S07.E06: Trying

[formerlyfreedom]

Jake and Amy work an uncrackable case while Holt adjusts to a new beat. Hitchcock looks for the love of his life.

Airing Thursday, March 5, 2020.

[Spartan Girl]

Hitchcock yelling "Stupid Bloomberg!" made me laugh so hard for so many reason that I can't get into on this thread...

Poor Jake and Amy. But we know it's going to happen soon for them...I hope.

The guinea pigs were so cute!

[Bort]

600 guinea pigs, all named Claire? I guffawed at Boyle wanting Terry to look Claire38 in the eye.

I’m sure Jake and Amy will eventually get their baby but seeing them struggle with it made for a good story and the 6 month time lapse was a neat way to tell it without dragging it out the rest of the season. Especially it being something Amy couldn’t control, which is not something that happens to her often. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

It's ridiculous that they don't just get fertility workups.  After 6 months of trying without success, that's what people in their mid to late 30's are advised to do.  It could be something relatively simple.

[tennisgurl]

"We arent guinea pigs Amy, you taught me that!" 

Amy and Jake struggling with having a child is sad to see, but its a pretty good story, and I love Jack and Amy so much. They're so sweet, have so much fun together, and just so totally embrace each others quirks, even when they are going through some tough times. "Oh Amy, I’m not just some faucet you can turn off and on. You gotta romance me." *Amy removes one button* "Faucets on, lets UD."  

Amy and Jake accidentally wandering into the guinea pigs/creepy doll room was hilarious. Those super dramatic cuts! I always enjoy Charles and Rosa shenanigans, especially when Rosa gets super into whatever Charles is up to. You look Claire 37 in the eye Terry! 

"Yeah, he wants to make them into toupees." 

Edited March 6, 2020 by tennisgurl

[anna0852]

I adore that 7 seasons in, this show us still charming and funny as all get out.

This was a great way to time skip and get a chunk of Holt's uniform days taken care of.

[Harvey]

So October passed and there was no heist?

I liked the bit with Jake "kidnapping" Amy out of the office, with Amy noticing Jake standing in front of the elevator it was so funny how bad Jake was at it and I lost it at the "I broke several lamps" line 🤣.

Charles drinking from the guinea pigs' water bottle was adorable and the speeches at Hitchcock's wedding were great as well. Overall a really good episode.

[thuganomics85]

Interesting idea to use Jake and Amy's pregnancy attempts/issues to also move the show forward by a couple of months.  Since they did go through October, I wonder what the reason will be for not having a Halloween Heist this go around.  Still won't be surprised if another heist does end up happening still!

I suspect Jake and Amy will end up having a child in the end, but it was hard seeing them struggle with it, and Amy especially would be the one to blame herself, even though logically there could be plenty of reasons why they are struggling at the moment.  But I continue to love how supportive Jake is.  Those two really are the best.

The guinea pig stuff was wacky, but I love how it led to more Charles/Rosa, and I especially love how invested Rosa got at the end.

Figured Holt/Terry was going to end with Holt realizing that walking the same beat does have its benefits, and I'm curious to see if it will effect him any once he is made Captain again.

[Mama No Life]

This reminded me of one of the best arcs on Friends, when Chandler and Monica couldn't conceive after Rachel got knocked up by Ross.  Perry and Cox did such a good job with that materials, and Samberg and Futuro are knocking this out of the park.  I love this relationship...still one of the best in tv history because they always take the reasonable, normal path and they so clearly love each other.

[hoodooznoodooz]

Monotony > Tedium

I did not know that. Thank you, Uniformed Officer Holt!

[Harvey]

3 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

 

Figured Holt/Terry was going to end with Holt realizing that walking the same beat does have its benefits, and I'm curious to see if it will effect him any once he is made Captain again.

I keep wondering what the reprecussions of this plotline will be after Holt returns to being their captain sometimes this season. The relationship dynamcs changed up now that our main characters outrank Holt and once he goes back to being a captain, I can see him not wanting to let go of the comradery he gets to share with the gang now.

[Linny]

This one was a home run for me in every aspect. It cleverly advanced the timeline of the show to roughly align with its real time airing; it threaded multiple stories together into a seamless composite; and it demonstrated how there are both bad and good lessons to be learned from monotony. Sometimes you do the same thing over and over again because you're not sure how to stop (breeding 600 guinea pigs when all you really wanted was to care for the initial two). Sometimes having monotony imposed on us leads to noticing and appreciating nuance (learning Russian from the lady you see on the street every day). And sometimes monotony leads to frustration, when you get the same disappointing results each time.

It's important that Jake and Amy's struggle to conceive lead to an honest reassessment of how they should proceed. I really liked how Jake stressed that he and Amy are a family already, and that even if they don't get pregnant he'll be happy. By taking some of the pressure off themselves to perform, they can focus on the romance and connection that keeps them together. There's safety in the day to day monotony of life by knowing no matter what, you'll be okay with this person by your side.

[Lady Calypso]

Man, this episode was so, so good. I think that it really helped to fix the mistake in last season's Jake/Amy episode. I really like how they handled Amy and Jake's issues with getting pregnant.

Going through a six month time period was probably the best way to handle it. It gave us a taste of how difficult it was for Amy and Jake to try for a baby. With Amy being so used to studying for tests and acing them, this was a whole new ballpark for her. Watching her struggle with those feelings of failing (she didn't, but she feels like she did) was hard to watch at times. Jake was also supportive and going through his own disappointment, so I appreciate getting to see both sides.

I like how Jake/Amy both came to the conclusion that they maybe didn't need to try so hard and that it would be ok if they didn't end up conceiving. I think that was an important lesson for both to learn, but at least they're aware of all of their options. 

So many guinea pigs, but I like how that gave us a little bit of comic relief (as well as paralleling the other pregnancy-related storylines in this episode).

I liked Holt/Terry's mini plot. Seeing Holt come to the conclusion that walking the same beat for six months was actually a good thing? I think it added to his character, especially since we got to skip through six months. 

I also kind of enjoyed the Hitchcock storyline with the woman. They focused on it just enough for me to enjoy how it played out. And, again, relating it to Jake/Amy's main plot was a smart idea.

[arachne]

12 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

"Yeah, he wants to make them into toupees." 

I was so certain the potential buyer would be a South American guy who wanted to sell them for meat. (Guinea pigs are a delicacy in some Andes regions.)

I don't find it so odd that all the guinea pigs were named Claire. Back when I had an aquarium, it had a half dozen albino catfish, all named Claude (after a guy I dated in college.) 

[peeayebee]

17 hours ago, Spartan Girl said:

Hitchcock yelling "Stupid Bloomberg!" made me laugh so hard for so many reason that I can't get into on this thread...

When did he say that? There were a couple of times when I couldn't understand what people were saying.

Fun ep. 

I don't know how many times I've heard of a couple trying to have a baby and failing, only to stop trying and then get pregnant. I thought that would happen at the end, but I'm glad it didn't (just because that was expected). The Jake Way, The Amy Way, and The Hitchcock Way were all funny.

Jake: 6:14. It's UD o'clock.

I liked seeing Holt learn on his beat.

Terry: I thought you loved tedium.
Holt: Monotony. They're very different.

Terry: I can't play favorites. You never did when you were in charge.
Holt: Of course I did.
Terry: Really? I never got any special treatment.
Holt: I think you can do the math here.
Terry: Damn.

Charles shaking the cage to try to flip the guinea pig over gave me the biggest laugh. Next was when Jake and Amy stumbled upon the guinea pigs and the creepy CPR babies.

[ClareWalks]

I really liked this episode. Especially how at the end, once they'd "stopped trying," they didn't just immediately get pregnant. I can't tell you how tiresome that advice is to receive when going through infertility.

[Lady Calypso]

14 minutes ago, ClareWalks said:

I really liked this episode. Especially how at the end, once they'd "stopped trying," they didn't just immediately get pregnant. I can't tell you how tiresome that advice is to receive when going through infertility.

 

14 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

I don't know how many times I've heard of a couple trying to have a baby and failing, only to stop trying and then get pregnant. I thought that would happen at the end, but I'm glad it didn't (just because that was expected). The Jake Way, The Amy Way, and The Hitchcock Way were all funny.

I agree. And if Amy does end up pregnant down the road (whether a little later this season or next season), it doesn't invalidate what they went through now, or make it seem like another tired trope. They haven't said that Amy or Jake are infertile; it's just difficult for them to get pregnant like other couples. So I can still accept a Peralta-Santiago baby if it does happen. And it still was a good thing to show that it's not as easy as having sex and boom, baby!

Edited March 6, 2020 by Lady Calypso

[Irlandesa]

When I read the show runner that a conversation with Melissa Fumero made him realize the comedy there could be in trying for a baby, I was a little nervous that it'd be tired.  It seems like whenever a show decides to write a story around a couple consciously deciding to get pregnant, they tend to follow similar points. 

And this episode didn't deviate all that much in the beginning with the talk of how to keep Jake's swimmers mobile but the way they used the passage of time to tell the story was really clever--as was cutting up the story with the multiplying guinea pigs and Hitchcock's "love" story. 

The double up reaction shot to the guinea pigs and CPR dolls was the capper.

Edited March 6, 2020 by Irlandesa

[iMonrey]

Isn't Melissa Fumero pregnant in real life? It seems strange they are going this route then.

I have a soft spot for guinea pigs, we kept them when I was little and they are adorable. However, 600 from one pair in six months? No. They rarely have more than one in their litter. They would also be all smooth haired or all Abyssinian - not both.

[calgirl817]

This episode proved why the show is so so good: it can comment on difficult situations as a comedy while not being tacky or corny. All of Jake and Amy's "ways" were cute and respective to their characters, but the time lapse combined with the guinea pigs multiplying didn't make it feel like it was dragging on. 

I too also am wondering what the dynamic will be like when Holt returns as a Captain. Now that six months have already passed, we don't have much longer until that change arrives. I feel like there will be some contention with Terry, and maybe Jake, but hopefully it's taught him more about his subordinates and makes him an even better captain.

Also I love Charles and Rose moments. They have a great dynamic that isn't overused.

 

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Isn't Melissa Fumero pregnant in real life? It seems strange they are going this route then.

She was pregnant (she gave birth last month), but I think the show had planned out Amy's arc before Melissa told them that she was pregnant. So a lot of these points were decided early on.

[BoogieBurns]

1 hour ago, iMonrey said:

Isn't Melissa Fumero pregnant in real life? It seems strange they are going this route then.

Funny enough, with someone's earlier comparison, Courteney Cox was pregnant on Friends while filming their infertility (that led to adoption *16 year spoiler*) storyline. 

Apparently Melissa had a rough pregnancy with her second child, and it stresses me out to think how bad she feels in some of these scenes where they are already trying to hide her early trimester belly. 

[DXD526]

I liked how the episode was bookended by Hitchcock's two divorce parties!

The room of creepy baby dolls reminded me of the vacation Jake and a former GF took to the B&B with the Room of 1,000 Puppets. They got a close-up, too! "Puppets, there are so many puppets!"

Jake and Amy are already a family. I'm glad Jake pointed that out. 

[Mabinogia]

2 hours ago, DXD526 said:

Jake and Amy are already a family. I'm glad Jake pointed that out. 

I loved that part. I think sometimes people get so hung up on family meaning children but it doesn't. I love him for saying they could try or not try or adopt or whatever so long as they did it together. *heart eyes*

This was a great ep. Both sweet and hilarious. As always, all the pairings/groupings worked beautifully. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

7 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Terry: I can't play favorites. You never did when you were in charge.
Holt: Of course I did.
Terry: Really? I never got any special treatment.
Holt: I think you can do the math here.
Terry: Damn.

I didn’t get this joke. Could someone please explain? Thank you very much.

[chitowngirl]

Because Terry didn’t get any special treatment from Holt, Terry wasn’t one of the favorites.

11 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

I didn’t get this joke. Could someone please explain? Thank you very much.

 

[hoodooznoodooz]

6 minutes ago, chitowngirl said:

Because Terry didn’t get any special treatment from Holt, Terry wasn’t one of the favorites.

 

Oh! Thank you! That never occurred to me, because I really did think Terry would have been one of his favorites!

[RoadFullOfPromise]

10 hours ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

That never occurred to me, because I really did think Terry would have been one of his favorites!

So did Terry! 🙂

[Catfi9ht]

Agree with everyone about Jake and Amy's pregnancy storyline. I love how Jake is quick to blame himself and unrelentingly supportive. It reminded me of Rob from Catastrophe.

I'm glad the episode didn't get into the fertility blame game. Although, it might be funny to have an episode about Amy trying to relax. Melissa Fumero trying to be "cool Amy" totally cracks me up.

[Danny Franks]

I'm trying to decide exactly how "eating dinner starting with dessert" applies to sex. I'm sure it can, and I'm a little surprised the show skipped that joke. And of course The Jake Way involves elaborate roleplay (which, to be honest, I figure their sex life often does anyway), meanwhile The Amy Way is far too clinical and logically thought out.

I liked the time skip montage, it was something new for this show, and seeing Holt learn his beat and connect to the city was a cool little run, yet he didn't even realise that's what was happening. Meanwhile, Jake and Amy are trying so hard that they're not even enjoying sex any more.

I've said before, babies and stories about babies simply do not interest me, so it had the lowest of low stakes. Summed up by Jake pointing out that they're already a family, and kids don't complete it.

The revelation that Holt didn't play favourites with Terry because Terry isn't a favourite? Ouch.

Poor Rosa, it looked like she was going to be stuck with the horror of Hitchcock and Scully's Cinderella search, but she ended up being stuck in a guinea pig caper. That gag with Charles claiming they'd rounded up all the guinea pigs, while several were still in full view, was just so silly I laughed.

At least we know Hitchcock isn't a Bloomberg fan. And he seems to be able to find insane women who are prepared to marry him.

[Joimiaroxeu]

So the Jake Way apparently involves talking like Christian Bale's Batman.

I mean, of course any French philosophy post-Rousseau is essentially a magazine. I ain't no rube!

Toupees made of guinea pig pelts. Please tell me that's not an actual thing. 😨

Ruh roh. And then things took a Russian Jerry Springer turn. Poor Hitchcock.

Yeah, you don't want to be slut-shaming Claire 38. Or the other 599 Claires either.

Guess this was B99's homage to Star Trek's tribbles. Kudos.

[peeayebee]

9 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I'm trying to decide exactly how "eating dinner starting with dessert" applies to sex.

I don't think it did. Amy's first thought about "the Jake Way" was that it meant literally eating dessert first.

Quote

That gag with Charles claiming they'd rounded up all the guinea pigs, while several were still in full view, was just so silly I laughed.

I loved that, too. Like you said, it was just silly. 

 

 

[hoodooznoodooz]

On 3/6/2020 at 2:18 PM, peeayebee said:

When did he say that? There were a couple of times when I couldn't understand what people were saying.

I think Hitchcock was getting frustrated because every woman whose teeth he checked was not missing any teeth. So he blamed Bloomberg and the soda-serving-limit rule.

[hoodooznoodooz]

It’s silly, but I actually became angsty when Holt in his speech used marriage as a metaphor for walking the same beat day after day after day. I love Holt and Kevin’s marriage. For a bit there, I was Cheddar, worried that Dad was bored with and unchallenged by Dad. I just want us to be a happy family. 

[Mabinogia]

24 minutes ago, hoodooznoodooz said:

It’s silly, but I actually became angsty when Holt in his speech used marriage as a metaphor for walking the same beat day after day after day.

I started uttering "no no no no" hoping the show wouldn't go there. I need Holt and Kevin to stay together forever! If not for us, do it for Cheddar!

[CanadianContent]

Holt's routine of getting coffee, petting dog and seeing a garbage bag thrown out on the street reminded me of a comedy Cop show. Barney Miller maybe?

 

[Featherhat]

On 3/6/2020 at 10:54 AM, Mama No Life said:

This reminded me of one of the best arcs on Friends, when Chandler and Monica couldn't conceive after Rachel got knocked up by Ross.  Perry and Cox did such a good job with that materials, and Samberg and Futuro are knocking this out of the park.  I love this relationship...still one of the best in tv history because they always take the reasonable, normal path and they so clearly love each other.

Yeah. It's pretty common on TV for the stable couple who are actually trying to have a baby to go through the "trying" storyline, and the "unexpected surprise" to happen to a couple or person who is shocked and/or not a great time for it. Which is why when I first saw the title I guessed exactly what it would be. This was a pretty good version because it hasn't (yet) gone overboard on the angst or depressing-ness and they're working through this together and not loosing "them" in the process and they're already a family, which. Yes. I assume they'll eventually get pregnant, maybe when they aren't really trying anymore, especially as they've already done the adoption/infertility storyline/jokes with Charles, Genevieve and Nicolaj. 

On 3/7/2020 at 6:41 PM, Danny Franks said:

The Jake Way involves elaborate roleplay (which, to be honest, I figure their sex life often does anyway

It seems like most details we get about their sex life involve elaborate roleplay and on one occasion agreeing to do the "Holt Voice" in the bedroom. 😲 They seem to be freaky and geeky about it, which fits them to a tee. 

 

[Ilovepie]

On 3/6/2020 at 11:18 AM, ClareWalks said:

I really liked this episode. Especially how at the end, once they'd "stopped trying," they didn't just immediately get pregnant.

Me too. It felt more like real life to have that final shot still be a "no".

I loved everything this episode.  The Holt Groundhog Day stuff resulting in him learning Russian, "The Hitchcock Way" (blech!), and all the guinea pig stuff were awesome. Charles is the MVP this season for me. Him eating the food and drinking from their water bottle was hilarious!

[Ms Blue Jay]

On 3/6/2020 at 3:23 PM, iMonrey said:

Isn't Melissa Fumero pregnant in real life? It seems strange they are going this route then.

I think that the writers are trying to be realistic and show solidarity with people who have had trouble conceiving in real life.  And like others have said this is regardless of Melissa's past pregnancies.

[John Potts]

On ‎3‎/‎7‎/‎2020 at 8:09 PM, Joimiaroxeu said:

Yeah, you don't want to be slut-shaming Claire 38. Or the other 599 Claires either.

Well, except for Claire 219. He's a real Man-whore.

[Avabelle]

Unfortunetly myself and the other half fall into the bracket of couples who have difficulty conceiving. I was bracing myself for conception the minute the agreed to stop pressuring themselves and was pleasantly surprised they didn’t go that route. 

Also the timeline of their monthly attempts was hilariously accurate.