Hitchcock is asleep in the breakroom and Jake sees a perfect opportunity for a prank. He decides to be tame and merely ties his napping coworker’s shoes together. Unfortunately, this is Hitchcock and he somehow manages to get strangled by his own shoes.
[SPOILERS FOR 7.3 AHEAD!]
In the season premiere, the Peraltas have decided to try for kids and all the baby making has caused some strain in the relationship. Not only does Jake bring some annoying Harry Potter themed pillow talk into the bedroom but Amy wants to keep news of their attempts on the DL and not let their colleagues know. For Jake this proves hard because he always tells Charles everything. He’s been ducking his best friend because he fears he’ll blurt everything out.
Jake can’t hide any longer when the pair try to help out Adrian Pimento. The former undercover officer informs them that someone is trying to murder him. Not only that, but he’s lost his short-term memory making it harder to find his would be killer. A vial of pills Pimento has leads them to a neurologist who’s treating him for his Finding Dory disease. The doctor also tells them paranoia could be a side effect of the pills.
The next day, Adrian comes at the detectives with the same story as before but this time, they talk him down by repeating what the doctor told them previously. This seems to pacify him until he realizes he’s been shot in the shoulder. Apparently, someone is after him. At the hospital, Charles and Jake notice tattoos all over Pimento’s body like in the movie Memento. None of the ink reveal any clues but there is a humorous one about not trusting his “D”.
While Charles is out of the room, Jake takes advantage of Pimento’s mental state. Since he can’t remember anything, Peralta tells him about the attempts at having a child. He feels so relieved to finally share his secret with somebody. The three leave the hospital to grab lunch and Adrian let’s slip about the potential baby. Boyle is clearly upset that he wasn’t the first to know and begins arguing with his best friend. During the squabble, Pimento has another memory reset and flees unnoticed.
The detectives’ search for their missing colleague leads them to a tattoo parlor. The workers recognize Pimento and tell them his “D” tattoo was unfinished. It meant to say doctor so the duo race back to the office since he’s the one trying to kill their associate. They catch their man but not before Adrian escapes out the window. Jake chases after him but becomes overwhelmed by his fear of heights. In his moment of need, he calls out to Charles for help. He comes to the rescue and he and Peralta reconcile over the lack of hanging out and keeping the baby making a secret.
Elsewhere, the rest of the Nine-Nine have their annual workplace conflict seminar held by a “funny” guy to make it more exciting. These required talks are never fun so Amy wants the crew to study last year’s presentation. That way, they can answer all the questions quickly and get everyone out in a timely manner but it seems she’s the only one to do her homework. Her plan is successful as they get through in record time but state law mandates the seminar to last at least six hours.
With the extra time, the speaker decides to address the actual office conflicts rather than hypotheticals. Everyone’s grievances get aired and no one comes out happy. The next day the tension in the office is so thick you could cut it with a knife. However, some of it is diffused when Rosa shows she did the assigned reading impressing and moving Amy. Diaz concedes she did it because her friend asked her to despite her protests.
As mentioned by Holt in the season premiere, the Nine-Nine is a chosen family and both plots of the episode really embody that. Sometimes you do things you don’t want to for those close to you like putting in extra work when asked. In other instances, you realize how much someone means to you when they’re no longer present.
It was also great to see Pimento show up this season. Jason Mantzoukas’ over the top performance draws plenty of laughs without coming off as annoying. But he can also dial it back at times to deliver the strongly written lines and jokes. The Memento vs. Finding Dory running gag never got old throughout and Adrian and Charles had great chemistry as they shared their love for the Pixar film.
Despite a good episode, there were some minor gripes. Precinct square, Amy, trying to sound hip by using young people slang didn’t quite hit. It’s not an original premise and although the joke is about her inability to pull it off, it still didn’t work. Also, having the doctor be the culprit was easily telegraphed. Much like on Law & Order, when you have a known actor play a small role, in this case, Community’s Jim Rash, you know they did it.
Lastly, after so many seasons, we find out whether Scully’s Kelly is his dog or his wife. Apparently, it’s both as there are two of them.
My Favorite Lines:
Pimento: I was sitting in said metal chair watching the season two premiere of The Masked Singer. The egg had just gone and I’m pretty sure I know who it is. Sarah Gilbert.
Jake: That doesn’t make any sense.
Pimento: Are you kidding? You don’t think I know how Darlene walks?
Diaz: So, your solution for getting us out of the boring seminar is having us memorize the boring seminar?
Amy: Exactly.
Holt: It’s genius…and it’s fun. I love committing things to memory.
Diaz: I’m out. I don’t do homework.
Speaker: Can anyone tell me what a stereotype is?
Scully: The Irish are potato eating drunks.
Hitchcock: And the gays…
Speaker: No, no, no. What does the word “stereotype” mean?
Hitchcock: Uhhhhh.
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