Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review: The Box (Season 5 Episode 14)

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5 Episode 14, “The Box,” smartly changes up the pace of the season by putting three incredible characters played by three incredible actors in a box.

Oh, damn. Oh, damn, Oh, damn! It works.

Sterling K. Brown guest stars as a murdering dentist who smugly believes he can outwit and out-cop Detective Peralta and Captain Holt.

What unfolds is some high-grade banter and acting one-upping. It is fun to watch and just endearing enough to make it quality 99.

It is a rare show that has stars humble enough to share time and character development with a guest star. Brooklyn Nine-Nine sets the bar for a well-oiled ensemble, as is showcased by Braugher’s and Samberg’s ability to step back and allow Brown to shine.

It’s less important or interesting that the detective duo has to come up with a series of bits to try and break the deadly dentist than how the three characters play off of each other.

There must be a spoof reel of the episode, and I am going to have to insist that fans have access to it at some point.

Braugher expands the range of Captain Holt and is particularly entertaining when he gets triggered by the distinctions between an M.D. and a Ph.D.

Brown kills it when he is everything but flummoxed by Peralta getting too close — his dental analysis of the sensitive detective is simultaneously adorable and hilarious.

Samberg gets to showcase Peralta’s full range of ridiculousness, including an acoustic serenade that has never worked to break a suspect but works for us at home.

All of the talented comedy serves to endear us even more to the 99 as a family.

It’s a great episode, but it would have been better if the characters we saw in the box weren’t already as well-developed as Holt and Peralta.

Especially because Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 5 Episode 13, “The Negotiation,” focuses on Captain Holt and Jake Peralta, I would have liked “The Box” to showcase Rosa and Gina.

I miss Gina! Even now that she’s back, I still miss Gina!

We haven’t been able to learn how motherhood is impacting Gina and her role at the precinct.

Becoming a parent shifts a person’s life at work. Gina is dealing with her new reality, and we as an audience want to be privy to it.

Additionally, the bond between Captain Holt and Jake Peralta has been sturdily established already. We don’t really need to see them facing insecurities about how one sees the other.

We do need to see that between some of the other leads. For example, another Rosa- and Amy-focused episode would cover new territory.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is doing great stuff. It could do even more by focusing on new pairings and characters to make sure we feel the love across the precinct.

I do think it is really smart for Brooklyn Nine-Nine to use a bottle episode like “The Box” to just let us fall in love with the characters even more and enjoy some good writing.

It is not flashy or trying too hard to get a renewal.

It’s as if we, too, are getting a breath of fresh air before heading back into this stressful renewal time, fighting for shows to have more seasons.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine should get a Season 6. But along the way, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is giving us episodes that are basically hugs: entertaining, sweet, and inclusive.

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

Reviewer Rating:

User Rating:

 

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

Follow us on Twitter @telltaleTV_

Want more from Tell-Tale TV? Subscribe to our newsletter here!