Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review: The Golden Child (Season 6 Episode 9)
Melissa Fumero as Amy Santiago is the crown and the cape of Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6.
Even with the monumental talents of THE Lin-Manuel Miranda, Amy Santiago is the life force and power on Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6 Episode 9, “The Golden Child.”
It doesn’t get much better than BrookLIN Nine-Nine!
From the top of the episode when we learn about hierarchical placement of framed photos in the Santiago household, Amy shines as an authentic jealous sister.
Her photo’s spot on the piano is a constant reminder of her inferiority to her perfect brother Daniel. Amy is so accomplished and impeccable by nearly every standard under the sun that is is literally laughable that she is jealous.
It does also put into perspective and context some of the fears she expressed on Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6 Episode 8, “He Said, She Said,”regarding being good enough.
Amy has been trying to prove herself worthy for her whole life. This is how a patriarchal society can bear down on women who dare to push on the boundaries and insist on access.
Luckily, Amy persisted.
The beautiful thing about the way “The Golden Child,” showcases Amy’s character is that it allows her to win a place on the mantel without having to be alone.
David is not shown with a significant other on the episode. He doesn’t seem to have anything in his life that he’d sacrifice being the golden child for.
Amy, on the other hand, has Jake.
Jake is not her prize or her trophy. The message is certainly not that real winning is having love in your life.
Instead, it is that Jake so fully and wantonly believes in his wife, that Amy doesn’t need to beat her brother in order to know her value. She can finally stop proving herself good enough because the answer is clear: she is the best.
Peraltiago is knocking down so many barriers and repeatedly showing a healthy, fun, sexy marriage and I am here for it all day.
The Jake and Amy of the episode is very strong, but Melissa Fumero deserves the spotlight and highest of praise for her consistently excellent performance.
The facial expressions Amy makes when she learns about David’s cocaine arrest are hilarious.
Her prolonged, “Ooooooh, noooooo,” with the curling smile sets me into peals of laughter. The eye-rolls and stank faces abound, much to my delight.
Rosa gets it right when she reacts to Amy’s glee at her brother’s failure.
ROSA: That’s savage. I love it.
All the funniest parts of the episode are because of Fumero’s remarkable delivery. She nails the physical comedy of the dance-off.
Lin-Manuel Miranda as David Santiago is a dream dance-off partner, but Fumero handily matches his awkward body part-centric moves.
I would more than happily watch an entire episode of those two dancing to try and earn the golden child trophy.
I will certainly be bringing my elbow and wrist dance moves to the floor the next time I go out.
I love the comedy, but the most powerful Amy face of the episode is when she opens the door to find Jake in the SUV. Her face is awash in relief and love.
It is deeply romantic and touching.
It reaches this instant impact because of Fumero’s ability to use a fraction of a second to portray intimacy.
The episode firmly establishes Fumero’s range and ability to lead a show. I find myself feeling so proud of this character and the actor who plays her because of the way that Brooklyn Nine-Nine has allowed us fans to be a part of their family.
What a special gift from a special show.
The plot works great to integrate Amy’s family life with her relationship with Jake and with the detective work that is so fun to watch on the show.
David’s smarmy perfection is never so over the top as to be distracting or offensive.
The whole episode is just right in its delivery and content.
And it is impossible to ignore the joy factor that comes with having Miranda on the screen.
He is so much fun to dislike, knowing how marvelous and supportive he is of the show and the community of Brooklyn in real life.
Stray Thoughts
- Rosa is stunning with that lip color. The costume and make-up on Season 6 have been fantastic.
- Captain Holt describing his love for his girlfriend’s “can” is magic.
- I miss Gina. I can’t help it.
- Lin-Manuel Miranda is clearly a fan of the show- no one could have perfected Amy’s bird arm move without careful study.
- The b-plot works well on the episode, but I still want a Terry-focused story.
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 Thursdays at 9/8c on NBC.
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Janelle Ureta
Janelle Ureta is equal parts Veronica Mars, Raven Reyes, and Rebecca Bunch, but she aspires to add some Tammy Taylor to the mix. An attorney turned teacher, Janelle believes in the power of a well-told story. She is currently exploring how to tell short stories, 140 characters or less, on twitter. She loves to talk about TV, and right now she can't shut up about Timeless, Dear White People, Crazy Ex-Girlfriend, The 100, or Younger.