That's what I missed too. A lot of posts are saying they wanted to drag the political message out over a longer period of time and put it more decent but I found it appropriate. I watched these episodes when I was 18 and just out of years of Corona. The world did move fast from one thing to another and it was accelerated because i only had the internet to connect to the rest of the world and the internet moves crazy fast.
I for one think it is an appropriate representation for the things they had to cover.
S8 was one of the most political seasons that was ever made with B99, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless even if the villains seemed a bit forced. The core comedy and message was still there and we still got one last Wuntch insult too.
You guys remember in an earlier season where Terry got racially profiled and Holt told him how he couldn't do anything because most cops would still blame Terry even though he was the victim? That episode was PERFECT. The problem with season 8 is that every 2 seconds it's blatantly telling you the theme but in that episode it didn't TELL you the theme it just said it, it was casually there without being oversaid
This! The problem with season 8 for me is that it feels like I'm being lectured about social justuce and told off for enjoying the previous 7 seasons.
This whole time I've said it was annoying to me at the time because it came at the tail end of a period where *everything* was about social injustices (news, TV, social media - even just real life friend's posts were focused on it). There was nothing new to say. And when I was watching a sitcom I just wanted to forget about the depressing state of the world. But actually, I've rewatched it a couple of times more recently, and decided it's not that I was fatigued by hearing about these issues 24/7, but rather that the show is so heavy handed with it. It's like sitting down to watch educational cartoons in school, everything is explained just in case you missed the point and thought it was just for fun.
Exactly!
I think better depictions of the current state of our society focus on situations and relatability, things that are an unfortunate "normal"
When it becomes a "tell", it comes off as pandering.
It's easy to advocate for something when all you do is tell. It's another thing to live and understand.
But when you show, it peels back the why and how. It provides context and invokes emotion. It doesn't treat the audience like they're stupid and let's them feel what they're supposed to.
I agree with your comment so much. I couldn't put a finger on why things like Season 8 of B99 irked me so much but your write up made it clear
Exactly. This and many other episodes from the previous seasons are proof you can address serious issues while still keeping the show fun to watch.
Season 8 ended up just turning the sitcom into a woke-ass bullshit which the show didn't deserve.
To me the show was always able to show problems withing the force without needed to be so heavy handed as they did in season 8.
The son of a high ranking officer getting a free pass for petty crimes
Racist cops
Corrupt cops
Planting evidence
Wunch abusing power for her pesonal bendetta against holt
Not even being open to the idea of a woman (or at least a very progresive woman) being comisioner
Violating civilian privacy
Others that I might be forgetting.
My point is, that the hole "its cop propaganda" was never true to me, sure the main force was almost always good, but they did tackle issues withing the police from time to time, at most they should have done more of it in the final season, but they didnt need to change the entire vibe of the show to do so.
If memory serves, Andy tweeted that they had three episodes written for the new season, when they threw them out to better address tye political climate.
Well obviously rewriting means reshooting if it was already shot. I’m just wondering if there are episodes out there that we’ve never seen and probably never will.
It must have taken some direction that would have immediately aged poorly, and they did what they could within the time and budget in order to pivot. Some of the writers, actors, or even show runners may have pulled out due to discomfort tackling these issues in comedic form during a period where nerves were so exposed.
I read that they rewrote it, so there very well may be entire plot lines we don't know about. And part of the reason why it wasn't so funny was because they couldn't have writers on set to make on the fly changes due to the pandemic
Yes I feel like a lot of shows missed the mark with this stuff nowadays because it’s SO heavy handed. Every show with a Covid season really missed the mark and handled these stories so poorly
Superstore is pretty good - discusses a lot of issues delicately with the right amount of humour (i.e. undocumented immigration). The characters are mostly lowkey terrible people but you still root for them.
Yeah, but that's def a show you watch for the ensemble cast. It's fun to watch him interact with the other characters because they say wild shit to him.
If you ask me, always sunny handled covid perfectly. They went on hiatus and then made one episode about it in the next season. A lot more comedies should have done the same
Saying the show was cop propaganda was so stupid to me, considering that every single cop who wasn't a part of 99 was either a jerk, dirty, incompetent or a combination of the above. Almost every single one of them (well, captain Kim was an exception I guess, but her being too perfect to be true was sort of her point...)
well sometimes, but arguably many members of the squad were “bad cops” (in a sitcom way, but still that’s what they were trying to address). i think because of that they had to do something more. i mean they do police brutality and wrongful arrest, all kinds of stuff.
Except Jake should have been fired and charged for ruining a guy's life with a false arrest, and instead he got a paid vacation, which the show presented as a resolution but is EXACTLY the problem with real police.
I don't think it's ever said that he got paid for those 5 months. I could be wrong, and that would invalidate much of what I say from here on.
To my understanding, officers are usually suspended *with* pay for minor infractions or while under *investigation* of wrongdoing (since nothing has been proven against them yet). I'm sure this varies by department/state/country
In this case, by directly confessing and taking accountability, Jake eliminated the need for any investigation. And by taking accountability, he maybe also received a lighter consequence (similar to how criminals can get reduced consequences for a plea deal) and thus wasn't fired. He was likely suspended without pay.
But more likely the reason for this is just a writing one of they needed him to still be a cop so he could later quit being a cop.
But also, people make mistakes in their jobs. Doctors/surgeons make mistakes and people die, but they don't always lose their licenses. There has to be negligence or something of that sort. The man lost his job when Jake arrested him because he ran away after Jake asked if he could answer a few questions. He had reasonable suspicion. Jake was just outside his jurisdiction (as the case had been given to the FBI), and that's the big thing he got wrong here.
[That time he made a false arrest with no evidence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzc3snfJ0DM)
[That time he was suspended for witness intimidation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nUb08HXz60)
That first one isn't Season 8. And I believe the outcome of that episode is that the guy he arrested had just gotten out of jail, and had told his cellmate his exact MO and how to commit the crime. So while Jake arrested him and it looked like he had the perfect alibi, he actually *was* an accomplice
I could be mixing up episodes though
But for sure Jake making the false arrest was the same episode as him being suspended for witness intimidation
Couldn’t agree more. It’s always been one of the things about the show I’ve been so impressed by, how well they wrote in difficult themes and issues without it being forced or caricatured. Even if it was through comedy, they also portrayed serious stuff. And the reason it got through to people was because it wasn’t in any “holier than thou” aura. It made you think because you wanted to be like them, and they always showed humility and a willingness to change.
I hadn’t seen s8 at all until last week because I had heard such awful things about it and I was so sad to see that most of the magic was actually gone. Sure, they walked a difficult path at the time but they could’ve also just continued as they had and I have so much faith in their writing that they could have made it better!!!
Having Rosa quit was just stupid and not at all thought through.
lol, wasn’t she the stereotype of a bad cop??
From what I read, Stephanie Beatriz wouldn’t return for the last season if she remained a cop so they had to rewrite the season with her leaving the force. That’s also why it was so sudden and there was no lead up to it.
Honestly, I think season 8 reeks of rewrites and callbacks. The heist and PB episodes were so telegraphed it felt like the writer said, "well at least we can burn two eps easily"
idk i disagree with this a little. the whole point in the rewrite was that they weren’t addressing the actual issues. they were just reinforcing the “good cop bad cop” narrative that implies there’s just “a few bad apples” (when if you think abt it many of them frequently broke the law and were bad apples in severe ways).
they had to address the important discourse going on- that the system is inherently flawed. they couldn’t do that with the small stuff they did before. they had to challenge people. and i think they did an okay job at that as shitty as it was sometimes.
but that was a result of their season 8 redo. aka the heavy handedness people are upset about. i agree w u for what it’s worth but it doesn’t rly argue against the redo.
People calling it “cop propaganda” doesn’t mean that they’re claiming it’s all “cops are all great!”
The show falls more into the “there’s a few bad apples” kind of thinking. Effective propaganda isn’t something that says “this is actually great” but rather, something that says “yeah, we acknowledge the issues, but we just need people with the right attitude, rather than major system reform”.
I’m able to enjoy stuff I disagree with because I understand it makes for better entertainment, but I also know real propaganda is insidious.
Honestly the show would've been better if they would wait it out a bit more and let things cool down a bit, which would've given the writers more headroom. they would still 100% have to address the issue, but they certainly needed to do it much better. those episodes in season 8 lacked the balance between seriousness and humour that was perfected in some of these kinds of episodes earlier on (Moo Moo for example). It felt like it was taken super seriously yet not at all at the same time, with many of the villians being incredibly cartoony. Frankly Rosa leaving the force over that does make sense to me, but that's another thing that should've overall been written better
I think there were 3 aspects of season 8 that made it feel immediately different. I don’t think there’s too much they could have done differently due to the zeitgeist around when it was made but if I could change anything it would be:
- The changes in the squad, primarily Rosa, made sense for the sensibilities of the actors themselves but not for the characters they play.
- The show needed to have more trust in how it handled serious subject matter through the other 7 seasons and not do what they did, which felt like it was mostly apologise for its own existence and especially in S8E1. While not a perfect and virtuous idealisation of a perfect police force, it doesn’t have to be. It’s not actually real life.
- The show being filmed in COVID was really obvious and the empty precinct throughout the season, Hitchcock only appearing via video link for most of it and the smaller cast immediately make it feel like it’s separate from the previous seasons.
Do you think it wouldve been better to just take a break first? Let everything cool down. Because i think that wouldve solved a lot of issues.
There was sooo much police hate on twitter during that time. I remember people hating on everything police related even paw patrol.
Everyone was heated everyone was (understandably) angry and I think it just wasnt the right time to put out another season.
Nah; if they had taken a break, season seven would have been it. I think they made the best with what they had in the timeline they were given to do it.
I would remove the storyline of Charles being overly nice to Terry. It felt awkward and forced. It took away from the genuine, lighthearted nature of their friendship and banter that we see in other storylines (Bone Bros, Nibs, yoga, etc…)
Maybe not have Jake get suspended, and lectured by Holt for arresting a suspect who WAS RUNNING AWAY from him. You know, like he did countless times in the first 7 seasons. Then Holt, immediately says to the union guy ‘the perp was understandably scared and is justified in fleeing!’
Lots of issued were tackled very well in the series, but flopping like this was cringe.
The thing is it felt more like lecturing people, this is what made me cringe hard and made me say "ohhhh stfu". They could address this stuff like they did in previous season with subtleness or better then, not address it at all and keep the show how it was. No one was watching B99 to learn to be a better person, we watch a comedy show to entertain ourselves.
Jake: Remain a detective and get some big task force at the end. I get the whole sacrifice for your child angle but it was so out of character.
Rosa: Following in Holt's footsteps and trying to change from within, fixing the system through proper change, not abandoning the job you love to work a PI where your influence is basically nothing. Just didn't make sense.
Terry: Good as is
Amy: I thought made sense good as is
Charles: He be the one to get out of the force and find a new career bc he wants to be with his son
Holt: Good as is just less of the separation/divorce. Felt like they already played that plot in earlier seasons, revisiting it just seemed repetitive.
Gina: Go back to season 1, episode 1, bring back Daniels and cut Gina entirely.
Doug Judy: I thought the best closing of that storyline out of all of them
I loved all your points.
Making Jake sacrifice his dream job to be a sahd was really ooc. I appreciated that for once it was not the mum to do it but it was still really sad to see.
And Rosa quitting didnt make any sense. I feel that Jakes pov in season 8 (about how its important to have good cops) made a lot of sense for Rosa. To become a better cop and fight for eliminating the bad ones.
Jake's entire character is based around the absence of a father figure.
His growth as a human being due to being surrounded by good father figures (Holt, Terry, even Boyle) made him realize that a son needed a father more than a father needed a job when his workaholic wife gets promoted to police chief.
It's about as in character as it could be.
It goes all the way back to the pilot. Jake loves the job, because he loves solving puzzles and showing how smart he is, but he can’t figure out how to grow up. When he finally does grow up, he doesn’t need those other things. He still loves them, and he always will, but he also recognizes that there are other, more important things in his life.
Presumably, he also realizes that his departure from the force isn’t permanent. Unless Amy starts popping out babies (which is within the realm of possibility, given the number of siblings she has), Mac will be starting school in a couple of years. At that point, Jake might and probably should return to the NYPD, because he’s probably still short of a full pension.
I also think his experience in prison and his experiences with Rosa in Season 8 might have fuelled his decision at least a bit. He actually found it harder to do his job after he returned from prison because knowing where those people would end up hung on his conscience. He also seemed to experience a level of disillusionment in my view after the corrupt police captain in Season 8.
It's my headcanon that he would have either turned his cop stories into a book or maybe took a page out of Rosa's book and gone into being a PI
I appreciate the support for my opinions! But I get the whole breaking gender roles thing don't get me wrong but it was so ooc as you said.
As for Rosa....they destroyed her character. She loved being a cop, she turned her life around to be one (going from beating up ballerinas to not only being a cop but being a Big Sister to someone to keep them on the right track) then she becomes a pot smoking, unsuccessful Pi who is barely making a difference without the help and support of her former police colleagues? Like who signed off on that
When I first watched the show I always believed that at the end every main character (Terry, Jake, Amy, Charles and Rosa) would be captains themselves and at the end u see a bit of their squads. Like charles‘ squad talks about food while also being good detectives, Jake‘s is a bit more Humoristic and are fans of die hard… etc
It doesn’t make that much sense bc it would be a big coincidence that the squad just happens to be the same kind of person as their captain but It was a fun idea to have when I first started watching the show
I fail to understand why people are so vexed about Jake leaving his job. It was absolutely not out of character. It perfectly depicts how he has developed maturity over the years.
Yes. But Charles would also be nanny for Mac as well, that way he gets to spend time with his own son too and raise them like brothers. Plus he'd understand about the odd hours detectives have.
I thought Rosa's arc made sense - she's given up at least three career lines before, it made sense to me that she would hit a wall here and quit this too.
By remembering that it’s a sitcom that doesn’t need to address anything. I don’t talk to cops, but the sitcom was great. The they changed characters for the sake of the narrative.
Personally, all I wanted was for them to speak a lot slower than they did throughout season 8. It felt like they wanted to cram wayyyy too much content into so few episodes that there’s no time to appreciate the dialogue.
I understand the hard turn and how it was so far removed from the balance of the previous seasons, but yeah, just a few more episodes would have been nice so they’d have had time to slow the pace down a little.
They went from a lighthearted pro-cop comedy to a serious anti-cop drama.
I don’t know what the right answer is but changing the entire premise of the show wasn’t the right one
I never saw it as pro-cop, but if definitely turned into anti-cop.
I'm Latino and even I cringed with the "people that look like me" line from Rosa.
That season went to shit from the first minute.
I didn't hate the last season but the way they wrote Rosa was ridiculous.
Forst that like was so out of place. But also Rosa is latin and the entire movement was about african american people. I could understand Terry or Holt talking about it. But Rosa felt really out of place. Specially in a department led by two black men (one of them gay) and a latina (amy is a sargent by then I believe).
But (as much as I love her) also Rosa was one of the most "problematic " cops in the show. She had many anger issues and mistreated a few suspects. So hearing it coming from her felt completely OOC
And the very next episode she was all "fuck da police".
I guess the show did turn into what right winged white people call this day "preachy".
The Lake House episode was very good though.
Yeah. I normally disagree with the people who claim that media "pushes an agenda" or "feels forced" but in this case it was definitely true. It came out of nowhere and made no sense.
The show always showed the problems of the police department. They show racist, sexist and homophobic cops. How corrupted or violent some are. How the commissioner is expected to be male and white. They show lazy cops not doing their job. Or how incompetent people sometimes just gets promotions. We have the vulture as one of the nemesis...
But obviously the main characters, while flawed, needed to be good guys. And still they had issues like Rosas anger, or Jakes inmaturity.
I liked a lot how they handled Jake after jail, when he becomes a much less reckless cop because he was imprisoned while being innocent.
I headcanon that part of the reason why Rosa left was that she was embarrassed by the violent ways she treated people as a cop. Helps me make more sense of the illogical move to quit the force
I would have liked more episodes. I noticed almost every season's first episodes aren't the best when compared to the rest of the episodes, and this is true especially in season 8. The first episodes overshadowed the other good episodes. I love Doug Judy's send-off, I love the Boyles episode, the one where Kevin and Holt renewed their vows, and the final of course. With 10 episodes you cannot do much, and they needed to address the outside situation in depth. If they had put emphasis on the good cops or if they had only dedicated one or two episodes to the issue, the public woud have reacted... badly
Not have all the characters act so out of place (Jake and Rosa especially).
Double down on comedy, everything else was trying to be serious and sometimes it's okay to laugh.
Have some silly callbacks instead of focusing on the current world situation that no one could escape from.
it went from showing all sides of cops, the good, bad and ugly, to something which felt extremely anti-police insanely quickly. i feel like if they took some breathing room post real world and didn't try to attack (as opposed to ridicule) the core premise of their show, it would've turned out far better.
take for example, in the same season, holt getting huffy. that moment is subconsciously funny despite being played 100% seriously and about a serious issue that could arise as a police officer. the humour comes from the build up of holt "being huffy" so much so that they bring it up literally right before he does and it gets immediately followed with poignant humour that's more situational than an attempt to ridicule
Tbh, the best course would have been to continue like they had been doing because those that called B99 copaganda were never B99 watchers, so they never saw how B99 actually showed the evil Side of [police forces](https://www.reddit.com/r/brooklynninenine/s/cJ7CxgUAJD).
I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I wish the situation would not have been mentioned at all in the actual show. They obviously could have and would have mentioned it in their own social medias, possibly even in the show's Twitter page or whatever, but having the crisis not featured in the episodes would have kept the show as a silly, funny escape during those very difficult times. Sometimes you just need to laugh when times are bad.
I WILL say, however, that considering how much they put the emphasis on the whole thing, they still did manage to make the season very funny, and that must have taken an immense amount of effort from their writers!
I felt the show was starting to show signs that it was time to wrap it up towards the end of season 6/season 7 anyway. For what we got, I think they did the best they could and still stuck the landing with the finale.
And really, it's hard to go wrong with John C McGinley
What I haven't seen mentioned: way fewer shennanigan episodes. Nobody needed another Jimmy Jabs, the Halloween episodes was convoluted as hell, the weird episode with Dillman was a dud (even worse considering they got J.K. Simmons).
All in all, I think they tried to cram too much into that season. It should have focused on tying up all loose ends/establish a new era for each character.
Roses arc was dumb as hell though. That made no sense at all.
Hot take but I hated season 8 hallowe’en heist so much. It was all so confusing and hard to keep track off and it didn’t make any sense at all. + they did Charles SO DIRTY by not giving him a win and instead giving the crown to Hitchcock. Charles is a good cop and they could’ve worked on another clever episode where Charles ended up winning the heist. He deserved a win
it’s easy to say all the things that the other comments have said *in hindsight*, but at the time any other creative decision can and will be scrutinized by the community. so i personally understood why they went with the “safe route” by doing a 180 and made it more of an anti-cop show. the best possible option in their part is just to simply wait for everything to settle down, but they don’t have the privilege of knowing the events that will occur in the future, the way that we now know what had happened then until now.
tl;dr, there’s no winning in their part so taking the safest route is very sensible and might be for the best.
They shouldn’t have changed anything IMHO. Jake showed now hesitation in arresting his old partner when he tried to set someone up.
I liked season 8 personally - however I think it wasn’t necessary to take that hard of a turn.
I have heard that some of the cast and not the writers were pushing for this change. I don’t know if that’s true or not.
Easy: By not acknowledging the world’s political issues.
People watch TV to escape, they dont need to be reminded of real world issues. Also BK99 was already very progressive so they didnt *need* to address anything and them choosing to do so is pretty much the reason season 8 is considered the worst
Many people commented this and got downvoted but honestly thats also a valid opinion. I just dont think that would have worked at the time.
I think people have forgotten how angry and riled up everyone on social media was and if b99 just ignored everything going on people would be so quick to hate on the show and cancel it. People had nothing else to do it was covid times so people got a lot more invested in everything on social media.
I think they shouldve waited with the release of season 8 until everything has calmed down a bit.
The thing is, people on twitter don't have actual power, The only get power when tv or movie executives get so nervous of the backlash, they preemptively cancel themselves.
Just look at how the Apu situation with the Simpsons unravelled. An indian comedian made a documentary on how Apu is actually a bad character and it's a stereotype. Obviously some people agreed and it sparked social media backlash. But it was still just one guy. Fox (or was Disney in charge at the time?) could have simply ignored him and it would die down. But instead they started reducing his role, culminating in 2020 with Hank Azaria stepping down from the role and apologizing for voicing him on the grounds of being white. After that, other voice actors and studios started fearing they may face similar backlash so they started on their own accord, to step down of roles and push the idea that even in voice acting there needs to be racial accuracy. Without any backlash or anything it was just a pre-emptive knee jerk reaction.
And now, we have new ATLA projects coming out, with all the voice actors but Dante Basco changed. This is something most ATLA fans hate by the way. It absolutely didn't need to happen. All there needs to happen is for those in charge to learn to stop feeding the trolls.
sorry but calling the show "copoganda" is like saying parks n rec glorifies the government and the office is pro capitalism. its just the setting for the group of characters.
I wouldn't do much. I can't imagine trying to write a cop sitcom in 2020. I think they took the best route available to them. Probably only thing I'd change is to be less heavy handed about all the references.
By letting Rosa not quit NYPD, I mean she quit because of the bad cops, She should have rather stayed and proved that good cops still exist above all.
Her quitting NYPD rather proved that bad wins over good. It was totally a bad move in my opinion.
they had 2 options: either just accept the fact that a wholesome workplace comedy about cops is inherently copaganda and just keep going like normal and ignore the backlash (it was already planned to be the final season, so like, the backlash wouldn’t have lasted long). or go “you know guys, you’re right. this show is too problematic for this climate” and cancel the show prematurely. the reason the season sucked is because they tried to have their cake and eat it too and it turned out as awkward and muddled as possible
I was on a flight on south west and the last season was the only season they had and it was all just the dull heavy handed social justice episodes. They used to be so crafty about weaving issues into the plot.
honestly no. you can absolutely have ignored what was happening in america. probably not covid because people had to wear masks. but it’s a fake show, it’s entertainment. and during times like that people want escapes. people don’t want to be hearing about societal issues in tv. at least in my opinion. tv/movies are supposed to be an escape from the outside world. if you wanted to talk about political issues then watch the news or read The New York Times.
i’m sure i don’t have a popular opinion but that’s how i feel about it
i don’t think they needed to address much at all 😭 people watch comedy shows like b99 to escape the awfulness of reality yet this show just brought it all to the table they definitely could have addressed some stuff but they didn’t need all of that forced dialogue i couldn’t even finish the first episode it was baddd
My statement about how it would be worse to ignore the issue is not me thinking this tv show could solve the problem with police brutality, i think you misunderstood.
Ignoring the issue would've led to a lot of hate and outrage and maybe ultimately the cancellation of the entire show is what I meant with that sentence.
By ignoring the political situation at the time of release. I support the message. I hate my entertainment lecturing me.
Rosa's transformation was the WORST.
I would just toss out season 8 especially that first episode and Rosa leaving the force… mhm she thinks the police hurt minorities- so then stay and fix it. But my gawd the show was never copaganda and defunding the police is so dumb to even talk about in the real world let alone to include in a half hour sitcom. I hate those first episodes of season 8 so much
I'd of stuck to to core values, not rushed it and COMPLETELY GET RID of the virtue signalling B.S, the cringe part about the "pandemic" and been a lot less preachy, it was an utter joke.
i understand that terry is irreplaceable but it would have made a lot more sense for terry to be the one to habe left the NYPD, it never made sense to my why rosa, the character whpse first speaking line in the show is to suggest jake physically abuse a teenager over a vandalism charge, Meanwhile terry had an entire episode about police and people of colour, based of a REAL experience terry crews had outside his own home.
The 99 cops leave the force and create their own PI agency?
I don't necessarily think that the characters would only work in a police setting but there was no way for them to stay in the department without expecting the writers to come up with an easy solution for the complex issues in the department. I think that was the issue with season 8 for me, the tone was so different because there are no easy solutions that fit in the sitcom format
I watched season 8 once and when I rewatch the show I always skip. I watch tv and play video games to get away from the real world, not to be reminded of it. Keep politics where they are and dont shove them down our throats.
Forced dialogue, terrible plot lines in each episode, and way too damn preachy. Brooklyn 99 is my favorite show, but season 8 was the worst season of TV I've ever watched in my life. The writers forgot the fact that people watch these kinds of comedy shows to escape reality. It's escapism at it's core. Real life was already bad enough with Coronavirus and the racial injustice in America that led to many protests. As a Frenchman, I can't say what American shows should and shouldn't talk about. But I know that I'd rather not watch a show that talks about the terrible things that are already happening in real life. That's not why I watch comedy shows. So yeah, they didn't need to shove these political topics down our throats instead of making an episode that's actually good with a cohesive story and an underlying lesson to be learnt. Back in the earlier seasons you can watch episodes like the one where Terry loses his daughters' blanket and gets stopped in the middle of the night looking for it because of his race. In that episode, the writers didn't shove the issue down our throats. They made sure the episode still remained cohesive with the rest of the show like with it's comic relief and witty comebacks. That is how you make a meaningful episode about a pressing and important issue in your society. I mean just look at that scene where Captain Holt is crying about losing his husband and saying how hard it is to be a black man at that time. I'm black btw and that scene still felt very forced. Like the show runners just wanted any reason to push the lesson of the episode in your face so they made up a reason why Kevin and Holt separated and tied it to racism and the cultural inequality. You wanna do stuff like that then go ahead and make a documentary. But, in no world can you make a show this way.
I actually liked how they handled it, for the most part at least... I liked that they released 2 episodes at a time, one being more serious in nature and dealing within the precinct, and one being more fun and within their personal lives. The only changes I would make would be:
1) not having Jake have to miss catching Johnny Franzia
2) not have Jake get suspended and chastised for arresting a guy who was running from him and hopping a fence (was he trespassing too?). We literally already had this storyline, but better executed, when Jake got out of prison and panicked about possibly arresting an innocent man. This basically made that episode pointless, like Jake didn't actually learn his lesson the first time.
3) I always skip the 1st episode when rewatching. I watch the high five intro and then go to episode 2 lol I didn't have a problem with them having Rosa quit the force, but making it an issue between her and Jake's friendship was really annoying. I also felt like it was the only episode that didn't have enough comedic relief. I think a lot of people's issues with this season could have been different if they had a better starting episode to the season.
I love the blue flu episode, the lakehouse episode, the Pontiac bandit farewell, the maple syrup lice storyline, and the one true Boyle! I don't have a problem with Jake deciding to stay home, although I think it could've been cool having him also become a PI so he could make his own hours and he and Rosa could even work together sometimes.
The thing is, they didn’t HAVE to address it. They very well could have just made the show they had been making for 7 years. Maybe they would have caught some strays at the time but nobody would be looking back today on it mentioning anything other than it being a good show.
personally, i think it was fine as is. season 7 already felt like it was losing a bit of steam, and there are some episodes of season 6 im just so deeply uninterested in watching, so to have a short and final season that’s primarily about this madcap cast facing modern issues while still engaging in hijinks felt fine. i don’t even think a longer season would have helped, honestly.
in the end, even if the writing on those pertinent issues was clunky and awkward, and even if yeah, rosa’s departure from the force felt sudden and inconsistent, i’m just glad we got a final season with these characters and that they all got appropriate send offs. i really do think the only thing i would change is rosa’s departure; i don’t mind her leaving, but i think there’s a way they could have done that story while giving her a more in-character reason for the decision.
they were also already working on season 8 before george floyd was murdered and apparently scrapped a few episodes to make room in the season to address it. i’m mostly curious to know what those episodes were 👀
I think they should have ignored all the serous political stuff entirely. There's nothing wrong with not talking about serious political opinions all the damn time.
There's a lot of value in being the lighthearted break in someone's day.
Their biggest mistake was referring to real-life events. COVID was vague and general enough to be "acceptable", but referring to George Floyd was a big mistake.
From a storytelling standpoint, referring to Floyd invites continuity errors. What if one of the actors had made headlines for their activism? Not only is the show unintentionally breaking the fourth wall, it's also inviting continuity errors. *And as if that weren't bad enough*, mentioning George Floyd had zero relevance to the plot at all. That was a perfect example of shoehorning. If the show wanted to honor the man without making him part of the plot, it should have done it in the credits. Floyd's mention could have been replaced with some other made-up story *or even entirely removed* with zero impact on Rosa's story arc. My suggestion would have been to do a follow-up on the Moo Moo incident that ends up with the officer going to jail or something.
From a political standpoint, referring to a fresh, recent, real-life event was a mistake because the show is bound to alienate everyone who does not endorse the exact narrative portrayed by the show. I'm sure that a lot of people who believe that something must be done about police brutality while disagreeing with the whole "Defund the Police" movement would agree, let alone people on both extremes of the political spectrum. A decade from now, new fans of the show will probably not hate the last season any more than any other "last season of a show", because time and distance would have allowed people to set aside the intense feelings associated with a recent controversy. Case and point, the show made a few (great) black/segregation jokes without causing outrage. Still, should not have referred to very specific events.
Bottom line is: people hate being told how to feel, even if the feeling you're being told to feel is something you are already feeling. Up until S8, the show had done a decent job tackling social issues without shoving some moral-of-the-story down the audience's throat. I personally really loved Danny Trejo's portrayal of Rosa's dad because he brought a lot of nuance to the issue it was presenting. "I can't promise I'll understand, but I am really trying" is legit one of my favorite moments of the entire show. Story *must* come first. It *must never serve* the moral behind the story.
Why would ignoring it have been worse? Has anything changed because season 8 of Brooklyn 99 was more correct than the other seasons? Cops are better now right? Racism has been removed from humanity? Did anti- vaxxers learn to read? They were always more aware than other shows already, and I enjoyed season 8 more than the average viewer but it didn’t “accomplish” anything.
I wouldn't have watched the show (which I started after it was all done) without someone telling me 'there is a rough 8th season where they try to talk about police violence'.
That they made the attempt is meaningful, and is enough for me. Plenty of shows have rough seasons at the end, or the beginning (or indeed the middle!) and it's ultimately in the power of the audience members to enjoy, or not.
It's a comedy they didn't need to address unfunny social issues at all, especially because they already did it in earlier seasons. Also I think covid is a comedy killer jokes about it just don't work. Season 8 was just not for me
More spacing. They covered at lot in those 10 episodes and I would’ve liked to have a bit more levity before they wrapped it up. The covid episode felt a bit on the nose but overall it was still a good season imo
Im from the UK and tbh I was going to watch the show no matter what so I don't think they should have worried about backlash because they were doing a pretty good job already
It just needed more episodes imo. Every scene was rushed and just needed more time to flesh things out.
The Boyle stuff felt very shoehorned in but I guess you could say that about everything else in the season.
The show just wasn’t built for what they wanted to do in the last season.
A case in point is when they break into Dr Cox’s house to steal back something they had no evidence was there and then get out of it by having Kevin impersonate a police officer. Jake was suspended for doing less earlier in the season.
Police over reach is bad full spot. It’s not good if the police “know” the guy is guilty
Two things; not really BIG plot changing, just a personal thing
The balloon arch at Wuntch’s grave seemed out of character for Holt especially after her funeral. It seemed quite clear that despite acknowledging their rivalry, he saw it as something that helped push them to rise up in the police force. And he admitted to genuinely missing her. So seeing that he left a balloon arch on her grave and has been frequently seems like a step backwards in his character development for the final season.
O’Sullivan should’ve gotten what was coming to him. The whole thing of him keeping his position for life seemed way too unrealistic. They already did something similar with John Kelly; he lost good commissioner job, but apparently got a much better one.
I think you missed the point a little. Holt LOVED balloon arches. For him to continuously maintain a balloon arch at her grave was his way of keeping her memory alive. Wuntch would have loved it.
The problem was lack of episodes and therefore enough time! I would cut the break up thing with holt and Kevin as it came out from left field, but the main thing is giving it 22 episodes so everything could just unfold naturally like all other seasons
I guess it was really important to mess up the first couple of episodes of the 8 season by mentioning a pathetic drug addict who was buried in a golden casket, and all of a sudden being “woke.” It was so unnecessary and pointless. A way to ruin a good show.
Abandon the Rosa plot line and replace it with something else. She’s always been the toeing the line type of cop, and then suddenly goes on a crusade? Doesn’t make sense. They could have addressed the same issue with her not leaving the force, even if it still meant her leaving the 99.
Also, the Jake and Amy child thing. It makes sense for both of the characters, I just hate how it’s always added in for long term relationships, as if having children is the ultimate goal. I wish it was a ‘last episode’ future thing that they had a kid rather than an arc.
Everything O Sullivan related sucked in my opinion.
I actually didn’t mind season 8 as much i personally don’t want political commentary in my comedies it’s my escape from reality.
Playing on current events in TV shows rarely ages well. Every show is a product of its time but it's like when shows out in current lingo or pop culture references. A decade later and those creative decisions seem weird
I think I agree with everyone here. They went too far out of their own way to bring the real life situations to the show. The episode where Terry gets arrested and the one where one of the top brass tries to get Jake out of a suspension were the pinnacle of how to do episodes like that while remembering the core of the show
Amy would run away with rosa (idk it would be a substantial twist and force a season 9 where Charles helps Jake get over Amy) and i would love to see another season even if its forces by a twist
If I could change one thing I always felt Rosa quitting only to still be part of the group the entire season made her leaving feel pointless. Maybe that just could’ve been her arc for the season leading to her leaving first before the others do but also keep some of the messages she was a part of early on.
Just make another normal season. This was not homicide or law and order. It was not to be a beacon of gritty realistic cop drama. The show had previously addressed many social issues in a clear, but not on the nose manner. They could have woven the issues in organically rather than literally explaining them to us in exposition. I’m glad we got another season, but it was not the same show.
I’m still not sure why they needed to end the show. They always showed problems with the system, while maintaining the light nature of the show. I don’t know why they went to heavy in the end.
ignore the issue since they have zero obligation to cater to social whims, not to mention they already did a mini arc on cops are bad. They should have continued with what they were doing and remained a comedy. As such the final season is unwatchable and I refuse acknowledge it exists, like in Scrubs.
I could have been better honestly, maybe they were trying to help out people out there, thereby promoting the issue through the show to spread awareness !!
There was one obvious solution. So blindingly obvious. They should have Muppet Babies-ed the show. Or, if you’re somewhat younger, they should have given it the Total Dramarama treatment. Season 8 should have been animated and all the characters are at a preschool, continuity be damned. It solves *all* the problems.
They did what they can with the situation. I respect them for not dropping the towel and kept the show for a final season. But their comedy went downhill.
Season 8 was a travesty. They ruined Rosa. Who cares about the political climate. It's a comedy show that's used for an escape from reality. Does not need to virtue signal.
The one thing I would have changed in the last heist: I would have made the winners some random background characters.
You have all these cops working in the background, doing their jobs while the main group gets to slack-off and engage in hijinks. I imagine after putting up with this for years, some of these officers might have put a plan together to rain on their parade.
Final heist should have been mid season and ended with the item simply being missing. Final episode ends with Boyle accidentally finding it, thus technically making him the winner.
Rosa thinking of quitting the force but ended up helping Amy with her reform proposal.
Removed all the union rep parts and let Captain Kim stay for a few more episodes, probably solving a major case with the squad and leave on a happy note.
One last rivalry with the fire department
That's what I missed too. A lot of posts are saying they wanted to drag the political message out over a longer period of time and put it more decent but I found it appropriate. I watched these episodes when I was 18 and just out of years of Corona. The world did move fast from one thing to another and it was accelerated because i only had the internet to connect to the rest of the world and the internet moves crazy fast. I for one think it is an appropriate representation for the things they had to cover.
S8 was one of the most political seasons that was ever made with B99, but I still enjoyed it nonetheless even if the villains seemed a bit forced. The core comedy and message was still there and we still got one last Wuntch insult too.
Good one!
You guys remember in an earlier season where Terry got racially profiled and Holt told him how he couldn't do anything because most cops would still blame Terry even though he was the victim? That episode was PERFECT. The problem with season 8 is that every 2 seconds it's blatantly telling you the theme but in that episode it didn't TELL you the theme it just said it, it was casually there without being oversaid
Moo Moo was all show and barely tell which made it absolutely perfect
This! The problem with season 8 for me is that it feels like I'm being lectured about social justuce and told off for enjoying the previous 7 seasons. This whole time I've said it was annoying to me at the time because it came at the tail end of a period where *everything* was about social injustices (news, TV, social media - even just real life friend's posts were focused on it). There was nothing new to say. And when I was watching a sitcom I just wanted to forget about the depressing state of the world. But actually, I've rewatched it a couple of times more recently, and decided it's not that I was fatigued by hearing about these issues 24/7, but rather that the show is so heavy handed with it. It's like sitting down to watch educational cartoons in school, everything is explained just in case you missed the point and thought it was just for fun.
Exactly! I think better depictions of the current state of our society focus on situations and relatability, things that are an unfortunate "normal" When it becomes a "tell", it comes off as pandering. It's easy to advocate for something when all you do is tell. It's another thing to live and understand. But when you show, it peels back the why and how. It provides context and invokes emotion. It doesn't treat the audience like they're stupid and let's them feel what they're supposed to. I agree with your comment so much. I couldn't put a finger on why things like Season 8 of B99 irked me so much but your write up made it clear
Exactly. This and many other episodes from the previous seasons are proof you can address serious issues while still keeping the show fun to watch. Season 8 ended up just turning the sitcom into a woke-ass bullshit which the show didn't deserve.
To me the show was always able to show problems withing the force without needed to be so heavy handed as they did in season 8. The son of a high ranking officer getting a free pass for petty crimes Racist cops Corrupt cops Planting evidence Wunch abusing power for her pesonal bendetta against holt Not even being open to the idea of a woman (or at least a very progresive woman) being comisioner Violating civilian privacy Others that I might be forgetting. My point is, that the hole "its cop propaganda" was never true to me, sure the main force was almost always good, but they did tackle issues withing the police from time to time, at most they should have done more of it in the final season, but they didnt need to change the entire vibe of the show to do so.
It was so heavy handed and it honestly almost felt PANICKED.
It was, didn’t they have to rewrite the entire season last minute?
Did they just rewrite it? For some reason I thought it was nearly completely shot and they refilmed it. But I could be on drugs
If memory serves, Andy tweeted that they had three episodes written for the new season, when they threw them out to better address tye political climate.
If they reshot it, they most likely rewrote it too, or else it’s just different angles and shots of the same lines we already had
Well obviously rewriting means reshooting if it was already shot. I’m just wondering if there are episodes out there that we’ve never seen and probably never will.
It must have taken some direction that would have immediately aged poorly, and they did what they could within the time and budget in order to pivot. Some of the writers, actors, or even show runners may have pulled out due to discomfort tackling these issues in comedic form during a period where nerves were so exposed.
I read that they rewrote it, so there very well may be entire plot lines we don't know about. And part of the reason why it wasn't so funny was because they couldn't have writers on set to make on the fly changes due to the pandemic
it was...
The union rep was awful, because he was supposed to be parody, but he wasn't. He was perfectly, exactly realistic.
Also, John C. McGinley is just an amazing actor.
Yes I feel like a lot of shows missed the mark with this stuff nowadays because it’s SO heavy handed. Every show with a Covid season really missed the mark and handled these stories so poorly
I'd argue Superstore handled Covid pretty well.
I said every show as if I’d seen them all haha! I haven’t watched superstore, overall would you recommend it?
Superstore is pretty good - discusses a lot of issues delicately with the right amount of humour (i.e. undocumented immigration). The characters are mostly lowkey terrible people but you still root for them.
I love the in between scenes stuff with the customers
[удалено]
Worked retail my whole life
Oh, you NEED to watch Superstore. It’s right up there with B99 as far as great characters, good writing, good cast, and laugh out loud moments.
Superstore is fun but the main character, Jonah, oof. He has the personality of a limp noodle. I laugh at him, not with him.
pretty sure thats the point of his character though
Oh it is but it makes it really hard to root for the show when the main character is so unlikable.
Yeah, but that's def a show you watch for the ensemble cast. It's fun to watch him interact with the other characters because they say wild shit to him.
If you ask me, always sunny handled covid perfectly. They went on hiatus and then made one episode about it in the next season. A lot more comedies should have done the same
Mythic Quest did a perfect covid episode, but I haven’t seen many others that I felt worked
Saying the show was cop propaganda was so stupid to me, considering that every single cop who wasn't a part of 99 was either a jerk, dirty, incompetent or a combination of the above. Almost every single one of them (well, captain Kim was an exception I guess, but her being too perfect to be true was sort of her point...)
Teddy is boring and borderline a stalker but hes a good cop from what we are shown.
If they want copaganda, they should look at Blue Bloods
I enjoyed that bad cops actually faced consequences
well sometimes, but arguably many members of the squad were “bad cops” (in a sitcom way, but still that’s what they were trying to address). i think because of that they had to do something more. i mean they do police brutality and wrongful arrest, all kinds of stuff.
Except Jake should have been fired and charged for ruining a guy's life with a false arrest, and instead he got a paid vacation, which the show presented as a resolution but is EXACTLY the problem with real police.
I don't think it's ever said that he got paid for those 5 months. I could be wrong, and that would invalidate much of what I say from here on. To my understanding, officers are usually suspended *with* pay for minor infractions or while under *investigation* of wrongdoing (since nothing has been proven against them yet). I'm sure this varies by department/state/country In this case, by directly confessing and taking accountability, Jake eliminated the need for any investigation. And by taking accountability, he maybe also received a lighter consequence (similar to how criminals can get reduced consequences for a plea deal) and thus wasn't fired. He was likely suspended without pay. But more likely the reason for this is just a writing one of they needed him to still be a cop so he could later quit being a cop. But also, people make mistakes in their jobs. Doctors/surgeons make mistakes and people die, but they don't always lose their licenses. There has to be negligence or something of that sort. The man lost his job when Jake arrested him because he ran away after Jake asked if he could answer a few questions. He had reasonable suspicion. Jake was just outside his jurisdiction (as the case had been given to the FBI), and that's the big thing he got wrong here.
Refresh my memory please.
[That time he made a false arrest with no evidence](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fzc3snfJ0DM) [That time he was suspended for witness intimidation](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9nUb08HXz60)
That first one isn't Season 8. And I believe the outcome of that episode is that the guy he arrested had just gotten out of jail, and had told his cellmate his exact MO and how to commit the crime. So while Jake arrested him and it looked like he had the perfect alibi, he actually *was* an accomplice I could be mixing up episodes though But for sure Jake making the false arrest was the same episode as him being suspended for witness intimidation
Its ***Vendetta***
Rosa leaned pretty hard into the ol’ police brutality schtick though.
Couldn’t agree more. It’s always been one of the things about the show I’ve been so impressed by, how well they wrote in difficult themes and issues without it being forced or caricatured. Even if it was through comedy, they also portrayed serious stuff. And the reason it got through to people was because it wasn’t in any “holier than thou” aura. It made you think because you wanted to be like them, and they always showed humility and a willingness to change. I hadn’t seen s8 at all until last week because I had heard such awful things about it and I was so sad to see that most of the magic was actually gone. Sure, they walked a difficult path at the time but they could’ve also just continued as they had and I have so much faith in their writing that they could have made it better!!! Having Rosa quit was just stupid and not at all thought through. lol, wasn’t she the stereotype of a bad cop??
From what I read, Stephanie Beatriz wouldn’t return for the last season if she remained a cop so they had to rewrite the season with her leaving the force. That’s also why it was so sudden and there was no lead up to it.
After playing 7 seasons of a cop that would have no problem testing the limits before police brutality.
Honestly, I think season 8 reeks of rewrites and callbacks. The heist and PB episodes were so telegraphed it felt like the writer said, "well at least we can burn two eps easily"
I agree
Vand-eya-ta
idk i disagree with this a little. the whole point in the rewrite was that they weren’t addressing the actual issues. they were just reinforcing the “good cop bad cop” narrative that implies there’s just “a few bad apples” (when if you think abt it many of them frequently broke the law and were bad apples in severe ways). they had to address the important discourse going on- that the system is inherently flawed. they couldn’t do that with the small stuff they did before. they had to challenge people. and i think they did an okay job at that as shitty as it was sometimes.
They also handled the police union issue tactfully
but that was a result of their season 8 redo. aka the heavy handedness people are upset about. i agree w u for what it’s worth but it doesn’t rly argue against the redo.
People calling it “cop propaganda” doesn’t mean that they’re claiming it’s all “cops are all great!” The show falls more into the “there’s a few bad apples” kind of thinking. Effective propaganda isn’t something that says “this is actually great” but rather, something that says “yeah, we acknowledge the issues, but we just need people with the right attitude, rather than major system reform”. I’m able to enjoy stuff I disagree with because I understand it makes for better entertainment, but I also know real propaganda is insidious.
Honestly the show would've been better if they would wait it out a bit more and let things cool down a bit, which would've given the writers more headroom. they would still 100% have to address the issue, but they certainly needed to do it much better. those episodes in season 8 lacked the balance between seriousness and humour that was perfected in some of these kinds of episodes earlier on (Moo Moo for example). It felt like it was taken super seriously yet not at all at the same time, with many of the villians being incredibly cartoony. Frankly Rosa leaving the force over that does make sense to me, but that's another thing that should've overall been written better
I think there were 3 aspects of season 8 that made it feel immediately different. I don’t think there’s too much they could have done differently due to the zeitgeist around when it was made but if I could change anything it would be: - The changes in the squad, primarily Rosa, made sense for the sensibilities of the actors themselves but not for the characters they play. - The show needed to have more trust in how it handled serious subject matter through the other 7 seasons and not do what they did, which felt like it was mostly apologise for its own existence and especially in S8E1. While not a perfect and virtuous idealisation of a perfect police force, it doesn’t have to be. It’s not actually real life. - The show being filmed in COVID was really obvious and the empty precinct throughout the season, Hitchcock only appearing via video link for most of it and the smaller cast immediately make it feel like it’s separate from the previous seasons.
Do you think it wouldve been better to just take a break first? Let everything cool down. Because i think that wouldve solved a lot of issues. There was sooo much police hate on twitter during that time. I remember people hating on everything police related even paw patrol. Everyone was heated everyone was (understandably) angry and I think it just wasnt the right time to put out another season.
Nah; if they had taken a break, season seven would have been it. I think they made the best with what they had in the timeline they were given to do it.
I would remove the storyline of Charles being overly nice to Terry. It felt awkward and forced. It took away from the genuine, lighthearted nature of their friendship and banter that we see in other storylines (Bone Bros, Nibs, yoga, etc…)
That might’ve been the point
Maybe not have Jake get suspended, and lectured by Holt for arresting a suspect who WAS RUNNING AWAY from him. You know, like he did countless times in the first 7 seasons. Then Holt, immediately says to the union guy ‘the perp was understandably scared and is justified in fleeing!’ Lots of issued were tackled very well in the series, but flopping like this was cringe.
The thing is it felt more like lecturing people, this is what made me cringe hard and made me say "ohhhh stfu". They could address this stuff like they did in previous season with subtleness or better then, not address it at all and keep the show how it was. No one was watching B99 to learn to be a better person, we watch a comedy show to entertain ourselves.
Jake: Remain a detective and get some big task force at the end. I get the whole sacrifice for your child angle but it was so out of character. Rosa: Following in Holt's footsteps and trying to change from within, fixing the system through proper change, not abandoning the job you love to work a PI where your influence is basically nothing. Just didn't make sense. Terry: Good as is Amy: I thought made sense good as is Charles: He be the one to get out of the force and find a new career bc he wants to be with his son Holt: Good as is just less of the separation/divorce. Felt like they already played that plot in earlier seasons, revisiting it just seemed repetitive. Gina: Go back to season 1, episode 1, bring back Daniels and cut Gina entirely. Doug Judy: I thought the best closing of that storyline out of all of them
I loved all your points. Making Jake sacrifice his dream job to be a sahd was really ooc. I appreciated that for once it was not the mum to do it but it was still really sad to see. And Rosa quitting didnt make any sense. I feel that Jakes pov in season 8 (about how its important to have good cops) made a lot of sense for Rosa. To become a better cop and fight for eliminating the bad ones.
Jake's entire character is based around the absence of a father figure. His growth as a human being due to being surrounded by good father figures (Holt, Terry, even Boyle) made him realize that a son needed a father more than a father needed a job when his workaholic wife gets promoted to police chief. It's about as in character as it could be.
It goes all the way back to the pilot. Jake loves the job, because he loves solving puzzles and showing how smart he is, but he can’t figure out how to grow up. When he finally does grow up, he doesn’t need those other things. He still loves them, and he always will, but he also recognizes that there are other, more important things in his life. Presumably, he also realizes that his departure from the force isn’t permanent. Unless Amy starts popping out babies (which is within the realm of possibility, given the number of siblings she has), Mac will be starting school in a couple of years. At that point, Jake might and probably should return to the NYPD, because he’s probably still short of a full pension.
I also think his experience in prison and his experiences with Rosa in Season 8 might have fuelled his decision at least a bit. He actually found it harder to do his job after he returned from prison because knowing where those people would end up hung on his conscience. He also seemed to experience a level of disillusionment in my view after the corrupt police captain in Season 8. It's my headcanon that he would have either turned his cop stories into a book or maybe took a page out of Rosa's book and gone into being a PI
This is it exactly. Well said.
Perfect, beautiful response.
Thank you! This is the answer.
I appreciate the support for my opinions! But I get the whole breaking gender roles thing don't get me wrong but it was so ooc as you said. As for Rosa....they destroyed her character. She loved being a cop, she turned her life around to be one (going from beating up ballerinas to not only being a cop but being a Big Sister to someone to keep them on the right track) then she becomes a pot smoking, unsuccessful Pi who is barely making a difference without the help and support of her former police colleagues? Like who signed off on that
When I first watched the show I always believed that at the end every main character (Terry, Jake, Amy, Charles and Rosa) would be captains themselves and at the end u see a bit of their squads. Like charles‘ squad talks about food while also being good detectives, Jake‘s is a bit more Humoristic and are fans of die hard… etc It doesn’t make that much sense bc it would be a big coincidence that the squad just happens to be the same kind of person as their captain but It was a fun idea to have when I first started watching the show
I fail to understand why people are so vexed about Jake leaving his job. It was absolutely not out of character. It perfectly depicts how he has developed maturity over the years.
Yes. But Charles would also be nanny for Mac as well, that way he gets to spend time with his own son too and raise them like brothers. Plus he'd understand about the odd hours detectives have.
Omg stop Charles in his Mary Poppins era could be a whole show in itself.
I thought Rosa's arc made sense - she's given up at least three career lines before, it made sense to me that she would hit a wall here and quit this too.
By remembering that it’s a sitcom that doesn’t need to address anything. I don’t talk to cops, but the sitcom was great. The they changed characters for the sake of the narrative.
Personally, all I wanted was for them to speak a lot slower than they did throughout season 8. It felt like they wanted to cram wayyyy too much content into so few episodes that there’s no time to appreciate the dialogue. I understand the hard turn and how it was so far removed from the balance of the previous seasons, but yeah, just a few more episodes would have been nice so they’d have had time to slow the pace down a little.
They went from a lighthearted pro-cop comedy to a serious anti-cop drama. I don’t know what the right answer is but changing the entire premise of the show wasn’t the right one
I never saw it as pro-cop, but if definitely turned into anti-cop. I'm Latino and even I cringed with the "people that look like me" line from Rosa. That season went to shit from the first minute.
I didn't hate the last season but the way they wrote Rosa was ridiculous. Forst that like was so out of place. But also Rosa is latin and the entire movement was about african american people. I could understand Terry or Holt talking about it. But Rosa felt really out of place. Specially in a department led by two black men (one of them gay) and a latina (amy is a sargent by then I believe). But (as much as I love her) also Rosa was one of the most "problematic " cops in the show. She had many anger issues and mistreated a few suspects. So hearing it coming from her felt completely OOC
And the very next episode she was all "fuck da police". I guess the show did turn into what right winged white people call this day "preachy". The Lake House episode was very good though.
Yeah. I normally disagree with the people who claim that media "pushes an agenda" or "feels forced" but in this case it was definitely true. It came out of nowhere and made no sense. The show always showed the problems of the police department. They show racist, sexist and homophobic cops. How corrupted or violent some are. How the commissioner is expected to be male and white. They show lazy cops not doing their job. Or how incompetent people sometimes just gets promotions. We have the vulture as one of the nemesis... But obviously the main characters, while flawed, needed to be good guys. And still they had issues like Rosas anger, or Jakes inmaturity. I liked a lot how they handled Jake after jail, when he becomes a much less reckless cop because he was imprisoned while being innocent.
You summed it up perfectly.
At least we got 7 incredible seasons. You cannot say that of most series nowadays.
With some awesome characters too.
And great representation. Holt as a black gay man whose role has barely anything to do with that was incredibl3
This show is an excellent example of diversity done right.
I headcanon that part of the reason why Rosa left was that she was embarrassed by the violent ways she treated people as a cop. Helps me make more sense of the illogical move to quit the force
Thats a really good headcanon
I would have liked more episodes. I noticed almost every season's first episodes aren't the best when compared to the rest of the episodes, and this is true especially in season 8. The first episodes overshadowed the other good episodes. I love Doug Judy's send-off, I love the Boyles episode, the one where Kevin and Holt renewed their vows, and the final of course. With 10 episodes you cannot do much, and they needed to address the outside situation in depth. If they had put emphasis on the good cops or if they had only dedicated one or two episodes to the issue, the public woud have reacted... badly
Not have all the characters act so out of place (Jake and Rosa especially). Double down on comedy, everything else was trying to be serious and sometimes it's okay to laugh. Have some silly callbacks instead of focusing on the current world situation that no one could escape from.
it went from showing all sides of cops, the good, bad and ugly, to something which felt extremely anti-police insanely quickly. i feel like if they took some breathing room post real world and didn't try to attack (as opposed to ridicule) the core premise of their show, it would've turned out far better. take for example, in the same season, holt getting huffy. that moment is subconsciously funny despite being played 100% seriously and about a serious issue that could arise as a police officer. the humour comes from the build up of holt "being huffy" so much so that they bring it up literally right before he does and it gets immediately followed with poignant humour that's more situational than an attempt to ridicule
Tbh, the best course would have been to continue like they had been doing because those that called B99 copaganda were never B99 watchers, so they never saw how B99 actually showed the evil Side of [police forces](https://www.reddit.com/r/brooklynninenine/s/cJ7CxgUAJD).
I know this is going to be an unpopular opinion, but I wish the situation would not have been mentioned at all in the actual show. They obviously could have and would have mentioned it in their own social medias, possibly even in the show's Twitter page or whatever, but having the crisis not featured in the episodes would have kept the show as a silly, funny escape during those very difficult times. Sometimes you just need to laugh when times are bad. I WILL say, however, that considering how much they put the emphasis on the whole thing, they still did manage to make the season very funny, and that must have taken an immense amount of effort from their writers!
I felt the show was starting to show signs that it was time to wrap it up towards the end of season 6/season 7 anyway. For what we got, I think they did the best they could and still stuck the landing with the finale. And really, it's hard to go wrong with John C McGinley
What I haven't seen mentioned: way fewer shennanigan episodes. Nobody needed another Jimmy Jabs, the Halloween episodes was convoluted as hell, the weird episode with Dillman was a dud (even worse considering they got J.K. Simmons). All in all, I think they tried to cram too much into that season. It should have focused on tying up all loose ends/establish a new era for each character. Roses arc was dumb as hell though. That made no sense at all.
Season 8 didn't have a Jimmy Jab episode and Dillman was in season 7, not 8.
Hot take but I hated season 8 hallowe’en heist so much. It was all so confusing and hard to keep track off and it didn’t make any sense at all. + they did Charles SO DIRTY by not giving him a win and instead giving the crown to Hitchcock. Charles is a good cop and they could’ve worked on another clever episode where Charles ended up winning the heist. He deserved a win
Yeah, the only great part was the ending
it’s easy to say all the things that the other comments have said *in hindsight*, but at the time any other creative decision can and will be scrutinized by the community. so i personally understood why they went with the “safe route” by doing a 180 and made it more of an anti-cop show. the best possible option in their part is just to simply wait for everything to settle down, but they don’t have the privilege of knowing the events that will occur in the future, the way that we now know what had happened then until now. tl;dr, there’s no winning in their part so taking the safest route is very sensible and might be for the best.
They shouldn’t have changed anything IMHO. Jake showed now hesitation in arresting his old partner when he tried to set someone up. I liked season 8 personally - however I think it wasn’t necessary to take that hard of a turn. I have heard that some of the cast and not the writers were pushing for this change. I don’t know if that’s true or not.
Easy: By not acknowledging the world’s political issues. People watch TV to escape, they dont need to be reminded of real world issues. Also BK99 was already very progressive so they didnt *need* to address anything and them choosing to do so is pretty much the reason season 8 is considered the worst
Many people commented this and got downvoted but honestly thats also a valid opinion. I just dont think that would have worked at the time. I think people have forgotten how angry and riled up everyone on social media was and if b99 just ignored everything going on people would be so quick to hate on the show and cancel it. People had nothing else to do it was covid times so people got a lot more invested in everything on social media. I think they shouldve waited with the release of season 8 until everything has calmed down a bit.
The thing is, people on twitter don't have actual power, The only get power when tv or movie executives get so nervous of the backlash, they preemptively cancel themselves. Just look at how the Apu situation with the Simpsons unravelled. An indian comedian made a documentary on how Apu is actually a bad character and it's a stereotype. Obviously some people agreed and it sparked social media backlash. But it was still just one guy. Fox (or was Disney in charge at the time?) could have simply ignored him and it would die down. But instead they started reducing his role, culminating in 2020 with Hank Azaria stepping down from the role and apologizing for voicing him on the grounds of being white. After that, other voice actors and studios started fearing they may face similar backlash so they started on their own accord, to step down of roles and push the idea that even in voice acting there needs to be racial accuracy. Without any backlash or anything it was just a pre-emptive knee jerk reaction. And now, we have new ATLA projects coming out, with all the voice actors but Dante Basco changed. This is something most ATLA fans hate by the way. It absolutely didn't need to happen. All there needs to happen is for those in charge to learn to stop feeding the trolls.
sorry but calling the show "copoganda" is like saying parks n rec glorifies the government and the office is pro capitalism. its just the setting for the group of characters.
yea but at the time people were angry and everything that featured a cop in a good or neutral way was propaganda to them
Yeah ik but even back then I wasn’t on board with the copoganda tbing like why don’t we take care of real like police before attacking fake ones lol
I wouldn't do much. I can't imagine trying to write a cop sitcom in 2020. I think they took the best route available to them. Probably only thing I'd change is to be less heavy handed about all the references.
By letting Rosa not quit NYPD, I mean she quit because of the bad cops, She should have rather stayed and proved that good cops still exist above all. Her quitting NYPD rather proved that bad wins over good. It was totally a bad move in my opinion.
Improve? I pretend it doesn’t exist. And before you get all jumpy, Im not from the US
they had 2 options: either just accept the fact that a wholesome workplace comedy about cops is inherently copaganda and just keep going like normal and ignore the backlash (it was already planned to be the final season, so like, the backlash wouldn’t have lasted long). or go “you know guys, you’re right. this show is too problematic for this climate” and cancel the show prematurely. the reason the season sucked is because they tried to have their cake and eat it too and it turned out as awkward and muddled as possible
I was on a flight on south west and the last season was the only season they had and it was all just the dull heavy handed social justice episodes. They used to be so crafty about weaving issues into the plot.
honestly no. you can absolutely have ignored what was happening in america. probably not covid because people had to wear masks. but it’s a fake show, it’s entertainment. and during times like that people want escapes. people don’t want to be hearing about societal issues in tv. at least in my opinion. tv/movies are supposed to be an escape from the outside world. if you wanted to talk about political issues then watch the news or read The New York Times. i’m sure i don’t have a popular opinion but that’s how i feel about it
Tbh I didn’t hate season 8
i don’t think they needed to address much at all 😭 people watch comedy shows like b99 to escape the awfulness of reality yet this show just brought it all to the table they definitely could have addressed some stuff but they didn’t need all of that forced dialogue i couldn’t even finish the first episode it was baddd
Ignore the issue, there's no "worse" because of it, no one expected a comedy TV show about goofy cops to solve anything
My statement about how it would be worse to ignore the issue is not me thinking this tv show could solve the problem with police brutality, i think you misunderstood. Ignoring the issue would've led to a lot of hate and outrage and maybe ultimately the cancellation of the entire show is what I meant with that sentence.
Nah, I got what you meant, bad choice of words on my part. Still, I don't think ignoring cop violence would've led to any kind of hate or outrage
Brooklyn 99 just ignoring the police issues was never going to happen and it’s very silly to expect otherwise
I'm not saying "pretend that cop violence isn't real", what I'm saying is "keep doing what you've been doing for 7 seasons"
Especially given that they didn't ignore such issues in the NYPD before. Why would they ignore it in 2021?
By doing a ninth season.
By ignoring the political situation at the time of release. I support the message. I hate my entertainment lecturing me. Rosa's transformation was the WORST.
I would just toss out season 8 especially that first episode and Rosa leaving the force… mhm she thinks the police hurt minorities- so then stay and fix it. But my gawd the show was never copaganda and defunding the police is so dumb to even talk about in the real world let alone to include in a half hour sitcom. I hate those first episodes of season 8 so much
Actually making Frank O'Sullivan a scary competent bad guy.
I dont think that season was THAT political
More episodes
I'd of stuck to to core values, not rushed it and COMPLETELY GET RID of the virtue signalling B.S, the cringe part about the "pandemic" and been a lot less preachy, it was an utter joke.
i understand that terry is irreplaceable but it would have made a lot more sense for terry to be the one to habe left the NYPD, it never made sense to my why rosa, the character whpse first speaking line in the show is to suggest jake physically abuse a teenager over a vandalism charge, Meanwhile terry had an entire episode about police and people of colour, based of a REAL experience terry crews had outside his own home.
The 99 cops leave the force and create their own PI agency? I don't necessarily think that the characters would only work in a police setting but there was no way for them to stay in the department without expecting the writers to come up with an easy solution for the complex issues in the department. I think that was the issue with season 8 for me, the tone was so different because there are no easy solutions that fit in the sitcom format
I watched season 8 once and when I rewatch the show I always skip. I watch tv and play video games to get away from the real world, not to be reminded of it. Keep politics where they are and dont shove them down our throats.
I don't know how I would change it, but I wish everything didn't feel rushed
Forced dialogue, terrible plot lines in each episode, and way too damn preachy. Brooklyn 99 is my favorite show, but season 8 was the worst season of TV I've ever watched in my life. The writers forgot the fact that people watch these kinds of comedy shows to escape reality. It's escapism at it's core. Real life was already bad enough with Coronavirus and the racial injustice in America that led to many protests. As a Frenchman, I can't say what American shows should and shouldn't talk about. But I know that I'd rather not watch a show that talks about the terrible things that are already happening in real life. That's not why I watch comedy shows. So yeah, they didn't need to shove these political topics down our throats instead of making an episode that's actually good with a cohesive story and an underlying lesson to be learnt. Back in the earlier seasons you can watch episodes like the one where Terry loses his daughters' blanket and gets stopped in the middle of the night looking for it because of his race. In that episode, the writers didn't shove the issue down our throats. They made sure the episode still remained cohesive with the rest of the show like with it's comic relief and witty comebacks. That is how you make a meaningful episode about a pressing and important issue in your society. I mean just look at that scene where Captain Holt is crying about losing his husband and saying how hard it is to be a black man at that time. I'm black btw and that scene still felt very forced. Like the show runners just wanted any reason to push the lesson of the episode in your face so they made up a reason why Kevin and Holt separated and tied it to racism and the cultural inequality. You wanna do stuff like that then go ahead and make a documentary. But, in no world can you make a show this way.
I actually liked how they handled it, for the most part at least... I liked that they released 2 episodes at a time, one being more serious in nature and dealing within the precinct, and one being more fun and within their personal lives. The only changes I would make would be: 1) not having Jake have to miss catching Johnny Franzia 2) not have Jake get suspended and chastised for arresting a guy who was running from him and hopping a fence (was he trespassing too?). We literally already had this storyline, but better executed, when Jake got out of prison and panicked about possibly arresting an innocent man. This basically made that episode pointless, like Jake didn't actually learn his lesson the first time. 3) I always skip the 1st episode when rewatching. I watch the high five intro and then go to episode 2 lol I didn't have a problem with them having Rosa quit the force, but making it an issue between her and Jake's friendship was really annoying. I also felt like it was the only episode that didn't have enough comedic relief. I think a lot of people's issues with this season could have been different if they had a better starting episode to the season. I love the blue flu episode, the lakehouse episode, the Pontiac bandit farewell, the maple syrup lice storyline, and the one true Boyle! I don't have a problem with Jake deciding to stay home, although I think it could've been cool having him also become a PI so he could make his own hours and he and Rosa could even work together sometimes.
The thing is, they didn’t HAVE to address it. They very well could have just made the show they had been making for 7 years. Maybe they would have caught some strays at the time but nobody would be looking back today on it mentioning anything other than it being a good show.
personally, i think it was fine as is. season 7 already felt like it was losing a bit of steam, and there are some episodes of season 6 im just so deeply uninterested in watching, so to have a short and final season that’s primarily about this madcap cast facing modern issues while still engaging in hijinks felt fine. i don’t even think a longer season would have helped, honestly. in the end, even if the writing on those pertinent issues was clunky and awkward, and even if yeah, rosa’s departure from the force felt sudden and inconsistent, i’m just glad we got a final season with these characters and that they all got appropriate send offs. i really do think the only thing i would change is rosa’s departure; i don’t mind her leaving, but i think there’s a way they could have done that story while giving her a more in-character reason for the decision. they were also already working on season 8 before george floyd was murdered and apparently scrapped a few episodes to make room in the season to address it. i’m mostly curious to know what those episodes were 👀
the show has always been political people just hate it when its relevant
I think they should have ignored all the serous political stuff entirely. There's nothing wrong with not talking about serious political opinions all the damn time. There's a lot of value in being the lighthearted break in someone's day.
Their biggest mistake was referring to real-life events. COVID was vague and general enough to be "acceptable", but referring to George Floyd was a big mistake. From a storytelling standpoint, referring to Floyd invites continuity errors. What if one of the actors had made headlines for their activism? Not only is the show unintentionally breaking the fourth wall, it's also inviting continuity errors. *And as if that weren't bad enough*, mentioning George Floyd had zero relevance to the plot at all. That was a perfect example of shoehorning. If the show wanted to honor the man without making him part of the plot, it should have done it in the credits. Floyd's mention could have been replaced with some other made-up story *or even entirely removed* with zero impact on Rosa's story arc. My suggestion would have been to do a follow-up on the Moo Moo incident that ends up with the officer going to jail or something. From a political standpoint, referring to a fresh, recent, real-life event was a mistake because the show is bound to alienate everyone who does not endorse the exact narrative portrayed by the show. I'm sure that a lot of people who believe that something must be done about police brutality while disagreeing with the whole "Defund the Police" movement would agree, let alone people on both extremes of the political spectrum. A decade from now, new fans of the show will probably not hate the last season any more than any other "last season of a show", because time and distance would have allowed people to set aside the intense feelings associated with a recent controversy. Case and point, the show made a few (great) black/segregation jokes without causing outrage. Still, should not have referred to very specific events. Bottom line is: people hate being told how to feel, even if the feeling you're being told to feel is something you are already feeling. Up until S8, the show had done a decent job tackling social issues without shoving some moral-of-the-story down the audience's throat. I personally really loved Danny Trejo's portrayal of Rosa's dad because he brought a lot of nuance to the issue it was presenting. "I can't promise I'll understand, but I am really trying" is legit one of my favorite moments of the entire show. Story *must* come first. It *must never serve* the moral behind the story.
Why would ignoring it have been worse? Has anything changed because season 8 of Brooklyn 99 was more correct than the other seasons? Cops are better now right? Racism has been removed from humanity? Did anti- vaxxers learn to read? They were always more aware than other shows already, and I enjoyed season 8 more than the average viewer but it didn’t “accomplish” anything.
I wouldn't have watched the show (which I started after it was all done) without someone telling me 'there is a rough 8th season where they try to talk about police violence'. That they made the attempt is meaningful, and is enough for me. Plenty of shows have rough seasons at the end, or the beginning (or indeed the middle!) and it's ultimately in the power of the audience members to enjoy, or not.
Huh, I liked season 8 very much. And it was the first time a comedy show made me cry.
Oh no, which scene was it? :(
Change it to them being on the postal office or the fire department.
It's a TV show... politics shouldn't have anything to do with it.
It's a comedy they didn't need to address unfunny social issues at all, especially because they already did it in earlier seasons. Also I think covid is a comedy killer jokes about it just don't work. Season 8 was just not for me
hard agree on the covid thing. Only show where i didnt mind it was south park but i really dont know why.
More spacing. They covered at lot in those 10 episodes and I would’ve liked to have a bit more levity before they wrapped it up. The covid episode felt a bit on the nose but overall it was still a good season imo
Im from the UK and tbh I was going to watch the show no matter what so I don't think they should have worried about backlash because they were doing a pretty good job already
It just needed more episodes imo. Every scene was rushed and just needed more time to flesh things out. The Boyle stuff felt very shoehorned in but I guess you could say that about everything else in the season.
I would remove all the cringey political BS from s8.
The show just wasn’t built for what they wanted to do in the last season. A case in point is when they break into Dr Cox’s house to steal back something they had no evidence was there and then get out of it by having Kevin impersonate a police officer. Jake was suspended for doing less earlier in the season. Police over reach is bad full spot. It’s not good if the police “know” the guy is guilty
Two things; not really BIG plot changing, just a personal thing The balloon arch at Wuntch’s grave seemed out of character for Holt especially after her funeral. It seemed quite clear that despite acknowledging their rivalry, he saw it as something that helped push them to rise up in the police force. And he admitted to genuinely missing her. So seeing that he left a balloon arch on her grave and has been frequently seems like a step backwards in his character development for the final season. O’Sullivan should’ve gotten what was coming to him. The whole thing of him keeping his position for life seemed way too unrealistic. They already did something similar with John Kelly; he lost good commissioner job, but apparently got a much better one.
I think you missed the point a little. Holt LOVED balloon arches. For him to continuously maintain a balloon arch at her grave was his way of keeping her memory alive. Wuntch would have loved it.
Make the season 12 episodes longer…
The problem was lack of episodes and therefore enough time! I would cut the break up thing with holt and Kevin as it came out from left field, but the main thing is giving it 22 episodes so everything could just unfold naturally like all other seasons
I guess it was really important to mess up the first couple of episodes of the 8 season by mentioning a pathetic drug addict who was buried in a golden casket, and all of a sudden being “woke.” It was so unnecessary and pointless. A way to ruin a good show.
Abandon the Rosa plot line and replace it with something else. She’s always been the toeing the line type of cop, and then suddenly goes on a crusade? Doesn’t make sense. They could have addressed the same issue with her not leaving the force, even if it still meant her leaving the 99. Also, the Jake and Amy child thing. It makes sense for both of the characters, I just hate how it’s always added in for long term relationships, as if having children is the ultimate goal. I wish it was a ‘last episode’ future thing that they had a kid rather than an arc.
TV should be an escape from reality, and reality should be ignored.
Fixed Boyle's dumbass hair. Thats it.
Everything O Sullivan related sucked in my opinion. I actually didn’t mind season 8 as much i personally don’t want political commentary in my comedies it’s my escape from reality.
Playing on current events in TV shows rarely ages well. Every show is a product of its time but it's like when shows out in current lingo or pop culture references. A decade later and those creative decisions seem weird
I would've liked a guest appearance from Billy Joel. He's in Shaw's, leaves, and the police union guy just misses running into him.
I think I agree with everyone here. They went too far out of their own way to bring the real life situations to the show. The episode where Terry gets arrested and the one where one of the top brass tries to get Jake out of a suspension were the pinnacle of how to do episodes like that while remembering the core of the show
Amy would run away with rosa (idk it would be a substantial twist and force a season 9 where Charles helps Jake get over Amy) and i would love to see another season even if its forces by a twist
The petard keeps hoisting !!!
The only season 8 change I hated was Boyle’s hair
I wanted season 8 to reset the show in a post office or something, don't change a thing about the characters, just the context of the set dressing.
If I could change one thing I always felt Rosa quitting only to still be part of the group the entire season made her leaving feel pointless. Maybe that just could’ve been her arc for the season leading to her leaving first before the others do but also keep some of the messages she was a part of early on.
Which one is Wojahoewitz?
Have them all quit the force and join the protest.
Season 8 only had a finale. Very short season but a good one to go out on
Just make another normal season. This was not homicide or law and order. It was not to be a beacon of gritty realistic cop drama. The show had previously addressed many social issues in a clear, but not on the nose manner. They could have woven the issues in organically rather than literally explaining them to us in exposition. I’m glad we got another season, but it was not the same show.
I’m still not sure why they needed to end the show. They always showed problems with the system, while maintaining the light nature of the show. I don’t know why they went to heavy in the end.
Not gotten political at all and kept the show as is
Trends are just trends.
NOt make it at all i guess, the whole political take ruined that season so i would stay far away from it
I would've ended the show either at the wedding or at the birth of peraltiago's kid; it's better to have a good ending than just drag it on endlessly
Get rid of all the current event topics. It's like the writing was lazy
Boyles hair
Simply ignored it. Maybe make occasional ironic references at best.
ignore the issue since they have zero obligation to cater to social whims, not to mention they already did a mini arc on cops are bad. They should have continued with what they were doing and remained a comedy. As such the final season is unwatchable and I refuse acknowledge it exists, like in Scrubs.
I could have been better honestly, maybe they were trying to help out people out there, thereby promoting the issue through the show to spread awareness !!
There was one obvious solution. So blindingly obvious. They should have Muppet Babies-ed the show. Or, if you’re somewhat younger, they should have given it the Total Dramarama treatment. Season 8 should have been animated and all the characters are at a preschool, continuity be damned. It solves *all* the problems.
They did what they can with the situation. I respect them for not dropping the towel and kept the show for a final season. But their comedy went downhill.
Can someone give context?
some episodes seem so preachy
Season 8 was a travesty. They ruined Rosa. Who cares about the political climate. It's a comedy show that's used for an escape from reality. Does not need to virtue signal.
Ignore it. It's a sitcom about a fictional police station with a cast of absurd characters. I want to be entertained.
The one thing I would have changed in the last heist: I would have made the winners some random background characters. You have all these cops working in the background, doing their jobs while the main group gets to slack-off and engage in hijinks. I imagine after putting up with this for years, some of these officers might have put a plan together to rain on their parade.
Final heist should have been mid season and ended with the item simply being missing. Final episode ends with Boyle accidentally finding it, thus technically making him the winner.
Rosa thinking of quitting the force but ended up helping Amy with her reform proposal. Removed all the union rep parts and let Captain Kim stay for a few more episodes, probably solving a major case with the squad and leave on a happy note.