Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 1 episode 9 found a way to make pizza - of all things - emotional. Brooklyn Nine-Nine arrived in 2013 and stars Andy Samberg (Popstar: Never Stop Never Stopping) as detective Jake Peralta. Jake is a great cop, but he’s also quite childish and utterly obsessed with Die Hard, which clashes with the style of stern new Captain Holt (Andre Braugher). Early seasons found Jake trying to gain Holt’s respect with the two eventually becoming friends, while the supporting cast also got to share the limelight.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine boasts a great cast, including Stephanie Beatriz, Terry Crews and Joe Lo Truglio. The show has attracted a loyal audience, who were vocally upset when it was canceled by Fox following season 5. It didn’t take long for NBC to pick up the cheque for season 6, howeever, and they later greenlit season 7. One reason the show is so well-liked is that it’s got a big heart, with Jake gradually learning that being a macho, tough cop rarely works out in reality, and there’s nothing wrong with showing emotions from time to time.
One of the earliest episodes to display this was Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 1 episode 9 “Sal’s Pizza.” This involves Jake and Boyle investigating who burned down the titular pizza place, which is one of Jake’s favorites. This causes him to butt heads with a surly Fire Marshall (Patton Oswalt, The Secret Life of Pets 2), who does his best to frustrate Jake’s efforts to catch the arsonist. Jake’s intense interest in the case also piques the curiosity of Holt.
A sitcom wouldn’t be complete without a subplot, with Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 1 episode 9’s involving a hacker making all the web searches of everyone in the precinct public. Amy (Melissa Fumero) is shocked - and jealous - to learn Rosa was offered a Captain position with another department. Amy being Amy, this creates a lot of friction, until Rosa reveals the precinct the offer came from is horrible, and that she and Amy don’t need to compete with one another.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 1 episode 9 “Sal’s Pizza” ends with Jake confessing to Holt that Sal’s means so much to him because his father used to take him there after Little League games. Since this is one of the few pleasant memories he has of his estranged dad, he wanted to solve the case. The Fire Marshall lets Jake investigate, and it’s discovered a competitor was responsible. While’s “Sal’s Pizza” isn’t necessarily the strongest episode, it had a good balance of laughs and warmth, which would become a trademark of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Next: Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Every Halloween Heist Winner So Far
