The group of eccentric yet sincere cops of the 99th precinct of New York’s Brooklyn have entertained us for seven successful seasons and are finally going to bid their goodbyes with the 8th and final season that will be premiering in August this year. While they have ensued laughter in every single episode, the comedy did not stop them from talking of relevant issues like racism, sexism or homophobia through its characters and their storylines. And they did it all without being preachy about it. So here we take back a look at some of the instances where the show discussed social issues, without losing its humour.
Moo Moo (Season 4 Episode 16)
This episode talks about racial profiling and discrimination at the hands of cops. It shows Sergent Terrance (Terry Crews) being stopped by a cop in his neighbourhood and the episode shows the impact of racism on black people, and how difficult the fight is for them, even if they have the privilege of being a cop. When Terry is explaining the situation to his squad, Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) seems lost, to which Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) replies, “He got stopped for being black! Get woke, Scully.” However, these comic reliefs do not take away from the sensitivity of the issue as Terry fights till the end to hold the officer accountable for his racism.
He Said, She Said (Season 6, Episode 8)
This episode portrays a very important movement of recent times- the Me Too movement, through Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Melissa Fumero), who are tasked with investigating a “he said, she said” case of sexual assault. Apart from showing the long-lasting effects of the assault on the personal and professional life of a victim, it also had a nuanced portrayal of victim-blaming and shaming and the consequences of coming out with one’s story. A confused Jake, on the other hand, tries to look beyond his gender privileges and help Amy get over her own trauma.
Gray Star Mutual (Season 5, Episode 18)
This episode stands out for bringing forward how the ingrained sexism in people stop women from doing the simplest of things as they fear how the people around them will perceive them. After becoming a Sergent, Amy confides to Detective Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) that being a female Sergent, she has to work twice to gain her officers’ respect and looking for a wedding dress would make her look weak to her subordinates. That’s when Rosa attempts to instill confidence in her by making her try on dresses, but that’s not the only highlight of the episode. The episode ends by showing Amy chasing a perp down the street and having a good fight with him while still in her wedding gown, something that Rosa boasts off in front of the entire precinct while she lets her know that other’s opinion of her doesn’t prove her calibre as a cop.
Game Night (Season 5, Episode 10)
Rosa comes out to her squad as bisexual in the 5th season of the show. Although the squad is supportive of Rosa, her parents have a hard time grasping the concept of her sexuality. So much so that they are okay with Rosa being “some dude’s mistress than being in a loving relationship with a woman”. While Jake tries to bring in some humour to the scenes with his antics, the episode shows how difficult it can be to come out in front of one’s parents, and the impact it leaves when they are not ready to accept their daughter.
Halloween III (Season 3, Episode 5)
The episodes on Halloween revolves around a meticulously planned heist where the detectives fight to prove who is the ‘Amazing detective/genius.’ One might think about what social issue did this one talk off but if you take a deeper look at the plot, you would realise how this episode makes the point that a woman is an individual entity and her links with the men in her life doesn’t define her. When neither Captain Holt (Andre Braugher) nor Jake accepts Amy into their heist teams, she chooses to humiliate both her superior and her boyfriend by defeating them and lets them know that she is more than her association with them.
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