S06.E15: Return of the King

[formerlyfreedom]

When Gina returns to the Nine-Nine, Jake and Terry get drawn into her life. Holt learns that Charles' son, Nikolaj, may be a genius. Rosa copes with an injury.

Airing Thursday, May 2, 2019.

[Ailianna]

10 hours ago, saoirse said:

When Gina returns to the Nine-Nine

I may consider skipping the episode.  (I won't, but I will consider it!)

[Loandbehold]

4 hours ago, Ailianna said:

I may consider skipping the episode.  (I won't, but I will consider it!)

Me too, except it will likely be deleted from my DVR right after I've watched. I don't expect the need for a second viewing.

[Ceindreadh]

10 hours ago, Ailianna said:

I may consider skipping the episode.  (I won't, but I will consider it!)

6 hours ago, Loandbehold said:

Me too, except it will likely be deleted from my DVR right after I've watched. I don't expect the need for a second viewing.

It’s directed by Melissa Fumero so I’ll have to give it a shot. 

[arjumand]

On 4/26/2019 at 4:40 AM, saoirse said:

When Gina returns to the Nine-Nine,

Noooooooooooo. Come on.

Also, seriously, show? You're gonna equate Gina Linetti with Aragorn, son of Arathorn, descendant of Isildur (you owe him your allegiance)? Miss me with that shit.

[Sandman]

Weirdest cold open ever.

Something else that's weird? It occurs to me only now that Rosa might actually be as awesome as Gina keeps insisting she is.

[TAG42481]

This was my least favorite episode of the series.

Gina is perhaps the most narcissistic character I've ever seen.  I hate narcissists.  Her character leaving the show was probably my most favorite casting change that's ever happened on a show.  So bringing that character back is/was infuriating.   GOOD RIDDANCE.  Yes, I watched the episode, and yes, it featured her as much as I was afraid that it would.

I've never seen Chelsea Peretti in anything else, so I can't say I hate her, I just hate the character she plays.

[hendersonrocks]

Inject more Raymond Holt-Nikolaj Boyle storylines straight into my veins, show. Their B-plot was by far my favorite part of the episode.

[abc123]

“My cousin, Susan, didn’t know that she could sing until her 40s!”  🤣

[rhys]

20 minutes ago, abc123 said:

“My cousin, Susan, didn’t know that she could sing until her 40s!”  🤣

I just now got that. Jeesch I'm slow!

[MakeMeLaugh]

Hint to Rosa:  Pull your hands out of the f*cking gauze bandages that are only in place to keep you from scratching the poison oak on your body that is already protected by your clothing as I could not see it anywhere, open the f*cking doir, and put the gauze bandages back on your hands. OMG that was stupid. And long.

I wanted Baby Boyle to secretly show us he really is a genius at the end. Sooo good as mentioned above his interactions with the Captain, asking how Mr Kevin is. Love me some Charles.

If I don’t get to see Chelsea Peretti’s real-life husband in a cameo, I don’t want to see her on my screen. That is all.

[Dots And Stripes]

I actually like Gina, but she's better in small doses. A lot of things about tonight's episode were too cartoony. Gina's stabbing comes to mind. Also Rosa's situation with her hands. It felt like the writers were running out of ideas.

Nikolaj and Charles' Susan Boyle joke were the highlights for me. Maybe I would throw Jake's flight attendant talk in their too. 

[VCRTracking]

You have to admit seeing Gina stabbed in the back and in agonizing pain for a few minutes was satisfying!

[thuganomics85]

At least the cold opening prepared for me for what is to come.  It certainly could have been worse at least and, again, I am happy for those who do like Gina that she made a return, but all of this just reminded me how glad I am that she isn't here anymore. 

Because of course all of her mean-spiritedness and narcism has been reward by being a successful social media star that is even getting endorsements from a water company that rhymes with "fart water", and I really won't be surprised if come series finale time, she's somehow ends up as a movie star or even the president if TPTB had her way.  And, of course, her lying to Jake is only briefly criticized and it ends up being more about Jake apparently wanting too much from her, even though he never once said anything about her giving up her success, but simply wanted her to be a better friend.  But apparently that is selfish of him to want.  Whatever.  Really, you deserve better, Jake.

Still, at least the plot had a few good moments like Terry's reactions to almost everything and Jake's "flight attendant" voice in order to hid his anger.

The Holt/Boyle story was the highlight for me.  That pairing is always one of the ones that I don't automatically think about, but I'm always surprised over how much I enjoy the two together.  I'm glad Holt came around at the end, although hearing him talk about his dad really wants me to meet him and see what their relationship was like.

Rosa's story was definitely on the goofy side of things, but I'm always down for more Rosa/Amy.

Melissa Fumero directed this one, and I thought she did a pretty good job.  I just wish she was given a better episode like the one Stephanie Beatriz got.  But I still love that the cast is getting more involved with the other aspects of this show. 

[VagueDisclaimer]

34 minutes ago, VCRTracking said:

You have to admit seeing Gina stabbed in the back and in agonizing pain for a few minutes was satisfying!

She’s almost been killed too many times now. It’s just cruel to tease.

[Mystery]

Gina ruins everything. Let's just get that out of the way. 

Boyle reprimanding Nicolaj (sp?) by saying "I love you," whereupon the boy says "I'm sorry!" was kind of cute. 

At first when the agent said "Spoke-kane," I thought, do people really not know how to pronounce it? Was he just rhyming? but a recruiter called my niece about swimming for college and noted that she was from "Dess Moynes" (not even where she's from) so... I just have to weep for our educational system. 

I laughed at Holt saying that the "not advanced" bedtime reading must be Dickens. But what a jerk he was about cartooning class!

I also loved the Susan Boyle joke. And Terry asking "Jake, did you stab Gina?" Terry was asking for ALL of us. 

Rosa and Amy's story wasn't written as well. Rosa had bandages only so she wouldn't scratch; it wasn't like she had broken hands. She would have taken those bandages off, at least on one hand, almost right away. And Amy *loves* to be needed; she wouldn't rub someone's face in it. 

Edited May 3, 2019 by Mystery

[Brandi Maxxxx]

Remember the time when Tom Haverford left the parks department to start Entertainment 720 and it was a complete success that didn't end with him swallowing his pride and coming back to his old job?

Melissa Fumero The Finger Queen deserves better than this.

9 hours ago, MakeMeLaugh said:

Hint to Rosa:  Pull your hands out of the f*cking gauze bandages that are only in place to keep you from scratching the poison oak on your body that is already protected by your clothing as I could not see it anywhere, open the f*cking doir, and put the gauze bandages back on your hands. OMG that was stupid. And long.

The poison oak was on her hands, under the bandages.

[BoogieBurns]

I liked the episode and I love Gina. So, I guess I'll leave.

[WorldWarIV]

I skipped an episode for the first time. That's how much I loathe Gina.

[Linny]

Wow, what a nice reminder that this show is infinitely more enjoyable without Gina. She's an obnoxious, thoughtless, crude caricature whose inexplicable popularity has never been funny, this episode included. I especially hated how she had sweet, wonderful Jake willing to accept her bullshit excuses for not being around, and even once he saw through her bullshit, he STILL tried to connect with her. Jake deserves better friends. And the audience deserves better than 30 minutes devoted to such a mediocre character whose head is permanently planted up her own ass.

[Traveller519]

So Melissa Fumero directed this episode and we got that scene with Diaz trying to shake her coat off?

Hold on... off to indulge in some actor fan-fic! (Which may or may-not involve certain actors' real life husbands as well.....)

[tennisgurl]

Oh man, it took me a hot minute to get that "my cousin Susan" joke. Amazing! How long do you think the writers have been sitting on that one, waiting for the perfect moment? 

I might have taken just a little bit of glee in seeing Gina getting stabbed. Not a lot of glee, but a teeny tiny bit...

[Panopticon]

I almost deleted this from my DVR unwatched when I saw it was another ode to Gina. After the farewell she got, she should have stayed gone at least until the series finale. 

I did end up watching the B and C plots and just skipping the Gina stuff. Boyle’s line about his cousin Susan not knowing she could sing until her 40s was great, as was Holt sneering at Dickens. And Hitchcock and Scully gloating about their laziness reminded me how much I prefer them to the character they replaced in the credits...

[iMonrey]

The second Gina showed up I was instantly irritated. And I never really even minded Gina, but now I realize how much better the show is without her. The character itself is just way too abrasive and unlikable. Now, granted, characters like this can be funny in limited doses. Kind of like Nick Kroll who played Morning Radio Jock "The Douche" on Parks and Rec. As a recurring villain or nemesis or pain in the ass? Sure. But as a regular character that the main cast is supposed to be friends with? Why? Who would be friends with someone like that? Why is the show validating someone so awful? 

Like I said, I didn't used to mind Gina when she was used sparingly as part of an ensemble, but when an entire story revolves around her, it's too much. A little bit of salt can flavor a dish, too much salt can ruin it. 

[Loandbehold]

2 hours ago, Panopticon said:

I almost deleted this from my DVR unwatched when I saw it was another ode to Gina. After the farewell she got, she should have stayed gone at least until the series finale. 

I did end up watching the B and C plots and just skipping the Gina stuff. Boyle’s line about his cousin Susan not knowing she could sing until her 40s was great, as was Holt sneering at Dickens. And Hitchcock and Scully gloating about their laziness reminded me how much I prefer them to the character they replaced in the credits...

Much like w/ the goodbye episode, this was one was immediately deleted from the DVR after I finished watching it.

2 hours ago, iMonrey said:

The second Gina showed up I was instantly irritated. And I never really even minded Gina, but now I realize how much better the show is without her. The character itself is just way too abrasive and unlikable.

Me too. I didn't mind Gina in small does. At least not too much. But main plots devoted to her are just unpleasant to watch. 

Holt-Boyle-Nicolaj* plot was the best.

2 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

Oh man, it took me a hot minute to get that "my cousin Susan" joke. Amazing! How long do you think the writers have been sitting on that one, waiting for the perfect moment?

From the time they named the character. Then came the slow, six-year burn until they could use it.

* Nicolaj. 

[jmcd44]

I was irritated by Gina & I don’t even hate the character. I liked her in small doses. I do really like Chelsea Peretti. She opened for Aziz (years ago) & she was hilarious. Better than him & I was excited to see her cast in the show. I’m pretty easy to please in comedic areas though (never a tough room with me in it).

Every time I think Andre Braugher can’t do better, he does. “Did he hate Monday’s? We’ll never know.”

[peeayebee]

18 hours ago, TAG42481 said:

Gina is perhaps the most narcissistic character I've ever seen. 

I disagree. No 'perhaps.'

17 hours ago, Dots And Stripes said:

Nikolaj and Charles' Susan Boyle joke were the highlights for me. 

Ohhhhh. I didn't get that at all.

In the Gina plot, I expected her assistant to be the one sending the death threats. Glad I was wrong. I like to be surprised. I was NOT surprised that I didn't care for a plot line devoted to her awesomeness. 

I liked when Terry said that in Canadian football they don't tackle as hard.

Of course the best part of the ep was the Holt/Charles/Nikolaj story, even though I figured that Nikolaj was just... doodling. Love Holt's face when he said that.

Holt: What on Walden's Pond is THIS!?

Holt: He's also a very gifted artist. Look what he did to my periodic table. Sure, it's a bit derivative of Kandisky, but the palette shows an impressive comprehension of color theory.
Charles: And he's good at clouds, too.
Holt: [long pause and stare] OK.

Charles: Nothing would make me prouder than being YOUR big daddy.
Holt: [pause and stare] Well we're off track now so… good day.

Andre Braugher has the best stare face.

Nice little joke about Mariano Rivera's birthday being a school holiday.

Edited May 3, 2019 by peeayebee

[tennisgurl]

Just when you think the monster was defeated...they appear again in the sequel! Too dramatic? Maybe, but I was not excited about a Gina plot, after we finally got rid of her, so i was not super into tonight at all. I really dont mind Gina in small doses, I think that Chelsea can be very funny, and she has some good lines and alright subplots. What I hate is how often she would hog tons of screen time, how she is never called out for her mean, selfish behavior, and how the show always frames her as right, everyone against her as wrong, and she always ends up winning every time. Like, of course Gina leaves the 99 and immediately becomes a super successful, famous, and rich internet celebrity almost instantly, and wont even apologize to Jake for blowing him off when she got famous. Of course. By the time the show ends, Gina will probably come back as the first female president/astronaut/pop star in the world, and will literally save the 99 from certain destruction, because she will also have super powers. 

[Princess Sparkle]

8 hours ago, BoogieBurns said:

I liked the episode and I love Gina. 

I love Gina too; I think Chelsea Peretti is hysterical. I dunno; I find her the human form of the 100 emoji.

I can't describe how hard I laughed at "You're reading him DICKENS?"

[Lugal]

Not happy to see Gina back.  The thing I hate most about Gina is she's never wrong.  Even when Jake rightfully points out what a horrible friend she was (and judging by their high school reunion episode has always been) and when he finally get angry about it, it's his fault.

The Boyle-Holt subplot was awesome.  "You're reading him Dickens?" And I agree they had to have been saving that Susan Boyle joke for a while.

I even liked the Rosa plot, with her in the closet.  At least Amy realized how The Finger Queen sounded.  But this also gave me one of my favorite quotes that I'll have to use from now on:

And you can't spell "Go F*ck Yourself!" without "F*ck You!"

[possibilities]

Rosa could have worn gloves.

Would have been just as effective and a lot more practical.

[Maelstrom]

Rosa's storyline was fairly ridiculous but I loved it anyway, mostly (entirely?) because of the great performances by SB and MF. I really love the friendship that has developed between these two in recent years. Even though they are very different people they each respect the other as they are and don't denigrate those differences, like another character I could name always did...

And speaking of the monster in the room, the one good thing I can say about Gina's return is that she didn't go anywhere near Amy. I don't think I could stand yet another second of Gina insulting Amy just for the sake of being mean. At least Gina only interacted with Jake and Terry, and Terry wasn't having any of her crap, so it was really only Jake's character that was sacrificed at the altar of Gina's supposed awesomeness. Not that makes it any less infuriating. I don't know how a show that is shrewd and clever and funny in all other aspects can think watching a world class narcissist belittle her so-called friends all the time is funny. It's not, Show. If I want to watch assholes get away with being assholes, I have real life for that. TV is where I go for fun, happy things.

I really, truly hope this has gotten Gina out of the writers' systems, and we never have to see her darken our screens ever again.

Anyway. I enjoyed Boyle and Holt's storyline with Nikolaj (Nikolaj) and Andre Braugher somehow manages to become a little more awesome every week.

And now we're off-track so... good day.

[VCRTracking]

When I first saw the promo I thought "She's back already? How long has it been since she left? 2 episodes? Three? I checked and it's been 10 episodes!

Edited May 5, 2019 by VCRTracking

[scrambled eggs]

The nice thing about this episode is it's easy to run through the A plot during rewatches. And that Gina didn't get to make fun of Amy at all. 

[Mystery]

5 hours ago, Maelstrom said:

 really, truly hope this has gotten Gina out of the writers' systems, and we never have to see her darken our screens ever again.

From your lips. 

[Lady Calypso]

Oh man, the return of Gina, which isn't what I wanted so quickly. I don't like how successful Gina's gotten in such a short amount of time. I get it, since it fits with how they write her character with winning everything, but it still annoys me. Jake has to apologize to her while Gina gets away with a half-assed "I'm sorry....BUUUUUTTTTTTTT..." Why does Jake have to apologize when all he was doing was calling her out on her narcissism? 

That being said, Chelsea Peretti's best moments on this show have been when she gets to utilize physical comedy, so some of the moments in the latter half of this episode did make me laugh. I did actually find myself enjoying Gina when she was stabbed in the back, dialogue context aside. I don't like Gina at all but I can admit that Chelsea is really great and I do hope to see Chelsea in other roles soon...preferably non-Gina roles. 

The Boyles-Holt stuff was great. I like when Holt genuinely gets to interact with other characters not named Jake, and I hope these types of plots continue. He surprisingly works well with Boyle. 

I did actually enjoy the Amy/Rosa stuff. I wasn't fond of the final message, although Amy was being a bit harsh on her. Plus, the subplot did deliver the best line of the episode by far: "You can't spell Go Fuck Yourself without Fuck You!" 

[iMonrey]

Quote

Rosa's storyline was fairly ridiculous but I loved it anyway, mostly (entirely?) because of the great performances by SB and MF. 

Agreed, the physical aspect of the bits sold them. I laughed at Rosa's running commentary while she was trying to take off her jacket, which I suspect was mostly ad-libbed. "This is going well."

[Seelouis]

Ugh. Worst episode ever. I could barely get through it. 

[Sandman]

On 5/3/2019 at 1:15 PM, tennisgurl said:

Oh man, it took me a hot minute to get that "my cousin Susan" joke. Amazing! How long do you think the writers have been sitting on that one, waiting for the perfect moment? 

Maybe Season 1?

I think the episode said more about the vacuousness of Internet fame than about Gina's worth, inane creep that she is, but Jake's unswerving loyalty is puzzling, to say the least. 

[DXD526]

Sorry, show, I'll always think Gina is awful, no matter how many times you try to convince me she's wonderful and special.

[Cheddar]

Worst episode of the season for sure. I did really giggle at the Susan Boyle joke and did enjoy the Latvian superhero super power.

[incandescent]

Me, subjecting myself to that stupid Gina send-off a mere ten episodes ago: Well, at least I won't have to watch the whole squad worship her for reasons I cannot fathom again for a good long while.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine:

[tennisgurl]

I just find it kind of hard to buy that the 99 gang loves Gina so much. The rest of them have their flaws and can be selfish or petty, usually before learning a lesson, but they are also mostly nice people that support their friends and coworkers. Gina is just mean and nasty, and even when the show tries to play it off as her loving them too in her way, she is just so mean and petty, especially towards poor Amy, I just dont think they would want to hang out with her that often, let alone all go on about how awesome she is and how we should all worship her. Maybe they've seen the scripts and know that Gina can do no wrong, and every time it seems like she will get called it, it will turn out she was right all along and they will have to apologize, no matter what crap she pulled, and they know its best just to accept the inevitable. 

[Kel Varnsen]

I never really minded Gina on the show but even I found this episode really weak. And not just weak by this shows standards but a generally not very good sitcom episode.

The whole Gina is some ridiculois internet celebrity seemed way too much even for this show so all her stuff about her being crazy successful kind of annoyed me. The Holt plot was decent but Rosa stuck in the supply closet was dumb too.

I did like Terry's "Damn Gina", like the Susan Boyle line you have to wonder how long they had been saving that.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

2 hours ago, Kel Varnsen said:

I did like Terry's "Damn Gina", like the Susan Boyle line you have to wonder how long they had been saving that.

I wonder if after last year’s whole cancellation thing, the writers were like fuck it, all those jokes we’ve been keeping in our back pockets are going into S6!

[iMonrey]

Quote

The whole Gina is some ridiculois internet celebrity seemed way too much even for this show so all her stuff about her being crazy successful kind of annoyed me.

It very much felt like a Chelsea Peretti vanity piece, that Gina would garner such fame and fortune in such a short amount of time. Why hadn't any of this happened to her in the prior five years of this season? It's not as if she's been working towards this since we've known her.

[scrambled eggs]

6 hours ago, iMonrey said:

It very much felt like a Chelsea Peretti vanity piece, that Gina would garner such fame and fortune in such a short amount of time. Why hadn't any of this happened to her in the prior five years of this season? It's not as if she's been working towards this since we've known her.

The G-Hive had helped save the precinct in "Last Ride," so she did have an online following as far back as Season 4. I can buy a certain level of local fame, but not as much as was shown. Then again, I don't follow any Instagram "influencers," unless Chrissy Teigen qualifies, so maybe becoming Internet famous isn't that hard. And nothing is ever hard for Gina. 

[DrSpaceman]

Glad I'm not the only one who didn't like the idea of this episode of the episode itself. 

The idea of Gina becoming an internet/social media star I just don't like.  I can see it happening, she has the annoying personality for it, but I still don't like it. 

[Danny Franks]

I'm just catching up on the show, after a few weeks. As soon as I saw the cold open for this one, I came here to see what happens in the episode.

So Gina wasn't a massive failure because she's singularly untalented while being absurdly narcissistic? She actually is a big success for inexplicable reasons? Okay. Skipping this one.

[John Potts]

On ‎5‎/‎3‎/‎2019 at 6:07 AM, thuganomics85 said:

Because of course all of her mean-spiritedness and narcism has been reward by being a successful social media star

Come on, that has to be the most believable thing about the episode!