Moo Moo (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
"Moo Moo" is the sixteenth episode of the fourth season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the 84th overall episode of the series. The episode was written by Phil Augusta Jackson and directed by Maggie Carey. It aired on Fox in the United States on May 2, 2017. It features guest appearances from Desmond Harrington and Mary Holland.
| "Moo Moo" | |
|---|---|
| Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 4 Episode 16 |
| Directed by | Maggie Carey |
| Written by | Phil Augusta Jackson |
| Produced by |
|
| Cinematography by | Giovani Lampassi |
| Editing by | Jeremy Reuben |
| Production code | 418 |
| Original air date | May 2, 2017 |
| Running time | 22 minutes |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
The show revolves around the fictitious 99th precinct of the New York Police Department in Brooklyn and the officers and detectives that work in the precinct. In the episode, Terry experiences racial profiling when an officer nearly arrests him for wandering near his house at night. He then consults with Holt regarding the right thing to do. While Terry works to solve the problem, Jake and Amy babysit his daughters.
The episode was seen by an estimated 1.72 million household viewers and gained a 0.6/3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode received critical acclaim from audiences, who praised Terry Crews' performance, the subject matter, and for avoiding stereotypes against Terry Jeffords, with some deeming it as one of the best episodes in the series.
Plot
Terry (Terry Crews) decides to apply as a city council liaison for additional responsibilities. Having to stay and work on paperwork, he has Jake (Andy Samberg) and Amy (Melissa Fumero) pick up his daughters. During the trip, one of the daughters' blankets, "Moo Moo", accidentally is thrown out of the car, forcing Terry to find it in the night.
After finding the blanket, Terry is subsequently stopped by Officer Maldack (Desmond Harrington), who nearly arrests him for being on the street. He's freed upon saying he is a cop. While discussing with the precinct for experiencing racial profiling, Terry decides to meet with Maldack. Maldack apologizes for nearly arresting him, but lets it be clear that he only tried to for being Black. Terry decides to file a complaint and asks Holt (Andre Braugher) to submit it. To his surprise, Holt says he won't do it. While babysitting Terry's daughters, Jake and Amy explain Terry's problem to them.
When Terry is discussing the matter with Holt at the Captain's house, Terry is told that Holt does not want to submit a complaint against the officer on the matter, since the potential fallout from so doing could lead to negative consequences in Terry's future. Terry then explains to Holt that as a child, a cop saved him from bullies, and he wanted to do the same thing, wanting to do so for his daughters. Holt then decides to support Terry's idea to submit the complaint, even if the impact of doing so is negative for them both. The next day, Holt tells Terry that his application was denied, most likely due to reporting the incident but Terry still feels good about doing the right thing.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Moo Moo" was seen by an estimated 1.72 million household viewers and gained a 0.6/3 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.[1] This was slight decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 1.88 million viewers with a 0.7/3 in the 18-49 demographics.[2] This means that 0.6 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 3 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With these ratings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was the third highest rated show on FOX for the night, behind The Mick and Prison Break, seventh on its timeslot and sixteenth for the night, behind two episodes of Great News, The Mick, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Imaginary Mary, Prison Break, The Flash, The Real O'Neals, NCIS: New Orleans, American Housewife, The Middle, Bull, Chicago Fire, NCIS, and The Voice.
Critical reviews
"Moo Moo" received critical acclaim from critics. LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "After last week's hilarious faux goodbye to the Nine-Nine, the possibilities were endless for where Brooklyn Nine-Nine could go. I can't personally say an episode about police profiling against one of the Nine-Nine's own is where I thought the show would immediately go—especially not with the episode title 'Moo Moo' —but it's quite a way for the show to kick off May sweeps and get the Nine-Nine back in the groove after weeks of worrying about closing up shop."[3]
Alan Sepinwall of Uproxx wrote, "Fortunately, the serious half of 'Moo Moo' felt honest and real without undercutting the show's usual goofiness, and it felt like a good way to take advantage of both the inclusiveness of the cast — if Terry Crews was the only [Black] regular on the show, this story plays very differently — and the varied skill sets of the ensemble."[4] Andy Crump of Paste gave the episode a 9.3 and wrote, "That doesn't change in 'Moo Moo,' really, but 'Moo Moo' is, perhaps, the fourth season's best beneficiary to date of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's longstanding character developments: Here, the amount of time we've spent investing in its cast pays off with astronomic results, even if there aren't many belly laughs included in those results. Maybe the idea of reduced funny stuff in Brooklyn Nine-Nine is anathema to you."[5]
References
- Porter, Rick (May 3, 2017). "'NCIS' and 'The Middle' adjust up, 'Prison Break' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on May 3, 2017. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- Porter, Rick (April 26, 2017). "'The Mick' and 'Agents of SHIELD' adjust up, 'iZombie' adjusts down: Tuesday final ratings". TV by the Numbers. Archived from the original on April 26, 2017. Retrieved December 16, 2018.
- Ferguson, LaToya (May 2, 2017). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine tells a story about doing the right thing". The A.V. Club. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- Sepinwall, Alan (May 2, 2017). "Terry Gets Profiled In A More Dramatic 'Brooklyn Nine-Nine'". Uproxx. Retrieved December 17, 2018.
- Crump, Andy (May 2, 2017). "Brooklyn Nine-Nine Review: "Moo Moo" Is One of the Best Episodes in the Series' Canon". Paste. Retrieved December 17, 2018.