Halloween II (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

Last updated
"Halloween II"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 4
Directed by Eric Appel
Written by Prentice Penny
Featured music
Cinematography byGiovani Lampassi
Editing byCortney Carrillo
Production code204
Original air dateOctober 19, 2014 (2014-10-19)
Running time22 minutes
Guest appearance
Episode chronology
 Previous
"The Jimmy Jab Games"
Next 
"The Mole"
Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 2
List of episodes

"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.

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. Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) is an immature yet very talented detective in the precinct with an astounding record of crimes solved, putting him in a competition with fellow detective Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero). The precinct's status changes when the Captain is retiring and a new commanding officer, Cpt. Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher) is appointed as the newest Captain. This creates a conflict between Jake and Holt over their respective methods in the field. In the episode, Jake and Holt continue with their annual Halloween contests. This time, Jake has until midnight to steal Holt's watch or he will do five weeks of overtime for free. Jake, with help from the precinct, manages to get the watch from a criminal. However, the criminal runs away with the watch and upon learning of the importance of the watch, Jake sets to find him. Meanwhile, Gina begins to skip duties unexpectedly.

The episode was seen by an estimated 5.22 million household viewers and gained a 2.5/7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the writing and Braugher's performance.

Plot

In the cold open, Boyle tries to have the squad pick his Halloween costume, dressing up as a peach, William Shakespeare, and He-Man.

After his victory the year prior, Jake proposes to continue the bet with Holt. Jake's assignment last time was to remove Holt's medal from the wall (which was removed by Holt and put in a safe to make it even harder for Jake) before midnight. This time, Holt's wrist watch is the target. If Jake wins, Holt will do Jake's paperwork for one week, but if Jake loses, Jake will do five weeks of overtime without pay.

Getting help from the precinct, Jake brings in a pickpocket to help him steal the watch. It proves successful and the criminal gets on to steal the watch. However, problems arise when the criminal runs away with the watch and Jake learns from Holt that the watch belonged to his husband Kevin's father before he died. He and Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) meet with the criminal and gives him his money and shoes in exchange for knowing the location of the watch but are told the watch was already in his car. When they go to retrieve it, they find that the car has been towed. Meanwhile, Amy (Melissa Fumero) and Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) are upset when Terry (Terry Crews) doesn't punish Gina (Chelsea Peretti) for skipping out on her duties at the precinct to attend dance practice. It is revealed that Gina has been secretly going back to college which has caused her to miss dance rehearsals.

While passing through a crowd of party-goers, Jake manages to get on a party bus to get to the impound lot but loses track of Boyle. When he arrives to impound, he finds he lost his badge and his ID and can't claim his car. He tries to sneak through the fence but is arrested by guards. In the interrogation room, he is told by Holt that he orchestrated everything for a year, that he annoyed Jake into wanting to steal his watch, and that the watch never left his person to begin with. The criminal was already on Holt's payroll, and Holt had organized everyone to go against Jake as everyone wants him humiliated. However, Boyle was taken before he boarded the party bus because he might have told Jake the plan.

In the end, Captain Holt and the group celebrates Holt's victory at the bar and Jake is forced to admit that Captain Holt "is an amazing police captain/genius" in addition to the five weeks of unpaid overtime. Jake tells Holt that he has already started planning for the next year's heist, to which Holt replies that he is only three months late in planning.

Reception

Viewers

In its original American broadcast, "Halloween II" was seen by an estimated 5.22 million household viewers and gained a 2.5/7 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. [1] This was a 15% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 4.51 million viewers with a 2.2/6 in the 18-49 demographics. [2] This means that 2.5 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 7 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With these ratings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was the second most watched show on FOX for the night, beating Mulaney and Family Guy but behind The Simpsons , fifth on its timeslot and fifth for the night, behind Once Upon a Time , The Simpsons, The OT , and NBC Sunday Night Football .

Critical reviews

"Halloween II" received positive reviews from critics. LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "C+" grade and wrote, "The problem with Brooklyn Nine-Nine is that the 'bad' episodes are still at least decently humorous episodes of television. That's sort of a nonsense problem, but it still exists. Lesser episodes of the show may feature a lack of cohesion, but the audience can always rest assured that there will be an endless supply of quotable jokes. Now there's nothing wrong with being a joke factory, but that's not exactly what Brooklyn Nine-Nine is selling, and this episode is the perfect example that Brooklyn Nine-Nine can't simply rest on those joke laurels." [3]

Jackson McHenry of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Sequels are like caricatures. In trying to replicate the original, they tend to exaggerate its basic elements to the point of ridiculousness. Minor things become overused: A funny side character turns into a main character, a cute gag inflates into the whole plot. This can be great — I'll defend Shrek 2 over the original any day — but the result usually ends up feeling a little thin. This week's Brooklyn Nine-Nine attempted to cap off last year's excellent 'Halloween' with a cheeky follow-up, but, with the same plots, and nearly the same conclusion, 'Halloween II' emphasized the show's weaknesses." [4] Allie Pape from Vulture gave the show a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "I've already come out strongly in favor of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's all-cast-antics episodes, particularly when it comes to reprising one of my favorites, last year's Halloween team-up to steal Holt's Medal of Valor. This year, the quarry was his watch, a gift from Kevin Cozner's dying father (but please don't call it the 'death watch'). And even though I could see two of the twists coming from a mile away — Holt winning this year because Peralta beating him twice would throw off the balance of power between the two, and Fingers the thief stealing the watch once he got a chance because duh — I still enjoyed watching it all go down." [5]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "Another solid outing in a season that's been clicking very well so far. And I like the idea of Halloween bets being a tradition on this show like Ron & Tammy or Bar Wars episodes on some other fine comedies." [6] Andy Crump of Paste gave the episode a 6.7 and wrote, "The good news here is that Brooklyn Nine-Nine doesn't seem to be losing its spirit. It will forever remain a tribute to farce, with an endless supply of zany vim. It does, however, appear to be losing its direction, which may be a bit of an alarmist observation, given that we're only four episodes deep into Season Two. But 'Halloween II' gets too wrapped up in its central caper to deliver on its best attribute — its character work. Without that, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is just another sitcom to breeze through, rather than savor." [7]

See also

Related Research Articles

"The Tagger" is the second episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 2nd overall episode of the series and is written by Norm Hiscock and directed by Craig Zisk. It aired on Fox in the United States on September 24, 2013.

"The Slump" is the third episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 3rd overall episode of the series and is written by co-producer Prentice Penny and directed by Julie Anne Robinson. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 1, 2013.

"Undercover" is the first episode and season premiere of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 23rd overall episode of the series and is written by co-executive producer Luke Del Tredici and directed by Dean Holland. It aired on Fox in the United States on September 28, 2014.

"Chocolate Milk" is the second episode of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 24th overall episode of the series and is written by co-executive producer Gabe Liedman and directed by Fred Goss. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 5, 2014.

"The Jimmy Jab Games" is the third episode of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 25th overall episode of the series and is written by Lakshmi Sundaram and directed by Rebecca Asher. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 12, 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.

"Jake and Sophia" is the sixth episode of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 28th overall episode of the series and is written by Tricia McAlpin & David Phillips and directed by Michael McDonald. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 9, 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.

"Johnny and Dora" is the twenty-third episode and season finale of the second season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 45th overall episode of the series and is written by Luke Del Tredici and directed by Dean Holland. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 17, 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.

"Halloween III" is the fifth episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 50th overall episode of the series and is written by David Phillips and directed by Michael McDonald. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 25, 2015.

"Bureau" is the twenty-second episode of the third season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 67th overall episode of the series and is written by David Phillips & Alison Agosti and directed by Ryan Case. It aired on Fox in the United States on April 12, 2016.

"Halloween IV" is the fifth episode of the fourth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 73rd overall episode of the series and is written by Phil Augusta Jackson and directed by Claire Scanlon. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 18, 2016.

"Cop-Con" is the seventeenth episode of the fourth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the 85th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Andy Gosche and directed by Giovani Lampassi. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 9, 2017, back-to-back with the next episode "Chasing Amy".

"Your Honor" is the nineteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the 87th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by David Phillips & Carly Hallam Tosh and directed by Michael McDonald. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 16, 2017, back-to-back with the next episode "The Slaughterhouse".

"HalloVeen" is the 4th episode of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 94th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by series co-creator Dan Goor and directed by Jamie Babbit. It aired on Fox in the United States on October 17, 2017.

"Gray Star Mutual" is the 18th episode of the fifth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine, and the 108th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Jessica Polonsky and directed by Giovani Lampassi. It aired on Fox in the United States on April 22, 2018. The episode features a guest appearance from Jason Mantzoukas reprising his role as Adrian Pimento.

"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.

References

  1. Kondolojy, Amanda (October 21, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'The Simpsons' & 'Madam Secretary' Adjusted Up; 'Mulaney' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 23, 2014. Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  2. Bibel, Sara (October 14, 2014). "Sunday Final Ratings: 'Once Upon A TIme', 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' & 'Resurrection' Adjusted Up; 'Madam Secretary' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on October 15, 2014. Retrieved February 1, 2018.
  3. Ferguson, LaToya (October 19, 2014). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine: "Halloween II"". The A.V. Club . Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  4. McHenry, Jackson (October 20, 2014). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine recap: 'Halloween II'". Entertainment Weekly . Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  5. Pape, Allie (October 20, 2014). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Recap: Ms. Pac-Man's Nipple". Vulture . Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  6. Sepinwall, Alan (October 19, 2014). "Review: 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' – "Halloween II": I'm never gonna dance again". HitFix . Retrieved February 6, 2018.
  7. Crump, Andy (October 20, 2014). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review: "Halloween II"". Paste . Retrieved February 6, 2018.