Of all the wild, off-the-wall moments that make me smile in Brooklyn Nine-Nine, it’s Andre Braugher’s bone-dry delivery as Captain Raymond Holt that still makes me laugh the hardest. In a traditional police procedural, Holt would fit right in thanks to how straight-up Braugher plays the character. Although his squad does rub off on him more and more as the sitcom progresses, Holt never strays all that far from the stoic commanding officer he’s introduced as.
I don’t say that as a bad thing, either. While most of what he does isn’t objectively funny, it becomes that way because of how fully surrounded he is by far more cartoonish, but equally great performances from the rest of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine cast. It’s this juxtaposition of gravitas and irreverence that makes the show so great, and allows Captain Holt to shine brightly as the show’s comical crown jewel. While he has too many straight-faced moments that incite hysterics to name, one of them has always stood out to me, and it doesn’t get mentioned anywhere near enough.
Holt Inviting Rosa To Try “Kevin’s Famous Rice” Is Far Funnier Than It Gets Credit For
Several moments from the show have worked their way into the zeitgeist via memes, GIFs, and just fans hurling quotes at each other. However, Holt’s attempt to lure Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) over to his house so he and Kevin (Marc Evan Jackson) can meet her new girlfriend has everything I love in a Brooklyn Nine-Nine gag. It skirts around a genuinely emotional subplot by drowning it in absurdist comedy that barely feels like a joke at all.
Season 6’s “The Therapist” once more showcases Holt’s hilarious fondness for bland food, adding Kevin’s famous rice to other Holt classics such as plain toast. It’s one thing for Holt to appreciate the complete lack of flavor in what sounds like one of his husband’s specialty dishes, but to also genuinely expect Rosa to be tempted by the offer of what must be just plain boiled rice doubles down on his social tone-deafness in a way that’s wholesome and endearing.
Although she initially rejects Holt’s invitation, Rosa accepts later in the episode.
If that’s not enough, the flashback to Holt being judgmental “mere seconds ago” offers up a more conventionally funny moment. Finally, the icing on the cake is the one-sided phone call between Holt and Kevin where the captain has to break the news that two of the four portions Kevin had specifically purchased (and pre-soaked) in advance would go to waste. Thankfully, they get some breakfast plans out of it that would be thoroughly underwhelming to literally anybody else. The very fact that this exchange triggers a verbal reminder of how much the two husbands love each other is totally on-brand, and a perfect way to end the scene. Is anyone else intrigued by how good this rice actually is?
This Scene Also Demonstrates How Well Kevin Was Used Throughout ‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’
Fox
Marc Evan Jackson only appeared in 18 episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. For context, the show produced a total of 153 installments. For the most part, it was the core group of police officers that dominated proceedings, but Kevin provided such a great insight into Holt’s personal life that he became one of the most commonly recurring supporting characters. Still, 18 episodes? Was that enough? I think it was, and let me tell you why. It’s made clear right away that Kevin’s personality is essentially a carbon copy of his husband’s.
Kevin Episodes in Every Season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Season
Appearances
1
1
2
5
3
1
4
1
5
2
6
3
7
1
8
4
That, of course, makes perfect sense. I can’t imagine Holt ending up with anyone too heavily steeped in tomfoolery. They have just enough differences to feel like distinct characters, but to call them each unique would be a bit of a stretch. So, using Kevin more frequently than the show did would have detracted from the deadpan moments Holt was always providing. One of the most creative ways the writers made it seem Kevin was around far more often than he actually was included tricks like the ones in “The Therapist.” Even though Jackson isn’t in the episode, the heavy mention of his knockout rice recipe and the conversation we know he’s having with Holt over the phone are fantastic methods of involving Kevin more prominently in Brooklyn Nine-Nine – even if only indirectly.
Release Date
2013 – 2021-00-00
Network
NBC, FOX