Police Reform in Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Final Season | Copaganda Episode 9

[@dagak1180]

I find it laughable that Rosa quit the police in protest to its brutality while she was the most brutal cop in their department.

[@SKULLKR3W]

Yeah she literally took pleasure in police brutality

[@mranderson7148]

Yeah the fact she was constantly excessive and the show never mentioned it was pretty troubling

[@headswillroll89]

20:30

[@harrylane4]

To me, especially considering how outspoken she had been at the time, it seems like it comes more from Stephanie Beatriz pushing it than anything else.

[@deaduserrr6348]

Remember when she actively supported beating an underage perp with a phone book?

[@calilewis9330]

The problem I had with Rosa season 9 storyline is that we should have seen more of her doing P.I. work instead of still doing police work with the 99. She quit the force but she was still there

[@finestjellybeansrawlol9486]

She's the equivalent of someone who quits a job and then just comes back as a contractor

[@isabellelessard6717]

Sounds like a corporate spin off is on the horizon

[@Teneab]

*season 8 there is no season 9

[@joegreenwell5476]

Yeah it was pretty funny seeing how she quits, but they always found a reason to bring her back into an episode

[@DrZaius3141]

I was flabbergasted when Jake quit the force and the only reason was to be a dad. Granted, it's a good reason, but he could have had an arc in there to show him growing out of his police fantasy.

[@jonsmith9838]

Well guess They dont want to say Reforming is IMPOSSIBLE. Which kind of what they would be saying if he quits because it impossible to do good as a police officer. That not a winning argument.

[@theravenpirate4744]

It's weird because I would argue he did have the arc, and then it just wasn't really mentioned in the finale

[@EnanoPancracio]

Quitting to become a dad makes the most sense for his character, his biggest all throughout the show comes from his dad neglecting him and using his job as an excuse, so a job like police detective which takes up a lot of your time, and is pretty dangerous risks his kid feeling the same way. It's probably the best way to close out his arc.

[@j.jonahjameson5729]

8

[@sigh824]

He kinda did, the first episode especially, it was just rushed bc of the extremely short season

[@figsandoranges]

The fact that they crammed so much into the first episode was a clear signal that they wanted to get the real social justice work over with. A slow burn would have been more satisfying and would have forced the characters to speak about their experiences and internal biases and struggles more consistently

[@mona_lisa_smiles]

That would change the entire format though. Like instead of being sitcom comedy that sounds like it would be more of a drama

[@samaraisnt]

@@mona_lisa_smiles No, it would make it a better more thought-out show with an actual thematic arc....comedies with depth do exist.

[@valacftw]

@@samaraisnt yeah but b99 isn't one of them. When shows start on one track, it's usually very difficult to change the format. If B99 started as a thoughtful show you'd have a point, but it didn't.

[@nont18411]

And it’s such a bummer that used to do it well before in S4E16 “Moo moo” but in season 8, it seems like they didn’t even try. It’s preachy and forced as hell.

[@bloatus7611]

@@nont18411 Moo Moo fucking sucks lol. Very embarassing when I saw it.

[@ashdalbey4700]

Since he was out basically all season, they should have just said that Hitchcock refused to get a vaccine and got covid, which is why he was working from home all season. Then you could have tried pairing skully off with other characters that didn't have as much to do this season, like Boyle and Terry.

[@kelvindoang1228]

You know that vaccinated still can get you covid. Stop spreading covid missinformation

[@barbara_LL]

honestly, the fact that he was a brazil kind of signals that for me, granted, i am brazilian and i am VERY aware of the anti-vaxx movement we had here at the time (it was huge.... and you know... a bolsonaro's policy) but still, it would've been cool for them to adress that directly edit: just to clarify, Brasil had REALLY laxxed vaccine rules because of our negacionist government, so for me it would've made sense for Hitchcock to have chosen Brasil EXACTLY for those reasons

[@jaiden3473]

@@barbara_LLit says he’s in Brazil because of getting scammed by a cam girl though

[@incanusolorin2607]

​@@barbara_LL também meteram um burro aleatório com ele no Brasil, numa vibe bem vila Mexicana, como se a América Latina fosse toda igual kkkkkkkk

[@Jordacar]

In a way, this isn't just about the 99th precinct trying to reform the police, but also about a TV show trying to reform the way the police are portrayed on TV in general. Naturally this one show can only do so much, and in only 10 episodes at that.

[@sweeneytodd1414]

Exactly, one story can only do so much... I know things are bad, but guys, this is a comedy and only one show. They can only do so much.

[@Princess_Weekes]

That Blue Bloods clip aged me. Great work as usual!

[@StNick119]

Oh shit I love both of your work!

[@StNick119]

Especially your vid on empire in children's media, that was a revelation. It hadn't occurred to me before that you could use empire as a metaphor.

[@subotnai1]

Your analysis and comments are very good.

[@TheCoolmaster131]

I know who I'm watching is based when they watch each other. ❤❤❤❤❤

[@theravenpirate4744]

nothing is as painful as Blue Bloods

[@NotAFakeName1]

I dont think Jake failed to confront the systemic issues of the police tbh. In episode 1 Rosa's decision to resign spins him into an existential crisis and while he's not ready to follow her example she's clearly left him with a lot to think about. Then in the Doug Judy episode he literally helps the man escape from his prison transport because he recognizes the charges are bullshit and that the system failed him. Then there's the suspension ofc. It is a wasted opportunity that they just timeskip through those five months to when his punishment is ending but with the short season and all the stuff they needed to wrap up I think they probably just didnt have time. It's unfortunate but given their limitations it was necessary. Pretty much all of the detective stuff Jake does for the entire season is either in opposition to O'Sullivan or unofficial noncriminal stuff to help give the other cast members closure. He's not really shown as being all that complicit, except in the first episode where it's framed as an unambiguously bad thing he has to work through to preserve his friendship with Rosa and his own identity And while his decision to leave the NYPD is framed more as Jake wanting to be a father than protesting against the institution of the police, there is more to it than that. He's stepping down so that he can support Amy in pushing her police reform more effectively without worrying about her son as much. And i believe Jake was only able to make that choice to give up his career because of the events of the eighth season. He was finding less to value in his job after Rosa's decision challenged his worldview, and he realized how deep the systemic issues of the police ran during his fights with O'Sullivan. After getting suspended and spending a lot more time with his son he found a lot more value in being a dad at the same time, to the point he didn't need or even want to be a cop anymore to feel self worth.

[@prithagore4870]

loved this comment. I know that this wasn't the best season but all the characters in the show have been shown as good lovable characters when in real life this just feels an exxagerated form of media which is funny. Taking a darker turn in the end and presenting stuff related to recent events directly would hamper the very essence of the show. So their decision to creep up the current events slowly into Jake's psyche and then into his decisions that he makes was a better choice than just changing the entire base of the show. Again not the best season but that's mainly because the jokes didn't work so well. Not cause of their take on the BLM movement and police brutality.

[@metalfan4u]

This is one of the better takes ive read on the last season in this comment section, I think we have to consider that with it almost being nixed due to the 2020 protests then being brought back for 10 eps didnt give them alot of time also they did a mid shoot rewrite as well which is probably why it came off clunky but I felt the overall message was pretty solid, I give B99 alot of leeway in my judgements due to it being one of the more progressive comedies for the cop genre for a while and strongly feel like alot of the things people WISH they did would have made it feel out of place and just a poorly received season.

[@leephillips4402]

Yeah, maybe that arc would have worked better if they'd included an episode where Jake had to adjust to being suspended and gradually learned to appreciate it. But other than that the peices were all there.

[@barbara_LL]

also, he has been confronting his role as a cop ever since he was arrrested by Hawkins and through his friendship with the Judys so in a way i think that the character was already a work in progress when it comes to that

[@Josep_Hernandez_Lujan]

I think a lot of missed opportunities were because it's only 10 episodes (with two of them being the finale, so really only 8)

[@patrickb125]

Yeah, and that's mostly not their fault because of Covid.

[@IsiahTomas]

It's situations like this that I feel tv shows were held back from keeping the quality control at a satisfactory level because of the world crisis that stopped everything in its tracks and that its not fair to judge the product because of all the external factors they couldn't control.

[@vgamer11]

Spoilers for the Netflix reboot of Carmen Sandiego, if people even watch that anymore: The whole "making good points then backing away before saying anything substantial" pattern that you note in B99 happened pretty much the same way in the last season of the Carmen Sandiego reboot. In the season prior, it was revealed that the chief of ACME (the police of the world, i guess) had shot and killed Carmen's father thinking he was armed when he actually was just holding some keys. She then covered up the evidence so that she could climb the ranks and become chief. In addition to this, an officer in ACME who keeps trying to prove to her coworkers and the chief that Carmen isn't stealing artifacts from museums but is instead returning them, keeps being dismissed. Upon seeing the evidence, she realizes why she's being ignored (so that Carmen's father's death is ignored as he was the father of a "criminal") and resigns. So it seemed as though the final season would continue with these plot points and themes, but no. The series did a complete 180°. The chief feels sorry for what she did and is forgiven by Carmen, the ACME agent not only rejoins but is also accompanied by two of Carmen's own teammates at the very end, all of them reasoning that they can do more good within the system than without. I know that this is the only way for mainstream media to try and satiate frustrated people without actually helping them reach the answer that will lead to real change, but I'm just. so tired of good shows being ruined by this stuff.

[@theravenpirate4744]

wow that's terrible

[@falconeshield]

Swore to not watch that show after Netflix cancelled Moreno's sitcom ODAAT (Rita Moreno was Carmen's first va) I'm glad I did.

[@vgamer11]

@Nina B. it's too bad because up until that point the show was great. So was ODAAT. But yeah, better to not get into it.

[@vgamer11]

@RiptideRambo that isn't it at all. What I didn't like was that Carmen's friends all joined ACME instead of trying to take it down. The Chief didn't even really have an arc or a real discussion with Carmen about the consequences of her actions before being redeemed. There was a whole bunch of build-up leading to the big reveal of her corruption, only for her redemption to be wrapped up in a couple of episodes. If she had to be redeemed instead of ACME being taken down or changed, it should have been given at least a little more attention than just "I forgive you", and that's it.

[@nocontextwhatever]

A (police) protest response unit in Portland all resigned in a group tantrum a few months ago because one of them was actually, finally, indicted (as if resigning was some sort of threat). I just love when the garbage takes itself out!

[@CheckeeAintAmused]

no. don't. stop. come back.

[@nocontextwhatever]

@@CheckeeAintAmused hah! Right?!

[@helenl3193]

Problem is they probably did that because they knew they could easily go get the same jobs in a different force. Sadly I doubt they'll reflect on their colleagues actions and their own, or learn anything from it :(

[@nocontextwhatever]

@@helenl3193 you’re right, that’s their mindset.

[@LarsBlitzer]

They were still police after that; they only "resigned" from the unit itself. During protests they're still out there in riot gear, they just don't have the velcro badge identifying them as such.

[@metaphysicsbob]

They were so close with Jake realizing his cowboy idea of justice and police being part of the larger problem. Jake in many ways represent a mindset within the police. His love of Die Hard and Hollywoods idea of the action hero cop is scene throughout our police. He should of left the police because he realized he is not a good detective, or not a detective that is needed. And his wife is trying to create a "good" police force. Or ideally Amy should also leave to help create the policies that would be alternatives to police.

[@Akatsukileader9]

Well he kind of is a brilliant detective. But he changes a lot from S1 to S8.

[@adoniscreed4031]

That narrative wouldnt work with the series because well, they do crazy shit straight out of movies in the exaggerated reality of the tv show, so Jake's fantasies about being a cop are very real in the context of the tv show... the next best thing they could do was have Jake make a genuine mistake due to his arrogance/his idea that he is a super cop who is never wrong and have him own up to it... and they did it

[@u.s.s.chucklefucker1657]

Jake would never be hired as a detective in real life, but that's okay. Keep on making comparisons between an obvious and extreme caricature of law enforcement officers and actual law enforcement officers. I'm sure that can't possibly end up going wrong.

[@diegosotomiranda4107]

If youre pointing Jake about this you should know the whole 99squad had get away with a lot of bs, scully and Hitchcock are the typical lazy workers who are usually obstacle to get things done, like gorgory in the Simpson type of cop, Rosa got away being rude and violent for most of the series being the tough cop that dont give af about repercusións, she threated and assaulted people due to her own Will and then just has a change of heart when reality bited her ass, Holt represented that tóxic high ground mentality that people on power Places like him uses, pushing your workers to the extreme in a lot of occasions while getting away with His own petty reasons (like His rivalty with wunch), Amy was awfully competitive just like Jake, Gina was...well..idk what It was Gina but was basically the opposite to a good worker, Terry had to cover a lot of shit of His coworkers and even with good intentions he was the enabler of all the things His squad got away, just naming examples about the whole show not adressing the sloppyness of the 99squad, if Jake was the only disruptive member of the group i would agree, but this was basically the office in another environment, we could argue about the whole tóxic behaviours in the office but theres a reason people laughs with Michael scott even in His worst like bullying Toby, at the end of the day a mainly commedy show would ignore or accomodate certain traits to make funny interactons (like rosa threatening to hurt people, in a reality pov she would be expelled in season 1 and seing as an asshole but in b99 its just a quirky thrait of her character, i mean we are talking about a show that has a character like "Pimento" putting in a light way ffs

[@nont18411]

@@diegosotomiranda4107 It’s quite hypocritical that a cop who loves violence like Rosa suddenly ranted about police brutality in season 8 and quitted the job for it because “she can’t stand the system”. I don’t criticize the Office because the Office never tried to preach the audience. It wanted to show a toxic workplace and it stays that way til the end. Michael Scott is hilarious because even though he is such a terrible human being, the show made it clear that we shouldn’t take him seriously. B99, on the other hand, always tried to tell us to take it seriously and once we took it seriously and criticized some plot points, the fans will suddenly get angry and say that “it’s just a comedy”.

[@alicesophie123]

I think Jake should’ve joined Rosa in the end. A situation where he can be helping people, still doing what he loves, and he could have more flexible hours to parent.

[@AaronLockman]

Honestly I think it would've been extremely hilarious and wonderful if Season 8 had our beloved characters suddenly all working for the post office with ZERO explanation. Like not even the Archer-esque "they're drug dealers now and/or it was all Archer's coma dream." Just a full, Miracle Workers-style full reboot. And it'd basically be the same show! It'd be a fun workplace comedy with adorable characters! Sometimes there is grace in stepping back and being like "You know what? I don't actually have anything helpful to say here."

[@jbartnik1918]

I really want "Post Office Procedural" to become a new TV mainstay. "We've got a package to deliver but the address is wrong and goddammit Im gonna find the recipient"

[@valacftw]

Such a hilariously bad take haha

[@teamsabre4]

@@valacftw i know. Archer got worse after it went off the rails and became the RANDOM SHOW instead of a shadow org.

[@hooting-ton5215]

"Terry hates incorrect addresses!"

[@harrylane4]

@@valacftw archer did it well like 4 times

[@galactic85]

You know back at the height of the protests in 2020 I went back and rewatched the video John Oliver made about police militarization in the aftermath of the Ferguson protests. I left a comment about how it was insane that "we all just forgot about this until it inevitably happened again." An African American woman responded to me and kindly pointed out how flawed that comment was because black people definitely DID NOT forget about what happened in Ferguson. They did not have the luxury of 'forgetting.' When I realized what I was implying I apologized and corrected myself. Why do I bring this exchange up? Because I think so many white people In this country don't realize they have that luxury of getting to just kind of put topics like police brutality out of their minds when it's inconvenient. I was hopeful that after seeing countless videos of people being brutalized by the police we would see a tangible effort to defund the police and create new public safety alternatives and that more white liberals and leftists would step up. But In the span of a year of feel like people are already eager to forget. Ieven have a family member who worked In the criminal justice field who seemed to be coming around to the idea that the system was flawed after being rabidly defensive of Darren Wilson when Ferguson was happened. But that moment has now passed and she is back to doing what she always has done. The fact that the show "cops" is already being brought back to television makes me depressed. EVERYONE needs to remember what happened last summer. We can't allow ourselves the luxury of forgetting. That's part of why I appreciate these videos. Because It's nice to know that at least a few other people of privilege in the world still remember the events of last year and are still thinking about how the world can change.

[@skelitonking117]

why are you using "World" here? You mean "In the West". Privilege only exists in majority populations

[@YM-zf8mt]

people didn't do shit back then privileged or not they did what burn some stuff ? how is that going to change anything ? Worst is that even if they did meaningful shit most white people and even black people would spit on them because it's "too violent" or whatever while cops are literally killing people in the street, aiming at people who wouldn't stay in their homes during the "curfew" which looked more like martial law people are not ready for the change and they don't even want it, and since they don't really want shit to change they prefer to forget whatever happens if that means people are getting killed. Out of sight, out of mind

[@galactic85]

@@skelitonking117 because Policing and how it does/doesn't work and ought to work isn't just an issue that the US has to grapple with. There were lots of protests in the UK. And during the Hong Kong protests the police served the Chinese government. Questions about capitalism and Policing and the debate surrounding them isn't exclusive ti the United states.

[@drleecheesy619]

You are implying that all cops are racist which obviously isn't true. You make it seem that if you are black you are inherently at a disadvantage and the whole system needs to be changed instead of you doing work changing yourself. You talk about changes that need to be made but I'm convinced you have no clue what those changes are and if you did I would love for you to explain how giving less money to a system makes it better? Do you know what percentage of cops unjustly kill people? Surely you would know what percentage of police are bad if you want to change the whole system. I just can't believe that so many people can't think for themselves, I know you are just regurgitating what others have said because a normal human would think that better training and more funding/relocated funding would equal better police but you would rather tear the entire system down with no clear evidence that it will work at all. If facts tell us anything it's that defunding police would not stop crime or poverty but increase it as it already has. The less police you have, the more rampant crime becomes especially in low income areas. I live in between two murder cities and you would think they would have more cops but that is not the case, they have such shitty local government that their funding is allocated to lots except for more training or more personnel. The fact that you think having the show Cops on television is bad shows you lack critical thinking. Is it better to show how police do their job and how to and how not to interact with police or is it better to shelter the public from the police point of view and dehumanize them even more. If you don't understand that having cops on tv is a good and educational thing then you are too far gone. Keep thinking the country with the most opportunity is keeping you down and keep doing nothing with that opportunity. I'm sure you will end up doing well in life and won't regret living a hateful resentful life that blames invisible racism for all of your problems.

[@screamingbanshee1282]

@@drleecheesy619 Its not about having less cops,it's about punishing officers if they do something wrong and not letting them get away with

[@Tacom4ster]

Darn I was hoping for Paw Patrol finally

[@galactic85]

It's a patreon goal. He'll do it once enough people start donating.

[@moleperson]

I’ve got great news

[@KarlyPerkins]

I do wonder if part of the reason the show didn't change that much was because they knew this would be the last season. Reinventing a show in the last season doesn't make very much sense (as much as I would have liked to see that!)

[@tim290280]

Sometimes we expect the most from the shows/media that are trying the hardest, while expecting nothing from the shows/media that go out of their way to be wrong/bad. But we don't drag the bad shows/media into the realms of acceptable by accepting "okay" or "trying" from shows like Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Blue Bloods can only exist when B99 isn't raising the bar higher than BB's can jump.

[@dwc1964]

The purpose of criticism is to point out flaws and shortcomings in hopes of correcting them. One must criticize one's allies, comrades, and self, with that goal always in mind. One does not criticize one's enemies - one fights them.

[@antonioscendrategattico2302]

@@dwc1964 That's fair, but you still have to keep in mind that it's not a good idea to make being your ally objectively more inconvenient than being your enemy, if you can help it. Of course doing the right thing is often inherently harder in a way you have no control over, there's not much you can do because of that, but still.

[@jonsmith9838]

@@antonioscendrategattico2302 Think it all giving critiques where critiique are do. And giving credit where Credit are do. And picking your battles and when to fight them, Like I do a recycling drive, or Rally...and my friend drives there to help. I am not calling him a piece of shit for driving not driving electric car or stopping by Mcdonald to sweet tea that happens to have a plastic straw. Its counter productive

[@antonioscendrategattico2302]

@@jonsmith9838 I agree.

[@chromaticcaos]

I think a lot of your missed opportunities just couldn't fit in an 8 episode season that also had to be the final season.

[@sawkchalk6966]

I was so surprised how short it was

[@hoottwoot6690]

I really feel like they could’ve done a lot more to resolve the show and address everything if they just had more episode time :/

[@diegosotomiranda4107]

@@hoottwoot6690 I think the show was víctim of its own origin and just catched too late, its just so clear that the show was basically a wacky sitcom that put here and there social issues just for plot and character development, but fáiled to adress their character flaws cause they were Made with commedy in mind not drama or tensión, in remember seing the 1st seasons and was uncomfortable how principally Jake, Rosa and Gina got away with so much bs for the sale of a joke, a lot of times Jake being an asshole but at the end being right erased a lot of impact about His previous actions, the same with rosa, a lot of times she punching someone for nothing was the "joke" and following the chapters they even doubled down of that just looking the same effect like "ahh rosa being rosa", and a lot of moments through the series you have this "sacrifice" a joke in echangement for adressing the real consequences, Holt became wrose through mid series when a lot of times he got away with petty reasons and His personal conflicts using His whole squad to His own benefits (His problems with Kevin, and His rivalty with wunch) and i could go on and on, using Hitchcock creepy remarks as commedy moments etc, its a show that wasnt planned to take care about hot topics in a serious or realístic ways, and i mean hot topics like police brutality, not Holt being gay and a chief officer cause while It uses real life events and adressed them, its nowhere as controversial as blm or the "deffund the police" discusion we have nowadays

[@hoottwoot6690]

@@diegosotomiranda4107 I agree

[@nont18411]

@@diegosotomiranda4107 - Jake loves arresting people without warrant. - Rosa’s habit of violence against anything or anyone that upsets her. And she is easily upset. - Amy sabotaging Jake’s therapy by setting up fake shrink for him. - Holt loves throwing the squad under the bus for the sake of having a problem with Kevin or his rivalry with Wuntch while conveniently casting all the blame onto Jake. - Hitchcock creepy remarks. - Gina’s constant sexual harassment on Terry. Only Scully, Boyle and Terry never commit atrocities and do you know how the show solved these problems? They just passed all the blame and gave all the consequences to Jake because Jake is a straight white male so making him the bad guy wouldn’t alienate the fans.

[@joepapa1189]

I think Rosa shouldn’t have been the one who quits. Because she’s been significantly brutal and angry throughout the entire show. It seems like she’s getting worried not because she’s “done pretending, and looking the other way” but more that she’s only caring because she feels she’s at risk. If they wanted someone to quit the force, Terry! There’s been an episode of him getting profiled, he’s a dad and has constantly shown worried for them, and in the beginning of the show he was traumatized of his mortality and of guns. I feel like he would’ve been a better option. He quits because he sees that Amy can see that she can do his job, that he’s worried for the future of his daughters and won’t help the system which might one day hurt his little girls. I think he would’ve been a better option for that. And honestly, Terry was kinda on the way out. Like yes, he become the next captain but Amy was very much starting to creep in on his role. I think Terry would’ve been a good way to be a wise sage. He’s retried and uses his years on the force to help his colleagues, which they tend to do by showing unexpectedly. Have Rosa be the one who has to face how brutal she’s been over the years, not having Jake wonder “oh damn, am I bad?”. Because Rosa has been shown as a violent and angry cop throughout all of the career we’ve seen.

[@Caitlin_TheGreat]

As an alternative to "Defund the Police" I've always liked "Replace the Police" wherein the focus would be on funding and organizing mental health professionals, therapists, social workers, community organizers, de-escalation specialists, and so on to be the responders in the majority of instances that police are called (where armed enforcers are actually the worst choice). Also "Replace the Police" has a nice flow to it. And moving funding from police to the services that would replace them is an intrinsic part of it. Properly funding schools and social programs (such as for food and housing) would likewise be a massive improvement and make most _crimes_ vanish as the underlying motivations would disappear. Beyond that, decriminalizing a good number of things would likewise help a lot in curbing the progression towards violent crimes (wherein a person is lead into committing violent crimes out of desperation as a result from all the _punishments_ for minor and non-violent crimes that leave people with no other way to better their lives or get by).

[@RealLukeWilson]

Yeah, “defund the police” as a phrase never really sat right with me, almost like it’s a bland PR term coined by those who oppose it. Not only does it sound way too similar to “defend the police,” but it also evokes an all-or-nothing ideology that might mislead less informed people to think its proponents desire lawlessness rather than a massive reallocation of funds. “Replace the police” does sound nice…

[@lazulitrueblue]

Pardon my questioning, but what do you think Defund the Police fully entails? This is me genuinely wondering, because your alternative relates to Defunding the Police. The point is that we sink too much money into the police, and not even for stuff like actually teaching them proper conflict resolution and how to properly treat those with mental health conditions. By calling to defund the police, many folks want to invest these funds into various possibilities, like your alternative, or even in ways to properly create a decent police force. That’s the real intentions of Defunding the Police, not just simply taking away money from them, or get rid of law enforcement as a whole like many want us to believe. It’s like how folks misunderstand ACAB, we’re not saying all cops necessarily are bad people in their own right, but that they all participate in a system that is fundamentally built on oppression, violence, and power trips, therefore making them a part of the problem. Tl;dr: Your alternative really isn’t an alternative to Defund the Police, more like what we should do after defunding the police.

[@swiftxrt]

@@RealLukeWilson agreed. talking about "defunding" just handed the right-wing a box of ammo to use against us. should've called it "police improvements" in fact, we lefties could really learn a thing or two about messaging from the far-right. Like, how when they pass a bill intended to attack a minority, they dont call it the "payback against the dirty poors bill" they call it the "economic fairness bill".

[@casteanpreswyn7528]

@@lazulitrueblue yes and no. That is what *a lot* of people who say "defend the police" want, however, many of us that are further to the left than socdems want the police to be ebolished entirely and for law enforcement to no longer exist, in its current incarnation. You cannot reform a class that exists solely to destroy and oppress the middle and lower classes, you cannot fix the problems with the system. Its literally impossible. No person signs up to be a cop without the knowledge that they will, eventually, be required to work against their own interests and destroy the lower classes. And they sign up willingly, without concern for what the system is inherently meant to do. Policing exists as an extension of slave catchers, and acts accordingly. Do not forget, slavery still exists in the US, explicitly, as an extension of our justice system. There is no reform for the entirety of the system, only destruction of said system to better the lives of every citizen. Any other stance is a tacit endorsement of class warfare against the lower classes and slavery.

[@skelitonking117]

sounds like a lot of useless people who'll simply end up shot to me lmfao but yea skippy, you go ahead and call that PSW on the guy trying to kill you

[@canadianguy7291]

It would've been so much more interesting if the season took more of a focus on Rosa, her working cases for people that put her in direct conflict with her former coworkers and make them question who and what they serve. Maybe have one of Amy's officers commit a crime that Rosa investigates and keep this plot of unraveling the die hard cop idea he has in his head. When he harasses the man and is let off the hook because of the unions have a scene with him and Rosa talking about it and her pointing out how this is the exact type of thing she would be hired to investigate further hammering home the idea that Jake was the bad guy in this situation. Don't make the show about celebrating how these guys are the good cops fighting against the bad ones but instead about how good officers will do bad things with justification but it doesn't matter since they are meant to be better than that. Similar to how Charles was performative in his activism, we known him and understand that's just him but we also know that isn't right. Idk how the season could've ended nor how to continue these ideas but more so focusing on why people distrust cops, why cops can be bad even if they claim to be good and how the system is built in a way to keep these officers in their positions of power. Ultimately they should have focused on how the power the police hold can corrupt and they need to seriously grapple with these concerns.

[@heylol_.]

!!

[@sallyjrwjrw6766]

That seems like a great idea for a cop drama

[@kaisim3428]

I mean with jake I feel like him choosing to be a stay at home dad shows that its not about him being a detective. he realised that amy has a chance to make large scale change and that he wants to help with that by putting her career over his own. but then again its not explicitly said thats just how I interpreted it

[@kanojo1969]

Being less charitable, I would say this season was actually more effective copaganda than ever before. it shows a police force being honest with themselves, acknowledging the problems, and trying to fix them. This is all lies. The near-universal reaction by actual police has been to dig in, call themselves the real victim, and pull the spoiled-child tricks of blue-flu and deliberate slowdowns. If you wanted the audience of b99 to think their protests had some effect, and police were taking things seriously and really trying to improve, you'd write episodes exactly like those highlighted in this video.

[@guy-sl3kr]

I agree. This is just a modern version of old copaganda, a way to relieve white audiences of any guilt they may have about supporting the police by portraying cops as anything other than what they actually are. I have no doubt that white liberals will watch this show and come away feeling like they made a difference in the world

[@magica3526]

it's an impossible problem to solve, really. you can't show that your main characters are complicit in a system that benefits them and harms everyone else without making it unenjoyable to watch

[@nont18411]

But hey since we’ve got an ending which a male lead had to give up his job to further the female lead’s career, that means the show is extremely progressive, right? Girl power!

[@magica3526]

@@nont18411 amy's a character whose main motivation is her career. Jake's arc has been about growing up and becoming more responsible

[@nont18411]

@@magica3526 I think you are missing the point here. I just made fun of how the show did little to nothing to address these police issues but it was smart and manipulative enough to coat itself as “progressive” by having the ending with the woman of color getting everything she wants to appease the fans (since Amy is #1 fan favorite) while the structural problem about police force remains the same. Don’t say that it barely touched the issue because it’s a comedy. It chose to touch the issue so it should’ve been fully committed to it. Instead, what we got was a very half-assed and contrived season that was saved by the finale.

[@harrypothead42024]

Police Union protection was a prevalent point of discussion in NYPD Blue. Everytime sipowicz or somebody sipowicz liked was going to get in trouble for doing something illegal they talked about how the union would cover them.

[@nebulathenebulous]

yeah, as much as i enjoyed season 8, it definitely wound up fumbling. i kept thinking it would end with jake leaving the force BOTH because he wanted to be there for his kid in a way his own dad never was for him, AND because he was being confronted with the corruption of the system and his own complicity in it--for that matter, i had half expected the entire cast to eventually leave the force one way or another due to their own realizations. ah, well. great video overall!

[@DavisGSee]

I think you're, maybe, slightly unfair with regards to Jake's arc. He comes into the show with a hero complex, seeing policing as a way to place himself in the shoes of his favourite action heroes. This season, he sees firsthand the way policing can actually harm rather than save, and even enacts harm himself. In the Doug Judy episode, his heroic act is in direct opposition to his role as a cop, and the other meaningful thing he does is save the relationship of his surrogate father. I think these, combined with dealing with his issues with his own father over the course of the series and then finally becoming a dad himself, deconstruct his vision of heroism and ultimately replace it with a version of doing good that is more about nurturing, which culminates in him quitting the force to be a full-time dad. I do wish his decision got a more explicit nod to more justice-based reasons to have a change of heart about policing, and though I never expected everyone to leave the force to become postal workers, I was very disappointed that so many characters never seem to grapple with whether or not to stay cops at all. But I know that it is easier to tell stories about individuals than about systems, and was pleased that, examining Jake's arc over the course of the entire series, it seems to become about dismantling the idea of cops as heroes at least philosophically, if not literally.

[@nont18411]

Consequences only exist for Jake. The other characters can do bad things and they could walk away just fine.

[@jonsmith9838]

@@nont18411 Well Jake is the main character, so consequences for him would have bigger impact in the short time they have to tell

[@nont18411]

@@jonsmith9838They rushed the ending. With the material they have, they could extend to season 9 episode 9 (you know, 99). Speaking of consequences, I’m not talking about giving characters repercussion in the span of just only season 8. These characters should learn from their mistakes since season 6 or 7. For example, Gina’s sexual harassment on Terry or Rosa’s habit of violence. These two traits were never addressed to the respective characters. Instead, they were addressed to Jake. Gina harassing Terry? Give Jake some lesson about how to treat women better. Rosa loves threatening people? Let’s give Jake a scenario that he scares a civilian even though it ruined his development in the previous seasons.

[@jonsmith9838]

@@nont18411 Jake thing doesnt bother me because he wasn't trying to scare them. He just F'ed up. Think he meant well

[@nont18411]

@Aditya Chavarkar That’s the previous seasons I’m talking about. Jake’s development was reversed so many times.

[@diegosotomiranda4107]

In shorts words, b99 its a "safe" show that try to adress "risky" topics but falls shorts cause His own safe nature

[@blackdragon6]

Basically

[@bamzolino]

This is imo the best ongoing series of video essays on KZbin. Really incisive commentary on a niche but very relevant topic.

[@TAMThomasTAM]

I think we're ignoring the real important questions here... Are your arm tattoo of the two lines a part of a greater arm tattoo depicting the iconic comic known as "Loss"?

[@Whatsabird]

|_

[@Owesomasaurus]

My kid loves Parks and Rec and The Good Place, so have been on the fence as to whether we should watch 99. Thanks for the critiques.

[@AXel2169]

Honestly I feel like Parks and Rec is way worse. It rarely mentions cops, but the way it portrays the relationship between the state and the public is kinda scary sometimes

[@JDactal]

I mean as long as you approach B99 with having kinda eh politics it's a very funny and enjoyable show.

[@Ray_D_Tutto]

@@AXel2169 Michael Schur really feeds the audience a blue pill. Don't worry about institutions or deal with real questions, just turn your brain off and enjoy this toxic positivity dreamland. His shows are so insincere and he is such a front of the bus writer.

[@LobbsterSockrates]

in some ways i applaud them for trying by actually talking about it rather than gloss over it like a lot of other entertainment media in some ways i understand why some episodes end with no real resolution or change because...there IS no easy real life solution yet...and it's just a comedy show...sometimes all it can do is spark conversations and not try to create some arbitrary moral at the end but ya.... we needed more.... It's been a while since this show has ended now and I can see it happening again. People are forgetting that this even happened...again....

[@craxnor]

The second you mentioned the Union president an ad with John C. McKinley showed up.

[@stewiegrif1]

I've just discovered you and gotten into your videos, love your editing and delivery style. You always present the information with evidence to back up your claims, and represent the ideas in a respectful way. You are an information king 👑

[@jonthegeologist616]

Please make more Copaganda videos!!!!!! These are really well written and I would love to see your deep dive into Law and Order and 24

[@ristoravela652]

While I get where you're coming from, I would also consider the possibility that B99:s timid handling of the issue was not necessarily out of lack of commitment. For one thing, maybe they had other ideas they wanted to do, but the scripts turned out bad. Maybe they turned out bad because their whole process of writing the series was upset as they were trying implement ideas they hadn't dealt with before. Maybe they ran out of time. Not finding a way to make the scripts could explain why the season was so short. Maybe there were too many different opinions about what they should and should not be saying. It's a lot easier for one person to say "this is what I wish they would have done" than for a whole show to get on the same page over a topic that's this divisive. Maybe the issue wasn't that they were pussyfooting, maybe there were some in the crew that were so radical with what they wanted to do that it's a miracle they got anything shot. Maybe someone higher up the food chain told them to tone it down. Maybe they had more ideas, but they felt like they had the wrong characters and the wrong show for the ideas that they had, or they started to feel that they're not the right people to get up on a soap box. Point is, we don't know how things went down, and while it's okay to point out that the end result was disappointing and declare that this is an inherent issue with the whole format, I would stop before suggesting that they didn't try hard enough. Lack of execution can happen because of many other reasons than lack of motivation.

[@jonsmith9838]

also they had a short number of episodes. It was their final season and it some character arcs that need to be done. You don't want people to feel like watching the show is doing homework.

[@Sugarman96]

@@jonsmith9838 Time was absolutely the problem here. There's one aspect regarding the fact that the protests made them scrap a lot, so they probably had more of a time constraint when it came to actually writing the season. Then there's the length of the episodes and the season. 10 episodes, at a minimum of about 20 minutes per episode and not much deviation, so if some episodes go slightly above, that's about 3.5 hours worth of content. It's hard to fit all the commentary that _should_ have been in the final season in that time when the priority is to make a funny show that wraps up the character arcs set up throughout the series.

[@tlozmeowcatz7991]

@@jonsmith9838 I'm glad somebody gets it. It seems like people wanted them to abandon the concept of the show completely just to say something politically, without taking into consideration that it's the final season of a show with many beloved characters who need closure to their arcs. It's literally a comedy cop show, they handled it about the best they could. In terms of remaining consistent with it's characters, addressing important issues in a way that still works in a sitcom, and also managing to stay funny they did great, especially with the lack of time they had to wrap things up.

[@GigasGMX]

In any of the situations you’re describing, I think it would have been preferable to waste as much of The Suits’ money as possible, not actually produce anything, and let the whole thing blow up in a big media stink, rather than put everyone’s names on milquetoast drek. If you’re going down, go down swinging.

[@valacftw]

@@tlozmeowcatz7991 tbh b99 just isn't as funny anymore, since S5, maybe just me, but the characters also talk so much faster now, doesn't sound normal.

[@douglas2938]

The only funny thing here is that as soon as the season started, I kinda knew that's where it would end up, so I was only looking forward to its inevitable end and this video. 🙃 On a tangent note, I've recently watched 'Naked Singularity' because it aluded to dealing with similar issues from the justice system POV. I noticed Dick Wolf's name in the initial credits and it all fits with how the movie starts and how it ends.

[@ashdalbey4700]

I think that where Brooklyn 99 has always excelled is when they use a character journey to make political commentary, both on episodic and seasonal basis. Take for example, the Episode Moo moo, where Terry experiences institutional racism. What makes that episode so effective is that we walk through every event with Terry and we see how each effect him. I think that this could and should have been done with each character. Personally, I think that the first half should have seen Amy at home, doing a generally bad job as a mother, basically an expansion on her interaction with Boyle at the Cabin, and Jake going downhill at work. This would reach a climax mid season where Jake is suspended and Amy returns from Maternity. From there, Amy would then deal with leadership issues as a sergeant, particularly related to her officers needing guidance, and having issues with racist and anti-vax officers. Having dealt with these, she introduces her police reform bill alongside Holt. We would also hopefully see their bill in full as it is cross examined by higher command. In parallel, instead of being bored in his suspension, we see Jake really embrace being a father, possibly with his father coming to visit to give a direct parallel. This would then hopefully lead to an ending where Amy staying in the NYPD is the best thing morally and personally for her. Jake in turn realizes that not returning and being a stay at home dad is the best thing for him for the same reasons. The end result being that instead of the season being loosely connected events, there is a story with a central theme of being where you can best help. I would say they should have cut the Holt Kevin story line. Since we don't actually see what broke them up, a lot of it bleeds into melodrama. I think they should have focused on the effect of being a black gay police captain in such turbulent times, and had Kevin more as a supporting character rather than a cause of conflict.

[@bengallup9321]

Jacobin wrote a great article about how historically and currently, police and prison guard unions represent the interests of capital and the ruling class, and therefore act in opposition to labour and the working class.

[@guy-sl3kr]

Yup. And that's why liberal reforms will never achieve what they ostensibly set out to accomplish. If we want to put an end to police brutality we need to put an end to bourgeois rule.

[@fellinuxvi3541]

​@@guy-sl3krIt should be pointed out though, what the Jacobin puts out isn't really evidence by any sensible metric.

[@sebastienholmes548]

Jacobin is far left trash.

[@limbobilbo8743]

“There are cops who are committing crimes as well” “No U” -blue bloods

[@frankthegoblin5889]

The KZbin series I look forward to seeing the most. Keep it up. Just replying for the algorithm I don't have much to add besides recommending everyone read "The Color of Law" and "One Person, No Vote" if you're interested in educating yourself further on the subject.

[@salkjshaweoiuenvohvr]

PLEASE SKIP INTO LOOK INTO COMRADE DETECTIVE. THE ENTIRE SHOW IS PERFECT FOR THE COPAGANDA SERIES!

[@oasntet]

The NYPD work stoppage resulting in better outcomes for everybody was straight out of the headlines of the day. I'm a little amazed that fact didn't get more coverage at the time; at the height of the effort to defund, there was loud, uncontroversial proof that reducing the size of the NYPD and reducing police presence in the community was a good thing, actually.

[@hogofthefuture]

Why is it surprising?

[@joshplaysdrums2143]

Damn, Dr. Cox is a great casting for that role! Also great video again!!!

[@JohlBrown]

I downloaded this series over 4g to watch outside reception. Thanks for the quality content

[@hypocreale]

I remember having to watch a couple seasons of Blue Bloods for a project and the shots fired through this whole series have been truly cathartic. I'll also admit to being a little surprised by the cast, crew, list of directors, like. I get that a job's a job and steady work for actors especially is a one in a million shot, but I still kinda gotta look at some of them and think 'hey did you by any chance happen to read the script you were shooting 'cause--'

[@vbarreiro]

Honestly, I feel like the tone set was perfect. It wasn’t the place for a full-on policy meeting. They brought a lot of issues that are rarely talked about and it was always in the background to the stories. They were as heavy-handed as I believe was possible without sacrificing the comedy. Would it have been possible to explain in detail every issue of IRL policing? Probably. Is it possible to do that while still being a comedy and without sacrificing its plot, entertainment values, and ratings? I don’t believe so. It felt heavy-handed as it was, any more and it would have likely alienated viewers.

[@chuisii]

I watched the whole season last week and, as the last episode ended, I immediately thought of this series. This was a great take as usual

[@ttaaddoo111]

Thank you for chewing through my favourite sit-com! I really could have used to know about the uncut version on Nebula in the beginning so that I wouldn't have to sift through it afterwards :/

[@arnoldfreeman2885]

The last time I with watched a Skip Intro episode about B99, I woke up extra early and ate a peanut butter and sugar sandwich. And today, I’m about to do the exact same thing. Weird how that worked out.

[@e.liz.ab3th]

I was hoping you'd look at Brooklyn 99 again after its final season!

[@mizjulio]

This series is interesting and it's sort of cool as you did it, we got to see what changed over the course of one show

[@StNick119]

Thanks for the FD Signifier recommendation!

[@StNick119]

I watched his video on Bo Burnham's Inside, and it was a great analysis that helped me appreciate it even more.

[@GenuineMartin]

On the topic of police unions in media; I think I was first introduced to them by a plot line in Homicide: Life on the Street where, in the process of investigating a police shooting (the kind where the police does the shooting), the detectives kick a hornet's nest by asking for every officer on the scene to turn in their gun for ballistics analysis. If memory serves the cordial buddy-buddy demeanor of the patrolmen evaporates at this point. The officers refuse on this, refuse on everything else, and do everything through their union lawyer who also refuses to give the homicide department anything. The plotline ends at an impasse, the detectives know that *someone* in that alley did it but are blocked at every turn by their bosses and the union. Naturally the show goes out of it's way to make the detectives the good guys (oh hey there Andre Braugher), but it was still a pretty bleak look at the impossible job of policing the police.

[@JH-yj5hw]

The schuverse is all about incrementalism

[@yukihime18]

Actually, Eric Adams has only won the democratic mayoral primary so far. He is supposed to be facing Curtis Sliwa, the republican nominee in the general election on November 2. Adams has a high chance of winning according to some polls but we will have to wait and see.

[@mattpiers4589]

I enjoy this series. Glad you’ve kept doing it for last year.

[@podemosurss8316]

18:40 Headcanon that the captain of Brooklyn 99 forced them all to get vaccinated with one of his stares and they complied.

[@Lunacorva]

Brooklyn 99 has never shied away from the problems in American police. From the profiling, to the rampant corruption, the show has alays made it clear that while the 99 may be good people, there is a massive problem with American police as a whole. Now, I believe that if the 99 existed in the real world, they would have gone to direct war against the American police when said police started shooting protesters and assaulting reporters. But presenting an idealised view is actually a GOOD thing. By showing this idealised view of what the American police SHOULD be like, it actually serves to further criticise the real world American police. Showing a standard they are failing to live up to. Idealism in fiction is necessary. Showing what the world can be, nay, what it SHOULD be, is just as important as showing what it currently is.

[@ecclestonpaul1]

Does anyone else with Skip Intro on 1.25x? Great work as always.

[@MrGruzefix]

Nah. They just payed more lip service to issues, but the show was never great a dealing with heavy issues. I agree with the ideas, but i had to groan a few times while watching the first two episodes, because they tried so hard to hit all the right points that it came of as trying too hard. But props to Dr. Cox, he is still fun. And to the Hitchcock misdirect.

[@sawkchalk6966]

I've seen a lot of people talk about how the show sometimes has a very "after school special" approach to it's morals where after 20 mins they will plainly state what the takeaway is supposed to be and kind of leave it there. The only times there's a consistent throughline is with interpersonal drama like with Amy's journey of becoming a Mom

[@MrGruzefix]

@@sawkchalk6966 yeah. Being talked down to by a comedy show about silly cops feels annoying even when you are a fan of the show. Even without the heavy context, I can do without telling instead showing. We have eyes and it's not that complicated to understand. Sexual harassment bad. Profiling too. Got it. If you wont present it in a way a Trumpfan would listen to and understand, I have to assume most people watching will already get the point. I've done a few watchthroughs since it started (background noice and movement after the first one) and I skip those episodes every time.

[@alphabettical1]

Thank you for making this video, and for making it so quickly, while people are more likely to have interest in B99. I stopped watching B99 for copaganda almost simultaneously to when my mom and siblings decided (after years of thinking I was too focused on the rep possibilities in the show and not checking it out in case it was as progressive as I hoped it could be, which it wasn't) to check it out. The alignment of them deciding to watch after I went 'B99 bad' was disheartening but expected. It kind of in a round about way made my mom watch more gay rep than ever before - which is saying something considering I'm expecting to be closeted until my parents die. So I gotta say, after seeing them watch the new season out of the corner of my eye, I'm glad to hear from this video that it wasn't as bad as it could've been. It wasn't as good as it could've been either, but the fact that something other than myself is introducing, albeit vaguely, some of these ideas to my family means they will give the ideas the fair shot that they aren't when I'm saying them. And that's still important to me because I'm basically sitting around waiting to see if my 14 year old youngest sister, who loves B99, will be bigoted or not. I used to be close to her and want her in my life, but at a certain point I won't be able to maintain an honest friendship while pretending to be someone I'm not. And it's especially hard to tell where she lies compared to the rest of my family because we're brown, so everyone except my dad (who is white and also a bit of a dick) does acknowledge the racism in our lives and thus should be open to ideas that look to tear racism down.

[@nisoZ]

Brilliant work! Thank you so much for all the effort you put in your Copaganda series!!

[@dixel2047]

Love these videos

[@yasielromero8236]

Can't believe this channel has less than 100k subs. Deserves way more. Awesome video as always Jackson

[@lifefindsaway7875]

Season 6 of Lucifer deserves a follow up episode! They tackled a lot of issues head on

[@juniperlista9306]

You've given an excellent presentation on the subject, good job!

[@rabnerd28]

"If not Brooklyn 99, then who?" Is this the right time to explain the 9-1-1 fandom? Not that the show does anything with it most of the time, but really what did I expect from a show on Fox.

[@ladygrey4113]

Honestly with 911 I only really like the fire fighters from the show. It kinda tries to say things about law enforcement.

[@empty-ohs6182]

I love 911's absurdity so much. It feels a lot like lucifer in the sense that the police parts are overshadowed by the drama. In this case the drama is the tsunami that floods LA or the landslide that destroys the hollywood hills.

[@haloboy217]

AW YEAH, IVE BEEN WAITING FOR THIS

[@elwynbrooks]

I do wish that Jake said something like "I don't think I like what actually being a police officer means. It was my dream job, sure, but what I wanted to be turned out to be just that - a dream. A fantasy. It's not actually helping anyone in reality. I want to focus on a new and better dream job." when talking about quitting the force. It would've fit in super easily and made that decision a bit stronger. It just felt like they were building that into his character arc all season and then the line got cut or something to focus just on the dad aspect

[@eckoschreiber]

Liked Bull and how they tackled Cough it, Some more News and Randy Rainbow's Tango Vaccine, otherwise just sad... Thx for working through all these shows and the... Police report;o)

[@Ponybloodismycoffee]

Great stuff as always!

[@thejudgmentalcat]

Dr. Cox been hitting the Kools...that voice

[@harmonyae7033]

Very excited to watch this later!

[@Dominickun24]

This video is pretty darn good. Loved much of this, especially as a trans woman of color, I think a commentary on an accessible show to most of America is not only needed but this did serious justice. However, I want to put out one big thing, Jake leaving the NYPD. I don’t think it’s as cut and dry as you make it seem. Personally I see a lot of things addressed in the dynamic between, him,Amy, and as an allegory for young officers. Jake was a detective, talented and Impressionable, but he chose to fight societal stereotypes, especially within police circles. He, the male father figure, chooses to leave a job where he would be at best, a detective solving crimes and maintaining the current status quo. Breaking a Cats Cradle scenario and opting to take an active role in trying to teach their child and raise them, while their wife, takes on a promoted role where she can potentially have more overall influence in police reform and actual by the book policing. Jake, like Rosa, finds a way to dispense a form of justice, social justice. True reform starting with one person on one person. No other way to end this comment other than a good old fashioned, NINE NINE.

[@jaywinner328]

I don't mind the other characters remaining cops. Holt has been pretty vocal about making change from within the system and I suspect the others believe that too. No matter how crooked the police may be, the 99 remained fairly clean. Interestingly enough, the worst offenders are probably Rosa followed by Jake.

[@LordofBroccoli]

Will you do a video on The Punisher?

[@galactic85]

I am a patron. So far he has not indicated any plans to do so but I'm still hoping he will.

[@LectionARICCLARK]

Glad you revisited this show. It's useful to see where this public conversation has gone so far and where it's probably going. As an abolitionist it's been rough watching how fast our media backepedaled on this.

[@bleachitwhite]

was super interested to see what your commentary would be, and this vid didn’t disappoint!

[@certifiedvampgf]

A strange thought I had: I think it would've been worthwhile to develop Jake in his relationship with Sophia (which I actually prefer to Jake and Amy). Although the legal system is of course just as broken, I wonder how his views on policing would've changed as the partner to a defense lawyer in the Schurverse. Dating "the enemy" could've really been an interesting turn for him.

[@certifiedvampgf]

@Karina Lumen That's why I acknowledged that in my comment. Probably would've been too big of a topic to handle in a sitcom like B99, but it sure would've been interesting.

[@FinickyVoid]

Rewatching videos is so important! Not only do I remember points I'd forgotten, but I can also correct my mistakes... apparently I didn't leave a like last time?! Please... forgive me! Lol great work friend

[@americanbookdragon]

Welp, this was the video that made me finally get Nebula. Kudos.

[@itsbattleroy]

Just a suggestion but maybe you could do the show psych? Also great episode as per usual, you've helped me analyze the shows I watch better

[@AlexBermann]

In many ways, Brooklyn 99 feels like a "what if" much more than other cop shows. It shows a precinct where everyone is a good person. Not everyone is actually good at their job and the characters are not without serious flaws, but the 99 is pretty different from any actual police stations. I think the final season made good use of that. Amy and Captain Holt push for reforms which works because the whole 99 is on their side. Peralta messes up and declines the opportunity to escape consequences. I read this as: "this is what the police could do if they weren't the way they are". Even in this reading, the officers at the 99 still are part of the problem - which is a pretty strong statement since the portrayal is escapist fantasy already...

[@zannis5441]

it is a good modern what if escapist fantasy

[@RealLukeWilson]

A couple friends and I actually felt disgusted by the first episode of this season, which felt so over the top as to be pandering and ingenuous. And the second episode just reaffirmed that for us, when it looked like Rosa’s role in the show would shift toward being the butt of the joke; and that this presumably progressive take on policing was still anti-drug, even legal and relatively harmless ones. (Rosa even has a prescription, but she abuses her dosage for recreational use and behaves in a way that marijuana can’t make you feel. Amy being a silent dissenter is framed as being the rational response.) The season got better, but it left a bad taste in my mouth, and I almost boycotted the remainder of the series.

[@nont18411]

The worst thing B99 did is that it keeps throwing Jake under the bus to deflect any criticism of the other characters, such as Amy, Gina, Rosa and Holt.

[@diegosotomiranda4107]

Tbh i think they did the lazy way, In one season It would be nearly impossible More character development to every character on the show to justify a "change of heart" when you had a least 6 seasons stating their character traits, like Gina complete lack of care about other needs (usually backing her up with some twist that erased her tóxic behaviours just cause shes was "right") or rosa violent and rude acts that leds to a lot of illegal things and using her power as a cop to get away with a lot of her mistakes, Amy being excesive competitive nature, Holt hipocrisy, etc, so Lets just use the protagonist as a punching bag and change His heart to justify the message cause its More Easy and people would focus on him

[@nont18411]

@@diegosotomiranda4107 Jake is a true punching bag of the show. I think one of the main reasons was that he is a straight white guy so giving him flaws would be ok while Holt, Amy, Rosa and Gina are either women or people of color so giving them some flaws might alienate the fans and make the show “less progressive”. Now look at how the show throwing Jake under the bus for these characters Gina: Sexually harassed Terry for years, knowing that he already have a wife and kids. The show: Made an entire #metoo episode to teach a lesson for *Jake* because Jake made an insensitive comment about sexual harassment in the cold open (a stupid but honest mistake) so Amy needs to lecture him to treat women better. This same Amy tried so hard to get an approval from Gina by the way. Holt: Was petty about Captain Kim taking his position so he teamed up with Jake to undermine her. The show: Punish only Jake while letting Holt off the hook because he “had so much going on” while Jake deserves to be chastised because he’s “childish”. Rosa: Love using violence. She had a habit of destroying precinct properties like printers, mouses and glass. She also loves threatening people with knife and axe. She even once had a fantasy about murdering Melanie Hawkins in prison. The show: Portrayed every single violent act from Rosa as “badass”. Had Jake being the one who scared off a civilian instead even though it ruined his character growth since season 5. Never once address that Rosa needs therapy by this kind of attitude and also let her off the hook when she used drug for recreational purpose. Amy: Faking a therapy session for Jake just to win the heist. Even though she knows that Jake is mentally unstable. The show: Brush it off as her “overly competitive” nature (even though it’s harmful as hell and these two are somehow regarded as the healthiest TV couple). But whenever Jake used his money irresponsibly, it’s very childish and there were consequences for him like Nutriboom or getting scammed by Terry and Amy.

[@EnanoPancracio]

Rosa being on weed is played up for TV, real weed high is rarely as funny from the outside, so that makes sense. But I don't think the show portrayed it as a bad thing, Amy's disapproval is more played as her being "boring" and a killjoy which is a characterization the show has given her for years, than her being the rational one to be afraid of drugs.

[@nont18411]

@@EnanoPancracio And what really upsetting is that once the show did it right about “boring Amy”, it never tried to address or further develop Amy from this moment again. Instead, it just ruined her character growth just for a joke. For context, there were two relating moments about Amy that made her such a great character (and a great love interest). In S3E14, Jake told Amy that he cannot have sex with her in a car because it reminds him of how his dad cheated on his mom. Amy was so bummed about it but she understood. That’s why in S5E19, Amy was the only one in bachelorette party who never did it in a car. Rosa and Gina thought that it’s because Amy is boring but in fact, it’s because she really cared about Jake so she didn’t want to hurt his feelings. Then season 7 happened, this caring Amy was gone and was replaced by an inconsiderate Amy who was comfortable at setting up a fake therapy session for Jake.

[@MsOopsiDaisy]

I like, will watch more later, thanks for content

[@hoodiegod6115]

Dude your show is really dope

[@meganb4432]

I hope you will do an episode on 'the rookie'.

[@Donteatacowman]

Although I feel like the point is true, I don't know that I agree with the reasoning for why the police unions are bad but labor unions are good. If "enforcer of capitalism" is the standard, then Amazon workers (who are employed by a mega-corporation near-monopoly that regularly violates basic ethics) would be bad too. I think that analogy makes the issue clearer though. Police may be serving the public and controlled by a bigger system than themselves, but that's true for Amazon warehouses too. If police unions operated like labor unions, the focus would be on making sure that cops are treated fairly by the police chiefs - no unpaid overtime, regular breaks, living wage, equal pay. It wouldn't be about making all cops everywhere be treated better than the general public.

[@guy-sl3kr]

Are you saying that the person delivering packages is the same as the person shooting minorities and arresting protesters?? Participation ≠ enforcement. The role that police play in capitalist society is to uphold the rule of the owning class. Labor unions exist to fight on behalf of the working class. That's the difference.

[@NoFirstNoLastName]

I think a lot could have been done to make this season great and send the message that yes, we need to defund the police, reduce the amount of cops and replace them with people who can help defuse situations, not escalate them. Instead of Rosa just quitting, she could have reflected over her own behavior, and left to pursue activism because she knew she shouldn’t be a cop. She says nothing because she has no place to. Jake could have realized that his days of counting arrests in a contest was cruel, and making interrogation rooms uncomfortable is not right or fair to what is at the time innocent suspects. If he wanted to quit to be a dad, fine, but he still needed to look at how he treated his job. Same for Amy. Terry and Holt would be the perfect pairing to try and discuss defunding and reform, because they both faced discrimination and realize that if it weren’t for their positions, things could be a lot worse for them. Holt could hire more social workers and therapists instead of cops and Terry always wanted to have a safer job. They also could reflect on how they treated criminals in shades of either black or white. Gina actually was not a bad detective, despite certain oddities. She had an insight with how the public viewed cops, she understood that criminals would be better off serving a purpose that helps them (the hacker guy) and keeps them out of trouble, she had a charisma that helped with undercover work. She doesn’t need a gun, but instead could be an analyst. Ending the show with more social workers, therapists etc. and the characters talking about what they did wrong and why it’s time to go would be the best outcome. And call it cheesy, but ending the episodes with support for defunding as well as the reasoning behind it would be a great way to show support. It’s the ONLY way to make this all work.

[@subotnai1]

This was a pleasure to watch

[@paulapierrot9542]

I know you finished your copaganda series, but I would really love to hear your take on "Manifest".

[@DannyPhantomBeast]

“Disarm the police” might work better than “defund.”

[@geekgroupie42]

when I was young I used to think just coz a few cops are bad doesn't mean they all are now I'm grown I think just coz a few cops are nice doesn't mean Police are good

[@alexeasey4492]

God damn you did a good job on this video

[@Gibbypastrami]

I love brooklynn 99, and I went into it knowing it wouldn’t reflect my values in policing, in that it would focus on comedy instead of social reform, the moments where it did I appreciated, but honestly I wish this show had been a fictional police force so that they can be more adaptive with how they handle social issues and not be referencing a real department and it’s history

[@nocontextwhatever]

John McGinley is perfection 🙌

[@trumanway3763]

Larry Lawton put it really when he watched the George Floyd video, he said " if this what there doing on camera. Imagine what they are doing off camera"

[@gus8892]

I love copaganda its soo intresting!!!

[@ernestoagapitogarcesconyad1710]

Lucifer needs a follow-up video too I think