S02.E23: Johnny And Dora

[scrambled eggs]

OMG almost forgot about that, and also about Terry lifting the filing cabinet.  And also everyone's shock when Gina put her phone on airplane mode!

 

I love how the show has developed the characters so well, we instantly realize how important the Captain is to Gina from this one action. And then when she follows it up by leaving the precinct with him. 

 

Yesterday's episode really highlights how the show has built the different relationships so well--no two friendships are the same on the show. But I hope next season we get to see more of Amy/Charles working together, because that's one dynamic I feel hasn't been developed as much. 

 

Putting aside Parks and Recreation, which is a separate entity, I have to say this is my favorite finale this season. 

[dr pepper]

So many funny lines tonight, but for some reason this is the one that made me laugh out loud: "She's not a succubus with infinite powers. She's just a regular succubus."

 

That's a strange comment for him to make. He's gay. A succubus would be no threat to him.

[jhlipton]

I want to mail all the Jake and Amy scenes to every writer and show-runner and say "THIS is how you write a relationship!"  You can have your male be he standard man-child but still be adult and responsible and So. Damn. Respectful towards the women in his life.  He was so careful to let Amy know that it was her decision, and you could tell he meant it.  So refreshing and so cool.

[NoWillToResist]

They said the vending machine was being replaced, right? So there will be a new one. I don't know what, but I want them to do something with the new vending machine, to round out the story.

 

I'd love it if a refrigerated machine got introduced which somehow contained yogurt cups just so that I could watch Terry lose his fucking mind. :)

 

"So how was the restaurant?"

"SUCH A NORMAL TIME."

 

Hee! I knew I forgot one of the lines which cracked me up at the time. Amy's over-loud answer was priceless.

 

I can't believe how attractive I find Andy Samberg in this role.

 

I think I have a problem. I cannot, for the life of me, figure out why the screencap of them post-kiss in the restaurant and talking to their mark (where she's got her left hand around his neck and her right hand at his waist and he's still got his arms around her) is making me squee like a teenaged girl. There's something about their body language there which just gets to me. Like, they are having a conversation; there is no need for them to remain wrapped around each other and yet they stay in their super-close position.

 

Nick Offerman as a temporary chief? Hell yes! I would be all over that!

[Danny Franks]

I want to mail all the Jake and Amy scenes to every writer and show-runner and say "THIS is how you write a relationship!"  You can have your male be he standard man-child but still be adult and responsible and So. Damn. Respectful towards the women in his life.  He was so careful to let Amy know that it was her decision, and you could tell he meant it.  So refreshing and so cool.

 

It's pretty insane that a goofy little sitcom has managed to produce (so far) a more mature and realistic potential romantic couple than nearly any other show on television. The idea that Jake and Amy talk about their feelings, and don't have some contrived reasons to hide them away all the time, feels so absurdly fresh. Jake talks about repressing emotions because of the pain of his dad leaving, and I would bet all the money I have that the vast majority of TV writers would use that as a crutch for him to never let Amy know how he feels, to never let himself be vulnerable.

 

Instead, these guys recognise that Jake's character is not emotionally buttoned up and scared of his feelings. Same with Amy, who is straitlaced and and somewhat prudish, but she's able to recognise her own feelings and admit them too. And they can actually have conversations about those feelings, which don't result in miscommunication and anger.

 

Jake doesn't need to grow up, to be a good boyfriend. We've seen that, for all his manchild ways, he's able to deal with grown up stuff. So what if he eats gummy bears for breakfast and wastes his money? Those things don't define him. He can deal with being in a relationship with someone like Amy, and she can deal with being in a relationship with someone like him. I feel like the writers can deal with writing it too.

[dusang]

I'd love it if a refrigerated machine got introduced which somehow contained yogurt cups just so that I could watch Terry lose his fucking mind. :)

 

My office has a combo snacks/drinks vending machine -- although they aren't displayed the same way as the snacks, the drinks are refrigerated.

[jah1986]

Just want to co-sign all the great insightful comments already given. What a great episode and finale. AB just nailed his farewell speech, it was the first time I've seen shades of Frank Pembleton in his performance.

 

I also really like the way Jake/Amy have been handled.  Loved her "is this about the crumbs I cleaned off your desk" his wanting to know where she put them was hilarious. I was also surprised to be thinking that Jake was looking kind of cute, glad to see I'm not alone.

 

Loved Boyle with Rosa and his insistence that he earned the right to call her RoRo.

 

Great ensemble show, looking forward to next season.  Wouldn't it be a great twist if the squad liked the new captain and the new captain was a good fit too?  But Holt needs to come back, I don't want one episode without AB.

[dusang]

The only thing that slightly bothered me about this episode was that Charles has a long and glorious history of spoiling surprise parties, so it seemed unlikely that he wouldn't flat out blab to RoRo about her anticipated surprise.  I mean, he covered terribly, obvs, but he didn't flat out tell her.  But the payoff was worth it.

[bethy]

 

Loved her "is this about the crumbs I cleaned off your desk" his wanting to know where she put them was hilarious. 

 

 

Agreed. Just thinking about that exchange makes me giggle. The idea that Jake would think anyone - never mind Amy Santiago - would keep the crumbs is what makes it so delightful to me, I think. And Amy's reaction to that question was wonderful as well.

[jhlipton]

The only thing that slightly bothered me about this episode was that Charles has a long and glorious history of spoiling surprise parties, so it seemed unlikely that he wouldn't flat out blab to RoRo about her anticipated surprise.  I mean, he covered terribly, obvs, but he didn't flat out tell her.  But the payoff was worth it.

Marcus was counting on Boyle spoiling the surprise party. All Charles had to do was keep in mind that it was a surprise party and forget what the surprise was.

[April Bloodgate]

That's a strange comment for him to make. He's gay. A succubus would be no threat to him.

Not necessarily. In some depictions of succubi (Lost Girl comes to mind), their powers allow them to seduce anyone, regardless of whether the person is normally attracted to women.

[bethy]

In a strange coincidence (or is it?!) the finale of Gilmore Girls is playing on ABC Family right now. Obviously, I am watching to see if i agree with Rosa's anger. I don't remember being mad at this one.

Oh, Edward Hermann. You are missed.

[Traveller519]

Amy plays so well off Jake, but the problem is she becomes a bit one note off most of the other cast. I like the idea of playing up her and Charles because you've already got the other reliable go-to matchings of Holt and Diaz, and Gina and Terry. Charles can hold down his own a little bit better with the others, but if they're committed to this Jake and Amy thing, the could be some fun Charles and Amy work for competing and using one another.

 

Also, is Amy the only one we haven't seen family from...or have we seen her brothers? If we do get to meet her parents I hope they go against type and have them as dippy hippies which lead her down her own path of structure.

[Danny Franks]

Amy plays so well off Jake, but the problem is she becomes a bit one note off most of the other cast. I like the idea of playing up her and Charles because you've already got the other reliable go-to matchings of Holt and Diaz, and Gina and Terry. Charles can hold down his own a little bit better with the others, but if they're committed to this Jake and Amy thing, the could be some fun Charles and Amy work for competing and using one another.

 

Also, is Amy the only one we haven't seen family from...or have we seen her brothers? If we do get to meet her parents I hope they go against type and have them as dippy hippies which lead her down her own path of structure.

 

I definitely want to see more of Amy's life, in season 3. Her family, her friend Kylie, and just generally more of the show told from her point of view (particularly in regards to her relationship with Jake, where she really needs to get to have her say). We've never seen her brothers, and I don't think they've been mentioned other than in the pilot episode

 

Seeing Charles compete with Amy over Jake's affections would be a lot of fun. You know that Amy would pretend to be above all that, to begin with, but she's just as capable of being childish and petty as the rest of them.

 

I felt the show went with Amy and Gina as a pairing way too much, in the latter half of season 2. Mainly because I don't like Gina (I may have mentioned this once or twice). I don't really care for that relationship, because Gina is just too vile to Amy for me to believe that Amy would give her the time of day. They tried to soften her a bit, towards the end, but it was nowhere near enough.

[Kel Varnsen]

Nick Offerman as a temporary chief? Hell yes! I would be all over that!

That could be good, as long as it wasn't a copy of Ron Swanson, or the cop he played in the Jump Street movies.

[Glory]

I can't believe how attractive I find Andy Samberg in this role.

I know! I mean, he's a giant man-child but I was definitely feeling that last kiss. WHAT IS HAPPENING!? 

[JohnnyGilda]

He can do the goofy and sexy.

 

 

He does it very well (opposite Rashida Jones) in Celeste and Jesse Forever.

Edited May 22, 2015 by JohnnyGilda

[dusang]

He's a man-child (terrible diet, financially irresponsible, "mail tub") but he's also so phenomenally mature when it matters ("I can't make a woman's choice for her").  It's just... fantasy fulfillment.

[Danny Franks]

He's a man-child (terrible diet, financially irresponsible, "mail tub") but he's also so phenomenally mature when it matters ("I can't make a woman's choice for her").  It's just... fantasy fulfillment.

 

I think Jake is very behaviourally immature, in that he does eat terribly, can't handle his money, acts like a child a lot of the time, and generally seems his happiest when he's goofing around. But emotionally, he seems very mature. He knows  how to treat people with respect and how to maintain friendships, he values the opinions of others and cares about their feelings. He knows how he feels about Amy and he's not scared of it. He doesn't put his own pride ahead of being honest and straightforward with Amy, and he doesn't think that she owes him anything, simply because he has feelings for her. He wasn't the one scared of pushing things forward with Sophia. 

 

It's a pretty great combo, especially when you add to that the looks that plenty of you seem to be appreciating. And it's why I have a modicum of faith that the writers of this show can pull off a romance between Jake and Amy without resorting to cheap drama and breakup/makeups all the time.

[Happytobehere]

I'm in the minority in that I have zero interest in the Jake and Amy pairing. I watch for the ensemble an not for the hook-ups. I do however like Rosa and Holt's nephew - character development without the in your face aspects that tend to eat shows.

Holt's departure was touching as was his break from his stoic interactions with the team. I actually love Gina for her willingness to go wherever Holt went. I just hope the break-up of the team is short lived.

[Iseut]

The fantastic cold opening reminded me of the Arcade episode of NewsRadio, enough to where I think it had to be an homage. I love the idea of these two great comedies being linked. Good tiiimes...

Holt's speech brought me back to the first time I saw Andre Braugher in Glory, when he says Merry Christmas to his colonel, who had been his close friend before becoming his commanding officer. Braugher conveys soooo much emotion in that scene while saying very little, and he did it again here (with very different character motivation obviously). Such an astoundingly talented actor.

[dusang]

The fantastic cold opening reminded me of the Arcade episode of NewsRadio, enough to where I think it had to be an homage. I love the idea of these two great comedies being linked. Good tiiimes...

 

The cold open was amazing -- I like how all of their faces transform from horror to manic joy when the machine falls over and then they realize "FREE CANDY!!!"  (Also love that, unlike other shows where Amy would be the constant downer, she's equally into the free candy.)

[Brandi Maxxxx]

While I expect the new captain will be a character we haven't met before, I'm kind of hoping we never actually get to see him/her next season. Either they're just always off-screen or they died during the summer. Just because I think it would be funny to mess with the viewers like that.

[Dev F]

Another possibility for the new captain: they bring back the 99's old captain, the one Jake loved because he let the squad do whatever they wanted, only now Jake can't stand him because he's not a strong leader like Holt.

[Azaelia]

Another possibility for the new captain: they bring back the 99's old captain, the one Jake loved because he let the squad do whatever they wanted, only now Jake can't stand him because he's not a strong leader like Holt.

That would actually be brilliant. And maybe a more relaxed Amy would secretly find it a bit refreshing not to have to try so hard to please? Although I feel like her constant need to impress Holt was more pressing during season one... of course Amy would miss Holt, it could just be a fun contrast.

I do think even if this Captain is competent, Jake will have a very "you're not my real dad" reaction towards him. (Or her, for that matter. We don't know that it's a he...)

Edited June 22, 2015 by Azaelia