S07.E13: Lights Out

[formerlyfreedom]

The entire squad is on high alert when a massive blackout hits Brooklyn.

Airing Thursday, April 23, 2020.

[chitowngirl]

Is this the season finale? Either planned or Covid related?

[formerlyfreedom]

1 hour ago, chitowngirl said:

Is this the season finale? Either planned or Covid related?

Yes it's the season finale, and this season was always going to be 13 episodes.

[chitowngirl]

1 hour ago, saoirse said:

Yes it's the season finale, and this season was always going to be 13 episodes.

Thanks! It’ll be nice to have a real finale instead of a forced one!!!

[MrWhyt]

 

Edited April 24, 2020 by MrWhyt

[anna0852]

What a great episode! Writing and performances were on fire!

[Spartan Girl]

I totally saw it coming that Amy would have the baby at the squad room, during a blackout no less. And they named the baby Mac(Claine)!

Holt and Terry dancing was exactly what I needed today! Holt really came out of his shell this season.

Wow, Hitchcock and Scully really came through, as well as Charles (even if he continues to cross several lines). And Peanut Butter returns to get Jake in time to the delivery! 

Another great season but it's going to be hard to cope through quarantine without more episodes.

[chitowngirl]

That dance was everything I didn’t know I needed!!

[Linny]

This was SO good, and really epitomized what I love about Brooklyn Nine-Nine. They nail the humor of a chaotic, outlandish situation (Hitchcock and Scully racing to save the refrigerated goods from spoiling during a blackout is genius, and Charles' continued disdain for the police horse kills me), but that absurdity is always, always grounded by the genuine affection between the characters. Each of them contributing in their own unique way (that DANCE) to ease Amy's birthing experience was so lovely. These guys are a family, and it's so fitting that they greeted their newest member smack in the middle of their office. Welcome to the Nine-Nine, Mac, in all its crazy and heartfelt glory.

[driver18]

This was one of my favorite episodes. It was so, so, so good. And I laughed so, so, so hard at the dance. SO, SO, SO hard. I rewound it and laughed just as hard.

Oh, man, this episode was perfect. Such a fantastic finale. LOVED. IT.

[Ms Blue Jay]

There weren't any jokes or anything.  Major whiplash coming off of last episode.  The dance was good, either than that, sigh.  No.  

[thuganomics85]

Yep, I can safely say that if someone told me twenty years ago that ultra-serious Andre Braugher from Homicide: Life on the Streets and other dramas, would be dancing on screen to Salt n Pepa on a sitcom, I really, really wouldn't have believed it!  Thank you show, for showing this new side of him and thank you, Andre, for always giving it 100%!

Interesting that this finale didn't have any cliffhangers or game-changers this go around.  I wonder if they had written this in preparation that a renewal wouldn't be a sure thing, and didn't feel the need to change it once it did happen.  Not complaining, but I thought that stood out.

Figured it was all going to end with Amy giving birth in the squad room, but everything with her and Rosa leading up to it was perfection.  Melissa Fumero and Stephanie Beatriz really shine together.  And I continue to like how they show the little things that Jake has been doing to be ready for fatherhood, like him having that self-help book and even mentioning a page number when he finally got there.  Yep, he's going to be a great father!  Jake/Amy continue to be one of the best couples in television world.

Still love the silly feud between the cops and the firefighters.

Boyle shows just how far he will go to help Jake: by asking the help of that arrogant lieutenant, Peanut Butter!  Can't wait till that horse either makes it to Captain status or sadly passes away, and the whole NYPD mourn and give him a parade similar to Lil Sebastian on Parks & Recs, with Boyle in the Ben role!

Hey, Scully and Hitchcock came through!

Mac makes sense for the child's name.  A reference to John McClane that Jake loves, but not too obvious to annoy Amy.

Did I mention that this episode featured Emmy winner Andre Braugher dancing to "Push It"?!

Another great season for one of my favorite shows ever.  A lot of good episodes, although I'm bouncing around between "Dillman" or "Ransom" as my favorite.  But I'm glad that we're getting another one!  Hopefully the wait won't be too long with all the quarantine/virus stuff.  NINE-NINE!

 

Edited April 25, 2020 by thuganomics85

[possibilities]

Why did the firefighter need Rosa's extra hands and her eyes? Also, why do so many TV shows have women giving birth in unplanned places? I know it happens, but it happens a shocking % of the time on TV compared to in reality.

All that aside, I love the show, and I'm glad there's another season coming, if we ever get back to work.

[Marley]

Loved thus episode so much! And the dance is still making me laugh. Cute name too. 

I’ll miss this show. Who knows when season 8 will be ready.

[Harvey]

Holt going “Spank that bottom” will be my happy memory to get me through til next season. 😄

 

[Mystery]

Holy moley that baby was big. I guess parents, even stage parents, don't want to hand over actual newborns for a tv show.

For no good reason, I was hoping for a Lin-Manuel Miranda guest shot. I did like Scully and Hitchcock coming up with the birthing room. 

[highway61]

My wife's been looking at pedal pub trips, so that was very funny out of nowhere. Particularly right after the old lady, "What are you gonna do, stroke her hair?"

Boyle: "You Aren't?!"

Good ep.

[Harvey]

Dottie was the best part of the episode. She's a loose cannon.  A reckless renegade. She plays by her own rules. But then again, rules are meant to be broken.

And I have to agree. Kayla's bangs were way too noticeable.

[Bort]

Amy was in so much pain, she didn’t care about binders. WOW.

[lazylump]

10 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

There weren't any jokes or anything.  Major whiplash coming off of last episode.  The dance was good, either than that, sigh.  No.  

While I loved the jokes, I felt the premise has been done too many times before.  Main characters stuck in an elevator, someone giving birth in an unplanned place, father racing to get to the birth, all have been done before.

But I feel that they really made the most out of the jokes and the situations within the story.  Rosa was hilarious.

I wished Amy had said she had been having contractions all day and just ignored them.  Births typically take a long time, especially first time births.  I know people come out of the woodwork stating they had their baby from start to finish in 3 hours (I know someone), but typically first births take longer. 

[Lady Calypso]

10 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Interesting that this finale didn't have any cliffhangers or game-changers this go around.  I wonder if they had written this in preparation that a renewal wouldn't be a sure thing, and didn't feel the need to change it once it did happen.  Not complaining, but I thought that stood out.

Well, I know that they got the news of the renewal well before they finished filming this season (they got renewed back in November) so they already knew when going into this finale.

I really liked this finale, especially for the fact that it IS different than the other ones. Instead of a cliffhanger, we got an ending that was really satisfying. They didn't need to have a cliffhanger, and I appreciate that they didn't end up throwing one in for the hell of it. 

The finale was definitely more calm than other finales that they've done, which is odd because it was also so hectic with Amy being in labor and Jake/Charles' adventures around the city. 

I do get that many of these premises were done before, but what this show always gets right is the heartwarming conclusions and not having characters act so out of character. So, with Holt/Terry being trapped in the elevator, we've seen that premise done before but have we ever seen it conclude in a spontaneous dance number to distract Holt from thinking about being trapped in an elevator? 

I loved the dance that Holt and Terry did. I never knew that we'd ever see Holt mouth the lyrics to Push It. And of COURSE they chose that song to dance to. I don't even mind because I had the same look as Amy and Rosa. 

How everyone helped Amy through the labor was great. I loved Hitchcock and Scully giving Amy their relaxation room. It's always great to see them step up. 

I also really like the name that Amy and Jake landed on. I ultra appreciate the fact that they didn't go the cliche route of naming the baby after Jake or Amy's fathers, or Holt, or Charles. I also love that they went a more unique route with Mac/McClane. It's not a name typically heard on television, but it's SO Jake and Amy that I love it. 

13 minutes ago, lazylump said:

I wished Amy had said she had been having contractions all day and just ignored them.  Births typically take a long time, especially first time births.  I know people come out of the woodwork stating they had their baby from start to finish in 3 hours (I know someone), but typically first births take longer. 

Well, Rosa DID tell Jake that Amy thought she lost her mucus plug the day before, so I appreciate that the show at least gave us that. Most shows just have the woman suddenly have her water break without any other warning. But I do get what you mean; sometimes, shows have a woman's water break randomly and then, two minutes later, they're screaming their heads off and about to give birth. 

So, we've seen the screaming in labor woman before but Melissa Fumero did a wonderful job in balancing out the cliche with the realism in those scenes. And she only angry screamed at Hitchcock and Scully and not at Rosa or Jake or Holt or anyone else, so that was nice.

Overall, a very nice finale. I really did enjoy it.

[BellyLaughter]

Loved every part of it except the fact that Amy gave birth to a 6 month old who could already hold its head up..... bless this show!

[DXD526]

The kid is named MacLaine, after Shirley MacLaine. Just ask Boyle!

[mammaM]

Ok, a blackout and a birth might not be the most original idea ever, but damn it was funny.

And the dance, I thought I couldn't love Holt anymore than I did after last week's "fluffy boi", but Holt and Terry dancing to Salt-n-Pepa was brilliant. I'm gonna go watch it again😎

[Snapdragon]

The second they announced that Jake and Amy were having a boy a few episodes back, I knew it was going to be named McClane.  It was the only name that made sense.  I am curious about the baby's middle name though.  I'm guessing they're saving that for some comedic reveal later (probably after some super dorky thing Amy's into, like the inventor of binders).

Overall, I think that was one of the show's better episodes and probably my favorite finale.  I'm glad they didn't do a cliffhanger because if they're only going to be getting 13 episodes a season, I'd rather not have one or two of those taken up with resolving the previous season's finale.  I am hoping that with Will & Grace ending that NBC will give this show the full season it deserves but I'm not going to hold my breath.

Also, the Holt/Terry dance might be my new favorite moment from this show ever!

[iMonrey]

O.M.G. How does this show keep getting better? Just when I think they can never top themselves, they give me Holt and Terry dancing to Push It. I DIED. 

When they were practicing all the moves in the elevator, I thought they were just teasing us and they would never actually show them doing it. Color me fooled. What a payoff. My one complaint is that I wanted to see more of it. 

I thought the whole episode was great even if a lot of plot points were cliched. B99 knows how to take standard sitcom cliches to the next level and make them seem fresh.

Ugh, it's going to be a long wait 'til Season 8. 

[Catfi9ht]

Watching every character come together to help Amy through the birth is the exact reason why I love this show. This season's been hit or miss for me overall, but I thought this was a fantastic season finale which emphasizes how much the characters care about each other and how well they work together as a team.

When Holt and Terry offered to dance to keep Amy distracted, it was so heart-warming, I started to cry, and then I couldn't stop laughing. I can't remember ever having tears of joy followed by tears of laughter while watching a TV show.

Once more, with feeling!

 

Edited April 24, 2020 by Catfi9ht
accidentally duplicated the gif

[Brandi Maxxxx]

Two callbacks I wish they'd made:

Rosa went to medical school for 3 years (White Whale, season 5). I think we now know why she dropped out.

Terry's wife also went into labor at the 99 (Ava, season 3). I wanted Holt to say something like "Will you people stop having your babies in my precinct?" (Also, if they could find a reason to bring Frederick back...)

[tennisgurl]

I could watch Holt and Terry doing the Salt and Pepper dance over and over again on repeat all day, that was amazing. 

However, nothing, not even Push It, could be better than the arrival of the Jake and Amy baby! As many cliches are there were (blackout, water breaks and mom cant get to the hospital, comical hijinks trying to get to the baby) they still found a way to keep things fresh. Really, it took great restraint to have Holt and Terry stuck in the elevator, and not Amy and Rosa with Rosa having to deliver the baby on her own! Of course Amy manages to still run everything like a boss even while in labor, thats our Amy! Jake and Amy are just so sweet, they give me the best kinds of toothaches. 

I should have known that the peddle bar would come into play when it was first mentioned! Chekhovs peddle bar! These are just the people that Jake wanted to be a part of this day! 

"Jake I think its really cool that you learned all that, its really progressive. Charles, you know you've cross a line." 

[Victor the Crab]

An awesome season finale episode. The birth of Amy's child belongs with the all time best baby deliveries in sitcom history, alongside Lucy Ricardo giving birth to little Rickey, and Murphy Brown giving birth to Avery.

The characters were all on fire. Holt, continuing from the previous episode of losing his shit, while trapped in an elevator, Terry trying his best to calm Holt down with eighties hip hop dancing, Rosa freaking out over the possibility she'll have to help with the delivery, Charles being extra creepy than normal for him, Hitchcock and Scully being their doofus selves until they rise to the occasion, Amy handling her labor pains in such an Amy matter, and Jake trying to stay above it all with not a lot of success until he makes it in time. I'm glad there was no cliff hanger as this was the perfect way to end the season (and who the hell knows when they'll be back, given how things are in the world right now).

I did not like Dottie at all. She's an awful person with some deep seated issues.

2 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

The second they announced that Jake and Amy were having a boy a few episodes back, I knew it was going to be named McClane.  It was the only name that made sense.  I am curious about the baby's middle name though.  I'm guessing they're saving that for some comedic reveal later.

I'm thinking the baby's full name would be John McClane Peralta, and that they just call him by his middle name shortened, "Mac". I know my late stepfather and my two nephews are referred by their middle names.

[Ms Blue Jay]

 

 

[iMonrey]

Ms Blue Jay I want to like that a million times.

[DearEvette]

Even with the sitcom full-tropey birth episode, I laughed and enjoyed it.  Largely because of the dialogue and how everyone was just so very much themselves.   Loved it!

[grandmabegum]

15 hours ago, Mystery said:

Holy moley that baby was big. I guess parents, even stage parents, don't want to hand over actual newborns for a tv show.

 

If you live in LA and have twins (or more) there's a good chance you are whoring them out to movies/TV. During casting for a pilot I worked on that had multiple babies the office basically became a nursery.

Huh, and now that I think about it, that pilot was also from Dan Goor.

And here's some insight into Season 8 (spoilers) https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/brooklyn-nine-nine-mulling-how-incorporate-covid-19-season-8-1291440

Edited April 24, 2020 by grandmabegum
Adding info on Season 8

[Featherhat]

4 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

"Jake I think its really cool that you learned all that, its really progressive. Charles, you know you've cross a line." 

I think this was my favourite line and kind of summed up a lot about B99. 

I really enjoyed that, clichés and all. I was kind of surprised no one on the show mentioned the time they kind of subverted the cliché and had Sharon *almost* give birth in the precinct. 

Loved Jake and Charles trying to get back and disasters just kept getting heaped on them, but hey Jake packed a lot into one night especially with stopping a huge robbery (off screen!). I loved when he called Amy and was all "but getting to the hospital with this crazy crew on a peddle bar was my crazy birth story" and Amy just could not give a crap. 

Adored Holt and Terry in the elevator and then helping Amy take her mind off the pain in labour "do you think they're stealing drugs from evidence for me?" Holt has come such a long way that I felt it was still within his character growth and not entirely just random sitcom highjinks. And it all stemmed from the inadvisable idea to read the municipal code book before bed. 

They brought back the FDNY rivalry "Firefighters are just EMTs with bunk beds!" hehe, but they also get a great reputation for great baby stories. 

Loved Amy/Rosa again "half Cuban Jimmy Neutron!", this is where I especially don't miss what would probably have been a "Gina Saves the Day!" storyline. And Amy running the precinct like a boss. It might have been good if she'd been successful at hiding them earlier in the day so it wasn't count down to 3 minutes right away but it worked. 

Hitchcock and Scully panic eating food as soon as the blackout hit and then providing a great birthing suite was good. 

Aww McClane/MacLaine, cute. That was a big baby they were holding at the end. Jake and Amy were going to combind their names at one point but that never happened and we never found out if it was going to be Peralta-Santiago/Santiago-Peralta for both or literally Peraltiago. I wonder if the baby is hyphenated? 

I liked that they didn't end on a cliffhanger for once, it felt appropriate, especially as the so often involved Jake having to leave for months it would have been cruel. 

Edited April 24, 2020 by Featherhat

[RobertDeSneero]

Baby McClane's middle name should be Melvil for obvious reasons.  Boyle should have some stupid reason for why it should be Donald.

[anna0852]

Rosa was totally the MVP. From crossing herself to when Amy said to call the fire department to being freaked enough to read the book and when she told Charles he crossed the line, Stephanie's reactions, facial expressions and vocal tones absolutely made the episode for me!

Close behind was Amy's utter competence at running the precinct in active labor. She had everything covered and kept everything moving even as she's snapping clipboards during contractions.

Charles was creepy.

Loved the continuation of the police department's utter hatred for the fire department.

Edited April 25, 2020 by anna0852

[Marley]

Someone mentioned it earlier but yes this show is better without Gina honestly and I’m one of the ppl who liked her in previous seasons. She would’ve somehow took over this episode.

[iMonrey]

Quote

And it all stemmed from the inadvisable idea to read the municipal code book before bed. 

I love when they do flashbacks of the characters as kids. I especially love it when they show Terry as a kid and he calls himself "Little Terry." I never get tired of this quirk he has of referring to himself in third person.

 

Quote

Someone mentioned it earlier but yes this show is better without Gina honestly and I’m one of the ppl who liked her in previous seasons. She would’ve somehow took over this episode.

Agreed. I never really minded Gina either but I sure don't miss her. At all.

[Loandbehold]

On 4/23/2020 at 9:30 PM, Linny said:

Charles' continued disdain for the police horse kills me

Well, Peanut Butter upstaged Charles at the medal ceremony and has since been promoted several times. 

On 4/23/2020 at 10:57 PM, thuganomics85 said:

Interesting that this finale didn't have any cliffhangers or game-changers this go around.  I wonder if they had written this in preparation that a renewal wouldn't be a sure thing, and didn't feel the need to change it once it did happen.  Not complaining, but I thought that stood out.

I read an interview with one of the creators (I believe it was Dan Goor) that it was because they received such early notification of renewal that they decided they didn't need a cliffhanger. (I don't have a link to the article.) Otherwise, it probably would have ended w/ Amy and Mac-to-be in some sort of danger. 

I thought it was really sweet that they named the baby after Shirley Maclaine just to please Charles. It was also great that Rosa got a nickname while Charles didn't. An angry, sputtering Charles provides for a good time. 

I don't think I'll ever get the image of Terry 'N Holt dancing to Salt N' Peppa out of my head. And, I don't want to.

15 hours ago, Marley said:

Someone mentioned it earlier but yes this show is better without Gina honestly and I’m one of the ppl who liked her in previous seasons. She would’ve somehow took over this episode.

If nothing else, it would have been her idea to turn Scully and Hitchcock's relaxation room into Amy's maternity suite. 

[tennisgurl]

I’m really glad that they didn’t leave us on a cliffhanger, even knowing they were getting another season. Almost every cliffhanger is leaving poor Jake in a bad position. Going undercover with the mob, having to go into hiding, going to jail, I’m glad they gave the poor guy a break! 

[Joimiaroxeu]

Stupid Officer Rick and his stupid joyless approach to life. ☹

Salt. And pepper. You say?

Dottie was hella messy.

Louis is Aquaman in his dreams. Somewhere Jason Mamoa is pointing and laughing.

So many devil's eggs were lost!

Holt twerking is something I hope never to see again. Otherwise the dance bit was funny.

Great finale to a great season.

[peeayebee]

On 4/24/2020 at 9:48 AM, iMonrey said:

When they were practicing all the moves in the elevator, I thought they were just teasing us and they would never actually show them doing it. Color me fooled.

Me, too. I'm sure the writers were deliberately teasing it out. Well done.

17 hours ago, anna0852 said:

Rosa was totally the MVP. From crossing herself to when Amy said to call the fire department to being freaked enough to read the book and when she told Charles he crossed the line, Stephanie's reactions, facial expressions and vocal tones absolutely made the episode for me!

I agree. Everything she did was hilarious.

Quote

Close behind was Amy's utter competence at running the precinct in active labor. She had everything covered and kept everything moving even as she's snapping clipboards during contractions.

Oh man, when she snapped the clipboard I lost it. 😄 Even though Holt and Terry dancing was a highlight, I think my favorite part of the ep was any time Amy was screaming in pain or trying to hide her pain.

 

[MisterGlass]

Fantastic season finale.  Great quotes thoughout.  "Salt and Pepper, you say?"  "A firefighter touched our child/We washed him off/Yeah but I'll always know."  I don't know when it was added, but Jake telling everyone to wash their hands was the most of-the-moment line I've seen in recent TV.

I felt so represented by Rosa this episode: "I'm excited to meet your baby when it's clean and wearing clothes..."  "I do not want to be around when page 53 happens."  And I really laughed at how page 53 was censored.

On 4/24/2020 at 12:27 PM, Snapdragon said:

I am curious about the baby's middle name though.

I immediately thought "Nakatomi."

23 hours ago, Featherhat said:

Jake and Amy were going to combind their names at one point but that never happened and we never found out if it was going to be Peralta-Santiago/Santiago-Peralta for both or literally Peraltiago.

I assume Amy insisted on alphabetical.

Edited April 25, 2020 by MisterGlass
Hyphens

[grandmabegum]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Holt twerking is something I hope never to see again. Otherwise the dance bit was funny.

Oh, I loved the whole thing, but I have a very soft spot for actors that in general are more well known for serious roles and then you see that they're willing to make fools of themselves -- the other way around, not so much, but that's also cause I shy away from most serious movies/shows unless it involves cops or doctors.

[cleo]

I actually knew someone who named their baby boy Mac. But in her case she said it was bc he arrived liked a mack truck lol. Third child.

Edited April 26, 2020 by cleo

[EtheltoTillie]

Little Holt reading the municipal code reminded me of Young Sheldon. So precocious and hypochondriacal.

Also loved that Amy was not even distracted by the thought of binders. 

[Ceindreadh]

On 4/24/2020 at 8:20 AM, Mystery said:

Holy moley that baby was big. I guess parents, even stage parents, don't want to hand over actual newborns for a tv show.

 

The younger the child is, the more restrictions there are on the amount of time they can be on set. For a one shot ‘newborn’, it’s probably just easier to go with an older baby rather than trying to source one of the right age when filming.  
 

The only show that consistently has newborn sized ‘newborns’ is Call the Midwife, because they go through so many in a season that they’ve got the casting down to a fine art  

 

 

[Loandbehold]

11 hours ago, GussieK said:

Little Holt reading the municipal code reminded me of Young Sheldon. So precocious and hypochondriacal.

My first thought was your Chidi Anogonye. Reading all the books in preparation for this three-hour lecture on why his parents shouldn't get divorced.

[EtheltoTillie]

46 minutes ago, Loandbehold said:

My first thought was your Chidi Anogonye. Reading all the books in preparation for this three-hour lecture on why his parents shouldn't get divorced.

Had to Google this. Makes sense. I watched the first episode of The Good Place but then didn’t stick with it.