Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 Episode 9 Review: Dillman
Jillian Pugliese
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Dillman may be clever, but he's not the greatest detective Holt has ever worked with.
Apparently, no one that we know is either.
On Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 7 Episode 9 what seems to be a prank goes horribly wrong, and Holt launches an investigation in search of the culprit.
However, he won't be leading the charge, a detective named Dillman will be.
Dillman is someone Holt had previously worked with who was fired from the NYPD for looking into "dirty" cops.
Dillman's played by the fantastic J.K. Simmons, who always knows how to unnerve the audience with his intense demeanor.
Dillman: Based on your reaction I know everything about you as a person.
Jake: That can't be true.
Holt: It is. You're cooked.
With just one look, Dillman can know everything about who you are as a person. And yet, he still wasn't able to solve the case
He got pretty close until he let his personal agenda get in the way. Accusing Jake of pranking himself to impress Holt to get on the task force was more a way of him projecting why he's in New York in the first place.
He got fired from the SFPD as well as the NYPD and was hoping to sweet-talk his way onto the task force by chatting up his old pal, Holt.
Jake's reveal that instead of being a police officer Dillman works at a craft store felt a bit intense, but messing with Detective Peralta is always the wrong move.
After all, he is the prank master general.
On the other hand, he wasn't the ultimate hero of the episode, either. Charles Boyle was.
Boyle solved the case in a very predictable manner (the side character we were introduced to at the beginning of the episode ended up being the one at fault), but it was nice to see him get his fair share of the spotlight.
Jake is a great character, but he's not the only one at the Nine-Nine who can solve a case.
Apparently Holt thinks that, too. He offered Boyle the spot on his new special task force instead of Jake. Until Jake pointed it out, I never realized how little interaction we've seen between Holt and Charles, but I'm glad their dynamic is finally getting explored.
Hopefully, it won't get swept under the rug for seven seasons again.
The phrase "whodunit" is a grammatical abomination. So, please use the proper term "a who has done this."
Holt
Charles often acts as Jake's sidekick more than his own character, but in this "whodunit" or "who has done this," whichever you prefer, he saved the day.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine is really good at having fun with bottle episodes, and this one proved that.
It could've easily become boring or repetitive dealing with interrogations and false accusations, but the dialogue always piques your interest.
Jake Peralta is age thirty-nine but professionally he's still in his prime.
Holt
Whether it be Jake's rapping skills or comments about how Terry's whole personality can be boiled down to one item of clothing, Brooklyn Nine-Nine never fails at being funny.
The writers of this show definitely know what they're doing.
You see, Terrence, I couldn't help but notice you're not wearing suspenders today. Odd, considering suspenders are your entire personality.
Jake
The best exchange was centered on the relationship between Jake and Charles. Besides Jake and Amy, and even sometimes including them, Jake and Charles have the strongest bond.
Sometimes you just need a buddy who will audibly gasp anytime you ask for an audible gasp. If your best friend won't entertain your dramatic tendencies, who will?
Jake making sure that Charles actually didn't want the task force position and wasn't just giving it up for his sake was a reminder of how good of a friend Jake is.
Charles is more likely to make comments about how much he loves Jake, but their love for each other is completely mutual.
They're each other's best friend and biggest fan all in one. It's incredibly heartwarming.
Jake: You're a great detective, Charles.
Charles: Wow, even in defeat you are a true prince of a man.
Once again, Brooklyn Nine-Nine revealed more of the secret softie inside hard-boiled detective Rosa Diaz.
She's a big fan of her mom's favorite soap opera and even watches it on her lunch break so they have something to talk about.
Holt: Dillman never talks first when he's in the box.
Amy: Well, Rosa never initiates conversation of any kind.
It seems, with Gina gone, a lot more screentime is going to Rosa. It might not be directly related, but in Gina's absence, Rosa's character has flourished. I'll never get over the loss of the hilarious Gina Linetti, but it's still nice to see Rosa get more storylines and funny one-liners.
My one gripe with this episode is how predictable the outcome was. Of course, we don't want any of our beloved characters to face a suspension, but for it to be a character that we haven't even met before this episode felt like a total cop-out.
We need some higher stakes, Brooklyn Nine-Nine!
Stray Thoughts:
- J.K. Simmons and Andy Samberg play really well off each other. It would be great if Dillman could return sometime down the line.
- Scully never taking the glitter of of his face throughout the episode was a great comedic choice, even if it was shredding his tongue.
- Amy hasn't gotten a storyline of her own in a while. She deserves one!
- Charles's attachment to his son in so in-character, it hurts. A Boyle without attachment issues is no Boyle at all! I won't be surprised if Nikolaj ends up exactly like Charles himself.
If you missed the episode don't forget to catch up!
You can watch Brooklyn Nine-Nine online here at TV Fanatic.
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Jillian Pugliese is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on Twitter.
