"Pontiac Bandit" is the twelfth episode of the first season of the American televisionpolicesitcom series Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It is the 12th overall episode of the series and is written by series Norm Hiscock & Lakshmi Sundaram and directed by Craig Zisk. It aired on Fox in the United States on January 7, 2014. It is the thirteenth episode to be produced but the twelfth to be broadcast. 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 and Rosa Diaz pursue a criminal known as the "Pontiac Bandit" with the help from an identity thief. Meanwhile, Charles Boyle tries to adjust to the precinct after recovering from his injury while Holt tries to get a home for two puppies. The episode was seen by an estimated 3.44 million household viewers and gained a 1.5/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. The episode received mostly positive reviews from critics, who praised Robinson's guest performance in the episode.
Plot
Charles Boyle returns to the precinct in a scooter after recovering from being shot. Rosa Diaz introduces Jake Peralta to an identity thief, Doug Judy, who has information regarding the "Pontiac Bandit," a criminal Peralta has been seeking for a long time. Judy arranges a meeting with the Bandit, and agrees to wear a wire under police surveillance. However, when Judy fails to give the police a pre-arranged sign, they raid the place, discovering the "Bandit" is actually Judy's barber. They then receive a call from Judy, who reveals himself to be the real Bandit, having staged his own escape. Raymond Holt tries to find a home for two puppies. The rest of the precinct struggles to accommodate an injured Boyle, who decides to return home until he is better and takes the dogs in to keep him company.
Reception
Viewers
In its original American broadcast, "Pontiac Bandit" was seen by an estimated 3.44 million household viewers and gained a 1.5/4 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This was a 7% decrease in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 3.66 million viewers with a 1.6/5 in the 18-49 demographics. This means that 1.5 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, third on its timeslot and ninth for the night in the 18-49 demographics, behind New Girl, The Goldbergs, The Biggest Loser, Chicago Fire, Person of Interest, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Intelligence, and NCIS.
Critical reviews
"Pontiac Bandit" received positive reviews from critics. Roth Cornet of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.8 out of 10 and wrote, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine returned with an episode that was firing on all cylinders. The show has truly hit its stride as it heads into the second half of its freshman season." Molly Eichel of The A.V. Club gave the episode an "B+" grade and wrote, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns from its winter hiatus with the sheen of its Golden Globe nominations. The show itself got a best comedy/musical nod, and Andy Samberg can now forever be known as 'Golden Globe nominee' in the best comedic actor category. Even as someone with genuine affection for the show, I saw the noms and thought, 'Really?' I fully believe in the bull-shittiness of awards in general, but the recognition for Brooklyn Nine-Nine was still a surprise." Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "The story that provides 'Pontiac Bandit' with its title was of a type I've been hoping Brooklyn would do away with for a while, as Jake again screws up for failing to listen to some clearly wise advice. But it was also so funny, and made such good use of every single member of the ensemble, plus guest starCraig Robinson, that I ultimately didn't mind that much." Aaron Channon of Paste gave the episode a 7.0 out of 10 and wrote, "'Pontiac Bandit,' despite the presence of the great Craig Robinson, is one of Brooklyn Nine-Nines weakest episodes. The best-case scenario is that, because of Peralta's lone failure, Doug Judy will become a recurring character whose sole purpose is to torment Peralta with his flirtatious bromantic ways and elusiveness."
