‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Season 6, Episode 11 ‘The Therapist’ Recap: Shrinks

The adventures of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and its iconic brotherly friendship does not stop at adoption issues.  The duo’s famed detective skills are essential as they solve a murder case together. Meanwhile, the Nine-Nine’s chief tries to reach out to his favorite Detective. On the other hand, a Sergeant’s package mistakenly arrives at a different Sergeant’s desk.

In this week’s episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) works with Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) to solve a murder case involving Boyle’s psychiatrist, Dr. Frederick Tate (David Paymer). Meanwhile, Captain Ray Holt (Andre Braugher) tries to get to know Rosa Diaz’s (Stephanie Beatriz) new girlfriend, Jocelyn (Cameron Esposito). On the other hand, Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) desperately covers up when Amy Santiago-Peralta (Melissa Fumero) mistakenly receives his package.

Embarrassed

Terry’s embarrassment would have exceeded his hairline if he had one. When Amy receives a package containing a book about sex tips and two whey protein containers, she assumes that Terry owns the parcel. However, Terry is too ashamed to accept a sex tip book in front of everyone in the precinct, so he denies ownership. Also, he goes a little too further into covering up when he first, asks Amy to put up posters in search for the book’s owner. Later, Terry puts up an excessive amount of the said posters all over the precinct. Just as Amy points out Terry’s attempt to compensate for whatever he lacks, Norm Scully (Joel Mckinnon-Miller) admits to owning the book. Scully’s acting was surprisingly well as he smoothly convinces Amy that he is telling the truth. As the shift ends, Terry privately meets Scully to get the book. Scully does not care about what people think of him; hence his success in helping Terry out of the awkward situation.

Captain’s Opinion

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When Captain Holt invites Rosa and her new girlfriend, Jocelyn to join him and Kevin for dinner, Rosa declines. Rosa reasons out that it is much too soon for her to introduce Jocelyn, and that she senses that Holt would judge her for her choices. To prove his point, Holt strikes up an awkward conversation with Michael Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) and Scully at the cafeteria while Rosa stood beside him. Because of this, Rosa agrees to have Holt meet Jocelyn.

However, Holt deduces that Rosa had him meet an actress, her friend Sheena (Fran Gillespie), instead of Jocelyn. With that, Holt backs off and leaves, thinking that his relationship with Rosa is not as close as he thought it was. The next day, Holt finally meets the real Jocelyn at the precinct. Rosa apologizes to Holt for her actions and elaborates on her reason. Rosa feared that Holt might not like Jocelyn, and since she also valued Holt’s opinion, she wanted to impress him. Still, Holt thought that Jocelyn is sweet, therefore negating all of Rosa’s worries. The planned dinner then comes back on schedule; that is if Rosa could save Jocelyn from talking to Hitchcock.

A Hannibal

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When Charles gets hold of a murder case involving his Psychiatrist, Dr. Tate, he asks Jake to help him out. Jake agrees to help Charles but remains firm in believing that Psychiatrists are not helpful to him. As the case progresses, Jake starts to become suspicious with Dr. Tate, and not just because of his skepticism. When Jake and Charles head to the victim’s apartment, Dr. Tate joins them. Also, he knew exactly where the bathroom is, pointing it out to Jake who was searching for it. Charles trusted Dr. Tate too much, so Jake carries out his plan alone.

While Dr. Tate is away, Jake searched his office for his notes about the victim. Jake’s instincts prove right when he finds the notebook hidden under Dr. Tate’s table. However, Jake hears Dr. Tate talking to a coworker outside, blocking his escape. With that, he swiftly sneaks into the office across Dr. Tate’s, only to be found by the office’s occupant, Dr. Theresa Moore (Anna Khaja). Jake then proceeds to pretend to be Dr. Moore’s new client to stall until Dr. Tate left.

Just as Jake thought that he is getting away with what he needs, Dr. Tate appears in the car’s backseat. Having a gun pointed at him, Jake follows Dr. Tate’s direction. Dr. Tate’s twisted mind becomes his undoing when he forces Jake to open up to him. While what Jake told Dr. Tate is the truth, he uses as a diversion to what he is doing: sending Charles a text. Fortunately, Charles arrives just in time to arrest Dr. Tate and save Jake. As the other cops take over, Jake and Charles both admit to each other that they are right. Jake is correct in saying that Dr. Tate is a creep, and Charles is right in saying that Jake should see a therapist. Jake did admit that he felt good when he opened up to Dr. Tate, despite the circumstances.

‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Season 6, Episode 11 ‘The Therapist’ Final Verdict

This episode exemplifies the features of the show that make it unique. It begins with a short skit in the style that they used in the previous seasons. Also, Rosa and Holt’s trademark emotionless characters come back to life, if that makes any sense. To add to that, this chapter’s usage of Hitchcock and Scully in all three subplots gives their characters the airtime they deserve. Overall, this episode is well-written and nicely executed.

Brooklyn Nine-Nine continues Thursday, April 11th, with ‘Casecation’ at 9/8c on NBC.