Brooklyn Nine-Nine review: Never promise a victim’s mother you’ll catch the killer

When Jake is reminded of his mother, he promises a victim’s mother that he’ll find the killer of her son.

Rookie mistake Peralta tells a victim’s mother that he’ll solve her son’s murder on Brooklyn Nine-Nine this week and it sent everyone into a tissy. Well, maybe just Jake. There is a gruesome murder of an investigative reporter and when Jake and Rosa get on the case, they’re having a hard time trying to figure out who did it.

But the victim’s mother comes by, screaming that she wants answers and Jake is reminded of his own mother so he starts promising the entire family that he’ll solve the case. As the days go on, Jake is realizing that it isn’t as easy as he originally thought, struggling to find any kind of evidence to go off of.

So, in true Jake fashion, he spends over 20 days in an apartment without air conditioning as that would mess up the evidence. He descends into a kind of madness, trying to help solve the case. Eventually, Rosa, who has been telling Jake that the case has run cold, gives the case over to Major Crimes.

All it takes though is Rosa seeing the victim’s mother crying about how she hadn’t talked to her son for over a year for Rosa to promise her that they’ll solve the case and they’re right back where they started. The difference is that now that it’s labeled as a “cold case,” Rosa and Jake can go back to the apartment. When they return, they hear trash rattling in the air conditioning and realize that the killer escaped when they discovered the body.

The important thing about this episode isn’t that Jake gets lost in a case but rather that both Jake and Rosa take time to reflect on their mother. Rosa still hasn’t spoken to her mother since coming out, and Jake never wants to let his down.

Luckily for Rosa, she still has the option to fix her relationship with her mother. So, by the end of the episode, she calls her mom so that they can begin to work through their issues with each other.

So sure, a dope murder happened (in the words of Jake Peralta) but it really made both Jake and Rosa look at themselves and their needs to make sure their mothers are proud.

Does this mean that we’ll get to see Karen Peralta again soon? Maybe when Amy’s brother comes to town, both the Peraltas and the Santiagos can have a meeting and get to know each other. What could go wrong?

Brooklyn Nine-Nine is on NBC each Thursday! Make sure to check back on Culturess for more news, reviews, and more on the latest episode.