Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Pimento (7x03)

This episode was so funny!

Cons:

Well, the main plot line was funny. I didn't dislike the subplot, where Amy, Holt, Rosa, Terry, Hitchcock, and Scully, along with other nameless Nine-Nine members, are forced to undergo mandated sensitivity training. There were some individually funny moments here, but I'll admit that the overall premise left me wanting.

Amy puts a lampshade on the fact that her dreading a seminar is wildly out of character, claiming that this particular seminar is so boring that even she hates it. But let's take a look at the optics here. This is a seminar about how to be sensitive to diversity of experience in the workplace. Is it an odd take, to have the characters roll their eyes and hate the whole thing before it even started? I could have been down with it if Amy were actually excited and tried to impart the importance, only to be let down by a white guy with super generic talking points, when she wanted a robust discussion. That feels more in character for Amy.

And at the same time, this plot thread felt a little unfinished. They all sit around and talk about their pet peeves, and then get all angry with each other, the joke being that the seminar had the opposite of its intended effect. But it didn't really go anywhere particularly meaningful or all that hilarious, in my opinion.

Pros:

But honestly, the little moment with Rosa and Amy made all of that worth it. Rosa read the seminar questions because Amy asked her to - because they're a team. Awww! Friendship!

The main plot was really great. Jake and Charles team up to help Pimento, who shows back up at the Nine-Nine with "Memento" disease, meaning he has no short-term memory. The case itself has some fun twists and turns, with Charles and Jake trying to solve the mystery, all while dealing with Pimento acting insane and messing things up every time his mind resets.

There was just so much good comedy here - the fact that Charles and Pimento both didn't understand Jake's Memento reference, so they had to use Finding Dory instead. The tattoos and how that lead them to the real bad guy. Jake using Pimento's condition to unload secrets, only for it to blow up in his face when Pimento remembered. The three men standing on a ledge together, holding hands and trying to get back inside.

And then there's the actually emotional part of this story, which focuses on Jake and Charles' friendships - truly one of the cornerstones of the whole show! Jake and Amy are trying to have a baby, but they don't want to share it with Charles because of how over the top he can be. But at the same time, Jake hates hiding things from Charles, and has been avoiding him in order to prevent himself from doing so. This in turn makes Charles upset, because he can sense that Jake has some reason for pulling away from him. The truth comes out because of Pimento, and their friendship is salvaged after Charles predictably overreacts, and Jake explains how he's been feeling.

That's where I'll leave it! The main plot this week was a lot of fun, so even if the subplot was so-so, I still enjoyed the episode overall!

8/10