Brooklyn Nine-Nine: Ticking Clocks

April 26, 2019 5:10 PM - Season 6, Episode 14

The squad must track down a hacker who has infiltrated the Nine-Nine's servers; Rosa deals with relationship issues; Hitchcock and Scully attempt to cook the perfect lasagna. Sean Astin guest stars.
posted by fizzix (26 comments total)

I loved the last scene!

Glad Cameron Esposito is back.

Amy being happy to be rushing to work with that bib on was hilarious.
posted by Emmy Rae at 5:13 PM on April 26, 2019

This is one of the best episodes ever. There was just so much to love here. Although the computer guy wearing a 30 year old brown suit seemed like a dead give away.
posted by bleep at 5:17 PM on April 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

Aww I wanted to add the FOMOW tag. It's crippling.

I basically disagreed with the AV Club recap: I think the episode wasn't harmed by its real-time mechanic.
posted by Monochrome at 7:41 PM on April 26, 2019 [3 favorites]

This is one of the best episodes ever.

I think I'm watching a different show than everyone else. I've felt the season on NBC is objectively the worst of the series, and this episode was the worst of the worst.
posted by tzikeh at 8:52 PM on April 26, 2019 [5 favorites]

Omg, I was raging how bad and unrealistic (even for B99 standards) the “hacking” was, but then the flip with how it was all fake because none of them actually how computering works, fooled me! So brilliant! Also the closing scene of lasanga nomming was so good.
posted by xtine at 9:02 PM on April 26, 2019 [5 favorites]

Could not agree more with this call-out from the AV Club recap: "As nice as it is to have a recurring bit for the end of each act—especially in an episode that relies so heavily on structure—I can think of no runner worse than Jake’s “Mamma Maglione,” no matter how differently Andy Samberg says it each time. It only works when Hitchcock originally says it… and then it happens five more times."

I'm not generally a Jake hater (although I was annoyed that Amy could have easily had the full revelation, rather than just an inkling of it, but the writers gave it to Jake instead) but that catchphrase just got worse and worse every time he said it. Yikes.
posted by merriment at 6:29 AM on April 27, 2019 [6 favorites]

I was convinced it was going to be Jocelyn.
posted by soelo at 1:28 PM on April 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

Me too, soelo. She even had a time-based mechanic to her visit. Sigh.

Also, yeah, terrible catchphrase. This was not my favorite episode, although I did appreciate Scully and Hitchcock eating.
posted by minsies at 2:31 PM on April 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

Man I was a big fan of this one. This season's been super hit-or-miss (with all-timers like The Crime Scene but also, like, the one where terry and holt are trying to win a radio context) and this one was definitely one of the best ones.

Though for an episode that was keeping so good about real-time, the idea that the garlic bread would become a black charred brick within 5 minutes (even at 500ºF) was a little much for me. Like in that awesome community episode where Shirley's pies go from "not quite ready" to "burned in ruined" in the ninety seconds of her going downstairs to get the pizza.
posted by Navelgazer at 5:24 PM on April 27, 2019 [1 favorite]

I feel like they're filling up what would have been Gina time with more Hitchcock and Scully, and man they are MORE THAN ENOUGH IN SMALL DOSES. I pray they find away around having to give those two more screen time next year.
posted by tzikeh at 8:24 PM on April 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

This show has lost its zip and sparkle. The nasty sorority girls weren’t fun, for instance, and they should have been. Poor Terry has nothing to do but look harried. Charles goggles at the void. I think my family is watching this show out of obligation, now.
posted by Don.Kinsayder at 8:25 PM on April 27, 2019 [2 favorites]

I have to disagree Don.Kinsayder that the show has lost its zip. This one too me was quite fun, Amy running out of the dentist without taking off her bib for instance. Also the end scene of Hitchcock and Scully eating was great.
posted by Carillon at 10:15 PM on April 27, 2019 [4 favorites]

I love this show and I wish they knew how to use Terry. Terry being enthusiastic about his many passions = wonderful. Terry trying to keep everyone's head screwed on straight = no fun.

My theory is that they've started exploring Holt's weaknesses more so they are making Terry be the adult in the room.
posted by Emmy Rae at 6:16 PM on April 28, 2019 [3 favorites]

If Gina had been there the sorority girls wouldn't have been a threat, they would have been pure comedy turned into a brilliant asset during the "search". Gina is my favorite character but despite that I haven't really missed her in these new episodes, until now. Her absence felt like a hole in the story.
posted by Mizu at 7:41 PM on April 28, 2019 [4 favorites]

FanFare: I think I'm watching a different show than everyone else.
posted by numaner at 8:46 PM on April 28, 2019 [10 favorites]

I liked this episode, and the season overall. I could use more Amy and Terry and less of Scully and Hitchcock, but I know they need the balance.
posted by numaner at 8:47 PM on April 28, 2019

Scully & Hitchcock got way more interesting and funny to me after that flashback where we saw that they used to be exactly the type of cop that Jake idolizes, and they still pursue everything they pursue with the same intensity, they just have different priorities now. Especially in this episode, that episode made everything they do hilarious to me.
posted by bleep at 10:57 PM on April 28, 2019 [6 favorites]

I can think of no runner worse than Jake’s “Mamma Maglione,” no matter how differently Andy Samberg says it each time.

Not only that, but there was at least one other episode this season where they used the same gag, and it wasn't funny then either. Separate from the "Babushka" cold open, I mean, which was the exact same joke again. Andy Samberg is a charming guy with good comedic timing, but putting random words in his mouth and expecting them to be funny just because he says them is a bit "whenever Poochie's not on screen, all the other characters should be asking, 'where's Poochie?'" It's ok to end a scene without giving Jake a punchline, guys, I promise!

Also, there are few romance plots I hate more than "Ignore this genuine emergency to prove that you love me!" With that whole thing going on, I was actually kind of hoping Jocelyn turned out to be the hacker. (One of the only romance plots I hate even more being "man convinces/dares/etc. uninterested co-worker to date him and somehow it all works out instead of being the worst idea ever".)

Anyway, I mostly enjoyed the episode, but there were some pretty poor decisions here anyway.
posted by tobascodagama at 5:27 AM on April 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

Metafilter: Charles goggles at the void.
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 12:08 PM on April 29, 2019 [3 favorites]

If you goggle long into a void, the void also goggles into you.
posted by tobascodagama at 12:16 PM on April 29, 2019 [1 favorite]

I think I'm watching a different show than everyone else.

The editing on this one seemed a bit off to me, like they were trying to make everything punchier because "events occur in real time (beep, boop, beep, boop)"? Lots of quick cuts, less breathing room. It was so different I had to stop and wonder if B99 was normally shot multi-camera (it's not) because I couldn't figure out why else it would seem so off.
posted by Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug at 7:57 AM on April 30, 2019

I wonder what happened with the hacker that the precinct hired as their IT guy all those seasons ago.
posted by InTheYear2017 at 5:42 AM on May 5, 2019 [3 favorites]

He was on vacation.
posted by tobascodagama at 7:07 AM on May 5, 2019 [1 favorite]

Budget cuts.
posted by GenderNullPointerException at 8:36 AM on May 5, 2019 [3 favorites]

I don't want to diss Cameron Esposito, but as a romantic interest for Rosa she's only slightly more interesting than Nick Cannon. Not a whole lot of fire or interest going on there that I ever saw. About the only times I saw her seem to have chemistry with anyone was with Pimento and with Gina Rodriguez. So I'm fine with Jocelyn going and really hope now that Gina has more free time, she can return next year.

I did like how the non-techies figured out that the techie was the one doing it, though.

Otherwise wasn't that into it and it wasn't too great. Oh well.
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:31 PM on May 6, 2019 [1 favorite]

Not a whole lot of fire or interest going on there that I ever saw.

I feel very much the same. There is no chemistry between them and it all feels very phoned in.
posted by asnider at 1:40 PM on July 12, 2019