Brooklyn Nine-Nine wrapped up season 7 with the wildest and most fun episode of the season. Titled “Lights Out,” the episode starts with a city wide blackout that the squad has to address. Amy brings up that most people don’t have landlines anymore, so no one that is in trouble can call in. Blackout protocol is suggested, but only Capt. Holt or Lt. Jeffords can give clearance for it.
This leads us to find out that the precinct’s “dads” are trapped in the elevator. It is revealed that this is Capt. Holt’s biggest phobia, prompting him to be snarky with Lt. Jeffords and scream for help. The squad hears his screams and they reluctantly admit they have to call the FDNY. Amy, realizing that she is the highest ranking officer in the building, takes charge of the precinct and enacts the blackout protocol.
Jake and Charles take to the streets to find the cause of the power outage, finding out that it was a drunk driver that crashed into some transformers. They follow a blood trail until they find the perp in an old warehouse.
Meanwhile at the precinct, Scully and Hitchcock start to devour the food from the fridge. It is their duty to eat as much as they can before everything goes bad. Amy, now in the captain’s office, continues to lead the squad despite her water breaking. Rosa insists that she go to the hospital, but Amy protests. Contractions soon follow, but she still refuses to leave, feeling that it is more important to lead the team than take care of her own needs.
Back on the streets, Jake is informed that his child is on the way. Charles makes it his mission to get Jake back in time to see the birth. An elderly woman named Dotty asks for help while the power is out. She joins Jake, Charles, and the drunk driver for the trip back to the precinct.
In the elevator we see Terry trying his best to distract Capt. Holt. He brings up that he used to teach his brother dance moves to ease his anxiety, so Holt reluctantly agrees to give it a shot. They proceed to practice the moves to Salt n Pepa’s “Push It.”
Jake and Charles run into trouble in the streets when they find themselves in a traffic jam. They decide to walk the seven blocks back to the precinct. While on their way, Jake’s hero complex kicks in and he stops to help everyone he can. Eventually ending up with a concussed man that joins the ever expanding group. Dotty shoots the drunk driver in the leg causing the group to abandon the walking plan, instead choosing to use a bachelorette party pedal car to get to their destination. It is revealed on this trip that the drunken wreck that caused the outage was planned as a distraction so the banks in the area could be raided. Jake and Charles stop the bank robbery and add the three perps to the growing team on the pedal car.
Back at the precinct, Amy’s contractions start getting closer together. She still refuses to leave, instead focusing her energy on solving the problems at the precinct. Holt and Jeffords are shown practicing dance moves when the power is restored. They arrive on the precinct floor to find out about Amy, now too far gone to make it to the hospital. She has to have the baby in the precinct. Scully and Hitchcock come to the rescue when they make a room comfortable for Amy to give birth in, proving that they are not completely worthless.
Jake finds out that he has to make it back ASAP and ends up riding Charles’ sworn nemesis, Lt. Peanut Butter, back to the station. He bursts through the doors right as Amy is giving birth.
The episode ends with the couple introducing their son, Mac, to the squad. They have named him after Jake’s fictional hero, John McClain. The emotionally uplifting ending was the cherry on top of this visual ice cream sundae. It will be interesting to see how this new dynamic works in the upcoming season. Will Jake continue to be immature despite being a father? Will Amy be absent from the precinct, due to maternity leave when the series begins again? Whatever the answers are, it will be entertaining to see play out.
Key extras:
The pedal car is foreshadowed in the cold open when Lt. Jeffords informs the squad that there has been a rise in public urination since the pedal cars have been introduced for parties.
Pop culture references were prevalent through this episode with The Purge being referenced in the beginning after shots ring out in the city, Jimmy Neutron being referenced by Rosa, Aquaman by one of the drunk bachelorettes, Shirley McClane by Charles, and Die Hard by Jake and Amy.
Despite telling Terry to never mention the dancing to anyone, Holt performs the routine with him for Amy to distract her during childbirth since there was no pain meds available for her.
Charles gets his wish to be an uncle. Rosa is named as an aunt.
The ongoing feud between the NYPD and FDNY is brought up when Rosa is hesitant to call them to get Holt and Terry out of the elevator. It is also referenced when Jake is not happy that a firefighter is the first to touch his child.
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