S06.E05: A Tale of Two Bandits

[formerlyfreedom]

Quote

Terry believes the Pontiac Bandit is stealing cars again, but Jake is convinced his friend wouldn't do that. The rest of the squad fight to keep Shaw's a police bar after some firemen stake their claim to it.

Airing Thursday, February 1, 2019.

[Inquisitionist]

Doug Judy is returning?  Woo-hoo!

[SHD]

Trudy Judy? I laughed harder at that than I should've.

Drunk Amy is both fun and frightening.

[Danny Franks]

I liked this episode so much more than last week's. Doug Judy is always great fun. And I always get just a little sad at how much he and Jake love hanging out with each other. They'd have been the best of friends, if they hadn't followed such different life paths.

Jake's meta commentary on he and Judy's interactions was something this show does so well - “Wait, I may be confusing our adventures. What year was the cruise?”

The evolution of their ongoing gag was nice - Now Doug is being conned by someone along with Jake, and it's his sister, Trudy Judy!

The rest of the squad having a drinking contest to force Rob Riggle's fire department out of their bar was unexpectedly fun. First, Holt and his disgust over the quality of wine in Shaw's (makes complete sense, really. That place doesn't seem like they'd have much in the way of high quality booze), then the drunken antics of Amy, Charles and Rosa. Charles' drunken speech, followed by sustained vomiting onto the floor made me crack up. I loved the gag of Hitchcock being more normal, when he was drunk.

Horny Amy and Dance Pants Amy resurfaced, to my delight, and I think Melissa Fumero plays drunk so well. I first noticed it in The Vulture, way back in season 1, and it was noticeable again here - Bleary eyed, overly loud, overly careful but still slurring words. Also, Nine Drink Amy speaks French! Who knew!? She just keeps on expanding her horizons.

Lots of good callbacks in this episode - Firefighter rivalry, Amy's drunkenness scale, 1000 push-ups (and Jake's reaction to Terry thinking 1000 push-ups was no big deal - "You go to hell.")

"GET ON MY BACK JAKE!"

"Oooh, coming Mr. Strong Man"

[scrambled eggs]

Three Drink Amy dancing in the background throughout the Shaw scenes was a perfect touch, as was Melissa Fumero's delivery of the line "I hurrrled. I hurrled. I hurrl." 

Also loved the meta, and I was so glad that Doug Judy wasn't lying to Jake after all! 

[thuganomics85]

First post in the new threads!

Always fun to see Doug Judy, and I liked how they changed a few things around with Terry being the one that was partnered up with him and Jake, and Doug actually ended up being on the up and up, and it was his sister instead.  Nicole Byer was fun in the role, and I wouldn't mind if she showed back up in the future.  But I still love how much Jake and Doug geek out when they are together.  It's a star-crossed bromance!

The B-plot was hilarious.  Loved everyone's version of being drunk and I'm definitely glad the show still remembers all of Amy's drink personas: especially 4th Drink Perverted/Horny Amy!  Melissa Fumero was perfect as always here.  And I'm glad Holt saved the day/night, even if it meant he had to drink some "low quality wine."

Aww, Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller finally got into the opening credits!  That's great, even if they didn't get added to the final slo-mo shot, because I guess it would have been too expensive or time-consuming to either insert them in or re-film it.

Definitely a step up from last week, and probably my second favorite episode this season, following the premiere. 

[Linny]

Trudy Judy! Very different role for Nicole Byer than her part on The Good Place, but she nailed it just the same (see what I did there?). I appreciated that Trudy Judy orchestrated everything without Doug's participation. It gave him the perspective of what it feels like to be conned by someone you know and trust, and it gave credence to Jake's belief that people are capable of change. It's much more interesting to have Doug evolve as a character than to just stay as the wily Bandit. They've played that beat thoroughly, so this was a fresh take on a fun character.

Craig Robinson is effortlessly charming and plays off Andy Samberg so well. Jake's strangled singing at Doug's funeral and Doug's ecstatic response was great. I also enjoyed the extended rhyming tangent they went off on later. Terry playing the straight man to Jake and Doug's joyous reunion balanced things out nicely.

There was also a lot of good to be found in the Shaw's side plot. Highlights for me were nine-drink Amy vomiting and reverting back to three-drink Amy (Melissa Fumero brings a delightful physicality to drunk Amy), Hitchcock as the only coherent one left ("It's bad!"), and Holt drinking his way to victory. "Your boy is turnt," hee!

I feel cheated that we didn't get to see Terry doing push-ups with Jake on his back. Sure, Jake's awe/fear of Terry's power can stand on its own, but it would have been one helluva visual.

[Lady Calypso]

First off, new credits! Ok, not really. It's just to include Joel and Dirk in the opening to replace Chelsea. 

Well, on the plus side, Jake DIDN'T get duped by Doug Judy again! That was the most surprising part of the episode for me. And ok, Trudy Judy was an excellent new Doug Judy. Now, I'm hoping the Judys' next appearances don't include the two teaming up, because I'd like Jake to be right about Doug being able to change.

This was a fun plot, overall. I thought Jake/Terry partnering up was fantastic. I thought Doug and Jake's friendship worked well in this episode. Sometimes it's too much, but it worked here. It also works when Doug only appears once or twice a season. A little Doug goes a long way, I think. And now there's Trudy, who is just as much fun as Doug is! 

We learn about a new numbered drink Amy! Nine Drink Amy speaks French! This was alright. I liked the little rivalry with the firefighters. Maybe the firefighter guy (who looks very familiar) will become a recurring rival for the Nine-Nine. 

Overall, a very fun episode.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Have never been a fan of Doug Judy.

Love the cops vs. firefighters thing. Never gets old. O hai, Ray Donovan.

"Get ready for the backdraft. Bitch."

I can work with Trudy Judy though.

[Spartan Girl]

I too wish we could have seen Jake sit on Terry's back while doing push-ups.

I love the Judys.

[mammaM]

" And you're not even sweating! "

"Yes strongman!"

Count me among those who really wanted to see Jake sitting on Terry's back. 

[hendersonrocks]

A few episodes in, I just want to publicly thank the writers for handling Jake and Amy’s marriage as well thus far as they handled their dating life. Imagine that, full fledged characters who can be in stories independent of one another! It’s such a joy - and Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero are just so good in their roles. Drunk Amy is my fave (maybe because, as the kids say, it me).

[Loandbehold]

9 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

I loved the gag of Hitchcock being more normal, when he was drunk.

Me too. It brought back memories of the WKRP episode where Venus and Johnny are taking the drunk driving test w/ the cop. Johnny starts out slow in hitting the button, but, the more he drinks the faster he hits it, and the angrier the cop gets. 

8 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Loved everyone's version of being drunk and I'm definitely glad the show still remembers all of Amy's drink personas: especially 4th Drink Perverted/Horny Amy!  Melissa Fumero was perfect as always here.

MF is so great, no matter which drink Amy she's playing. 

3 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Maybe the firefighter guy (who looks very familiar) will become a recurring rival for the Nine-Nine. 

Someone upthread pointed out that was Rob Riggle (who I guess took over for Patton Oswalt as the firefighter nemesis from Season 1).

Fun episode and a great rebound from last week. Trudy Judy rules!

[Evie]

I enjoyed both plots. There were so many quotable lines.

Doug Judy, Jake, Terry and Trudy Judy were fun. I felt like Doug Judy was getting played out last season, so I'm glad they added Trudy Judy to the mix. 

Drunk Amy is the best! 

[Lugal]

Cool, abut Dirk and Joel in the opening credits now.  This episode was awesome.  I had to watch it again for all the jokes I missed the first time. 

Always fun to see Doug Judy again.  I loved Jake confusing their adventures.  And they teamed with Terry rather than Rosa.  Nice way to shake things up.  And Terry was right, Jake and Doug Judy did look like Milli Vanilli.  And it was all Trudy Judy, and Doug knows what Jake feels like when he betrays him.

I loved the rest of the 99 battling Rob Riggle and the firemen for their bar.  ANd Hitchcock was the only one who made sense.  Stephanie Beatriz is so good, able to do so much with a single expression.  "My body's terrified of me."

Special credit to Melissa Fumero.  "I hurrrled"  She was hilarious and I can't even say it like she did.  Amy Dance-Pants, and Melissa kept dancing in the background throughout the scene. 

Although I will have to remember "Charb me up!" for future use.

[Lady Calypso]

1 hour ago, Loandbehold said:

Someone upthread pointed out that was Rob Riggle (who I guess took over for Patton Oswalt as the firefighter nemesis from Season 1).

Thank you! I knew he looked familiar but could not figure out who it was.

[VCRTracking]

Great seeing Nicole Byer again after her guest role on The Good Place a few weeks ago. She is perfect casting as Doug Judy's sister Trudy. People should definitely check out when she was the guest on the  "How Did This Get Made?" podcast when they were discussing Bloodsport starring Jean-Claude Van Damme. She was hilarious!

The bar subplot was fun. Rob Riggle always make a good antagonist. Loved the callback to different stages of Amy's drunkedness.

Edited February 9, 2019 by VCRTracking

[possibilities]

So Doug kept a binder of his heists? No wonder Jake is so into him! He's in his own way just like Amy!

[peeayebee]

11 hours ago, Danny Franks said:

Jake's meta commentary on he and Judy's interactions was something this show does so well - “Wait, I may be confusing our adventures. What year was the cruise?”

That was so good. Loved it.

7 hours ago, Linny said:

Trudy Judy! Very different role for Nicole Byer than her part on The Good Place

Ohhh. THAT'S where I saw her before. Loved her there, loved her here.

Great episode. So much fun.

Rosa: Most arsonists turn out to be firefighters.
Firefighter: That's not true, though it is very common, and definitely what happened in this case.

Rosa: You gotta get rid of these hose-humpers. It's them or us.

Doug: I seen you looking at Trudy Judy's booty.
Jake: I'm not looking at Trudy Judy's booty. 
Doug: Ohhh, you don't think she's a cutie? Don't be snooty.
Jake: She's a beauty, but I'm on duty.

What was the wine Holt was drinking? Char-bonnet? (like Dubonnet?) Loved when he said he was slurring his words. Only to his ears.

Doug and Jake together were so much fun. Saying things at the same time cracked me up. 

I'll have to rewatch the ep. It was excellent.

[Lugal]

4 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

Rosa: Most arsonists turn out to be firefighters.
Firefighter: That's not true, though it is very common, and definitely what happened in this case.

And then later when Holt  shows up "Did one of them burn down their own bar?"

4 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

What was the wine Holt was drinking? Char-bonnet? (like Dubonnet?) Loved when he said he was slurring his words. Only to his ears.

Charbonnay a cheap knockoff version of Chardonnay

[Maelstrom]

I think this is one of my very favorite episodes of the entire series. After the black hole of humor that was last week's episode, this one more than made up for it with non-stop laughs. I always get a kick out of Doug Judy, and it was very welcome to see him finally be on the level and experience a betrayal of his own. Nice to see them mix it up by including Terry, and Jake's song has to be the worst thing I've ever heard. Ever. "He gave himself a key change!"

Loved the Shaw's storyline too - after 22 long minutes of Gina crapping on everyone last week, I really appreciated watching the gang pull together as a family to save their bar from the arsonist FDNY. We added another level to Amy's scale of drunkennes, and how she managed to flip her head every which way during the Amy Dancepants sequence without getting dizzy or throwing up is impressive. I gotta say, having watched MF on One Life to Live back in the day, I would have never ever in a million years expected to find her so entertaining as she was in this episode. I feel I can honestly say now that there are no weak links in this cast. Nine-nine!

And last but not least, I'm strangely pumped by Hitchcock and Scully finally making it into the credits! Love the shot chosen as well, with the both of them waking up on the couch together.

[Babalu]

Before I watched the episode, I saw screenshots on Twitter of Jake standing in front of a giant photo of Doug Judy and thought, “Naw, they did NOT kill off Doug Judy!” I thought it was a misdirect and am so glad I was right. I’ve been lukewarm about Craig Robinson in other things (mostly The Office), but I love him in this role and am always excited about the episode that features him - and agree with others that once a season is perfect.

[Trillium]

8 hours ago, hendersonrocks said:

Drunk Amy is my fave (maybe because, as the kids say, it me).

My husband says I mirror exactly the Amy Santiago drunkenness scale. I don’t know if I speak French at 9 drinks, I don’t recall ever  getting that far. 😂

[Lugal]

2 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

I feel I can honestly say now that there are no weak links in this cast. Nine-nine!

You should say "Cheers for the 99th Precinct."

[Ailianna]

6 hours ago, Lugal said:

Charbonnay a cheap knockoff version of Chardonnay

I think it was Shaw-donnay, as in the bar's name and own version of wine.  Who knows what it actually was beyond the pun though.

[Spartan Girl]

"100 push-ups -- that's a lot to you?"

"You go to hell, Terry."

Andy Samberg's delivery of that line was GOLD.

[Maelstrom]

25 minutes ago, Ailianna said:

I think it was Shaw-donnay, as in the bar's name and own version of wine.  Who knows what it actually was beyond the pun though.

I heard Charbonnay as well, as in cheap knockoff of actual Chardonnay wine. 

[RoadFullOfPromise]

45 minutes ago, Lugal said:

You should say "Cheers for the 99th Precinct."

I love that that was even a bridge too far for Amy! Her look of disgust was great.

[peeayebee]

I laughed every time someone said "pole hole."

[Dewey Decimate]

19 hours ago, thuganomics85 said:

Aww, Dirk Blocker and Joel McKinnon Miller finally got into the opening credits!  That's great, even if they didn't get added to the final slo-mo shot, because I guess it would have been too expensive or time-consuming to either insert them in or re-film it.

4 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

And last but not least, I'm strangely pumped by Hitchcock and Scully finally making it into the credits! Love the shot chosen as well, with the both of them waking up on the couch together.

I was tickled to see them in the opening credits, and had to rewind to see if they'd removed CP from the opening slo-mo walk sequence. And how perfect that Hitchcock and Scully were NOT added there, unless they were rolling along in their fart-filled office chairs. Perfectly in character.

Milli Vanilli, lol! "He's the better-looking one." "You know it's true."

What did Shaw's owner guy say? The Charbonnay was a little warm because it had been sitting on the radiator? GAG.

[BigPaul25]

I would have liked to see Jake attempt to tell the story about being a Ho with a mulch-filled ass  saved from a life on the streets by Doug.

[jhlipton]

4 hours ago, peeayebee said:

I laughed every time someone said "pole hole."

Hey, now, they lose a man a year to the pole  (How???  It's a 10 foot drop!!!)

[PWHCHCH]

When Boyle was giving his speech, what music started playing in the background? I recognise it, but can’t think from where. 

[hendersonrocks]

Quote

Milli Vanilli, lol! "He's the better-looking one." "You know it's true."

I laughed loud and hard at this. I wonder what percentage of viewers know Milli Vanilli "music" and got the lyrics - probably a fair amount, right?! (I feel so old.)

[tennisgurl]

 Dirk and Joel are in the credits! Way to go guys! 

I love Doug Judy episodes, and I loved how all of this played out! Love that he really wasn't lying and had really reformed, and that Jake believed him, and that Terry was long for the ride as the straight man for all of their shenanigans. Craig and Andy bounce off each other so well, its just a blast watching them banter and geek out over getting to work together. Truly they could have been best friends if things had been different! 

Lots of fun call backs this week, with Doug Judy, the many levels of drunk Amy, the rivalry with the fire fighters, etc. The bar plot was funny and I loved seeing the return of drunk Amy. Her dancing around in the background while Holt was doing his whole speech was seriously cracking me up. "Bring me...a chardonnay!" 

Tudy Judy is a beauty! 

[Sandman]

On February 9, 2019 at 1:39 PM, peeayebee said:

Doug: I seen you looking at Trudy Judy's booty.
Jake: I'm not looking at Trudy Judy's booty. 
Doug: Ohhh, you don't think she's a cutie? Don't be snooty.
Jake: She's a beauty, but I'm on duty.

This worked far better than it had any right to. It's nice to know that Doug Judy does have -- in his way -- some genuine affection for Jake. 

Drunk! Rosa's "Okayyy, byeeee!" voicemails for Holt were one of my favourite things about the episode; Holt's peroration about his regard for them all, up to and including "ScuAaufgh..." was also probably more hilarious than it ought to have been.

Has Rob Riggle ever played a character who is not a grating douchenozzle?

Edited February 11, 2019 by Sandman

[Catfi9ht]

I echo everyone's sentiments above with the writing in this episode. It felt like the fast-paced, pun-filled B99 that I know and love.

I've only seen Nicole Byer on Nailed It! and The Good Place and she played similar characters on both. I expect her TGP character was an extreme version of herself, but it worked in context of the show. However, she channeled Craig Robinson's vibe and was perfect as Trudy Judy. 

For those of you not familar with The Good Place the Podcast hosted by Marc Evan Jackson (aka Kevin in B99), there's a special two-part Brooklyn 99 episode with Melissa Fumero, Dan Goor, and Luke Del Tredici. As the kids say, get it where you get all your podcasts.

[BoogieBurns]

22 minutes ago, Sandman said:

Has Rob Riggle ever played a character who is not a grating douchenozzle?

On The Office he played the seaboat captain of a booze cruise. He was just a competent leader who made Michael Scott insecure, so that's one! (Literally the only example I have though...)

[jhlipton]

On 2/9/2019 at 10:39 AM, peeayebee said:

58 minutes ago, Sandman said:

This worked far better than it had any right to.

Doug: I seen you looking at Trudy Judy's booty.Jake: I'm not looking at Trudy Judy's booty. 
Doug: Ohhh, you don't think she's a cutie? Don't be snooty.
Jake: She's a beauty, but I'm on duty..

The trick was a) knowing when to stop.  A less well-written show would have gone two or three rhymes too long and ruined it.  b) lampshading it with "and you're married" "But that doesn't rhyme!"

[Sandman]

4 hours ago, BoogieBurns said:

On The Office he played the seaboat captain of a booze cruise. He was just a competent leader who made Michael Scott insecure, so that's one! (Literally the only example I have though...)

It occurs to me that Michael Scott must set a fearfully low bar for the "Less Douchenozzle-y In Comparison" event.

[Tachi Rocinante]

Who keeps hiring Rob Riggle?  He's the Danny McBride of TV.

The man simply cannot act.

[catsitter]

Jake said in this episode that all his grandparents are still alive, but he inherited his Nana's apartment?!

[Ailianna]

Maybe she's in a home, or something, so she can't use the apartment anymore.  People "inherit" rent controlled apartments in NY all the time from living relatives.