Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review: Valloweaster (Season 7 Episode 11)

The Halloween Heist is back and better than ever!

Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 Episode 11, “Valloweaster,” comes out victorious thanks to another successful heist overflowing with precinct traditions, devastating insults, and gross worker misconduct — all in the name of Halloween and hijinks.

It’s clear here that the real winner of this year’s heist is us, the viewers.

The annual heist only works if everyone is on their absolute worst behavior. After all, it is the Nine-Nine’s ruthlessness and desire to do anything to win this worthless title that ultimately makes the elaborate concept so fun to watch.

So it’s a delight to see “Valloweaster” stick to what these episodes do best and completely ignore Jake’s valid attempts to tone down the intensity of the heist by handcuffing partners together.

The handcuffs are a promising bid on Brooklyn Nine-Nine‘s behalf to keep this heist from growing stale after seven seasons of having to rehash the same shenanigans. Fortunately, the effort is immediately outdone by Amy calling Holt a “dusty old skeleton”.

This once again sets loose the vicious and competitive nature that consumes these characters and the professional nature of their work relationships until all that is left is anarchy. It is a chaotic energy we know all too well, and one that is present for this heist in all the ways we need it to be.

And what could be better than one spooky heist? Three different holiday-themed heists!

The convenience of delaying the heist several times over six months doesn’t stall the flow of the episode. Instead, strong transitioning scenes and constant verbal harassment treats viewers to triple the heist antics without any pushback.

Who knew we could have all this without consequences. This heist’s ability to feel as fresh and as clever as the first certainly doesn’t feel like a consequence.

In an attempt to bring in new rules and crown a new winner, Brooklyn Nine-Nine leans heavily on past success to deliver this victory. Holidays are all about tradition so it seems only right that the heist would need sentimentality, as well as cruelty, to ultimately win our affections.

To highlight every callback, every punchline, and every sassy look this episode serves up would be nearly impossible. That doesn’t mean there aren’t some truly great moments we can single out for gif hunting later.

Any references to the Nine-Nine’s long-game antics like Holt putting a surveillance camera in Jake and Amy’s bedroom are always appreciated — as if every time they leave us they go home to plan this heist.

This is also how we get most of our domestic Peraltiago content, including Amy cuddling in Jake’s lap while they watch X-Men.

Oh, Bill. The Boyle look-alike has somehow become the best and worst part of these heists. Regardless, his horny nature and creepy demeanour help Brooklyn Nine-Nine pull off this clever caper’s high joke ratio.

Rosa: We’re not your friends, Bill.
Bill: You don’t get to decide that.

Everything Cheddar related is incredible, from seeing that chubby corgi rise from the smoke like a freakin’ phoenix to hearing Rosa fat-shamed him online to further herself in the heist.

Somewhere a group of Instagram users refer to Cheddar as a thick king — I can’t handle this information!

None of this is nearly as crazy as hearing Amy has been paying an actress to pretend to be Jake’s therapist for months, so she could listen in on his plan. What could be crazier? Rosa also listening in on the session from under the couch. This bit right here, this is everything we love about this petty competition.

All hail our heist queen, Rosa Diaz!

While the circumstances and delivery of Rosa’s plan could have been cleaner, her elaborate ploy to win not one but all three heists certainly bring a valid win to the 99th precinct.

Rosa diving off the side of a building and spelling her name in fire is such a badass move too. It’s the kind of explosive stunt this newest chapter of the Halloween Heist needs if it was ever going to compete with Jake’s surprise proposal to Amy and that time he fell threw the ceiling onto a pencil.

Seeing Rosa taking in the spoils of war and the chaos she has created with a broad smile is all we could want to come from this game. Also, how great is it to know Rosa still has Arlo?

These heist episodes can be the difference between a good season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and a great season.

They can also be a great source of stress release as we watch co-workers tear each other apart in the name of a silly competition. The Nine-Nine goes out of their way to be horrible human-beings for one night a year, but there’s absolutely nothing horrible about the joy these heists bring into our lives when we need it.

“Valloweaster” solidifies itself as one of the greatest heists/genius episodes yet as the episode manages to bring a smile to not only Rosa’s face but ours as well.

We’re all winners with a heist this hectic!

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 8:30/9:30c on NBC.

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