Dillman (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Last updated
"Dillman"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 9
Directed by Kyra Sedgwick
Written byPaul Welsh & Madeline Walter
Produced by
Cinematography byRick Page
Editing byJason Gill
Production code709
Original air dateMarch 26, 2020 (2020-03-26)
Running time21 minutes
Guest appearances
  • J. K. Simmons as Frank Dillman
  • Katie Dalmas as Alyssa
  • Delpaneaux Wills as Officer Howard
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Takeback"
Next 
"Admiral Peralta"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 7
List of episodes

"Dillman" is the 9th episode of the seventh season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine , and the 139th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Paul Welsh and Madeline Walter and directed by recurring cast member Kyra Sedgwick. It aired on March 26, 2020, on NBC.

Contents

The show revolves around the fictitious 99th precinct of the New York Police Department in Brooklyn and the officers and detectives that work in the precinct. In this episode, a glitter bomb explodes on Jake's desk and damages crucial evidence on a case. To find out who brought in the bomb, Holt brings in Frank Dillman, one of the best detectives he knows. Jake attempts to find the culprit before Dillman in hopes of convincing Holt to put him on a new task force.

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.14 million household viewers and gained a 0.6 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. The episode received very positive reviews from critics, who praised J.K. Simmons' guest performance, Joe Lo Truglio's acting, Sedgwick's directing and writing.

Plot

Jake (Andy Samberg) asks Holt (Andre Braugher) for a position on his new special task force, citing his records but Holt remains unconvinced. Then, a glitter bomb explodes on Jake's desk, causing damage to the precinct and ruining the only evidence to a murder. Holt decides to put the precinct on lockdown until they find the culprit.

To help with the case, Holt calls SFPD Detective Frank Dillman (J. K. Simmons), whom he deems the best detective he's ever worked with. Dillman's strict and fast-learning methods prove to be difficult for Jake to show he can earn the position in the task force so he sets to investigate on his own. He accuses Terry (Terry Crews) after finding his suspenders with glitter but Dillman quickly shoots down the allegation as the glitter is not the same color as the one in the explosion. Dillman then questions Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) but she proves her innocence because she was watching a soap opera during the events.

Desperate, Jake accuses Holt of being part of the bombing but he reveals he had lunch with Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) to offer him the task force position. Overhearing Jake and Boyle talk, Dillman then deduces that Jake planted the bomb in order to prove himself to Holt for the task force position. Despite Amy's (Melissa Fumero) defense, Holt suspends Jake. Jake then eventually returns with more evidence: Dillman was fired by the SFPD and now works at a hobby shop and hoped Holt would give him the position at the task force. Dillman confesses to all this but maintains that he didn't plant the bomb. Boyle then arrives and solves the mystery: the culprit was the Assistant District Attorney who wanted evidence destroyed to win the trial and had an officer (who ironically was the first one Jake accused earlier) in the precinct plant the bomb. The officer is arrested and Jake tells Boyle to accept the task force position, citing his performance in solving the case. And despite being innocent, Holt decides not to offer any job opportunity to Dillman, having lost respect for him.

Reception

Viewers

According to Nielsen Media Research, the episode was seen by an estimated 2.14 million household viewers and gained a 0.6 ratings share among adults aged 18–49. This means that 0.6 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode. [1] This was a 8% decrease over the previous episode, which was watched by 2.32 million viewers and a 0.7 ratings share. [2] With these ratings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was the third highest rated show on NBC for the night behind Law & Order: Special Victims Unit and Superstore , seventh on its timeslot and eleventh for the night, behind Outmatched , A Million Little Things , a Mom rerun, Law & Order: Special Victims Unit, Last Man Standing , two Young Sheldon reruns, Superstore, Station 19 , and Grey's Anatomy .

Critical reviews

"Dillman" received very positive reviews from critics. LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" rating, writing, "In addition to being a classic whodunnit, 'Dillman' is a bottle episode with a great guest star and a solid utilization of the entire cast. I'd argue that it's not a showstopping bottle episode like 'The Box' or 'Show Me Going', but it's also not as tension-filled as those episodes. Despite the major implications of the supposed prank-gone-wrong, 'Dillman' pretty much rolls its eyes at the possibility that any member of the squad is actually responsible for the glitter bomb." [3]

Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "Where 'Trying' was a very different kind of episode than Nine-Nine had tried before, 'Dillman' was just an example of the show playing to all of its strengths at the same time. Expecting something new every week at this stage isn't fair, but it's nice to see some of the old tricks still work when they're executed this well." [4] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave it a 4.5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'Dillman' works both as a great little 'who has done this?' and as a necessary exploration of Jake and Boyle's relationship. As always, I also appreciate Brooklyn Nine-Nine staying focused with just one plot that includes all of the characters. A bottle episode during the time of social distancing? How appropriate." [5]

Related Research Articles

"Halloween II" is the fourth episode of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 26th overall episode of the series and is written by consulting producer Prentice Penny and directed by Eric Appel. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 19, 2014.

"The Mole" is the fifth episode of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 27th overall episode of the series and is written by Laura McCreary and directed by Victor Nelli, Jr. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 2, 2014.

"Lockdown" is the seventh episode of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 29th overall episode of the series and is written by co-executive producer Luke Del Tredici and directed by Linda Mendoza. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 16, 2014. It's the eight episode of the season to be produced but it's the seventh to be broadcast.

"New Captain" is the first episode and season premiere of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 46th overall episode of the series and is written by Matt Murray and directed by Michael Schur. It aired on Fox in the United States on September 27, 2015.

"The Funeral" is the second episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 47th overall episode of the series and is written by Luke Del Tredici and directed by Claire Scanlon. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 4, 2015.

"Boyle's Hunch" is the third episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 48th overall episode of the series and is written by Tricia McAlpin and directed by Trent O'Donnell. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 11, 2015.

"The Oolong Slayer" is the fourth episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 49th overall episode of the series and is written by Gabe Liedman and directed by Michael McDonald. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 18, 2015.

"9 Days" is the twelfth episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 57th overall episode of the series and is written by Justin Noble and directed by Dean Holland. It aired on Fox in the United States on January 19, 2016.

"Terry Kitties" is the nineteenth episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 64th overall episode of the series and is written by Phil Augusta Jackson & Tricia McAlpin and directed by Michael McDonald. It aired on Fox in the United States on March 15, 2016.

"The Fugitive" is the eleventh and twelfth episodes of the fourth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 79th and 80th overall episodes of the series. "Part 1" is written by Carol Kolb and directed by Rebecca Asher while "Part 2" is written by Justin Noble & Jessica Polonsky and directed by Ryan Case. It aired on Fox in the United States on January 1, 2017.

"NutriBoom" is the 16th episode of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 106th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by David Phillips and directed by Trent O'Donnell. It aired on Fox in the United States on April 15, 2018, airing back-to-back with the next episode, "DFW". The episode features guest appearances from Jay Chandrasekhar, Winston Story, and Drew Tarver.

"Jake & Amy" is the 22nd episode and season finale of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 112th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by series co-creator Dan Goor and Luke Del Tredici, and directed by Goor. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 20, 2018. It was the last episode to air on Fox, following their cancellation of the series and its subsequent pick-up by NBC. The episode features guest appearances from Gina Rodriguez, Kyle Bornheimer, and Fred Armisen, while Kyle Gass co-stars.

"The Tattler" is the third episode of the sixth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 115th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by David Phillips and directed by Jennifer Arnold.

"The Therapist" is the eleventh episode of the sixth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 123rd overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Jeff Topolski and directed by Rebecca Addelman. It aired on March 21, 2019 on NBC.

"The Bimbo" is the thirteenth episode of the sixth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 125th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Patrick Welsh and Madeline Walter and directed by cast member Joe Lo Truglio in his directorial debut. It aired on April 18, 2019, on NBC.

"Manhunter" is the season premiere of the seventh season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 131st overall episode of the series. The episode was written by David Phillips and directed by Cortney Carrillo. It aired on February 6, 2020 on NBC, airing back-to-back with the follow-up episode, "Captain Kim".

"Captain Kim" is the 2nd episode of the seventh season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 132nd overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Carol Kolb and directed by Luke Del Tredici. It aired on February 6, 2020 on NBC, airing back-to-back with the previous episode, "Manhunter".

"The Jimmy Jab Games II" is the 4th episode of the seventh season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 134th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Vanessa Ramos and directed by Neil Campbell. It aired on February 20, 2020, on NBC.

"The Takeback" is the 8th episode of the seventh season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 138th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Dewayne Perkins and directed by Michael McDonald. It aired on March 19, 2020, on NBC.

"Admiral Peralta" is the 10th episode of the seventh season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 140th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Neil Campbell and directed by Linda Mendoza. It aired on April 2, 2020, on NBC.

References

  1. Metcalf, Mitch (March 27, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.26.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 27, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  2. Metcalf, Mitch (March 20, 2020). "Updated: ShowBuzzDaily's Top 150 Thursday Cable Originals & Network Finals: 3.19.2020". Showbuzz Daily. Archived from the original on March 20, 2020. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  3. Ferguson, LaToya (March 26, 2020). "Meet "Dillman"—Brooklyn Nine-Nine's approach to a classic whodunnit". The A.V. Club . Archived from the original on June 20, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  4. Sepinwall, Alan (March 26, 2020). "'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Recap: All That Glitters". Rolling Stone . Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.
  5. Harley, Nick (March 26, 2020). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 Episode 9 Review: Dillman". Den of Geek . Archived from the original on June 24, 2021. Retrieved June 20, 2021.