"The Swedes" is the ninth episode of the third season of the American television policesitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 54th overall episode of the series and is written by Matt Murray and directed by Eric Appel. It aired on Fox in the United States on December 6, 2015. 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. In the episode, Jake and Rosa compete with a pair of Swedish detectives on a jewelry theft case, causing them to re-examine their relationship as partners. Meanwhile, Holt asks Boyle to be his partner on a squash championship while Terry and Amy help Gina to pass her astronomy test. The episode was seen by an estimated 3.88 million household viewers and gained a 1.7/5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the cast and the guest stars in the episode.
Plot
Jake and Rosa investigate a thief in the docks. They catch the thief, who holds an expensive 36-carats jewel and speaks in an unintelligible language that the episode claims is Swedish, although it's actually gibberish. As the jewels are from Stockholm, two Swedish detectives are coming for the jewels. The Swedish detectives, Inspector Soren Knausgaard and Deputy Inspector Agneta Carlsson show themselves to be connective and relative, unlike Jake's and Rosa's relationship as partners who avoid certain subjects. They speak with a Russian-sounding accent, although Sweden is a northern European country, incorrectly claim that all Swedes speak Russian, Dutch and Finnish, languages not commonly spoken in Sweden, and claim to spend time naked together in a Finnish sauna, uncommon in Sweden. Jake and Rosa decide to go a step forward and find a container linked to the thief. However, the container proves to be an erroneous one. They then discover another container with the jewels and manage to catch the thieves. After the Swedes leave, Jake and Rosa decide to improve their relationship as partners, with Rosa revealing to Jake that she has a boyfriend. Meanwhile, Holt asks Boyle to be his partner in a squash championship when Kevin is out of town, but Boyle fears his extreme competitiveness, The Beast, will surface. After failing to give a decent match, Holt tells Boyle to "unleash the beast", for which they win the championship but are banned for life from all future championships. Also, Amy and Terry help Gina with her incoming astronomy test. Terry even brings Neil deGrasse Tyson, a friend from his gym, to help Gina. Eventually, they teach Gina through dancing. However, Gina reveals she already did the test and passed.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "The Swedes" was seen by an estimated 3.95 million household viewers and gained a 1.7/5 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 3.88 million viewers with a 1.7/5 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 1.7 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 5 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 The Last Man on Earth and Family Guy, but behind The Simpsons, third on its timeslot and third for the night, behind The Simpsons, and Sunday Night Football.
Critical reviews
"The Swedes" received positive reviews from critics. LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "A-" grade and wrote, "'The Swedes' makes sure to bring constant jokes and waste no time, right from the moment the cold open rewards us all with a new vending machine in the Nine-Nine break room." Allie Pape from Vulture gave the show a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The funniest plot of the week had no guest star, though, as we learned that Boyle was the bad boy of collegiate squash, and Holt enlists him to compete in Kevin Cozner's place in an important tournament." Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "After a couple of episodes in a row that seemed to be 'Brooklyn' leaning too hard into areas where the series tends to struggle, 'The Swedes' was the show back in excellent form – and, interestingly, while operating in places that have also been problems in the past." Andy Crump of Paste gave the episode a 9.0 rating and wrote, "'The Swedes' is one of the best-rounded episodes Brooklyn Nine-Nine has output yet in its third season. None of the plots feel wasted. Even as Amy and Terry try to help Gina muster up the gumption to crack an astronomy textbook, the show is pushing ahead on previously introduced story threads while staying true to character."
