S03.E02: The Funeral

[formerlyfreedom]

The Nine-Nine gets another personnel change that could put Jake and Amy’s budding relationship at risk. Meanwhile, Terry assists Holt with an important public relations matter, and Rosa and Gina try to convince Charles to rethink his affection for a fellow officer.

 

 

[Galileo908]

"Someone get me a puka shell necklace. I'm going Full Douche." I really liked how Jake was instantly called out by the Vulture not because he bugged the place, but that Scully butt-dialed him. I was actually expecting that butt dial to bite him in the ass, but I was happy that Holt solved everything.

 

"Once again Scully's butt is the downfall of this precinct."

 

"If my eating habits are so unhealthy, how come I never go to the bathroom?"

 

Andre Braugher's delivery of "PAIN..." alone should earn him an Emmy. Also, any excuse to have Terry Crews dance is a good excuse. Drunk Terry Crews is in my Top 3 Terry Crews.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Well that was a vast improvement over last week's in my opinion.

 

A lot of lines that were very funny.  I absolutely adore Dean Winters who plays The Vulture and his line deliveries and body language always make me laugh.

 

That's not it for Archie Panjabi (the Vegan), is it?

 

Jake:  "No.  I'm Prostitute Jake.  I loooove prostitutes."

 

Terry dancing to "Sisters are Doing it For Themselves."

Edited October 5, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Janimo]

Ummm?? Such a tiny role for Archie??

[bethy]

Jake: Look, we can deal with this. We just need a new plan.

Amy: I got it! We lie, tell him we broke up, then date in secret.

Jake: Great! And you'd be okay lying to your captain?

Amy: *long beat* Okay, new plan....

Jake: Uh huh.

I loved that Jake's question about lying to the captain was sincere, because he knows that would actually really be hard for Amy. It could have been asked sarcastically, mocking her, but instead they went with Jake genuinely asking. So good.

I also liked Chelsea Peretti's new haircut.

Terry dancing!

[Ms Blue Jay]

Vulture:  I bet you don't even like nip slips, do you?

 

Jake: I can learn to love nip-slips.

Vulture:  No.  You either love them or you don't.

[peeayebee]

Terry: You always sniff the bouquet.

Holt: Maybe the old Holt did, but the new Holt chugs Beaujolais from a burgundy glass without a care. Oh, it's a sauterne glass. Look, the alcohol has rendered me a simpleton.

 

Terry: Sir, my life stinks. Sharon's on bed rest, my favorite mango yogurt got discontinued, and my kids think their preschool teacher's a stupid-face.

Holt: Everyone I work with's a stupid-face.

 

Vulture: One thing I won't do is fart in church. This is God's house.

 

Good ep. Love all the stuff betw Charles and the Vegan (whatever her name is). Love how upset Charles was that she was a vegan plus gluten-free.

 

I got a kick out of Charles saying to Gina, "Hey, G-Spot!"

[Bort]

Vulture: One thing I won't do is fart in church. This is God's house.

Capped off by him then flicking a cigarette butt into the church fountain.

[VCRTracking]

Favorite line:

 

Holt: (bemused) "Look. The alcohol has rendered me a simpleton."

[scrambled eggs]

"Someone get me a puka shell necklace. I'm going Full Douche." I really liked how Jake was instantly called out by the Vulture not because he bugged the place, but that Scully butt-dialed him. I was actually expecting that butt dial to bite him in the ass, but I was happy that Holt solved everything.

 

"Once again Scully's butt is the downfall of this precinct."

 

"If my eating habits are so unhealthy, how come I never go to the bathroom?"

 

Andre Braugher's delivery of "PAIN..." alone should earn him an Emmy. Also, any excuse to have Terry Crews dance is a good excuse. Drunk Terry Crews is in my Top 3 Terry Crews.

 

That and Braugher's delivery of "Everyone in my office are stupid faces." His voice + goofy lines = magic. 

[thuganomics85]

I enjoyed the premiere, but I really loved this one.  Dean Winters is just amazing as The Vulture.  One of my favorite antagonists right now.  I love how much everyone in the Nine Nine just hate his ass for various reasons, and how he's one of the few things everyone can agree on.  He's smug, a jackass, egotistical,  and pretty much the boss from hell, but Winters makes him so damn entertaining.  I do hope they get an actual victory over him soon, but I'll enjoy the ride till then.

 

Continue to actually enjoy Jake and Amy as a couple.  They are still in the early stages, of course, but I really do buy that they do enjoy each other's company and their feelings are real, but have respect for one another as well.  Plus, they're still funny together.  I think my favorite moment was Amy asking Jake to do his Holt impersonation at home, and Jake was like "Kind of disturbing, but I'll do it!"  Hope the show keeps it up.

 

Drunk Holt!  That was awesome as hell.  I like that he's still sounds a lot like normal Holt with his voice mannerisms, but Andre Braugher just delivers the lines in ways you can tell that Holt is clearly inebriated.  Plus, his facial reactions really tell the story.  The man can do anything.  And Drunk Terry was a big bonus!  To be fair, the mango yogurt no longer being sold is clearly depressing news. Holt and Terry are always awesome together.

 

Boyle's subplot was fine, although it would be very strange if that's already it for Archie Panjabi.  I mean, she's actually an Emmy winner and everything.  If I had to guess, I could see them meeting up again in a future episodes, and the feelings some back, and Boyle has to accept that he's attracted to a "glutton-free vegan!"

 

Just the right amount of Gina in this one, but I do hope Rosa gets more to do soon.

 

I feel awful for laughing over Scully's wife leaving him, but Terry not giving a damn because he was too preoccupied, slayed me.

[Traveller519]

Holy Balls, everyone brought it in this one. Samberg stepped back a bit in this episode, and let the ensemble do its thing and it was magic.

I loved confident and assertive (in something besides food) Boyle, and how well he played off his former object of affection (Diaz) and questionable paramour (Gina).

They're writing Amy so much better this season. She still has her Santiago characteristics, but isn't the caricature she drifted into at times last year. The way they've played make and Amy this year has been great so far.

Favorite moments are Hitchcock being the only one to care about Scully's feelings, and "when he found out I speak Spanish he had me fire his housekeeper. ..she's Polish!"

Edited October 5, 2015 by Traveller519

[Whimsy]

Favorite moments are Hitchcock being the only one to care about Scully's feelings, and "when he found out I speak polish he had me fire his housekeeper. ..she's Polish!"

 

I'm pretty sure she said "When he found out I spoke Spanish he made me fire his housekeeper... she's Polish".  It was funny.  I enjoyed this episode a lot.  I, too, am really enjoying how they're writing Amy and Jake.  I am SO afraid they'll mess that up eventually! 

[Julie23]

Good episode. Not a fan of Dean Winters, doesn't he play the same character in every show he has ever been on, even commericials? Tired of the angry, horrible man shtick. He can go away now and we can get the wonderful Holt back. He was so great tonight. I think I loved every one of his lines, but my favorite was "PAIN". Boyle, Terry, everyone was doing there thing, and it was beautiful. 

[Danny Franks]

Man, the Vulture is so great. Such a colossal asshat, and so unrepentant about it. Loved the cold open with a quick run down of him being a dick, and then Jake vowing to go "full douche" while the rest of the squad were rolling with disgust.

 

Oh, and one of the nailed on douche interests being "we both love Robin Thicke". Heh. Only a true douche could like him.

 

Amy turned on by Jake's Holt impression? Way too much going on there to think about. But Melissa Fumero's got the sexy smoulder going on when she says it, so it works. Amy and Jake continue to work very well. Cute moments, genuine affection and they feel as invested as each other in their relationship, rather than one of them seeming reluctant and almost ashamed (which is usually what television offers).

 

The bagpipes gag was so silly that I smiled. But I was pleasantly surprised that Amy was running backup, and got the recording anyway.

 

"Our special today is coho salmon with..."

"Sounds disgusting. Do you have chicken fingers?"

I worry that I'm more like Jake than I'd like to admit. And you know, with Amy's thoughtful "and horrified by your eating habits", I could really enjoy a storyline where she tries to get him to eat more healthily. Usually 'girl wants to improve guy' plots are grating, but I think it could really work well for these two, when it's something small like, 'eat more vegetables'.

 

I do like it when Terry coaches them through social situations, and him not giving a crap about Scully's wife leaving him was hilarious.

 

"I like the way your butt looks today."

"I've been doing lunges in the shower."

"Well, this got upsetting real quick."

No kidding, Rosa. Then "I'll meat you alright. M E A T." Aw, that's just gross, Charles.

 

Holt going through all this drama and professional humiliation works like a charm, because he can say "the new Holt chugs Beaujolais from a burgundy glass without a care" with a straight face and that deadpan delivery. Also, "the alcohol has rendered me a simpleton" is going to get some use on my nights out, that's for sure. But I could watch whole seasons with just Terry and Holt getting drunk together and complaining about stuff.

 

"If I may do a third toast... it'll focused primarily on the mango yoghurt."

 

Also, Rosa you have to wear those sunglasses again. With the dress uniform. That was hot.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Danny Franks

[Rinaldo]

Good episode. Not a fan of Dean Winters, doesn't he play the same character in every show he has ever been on, even commercials? 

Not on 30 Rock. The Beeper King was a distinct comedic creation.

[Inquisitionist]

I first saw Dean Winters on some episodes of Homicide: Life on the Street in the mid-90s.  Totally different character there.

[Traveller519]

I'm pretty sure she said "When he found out I spoke Spanish he made me fire his housekeeper... she's Polish".  It was funny.  I enjoyed this episode a lot.  I, too, am really enjoying how they're writing Amy and Jake.  I am SO afraid they'll mess that up eventually! 

Ah, Of course you are correct! This is what I get for posting late at night on a Sunday! Fixed.

[hendersonrocks]

I honestly can't remember the last time I laughed out loud, literally, so many times in a single episode of TV. And yeah, this one episode was really good overall - but I think it's more that the characters and stories build over time, so something that may just be mildly funny on its own gets me truly giggling when it's with the 99.

[JohnnyGilda]

Adding to My First Time...with Dean Winters, for me it was Ryan O'Reily on Oz, and that character read nothing like Dennis the Beeper King, or the Vulture.  One similarity with Dennis and the Vulture is their shared ability to unite casts of disparate regulars in their seething hatred of a total dick, but I think Winters and the writing do enough to keep this current douche feeling fresh, as it were.  I like him as a foil for everyone in the precinct.

[peeayebee]

I forgot about Gina's line, “I’m a higher level of being, like Her from the movie Her.” It was reminiscent of Donna's line from P&R, "Are you Nell? From the movie Nell?" Same writers, so that makes sense.

[Primetimer]

And Mark would like to know what the hell happened.

Read the story

[Rockstar99435]

I'm with Mark. I hated this episode. Nothing that is happening makes any sense. Do the characters live in an alternative universe where the NYPD doesn't have the most powerful union in the country? Because there is no way that Holt would be moved from his Captain job to PR without his permission. There is no way that the Vulture can take away Jake's detective promotion without several meetings with Jake and his union rep, documentation that showed that the Vulture gave him areas that needed improvement, and documentation that proved that Jake made no attempt to improve in those areas. 

[evesix]

I completely disagree 100% with the article.

 

I find this show has done pretty much everything right, especially in regards to the relationship with Jake and Amy. Not to drag other shows into it, but Parks never "grabbed" me the same way B99 does.  In the same way, Leslie and Ben (and the other couples) never really grabbed me even though their relationship was pretty well done.

 

I'm pretty sure they need to establish the Jake and Amy thing right off, they'll be back into a more of an ensemble in no time. 

Edited October 5, 2015 by evesix

[Ms Blue Jay]

Good episode. Not a fan of Dean Winters, doesn't he play the same character in every show he has ever been on, even commericials? Tired of the angry, horrible man shtick.

 

I love him, but yes, I do think he plays the same guy on every show.  He's the dumb hot boyfriend to every female protagonist I watch.

 

1)  Olivia Benson's dumb hot boyfriend on SVU (I think he went undercover and fucked hookers)

2)  Carrie Bradshaw's dumb hot fuck buddy on Sex and the City  (She asked him out for sushi; he thought it was a euphemism)

3)  Liz Lemon's Dumb hot boyfriend Dennis Duffy the Beeper King  (he sold Beepers literally)

 

Again, I love this character and I love him.  He's the dumb hot boyfriend just graduated to Police Chief.

Edited October 5, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[amensisterfriend]

I disagree with a lot of that PTV article, but I do agree generally that there are a lot of similarities between this show and Parks and Rec: a group of goodhearted, tightly knit coworkers that includes one proudly and pointlessly mean, unlikable member of the group who everyone still bends over backwards for anyway (April/Gina), a cute romance between two of the coworkers that they initially have to hide (Leslie/Ben and Amy/Jake), and a whole lot of sweetness and heart that works about a zillion times better for me than the humor, which I just find kind of goofy and, well, "stupid face."  Humor is so wildly subjective, obviously, but I tend to like sharper wit and observational "that's SO true!" stuff, while B99 tends to be too silly and dopey for my taste. (Just as Parks and Rec's humor was too...so obviously it's about Mike Schur's style just not clicking with mine!) I'm always left with the impression  that Mike Schur really just wants to write a super gooey lovefest about coworkers who love each other and care about their jobs and their communities and then, as a reluctant afterthought, forces in a little 'comedy' so that it his stuff can qualify as a sitcom and be marketed accordingly. In other words, I think he's great at characterizations (with a few glaring exceptions), friendships/relationships and heartwarming sweetness, but for me humor just isn't his bag. That said, I don't notice any big difference in the tone between this season and last season.    

Edited October 5, 2015 by amensisterfriend

[highway61]

I really meant to make this point, but Mark did it well - I don't want the show to be all Jake-Amy. First off, because it's cutting into Rosa's time! Second I also don't like the rotating captains - it reminds me of the awful 'Manager of the Week' run of The Office, complete with death, or in Will Ferrell's case in 'The Office, disability. Meeting the upset widow just doesn't crack me up.

[KateeBar]

I'm with Mark. I hated this episode. Nothing that is happening makes any sense. Do the characters live in an alternative universe where the NYPD doesn't have the most powerful union in the country? Because there is no way that Holt would be moved from his Captain job to PR without his permission. There is no way that the Vulture can take away Jake's detective promotion without several meetings with Jake and his union rep, documentation that showed that the Vulture gave him areas that needed improvement, and documentation that proved that Jake made no attempt to improve in those areas. 

 

I'm in the same, apparently tiny, boat you and Mark are. The chemistry feels off all over the place and I'm not laughing nearly as much as I used to. I'll stick around for a while, because when this show gets it right it's brilliant. But please, bring Holt back, downplay the romance and get back to it being a stellar ensemble comedy.

[Kromm]

I think its WAY too soon to make a call on Season 3 a mere two episodes in.

Some stuff, like the dating, is locked in, but it's not like the show hasn't been playing off the possibility since Episode 1 of Season 1. They've just ended the tiresome "will they or won't they" stuff everyone hates even more than characters dating.

[VCRTracking]

Disagree with the article. To me they've been handling Jake and Amy pretty well in that they're both still funny even together. Complaining about the romance is perplexing because there's been that sexual tension since the beginning and drawing it out instead of acting on it would be just as sitcommy.

 

a group of goodhearted, tightly knit coworkers that includes one proudly and pointlessly mean, unlikable member of the group who everyone still bends over backwards for anyway (April/Gina)

 

April might complain and be mean but she will still help Leslie clean an overpass or help her be a garbage collector. She'll still help her friends even if she's being snarky. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine is my favorite Star Trek show because it's about a group of flawed but essentially good people, whereas the other shows The Next Generation(which I also liked) and Voyager(which I didn't) are just good people IMO. It's why I liked Parks and Recreation because the characters were good(yes even April) but flawed. It's why I like Brooklyn Nine Nine.

 

Humor is so wildly subjective, obviously, but I tend to like sharper wit and observational "that's SO true!" stuff, while B99 tends to be too silly and dopey for my taste. (Just as Parks and Rec's humor was too...so obviously it's about Mike Schur's style just not clicking with mine!)

I like both. The silly and the witty. Early Simpsons and Frasier was the show that had a mix of both.

Edited October 5, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Brandi Maxxxx]

I'm not loving this season either but I think Mark has seriously misunderstood Jake and Amy's characters if he thinks they "were never really friends before the show tossed them together."

[Traveller519]

Hooo that take was scorching hot!!!!

 

Now I agree, that a relationship done wrong can derail a sitcom (New Girl Season 3), but Mike Schur hit Leslie and Ben perfectly as career focused people who really genuinely liked one another, and they weren't friends (or really at all, based on the State Auditor relationship) before they got together.  As Kromm said, you could see Jake and Amy getting together from Episode 1, but through two seasons the show had them deal with their feelings in the most adult and un-sitcom-y way I can remember seeing on a half hour comedy.

 

As I said above, this seemed like a relatively non-Jake-centric epsiode in the Pantheon of Brooklyn-99. The ensemble was working well for me.

[Danny Franks]

I'm not loving this season either but I think Mark has seriously misunderstood Jake and Amy's characters if he thinks they "were never really friends before the show tossed them together."

No kidding. Through the whole first two seasons, the writers took pains to show just how well Jake and Amy knew and cared for each other.

That had been commented on time and again in discussions about the show here and in other places. If someone wants to find reasons to complain about their relationship, they'll have to try a bit harder than, "the show has just thrown them together".

[ClareWalks]

It is definitely way too early to make any prognoses about the show at this point. Keep in mind that there was a lot of establish at the start of this season: losing Captain Holt (and what he's been up to), Jake & Amy's relationship, the new captain, and now the new new captain. I think it will hit its stride within the next few episodes. There were still plenty of hilarious moments for me...I mean, did Mark even SEE the scene with Holt and Terry drinking? That is amazing shit. ;)

[lovinbob]

I love the Jake-Amy chemistry. It helps that Andy Samberg could have chemistry with pretty much anyone. And this is coming from someone who did not used to like him, when he first joined the SNL cast.

[JTMacc99]

I actually found myself wanting to fast forward through some of the parts last night. That's a very, very rare thing for me to do during Brooklyn Nine-Nine.

 

I do not know if that had to do with all of the various things that are upsetting Mark, especially since I didn't watch either of the other shows me mentioned, and I don't really break down how to construct episodes of TV like that.  But I can definitely see how sending Holt off to PR temporarily has created a situation where I enjoy the show less. And I liked the way the show brought Jake and Amy together, but I can absolutely do without any stories about somebody insisting they break up.

 

 

Terry: You always sniff the bouquet.

Holt: Maybe the old Holt did, but the new Holt chugs Beaujolais from a burgundy glass without a care. Oh, it's a sauterne glass. Look, the alcohol has rendered me a simpleton.

Hee! Thank goodness that Holt corrected himself, because I can look the other way with no problem about the reality of the police work, but there was NO WAY Holt would have called that a Burgundy glass, even by accident. It wasn't even close to the right shape, to the point that I had to rationalize that Holt only said it was a Burgundy glass to make his point more emphatically.

 

The comparison to make is versus the sweet wine glass on this chart. Holt wouldn't make that mistake if he were falling down drunk.

Edited October 5, 2015 by JTMacc99

[morgankobi]

I forgot about Gina's line, “I’m a higher level of being, like Her from the movie Her.” It was reminiscent of Donna's line from P&R, "Are you Nell? From the movie Nell?" Same writers, so that makes sense.

That line still makes me laugh aloud, even from just reading it.

[cleo]

I'm also in the tiny boat. Not liking this season at all so far.

[peeayebee]

I don't have any complaints so far. I like Jake and Amy. I love all the characters and still think the show is funny. Plus I have faith in the writers.

[tennisgurl]

I really love this season so far. Jake and Amy are working really well for me. What can I say, this show made a shipper out of me. 

 

 

Holt: (bemused) "Look. The alcohol has rendered me a simpleton."

Next time I drink, I am so using that line. The first person who gets the reference becomes my new best friend. 

[Kel Varnsen]

I'm with Mark. I hated this episode. Nothing that is happening makes any sense. Do the characters live in an alternative universe where the NYPD doesn't have the most powerful union in the country? Because there is no way that Holt would be moved from his Captain job to PR without his permission. There is no way that the Vulture can take away Jake's detective promotion without several meetings with Jake and his union rep, documentation that showed that the Vulture gave him areas that needed improvement, and documentation that proved that Jake made no attempt to improve in those areas. 

Not to be a smartass but of course they live in an alternate universe. For starters the NYPD doesn't even have a 99th precinct. And just in general this is a TV comedy, as long as it is entertaining I don't need it to follow the way the real world works the same way a documentary or even a straight up drama would.

[Kromm]

Yeah, the moment it's a sitcom, and one that's a farce and not trying to represent reality, I think a lot of "passes" get allowed. 

 

To compare... NBC didn't really run like we saw on 30 Rock. Was that really a problem with the show?  Not really. Again, because it was a farce and not a show like Modern Family or something like that, where they're pretending a bit that it could be the real world.

[arc]

I love him, but yes, I do think he plays the same guy on every show.  He's the dumb hot boyfriend to every female protagonist I watch.

To be fair, he was neither dumb nor a douchebag in Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles.  At least, not that I recall.

[tennisgurl]

Plus, he was a lot more than the cocky asshole guy in Oz. Well, Ryan was a cocky asshole, but he had layers, and was way more dangerous than your typical cocky asshole.  

[Ms Blue Jay]

Yeah, I didn't literally mean every acting job of his.  I just thought it was a really funny trend.  And I meant every show that I personally watch and love.  He also had a short lived show with Josh Duhamel.

Edited October 6, 2015 by Ms Blue Jay

[Irlandesa]

It's funny because I think I overall agree with Mark's feelings about this season even though I disagree with some of the supporting evidence.  For instance, I do think the show established Jake and Amy as friends.  And I do think they had chemistry.  But I also don't think their chemistry is strong enough to overcome some of the focus their characters are getting.  It's not so much about the two of them together.  I think they're not terrible in handling that.

 

However, as someone mentioned above, it's a little annoying how much focus everyone's energy and efforts have been on them.  It should have started and ended with Boyle.  I didn't necessarily find it funny but it did make sense in terms of his character and his relationship to Jake.  But having the new captain die because he caught them?  Pushing it for me.  Then this week the Vulture wants Jake to break up with Amy or get demoted? That went way too far.  And having Holt save Jake's behind so he can date Amy just made me feel icky.

 

The separation isn't serving the show well either. 

 

I wasn't the world's biggest Parks & Rec fan but overall, I think it handled all of these things much better.

 He also had a short lived show with Josh Duhamel.

*sigh*  Yes.  Battle Creek.  I loved that show...dammit. And that character was the perfect blend of his drama skills, comedic and sexy skills.  I've seen Dean Winters in enough comedy and drama to lead my vote to "not the same character."  In fact, I remember when he first appeared in 30 Rock and that whole side of him was a revelation.

 

And I loved the Vulture in his previous appearances.  But something even feels off about him so far this season.

[NutmegsDad]

This.... was interesting.

 

They've skirted again with the "Amy and Jake will get broken up by forces beyond their control" trope again. Compared to 1st and 2nd season, their plans usually work well, and it's unusual to have them have an instaloss, so the "No I have to make noise right here and right now even there is no reason other than making your plan fail" bagpiper make me cringe. (but nice save with Amy as the backup).

 

Holt is miserable. But even Miserable Holt is great to listen to.

 

I'll buy the "saves Jake's career" because Holt is able to do *something* for the Nine-Nine.

 

Can Jake get busted to a beat like that? Yes, on this show.

[peeayebee]

Compared to 1st and 2nd season, their plans usually work well, and it's unusual to have them have an instaloss, so the "No I have to make noise right here and right now even there is no reason other than making your plan fail" bagpiper make me cringe. 

I really liked that part with the bagpiper because he knew the noise was bothering Jake. It wasn't just construction noises or traffic messing with his plan. The bagpiper could have practiced elsewhere, but he stood right there and continued to stand there. Then later in the church when he played, he gleefully stared at Jake.

[Julie23]

I agree partly with the article on this. The team should not have been separated. They work best as a team. Yes, the scenes with Holt were pure gold, but the precinct scenes were blah. I don't mind the Jake and Any pairing, but now that it's done, no need to focus on it, or find ways to make it on-again, off-again. That would seriously annoy me.

I watched Battle Creek, and although Dean Winters character did have some depth, he was still an angry douche most of the time, just sayin'.

[ClareWalks]

 I don't mind the Jake and Any pairing, but now that it's done, no need to focus on it, or find ways to make it on-again, off-again. That would seriously annoy me.

 

Yes, exactly! I kind of liked how the writers played with the "oh, no, they'll have to break up" typical sitcom crap, then squashed it immediately, in the last two episodes. But I hope they don't continue to do it, because it will get as tedious as the will-they-won't-they that they're trying to spoof.