SO LONG, NINE-NINE!

*might contain mild spoilers*

On the 16th of September this year, millions of fans bid adieu to their favourite show, Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The series that ran for eight seasons, had a double episode finale, strategically missing the 9/9 date. That wasn't the only let down though. A strong majority of the fans wanted the show to complete a couple of more seasons, or in the least, have more episodes in the last season. I was one of them, too. But when I finished watching the finale, I had the answer to a legitimate question:

Did Brooklyn 99 end at the right time? Yes.

Yes, it did.

Before you throw daggers at me, allow me to explain why.

You might be aware of the adage, all's well that ends well. If we look back at the countless number of shows that have run their course, you'll find a lot of disappointing endings. Very few have managed to end on a brilliant note, an example of which is another show from the Schur universe, 'The Good Place'.

Excess of anything is bad. One can keep the show running for decades, with time lapses, rebirths, supernatural twists. For instance, the Indian K-dramas (if you know, you know)! But, they lose our respect the minute we feel them being stretched for no reason. A good show is a show that maintains its consistency in terms of the plot, character arcs, production value, etc. While some shows end very abruptly, others leave us wanting more.

Brooklyn nine-nine thankfully ties up all its loose ends, leaving the viewer satisfied. Ever since NBC picked up the show overnight after fans demanded its resurrection, it was never the same. If you ever do a marathon of all its seasons, you'll notice a pattern that's so easy to miss, but when detected, is like an epiphany. It's the plot if you're still curious. Season six and onward feel relaxed and rushed at the same time. It's impossible to feel so, I know. But it does.

The focus shifted from nerve-wracking cases to the intricacies of the lives of the main characters. I don't mind watching either, because the essence of the precinct remains the same. But a lot of viewers had differing opinions, that reflected in different fandoms across the world. One might ignore that, but the show creators couldn't because it was this same fandom that had saved and resurrected them.

People demanded the show to be what it started as: a comedy-drama that revolved around the lives of people working in a police precinct. While episodes like 'He said, She said, 'Moo Moo', 'Game Night' garnered positive support, a section of people thought of the show as 'cop propaganda'. These critics advocated how the show reeked of overcompensation too at some places, along with the glorification of the system. Honestly, a viewer watching a cop comedy series wouldn't delve that deeper to extract such multi-fold aspects. However, a series of events changed that drastically.

We all remember June 2020, when the Black Lives Matter movement gained momentum after the death of George Floyd. The anti-cop stance was at a high, with people denouncing the police, the entire cop system, and of course, the rebuttal in the form of blue lives matter. I won't get into the nitty gritties of those events because we are all aware of them (if you're not, a simple Google search will help a lot). I will however tell you its impact on the show.

The pandemic was a secondary reason behind the show ends. Not that Covid stopped films or shows from being shot. The primary reason, however, seems to be this political cum social cause that I just spoke about. The cast and crew, along with the makers of the show, have addressed their concerns in many interviews over the past year. The writers found it difficult to add a sense of humour around the characters of a police precinct. They even had to rewrite the episodes because of the unexpected turn of events. I'm quite sure that was what made them end the show on the right note.

I know many haven't watched the last season, but if you get a chance to do, you'll realize why and how the BLM movement impacted the show. The story saw some drastic turns, even U-turns, with so many changes happening at the same time. I won't lie, I felt the story was forced to adapt to changes, which ruined the essence that the show started with.

Don't get me wrong, I loved the last season. So many wholesome moments that made me sob like a baby. The one thing I loved the most though, was how the creators of the show ended the story with a phenomenal finale! Lots of easter eggs to spot, revisits, reunions; it was a refreshing end that I never could've anticipated. What more could a fan have asked for, than for the show to end with a Heist? Oh yes, to have ended the show on 9/9 (I'm never letting that go, it was a perfect opportunity!!)

To sum it up, I think the show ended perfectly. Perfectly timed too. A season early, and it would've left us with many loose ends. A season later, it would've tipped towards being an unnecessarily stretched show. Kudos to the creators, the cast, and the crew for pulling off a final season in the middle of the pandemic, in the spectacular way they did.

Be prepared to cry during the finale! I can only wish for them to make one episode every year on Halloween. Ah, wishful thinking, but a fan can wish!

So long, Nine-Nine. I know you're going to repeat after me when I say — NINE-NINE!