Brooklyn Nine-Nine: 2.06 “Jake and Sophia” Review

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November 10, 2014 by Rebecca VanAcker

Last night, we were treated to a pretty solid adventure with the Nine-Nine, which included a slightly terrifying hybrid of Scully and Amy, a luxury sex romp, and the lovely Eva Longoria. Luckily, none of these things were related.

On this show, the pre-credits scene is usually one of the funniest bits of the entire episode, and this opening was no exception. Amy is running (gasp!) seventy seconds late. The gang all try to guess what might have happened (all three of her alarm clocks weren’t working, she got snatched in the middle of the night, she fell through a subway grate to have sex with a mole man, etc). To the Captain’s delight (Hot damn!), his guess of there being a problem at the bank ends up being correct.

This week, Jake tries to get back in the dating game, and ends up being (mostly) successful. While out for drinks with Sarge, he meets Sophia (Eva Longoria), and treats her to spicy, spicy buffalo wings (not a euphemism) and an all around excellent date. However, things take a turn for the messy (just like their avocado pit ping pong match the previous night) when he and Sarge are in court for a jewelry store robbery (or diamond heist, if you’re Jake) and Sophia replaces the defense attorney. Both are horrified that they slept with (who they see as) the enemy. And actually, one of my favorite aspects of this storyline was how everyone reacted with identical disgust to a cop and a defense attorney sleeping together; from Sarge, to the judge, to really everyone at the precinct.

Basically, the case devolves into Jake and Sophia trading barbs with one another about exceedingly personal things they learned the night before (and wow, they knew an impressive amount of stuff after just one date, right?), and when Jake’s key witness falls through, he and Sarge enlist the help of the Nine-Nine to find more evidence. At Santiago’s suggestion, they wind up finding the tools that the defendant used for the break-in in an old dumbwaiter. But alas, they are thwarted by Sophia and he is found not guilty. And in the end, Sarge convinces Jake to ask Sophia out again, despite how he feels about her job, reasoning that Jake wanted someone who wasn’t boring. She says yes, provided that they don’t talk about work. I enjoyed this plot for the most part. Eva Longoria and Andy Samberg were a good match for one another (and I know she’s coming back for the next couple episodes), but they also made me really miss Jake and Amy. I know they’re in a bit of a tricky spot right now, but I’m still hoping we’ll get a plot focused on the two of them (and ideally, their relationship) soon.

The B-plot this week found Rosa, Amy, and the Captain dealing with the union rep elections. Despite doing a terrible job, Scully has run unopposed for the last twelve years and Rosa and Amy are looking to change that. Rosa encourages Amy to run, but hoping to be Captain one day, she declines. However, that doesn’t stop Rosa from papering the Nine-Nine with “Vote for Amy Santiago” flyers. The Captain isn’t allowed to get involved in union matters, despite Amy and Rosa constantly trying to drag him into it by asking who is in the right. Eventually he gives in, summoning Amy into his office to convince her to run. In a sweet moment, he tells her that even though he was constantly fighting with the brass, he still managed to become Captain, and that she shouldn’t let her worries stop her from running. I love moments where the Captain blatantly shows how much he cares about his detectives, and this was the perfect example of one. I also like how he and Santiago have been on more equal footing lately. She obviously still respects the hell out of him and seeks his approval, but she also recognizes that he’s someone that she doesn’t have to try so hard to impress anymore, because he respects her as well. Amy ends up making a good speech at the election (Pick Amy, dummies!) and presumably wins, as Rosa and the Captain look on proudly.

Another plot had Boyle and Gina going through the typical fallout of a breakup: giving each other’s stuff back, saying goodbye, and figuring out who gets to go on their prepaid luxury sex romp. You know, normal stuff. They each try to manipulate the other into giving up their claim to the room, to no avail. In fact, when they go so far as to suggest to the Captain that the other take the night shift, he tells them that both of them have to. And, in a delightfully random bit, they each give their key to their respective parent, which seemingly leads to a romantic interlude between the two. C’mon writers, we have to address that in the next episode!

On to the notable quotables:

“He’s been a rep for twelve years, and he still pronounces ‘union’ as ‘onion’” – Rosa, on why Scully shouldn’t be the precinct’s union rep anymore

“Ah, hello District Attorney Kurm. I got lucky last night.” – Jake, by way of greeting the D.A.

“Now you’ve done it. You made me turn my chair.” – The Captain, fed up with Rosa and Amy’s bickering

“Everyone likes to be the little spoon! It makes you feel safe. Carl, back me up on this.” “Yes, little spoon all the way.” – Jake and the D.A. on why there’s no shame in being the little spoon

“Walking angrily away towards a door that I now see says ‘Emergency Exit Only’ on it so I’m turning around but I’m still ticked!” – Jake, when Sarge asks what he’s doing

What was your favorite scene in this episode? Let me know in the comment section below!