Christmas (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
"Christmas" is the eleventh episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 11th overall episode of the series and is written by series co-creator Dan Goor and directed by Jake Szymanski. It aired on Fox in the United States on December 3, 2013.
| "Christmas" | |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 11 |
| Directed by | Jake Szymanski |
| Written by | Dan Goor |
| Produced by |
|
| Featured music | "Christmas in Hollis" by Run DMC |
| Cinematography by | Giovani Lampassi |
| Editing by | Cortney Carrillo |
| Production code | 111 |
| Original air date | December 3, 2013 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
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 puts a conflict between Peralta and Holt for their respective methods in the field. In the episode, Holt receives death threats and per protocol, Peralta is assigned as his guardian, much to his joy. However, the situation is worse than he thought.
The episode was seen by an estimated 3.66 million household viewers and gained a 1.6/5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised Braugher's performance. Braugher was nominated for a Primetime Emmy Award for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Comedy Series for his performance in the episode.
Plot
During Christmas season, Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) is informed by Deputy Chief Gerber (Mark Berry) that Holt (Andre Braugher) has received death threats and, due to security protocols, Peralta has been chosen to watch Holt, which requires him to control every move he makes. Peralta tricks Holt into going to a safe house, handcuffs him to himself, and then throws the key through a vent.
Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) sees a therapist for a psychiatric evaluation to determine if he can go back into the field. Despite showing no signs of right analysis, he checks himself out after an emergency resurfaces. Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) visits the safe house after Holt secretly sends him a message to bring him to the precinct, and the three of them end up handcuffed together. After an investigation, Holt finds that the death threats came from a killer (Kirk Bovill) he pursued years ago and sets out to find him at a train station. The killer is arrested but shoots Boyle when he jumps in to save Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz). The gang are notified that Boyle will recover soon.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Christmas" was seen by an estimated 3.66 million household viewers and gained a 1.6/5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.[1] This was a slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 3.69 million viewers with a 1.5/4 in the 18-49 demographics.[2] This means that 1.6 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 5 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With these ratings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was the most watched show on FOX for the night, beating Dads and The Mindy Project, third on its timeslot and fifth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind a rerun of NCIS, The Biggest Loser, Chicago Fire, and The Voice.
Critical reviews
"Christmas" received positive reviews from critics. Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a "good" 7.9 out of 10 and wrote, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine's 'Christmas' found a clever way to create a Yuletide backdrop without delivering another entirely holiday-themed episode so quickly after Thanksgiving. Holt's history as a hothead adds a nice new element to his relationship with Peralta. Though this was another strong and funny episode, it wasn't quite as hilarious as the previous few installments. Overall, another solid entry, though. Nothing says Christmas cheer like coming together to combat death threats."[3]
Molly Eichel of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "B" grade and wrote, "'Christmas' may not have been my favorite entry so far, but it's a good marker as a midway point. It highlights what's great about the series—a game ensemble who gelled early in the series' life — and what doesn't work so well—a lead who is still not as compelling or as much fun to watch as everyone else around him. But if Holt can change from the Afro'd over -emoter to the stoic center of the Nine-Nine, maybe there's hope for Peralta yet."[4]
Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "So I spent a lot of the A-story feeling the same way I did with some of those earlier episodes: wishing we would quickly get back to the other supporting characters. And that stuff was fun, whether Terry struggling with his fears in front of the shrink, Santiago scheming to get Diaz to smile or Boyle worrying about his flight, and then getting to play hero in an amazing and yet embarrassing way. Holt pop-and-locking in and of itself made this one a must-see, but I think the episode could have been a lot more."[5] Aaron Channon of Paste gave the episode a 7.3 out of 10 and wrote, "Unfortunately, this accounts for the meat of the episode, and it is largely unentertaining save for a few scattered Sambergisms and Braugherisms. It is true that the uncapitalized-upon potential in this scenario is a minor failure by the writers, but more significantly it shows how much the success of the series thus far has come to rely on the supporting cast. Where 'Thanksgiving' excelled by placing the entire cast together in one room, 'Christmas' fails by separating the detectives of the nine-nine into three separate arcs."[6]
References
- Gorman, Bill (December 4, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'The Biggest Loser' & 'The Voice' Adjusted Up; 'The Originals' Adjusted Down". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- Gorman, Bill (November 27, 2013). "Tuesday Final Ratings: 'Marvel's Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.', 'The Voice', 'Supernatural' & 'Person of Interest' Adjusted Up". TV by the Numbers. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- Cornet, Roth (December 3, 2013). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine: "Christmas" Review". IGN. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- Eichel, Molly (December 4, 2013). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine: "Christmas"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- Sepinwall, Alan (December 4, 2013). "Review: 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' – 'Christmas': Safe house rules". HitFix. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
- Channon, Aaron (December 4, 2013). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review: "Christmas" (Episode 1.11)". Paste. Retrieved January 14, 2018.
External links
- "Christmas" on IMDb
- "Christmas" at TV.com