Rodriguez! So if Brooklyn Nine-Nine could make that happen immediately, that’d be great!

Stray Thoughts (“DFW”):

• Why is bad singing so funny? I love it so much.
• I spit out my drink at, “You’re a muscler, I’m a boner.”
• I also spit out my drink at, “You’re about to enter the Bone Zone.”
• The “I Want it That Way” may be my favorite opener of all time. So, so good.

What did you think of this episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs Sundays at 8:30/7:30c on Fox.

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