"Payback" is the thirteenth episode of the
second season of the American television
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
sitcom
A sitcom, a portmanteau of situation comedy, or situational comedy, is a genre of comedy centered on a fixed set of characters who mostly carry over from episode to episode. Sitcoms can be contrasted with sketch comedy, where a troupe may use ne ...
series ''
Brooklyn Nine-Nine
''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' is an American police procedural comedy television series that aired on Fox, and later on NBC. The show aired from September 17, 2013, to September 16, 2021, for a total of eight seasons and 153 episodes. Created by Dan G ...
''. It is the 35th overall episode of the series and is written by
Norm Hiscock
Naturally occurring radioactive materials (NORM) and technologically enhanced naturally occurring radioactive materials (TENORM) consist of materials, usually industrial wastes or by-products enriched with radioactive elements found in the envi ...
& Brigitte Munoz-Liebowitz and directed by
Victor Nelli Jr. It aired on
Fox
Foxes are small to medium-sized, omnivorous mammals belonging to several genera of the family Canidae. They have a flattened skull, upright, triangular ears, a pointed, slightly upturned snout, and a long bushy tail (or ''brush'').
Twelve sp ...
in the United States on January 11, 2015.
The show revolves around the fictitious 99th precinct of the
New York Police Department
The New York City Police Department (NYPD), officially the City of New York Police Department, established on May 23, 1845, is the primary municipal law enforcement agency within the City of New York, the largest and one of the oldest in ...
in
Brooklyn
Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populated county in the United States, be ...
and the officers and detectives that work in the precinct. In the episode, Terry asks Jake to pay back money he owes him and Jake finds out Terry's wife is pregnant, therefore, he needs the money. He decides to pay Terry, but the rest of the precinct's suspicion causes Jake to hold it off by settling debts and doing favors. Meanwhile, Amy is ecstatic to work with Holt on a case, but not everything works out.
The episode was seen by an estimated 3.29 million household viewers and gained a 1.5/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. The episode received generally positive reviews from critics, who praised Andy Samberg's performance but the plot of the episode received criticism.
Plot
In the cold open, Rosa asks the squad for tips on how to celebrate Marcus's birthday.
Terry (
Terry Crews
Terry Alan Crews (born July 30, 1968) is an American actor, television host, and former American footballer. He played Julius Rock in the UPN/ CW sitcom ''Everybody Hates Chris'', which aired from 2005 to 2009, and portrayed Terry Jeffords in ...
) asks Jake (
Andy Samberg
Andy Samberg (born David A. J. Samberg; August 18, 1978) is an American actor, comedian, musician, producer and screenwriter. He is a member of the comedy music group The Lonely Island and was a cast member on ''Saturday Night Live'' from 2005 ...
) for owed money, which surprises Jake, as Terry doesn't usually seek money. After a little investigation, Terry reveals to Jake that his wife is expecting another baby and he needs the money to cover the costs. Jake decides to give him money and asks to be the child's godfather, to which Terry says he will consider if he keeps silent about the secret for a month.
The other detectives begin to suspect Terry and Jake's behavior, so Jake decides to pay them back by settling their debts and doing favors for them. However, he accidentally sends an e-mail to the whole precinct, revealing the pregnancy of Terry's wife. After convincing everyone to remain quiet about the secret, Jake distracts Terry while everyone deletes his e-mail. However, Holt (
Andre Braugher
Andre Keith Braugher (; born July 1, 1962) is an American actor. He is best known for his roles as Detective Frank Pembleton in the police drama series '' Homicide: Life on the Street'' (1993–1999), used car salesman Owen Thoreau Jr. in the com ...
) congratulates Terry on the news, upsetting him. Jake then gives Terry the rest of the money by selling his car, which surprises Terry. Terry decides to let Jake be the godfather.
Meanwhile,
Amy
Amy is a female given name, sometimes short for Amanda, Amelia, Amélie, or Amita. In French, the name is spelled ''"Aimée"''.
People A–E
* Amy Acker (born 1976), American actress
* Amy Vera Ackman, also known as Mother Giovanni (1886– ...
(
Melissa Fumero
Melissa Fumero (née Gallo; born August 19, 1982) is an American actress. From the age of ten, she aspired to become an actor and later attended New York University, from which she received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in drama. She made her ...
) finds a mistake in an old case and is ecstatic, as she will work with Holt on the case. However, Holt solves the case quickly and both set out to find the case's real culprit. While waiting in the car, they decide to eat food Amy recommends. They soon find out that the culprit died months ago and Holt experiences
food poisoning
Foodborne illness (also foodborne disease and food poisoning) is any illness resulting from the spoilage of contaminated food by pathogenic bacteria, viruses, or parasites that contaminate food,
as well as prions (the agents of mad cow disease) ...
due to Amy's food selection. Amy worries that these setbacks will sour her relationship with Holt. However, he reassures her that even the worst incidents can help strengthen a bond.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Payback" was seen by an estimated 3.29 million household viewers and gained a 1.5/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to
Nielsen Media Research
Nielsen Media Research (NMR) is an American firm that measures media audiences, including television, radio, theatre, films (via the AMC Theatres MAP program), and newspapers. Headquartered in New York City, it is best known for the Nielsen rat ...
. This was a 47% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 6.12 million viewers with a 3.0/8 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 1.5 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 4 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With these ratings, ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine'' was the fourth most watched show on FOX for the night, behind ''
Bob's Burgers
''Bob's Burgers'' is an American adult animated sitcom created by Loren Bouchard that premiered on Fox on January 9, 2011. The show centers on the Belcher family—parents Bob and Linda and their three children, Tina, Gene, and Louise—who r ...
'', ''
Madam Secretary'', ''
Family Guy
''Family Guy'' is an American animated sitcom originally conceived and created by Seth MacFarlane for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The show centers around the Griffin family, Griffins, a dysfunctional family consisting of parents Peter Griff ...
'', and ''
The Simpsons
''The Simpsons'' is an American animated sitcom created by Matt Groening for the Fox Broadcasting Company. The series is a satirical depiction of American life, epitomized by the Simpson family, which consists of Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa, ...
'', fourth on its timeslot and seventh for the night, behind ''Bob's Burgers'', ''Family Guy'', ''The Simpsons'', ''
60 Minutes
''60 Minutes'' is an American television news magazine broadcast on the CBS television network. Debuting in 1968, the program was created by Don Hewitt and Bill Leonard, who chose to set it apart from other news programs by using a unique styl ...
'', the ''
72nd Golden Globe Awards
The 72nd Golden Globe Awards, honoring the best in film and American television of 2014, was broadcast live from the Beverly Hilton Hotel in Beverly Hills, California on January 11, 2015, by NBC. The ceremony was produced by Dick Clark Production ...
'', and ''
an NFL game''.
Critical reviews
"Payback" received generally positive reviews from critics. LaToya Ferguson of ''
The A.V. Club
''The A.V. Club'' is an American online newspaper and entertainment website featuring reviews, interviews, and other articles that examine films, music, television, books, games, and other elements of pop-culture media. ''The A.V. Club'' was cre ...
'' gave the episode a "B−" grade and wrote, "So having 'Payback' be an episode that features the very late 1990s/early 2000s trope of the accidental message to the world at large and, to a lesser extent, a rhyming bit that ends in toilet humor, it almost feels like this episode of the culmination of the show's odd, increasingly predictable pattern. Where 'Stakeout' at least made the 'no-no list' a gateway to an honest look into the relationship between Jake and Boyle, 'Payback' takes the Jake and Terry dynamic that was so fascinating back in 'Chocolate Milk' and somewhat sullies it with a couple of tired tropes." Allie Pape from ''
Vulture
A vulture is a bird of prey that scavenges on carrion. There are 23 extant species of vulture (including Condors). Old World vultures include 16 living species native to Europe, Africa, and Asia; New World vultures are restricted to North and ...
'' gave the show a perfect 5 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Given the potential seriousness of its A plot, it's all the more impressive that 'Payback' is one of the show's funniest episodes ever on a line-to-line level, eliciting some straight-up guffaws over on my couch."
Alan Sepinwall
Alan Sepinwall (born October 19, 1973) is an American television reviewer and writer. He spent 14 years as a columnist with ''The Star-Ledger'' in Newark until leaving the newspaper in 2010 to work for the entertainment news website HitFix. He th ...
of ''
HitFix
HitFix, or HitFix.com, was an entertainment news website that launched in December 2008 specializing in breaking entertainment news, insider information, and reviews and critiques of film, music, and television. In mid-2010 HitFix crossed the 1,00 ...
'' wrote, "They've done better this season, but 'Payback' was still fun. I just wish they could do something about the four-act formatting, but I can't imagine FOX giving in on this stupid point, unfortunately." Andy Crump of ''
Paste'' gave the episode a 7.8 and wrote, "The episode fits nicely into ''Brooklyn Nine-Nine''s canon — it's a big old reference guide to any number of Season Two plot threads — which lends it an air of belonging. 'Payback' is a solid bit of connective tissue. It's the easy story writing that ends up taking it down a couple of pegs."
References
External links
*
{{Brooklyn Nine-Nine
2015 American television episodes
Brooklyn Nine-Nine (season 2) episodes