48 Hours (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)
"48 Hours" is the seventh episode of the first season of the American television police sitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 7th overall episode of the series and is written by co-executive producer Luke Del Tredici and directed by Peter Lauer. It aired on Fox in the United States on November 5, 2013. It is the seventh episode to be broadcast but it's the third episode to be produced.
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. Jake Peralta is an immature yet very talented detective in the precinct with an astounding record of crimes solved, putting him in a competition with fellow detective Amy Santiago. The precinct's status changes when the Captain is retiring and a new commanding officer, Cpt. Raymond Holt is appointed as the newest Captain. This puts a conflict between Peralta and Holt for their respective methods in the field. In the episode, Peralta arrests a man suspected of robbing a jewelry store after he mocks him. Due to a lack of solid evidence, Peralta has 48 hours to prove the man did the crime or he will be released and the precinct face a demand. Also, Terry Jeffords has problems when his brother-in-law visits him and mocks him for his "weakness" and Charles Boyle judges a pie contest between Rosa Diaz and Gina Linetti.
The episode was seen by an estimated 3.84 million household viewers and gained a 1.6/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the episode's bottle structure and characters dynamic and Samberg's and Braugher's performances although some critics expressed that Jake requires more character development.
Plot
Jake Peralta informs Holt that he just conducted an investigation into a jewelry store robbery and found a suspect in the case, Dustin Whitman. Despite lack of proper evidence, Peralta has already arrested Whitman due to the suspect's mocking him and has placed him in jail. Holt tells Peralta that they need firm evidence within 48 hours or Whitman will be released by law.This causes anger in the precinct as everyone is forced to spend their weekend at work, especially Amy Santiago who was set to go on a date. Terry Jeffords begins showing signs of lack of sleep and working out excessively, worrying Holt. Jeffords informs him that he has been working out ever since his brother-in-law, Zeke, stayed at his house, making him look weak. Meanwhile, Charles Boyle gets into a pie-tasting contest between Gina Linetti and Rosa Diaz for their respective restaurants. Despite hating Diaz's pie, Boyle lies due to his feelings for her.
Peralta sends Norm Scully to New Jersey to check Whitman's alibi. Unfortunately, the alibi turns out to be true. However, Peralta finally finds out that Whitman went to prison and had a friend rob the store using Whitman's M.O. to ensure Whitman's alibi, and they split the money. This sends Whitman to prison and prevents the precinct from being sued by the District Attorney. Peralta decides to compensate the others for wasting their weekend by covering their shifts. Zeke visits the precinct and continues making fun of Jeffords until Holt lies about Jeffords leading a raid on the Russian Mafia in an attempt to show his strength. Holt then has Jeffords sleep in his office.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "48 Hours" was seen by an estimated 3.84 million household viewers and gained a 1.6/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This was a slight increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 3.77 million viewers with a 1.6/4 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 1.6 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 second most watched show on FOX for the night, beating Dads and The Mindy Project but behind New Girl, fourth on its timeslot and eight for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind Person of Interest, New Girl, The Biggest Loser, , Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., NCIS, The Voice.Critical reviews
"48 Hours" received positive reviews from critics. Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.0 out of 10 and wrote, "48 Hours was another great episode in Brooklyn Nine-Nines freshman season. The set-up feels familiar, but the jokes just keep getting stronger, as we get to know and love these characters more and more."Molly Eichel of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "Despite the structural elements that are as much a season-wide issue as an episodic one, '48 Hours' was packed with genuine laugh lines. In addition, it highlighted the physical comedy of two players that I've mentioned before: Terry and Santiago. Terry's sleep chin ups and episode-ending fall onto Holt's couch were great, but his physicality is not a surprise. Melissa Fumero does most of her acting in her face, and it's quite fun to watch, whether she's trying to get smokey eye tips from an incarcerated prostitute only to discover said lady of the night has an STD rash or she's reacting to the idea of a man whose soul patch tingles for her. Santiago is one of many characters who can can be funny, even without revolving around Peralta."
Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "Cops allegedly love doughnuts, so it's perhaps appropriate that so far, Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been the quintessential example of a doughnut show: delicious and chewy on the perimeter, and offering nothing in the middle." Aaron Channon of Paste gave the episode a 7.1 out of 10 and wrote, "TV viewers often feel profound sadness when their favorite shows end. Beloved characters become part of our lives, and we can occasionally be deeply affected by their fates. Although Brooklyn Nine-Nines one-week absence did not leave a Tony Soprano-sized hole in my heart, I have to admit I did miss the gang more than expected. Universal affection for several of a series' characters might not necessarily indicate the quality of programming, but there is almost certainly a correlation between it and continued viewership. And it's fortunate that the characters are as likable as they are because '48 Hours' did not inspire a ton of confidence in the future creativity of Brooklyn Nine-Nines plot lines."