“The Good Ones and The Lake House” Spoilers Ahead
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has always been the show to take stands because it mattered, and never because it was performative. This show didn’t choose diversity to check off boxes and get brownie points, but because celebrating humanity in a way that was authentic was always its priority.
And thereby, Brooklyn Nine-Nine couldn’t ignore the atrocities against Black men and women in 2020 (along with the systemic racism long before that). It couldn’t ignore the fact that as police officers, they are part of the problem and needed to make their understanding clear. While there is very little I can speak on as a white woman,“The Good Ones” does an incredible job of revealing that the show cares about getting this right.
Sure, not at all police officers are part of the problem, but the corruption within the institution is everyone’s problem. The systemic racism in this country is on all of us. It starts from the ground up and it starts with having difficult conversations. It starts by looking within and that’s precisely what “The Good Ones” and “The Lake House” does.
The Good Ones: Rosa’s Done
During the last year, Rosa Diaz quit the Nine-Nine. She makes it clear that she could no longer stand by the institution and she has decided to open up a private P.I. firm in order to be part of the solution. The 99th precinct is comprised of amazing detectives left and right (Hitchcock and Scully, debatable), but that isn’t the point in all this. The point is that she wanted to do the right thing and ensure that her assistance was going towards helping the people who weren’t getting proper attention.
This was never about checking boxes or meeting quotas for Rosa. This isn’t about her glory in any way—it’s about doing the right thing and being of use even if no one else sees it. It’s about doing the right thing even though it’s the hardest decision she has ever had to make, and Stephanie Beatriz is impeccable as Rosa lays it all bare for Jake.
Jake Understands
Since Rosa left the precinct, it means she hasn’t been hanging out with the squad as much and Jake is naturally sad about it. So much so, that he does the Jake thing and tries to help even while he’s initially wrong in his approach. He also takes it personally, which is far from how it should have been because this was never about him. In the same way that this isn’t about good or bad, but the system as a whole.
Jake and Rosa have had a distinct relationship since day one; thereby, it makes perfect sense that he’d be all over this even as he takes the wrong approach. But at the end of the day, it’s about his friendship with Rosa more than anything, so when he finally understands that proving a point isn’t the route to take, he agrees to do it Rosa’s way.
In stealing the files and learning that his former captain is part of the problem, Jake realizes this is something they need to keep working on. He apologizes to Rosa for expecting her to make him feel okay about his choices, and he admits to the fact that there is still a lot he doesn’t quite understand.
“The Good Ones” is hopefully just the beginning of the series addressing police brutality and where the squad goes from here.
#RAMY Vulnerability
“The Good Ones” gave us one of the most vulnerable moments between Holt and Amy to date, which says a lot about how far they have all come. When Amy realizes that something must be wrong because Holt is trying to make small talk, she chooses to turn to Terry’s (Scully’s!) relationship sex book.
After some bizarre bonding with the two of them, Holt admits that Amy was the only one who actually noticed that something was indeed wrong with him, and it’s the fact that he and Kevin have separated. NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! (This required very dramatic screaming.)
No one showcases vulnerability on this show the way Andre Braugher does, and he crushed me with admitting that he neglected his personal life because he was pushed to the brink. You could feel every ounce of Holt’s turmoil and Braugher brought to life some of the most harrowing emotions ever on Brooklyn Nine-Nine. When he states that it’s been a tough year to be a Black man and a police captain, my heart shattered.
And the moment proves to be a stunning showcase of just how well Amy knows Holt because she’s the only one who noticed something was off. Ramy is the best of this show, and in “The Good Ones” their moment of vulnerability also serves as a reminder of why human connections are so important.
It serves as a reminder of why the precinct has always been a family and just how important vulnerability is to free someone from their own heartaches.
The Lake House Parent Trap
Jake’s plan works. I repeat, Jake’s plan to reunite his two dads works. Not so much in the beginning because there would obviously be hesitations, but before they all leave, by the end of “The Lake House” both Kevin and Holt realize they still have feelings for one another.
We don’t get to see moments of vulnerability between Holt and Kevin often, so while I’m bummed they have had this momentary separation, a part of me is glad we got to see the tenderness in their romance before they got back together. Their bizarre fascination with birds that I’ll never understand but could absolutely get by just because it’s them.
In the most Holt and Kevin fashion, when one couldn’t see what was happening, the other described the situation (bird) perfectly. And then there were sparks. There were moments of awe from seeing each other in the kind of outfits they prefer for one another, the ridiculous announcements of who was walking into which room, and finally—the realization that they both still want to be with each other, which Jake came to understand surprisingly because of a bird call.
However, where “The Lake House” succeeds isn’t in its happy ending, but in the element of surprise. I’ll be honest, for a moment, I was actually a little nervous that they’d choose to go their separate ways because nothing was working out, and thus, the detail that it does is everything. (As is Terry being fully on board while refusing to openly admit it until it all works out.)
And I’d be remiss if I didn’t talk about the fact that they knew he was Parent Trap-ing them, but their version of the story is Das doppelte Lottchen, the German novel, and not the Lindsay Lohan film Jake was drawing inspiration from. In short, it was everything to see them continuously realize what Jake is doing, and yet the situation somehow kept working out regardless.
Charles Boyle Does Too Much
Oh, Charles Boyle. I genuinely don’t know if there’s a character on TV whose heart is in the right place while they have absolutely no self-awareness most of the time. If anyone was going to do too much in order to try to be better, it was going to be Charles.
Charles is doing his research, trying his best to amplify Black voices and support Black businesses, but wanting it to be seen and heard isn’t the way to go, and Terry finally tells him. Frankly, it’s amazing he even lasted as long as he did but Terry’s patience is truly something else.
And the thing is, it should not have been up to a Black person to tell Charles it was too much. I almost wish someone else told him to tone it down, but then again, knowing Charles, he probably wouldn’t have listened to them.
He’ll get there … hopefully, someday. Charles will get there.
Charles the Baby Whisperer | Amy the Super Mom
Of course, Charles Boyle would also be the baby whisperer, but we all knew that Amy Santiago would always be the break down doors kind of super mom. They haven’t been out with Mac for long and he’s having trouble sleeping, but when Charles locks him in the room and they finally find out about it, Amy has none of it.
She physically breaks down the door but then realizes that ultimately, the reason Mac wasn’t sleeping was because she was fussing. But that doesn’t mean Charles is getting away with locking their kid in because he is now stuck cooking for him forever.
The Ultimate Chip Competition
Since Rosa is no longer with the police force, she can do as she pleases, and since she was reluctant to go on this trip in the first place, she’s doing it while high.
At some point even, a little too high because judging chips with Scully seems like a good idea. And well, we all know it’s not especially because she agrees to a road trip with FaceTime Hitchcock too. A bad, bad idea indeed. I wouldn’t wanna be her. But really, Rosa is hilarious in this episode and so was her infectious laughter. Any opportunity we get to see Stephanie Beatriz laugh is an incredible one, no doubt.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s “The Lake House” is hilarious, heartwarming, and just the kind of episode you’d expect after its first. A little bit of everything with the squad to be a healing balm of sorts.
What are your thoughts on Brooklyn Nine-Nine’s “The Good Ones” and “The Lake House?” Let us know in the comments below.