Grab your badges and aviator glasses, your favorite Brooklyn detectives are back! After season six of NBC’s Brooklyn 99 ended May 16, 2019, fans have been eager to see the iconic flashbacks, hilarious cold opens and their favorite squad back in action. At the time of this review, nine of the expected thirteen episodes of season seven have been released. This review will contain spoilers, so reader discretion is advised.

Like previous seasons, season seven of Brooklyn 99 has dedicated several episodes to some well-known side characters. Thus far, Commissioner Madeline Wunch, Adrian Pimento and Doug Judy (the Pontiac Bandit) have all made an appearance. Madeline’s episode was useful for her character development, but Adrian and Doug’s episodes were kind of pointless.

In the cold open of episode seven, “Ding Dong,” audiences soon discover that Madeline, Captain Raymond Holt’s arch rival, has passed away unexpectedly. As her dying wish, Madeline asks Raymond to give her eulogy, which he has a near impossible time writing without severely insulting her. After a mishap with Madeline’s nephew trying to expose his hatred for Madeline, Raymond is able to deliver a proper eulogy. While he speaks, Raymond realizes that he actually respects Madeline, as competition with her turned him into the cop he is today. This episode was effective in developing Raymond’s character, and it was thoroughly enjoyable to watch.

Unfortunately, Adrian and Doug’s episodes were not as successful. Since audiences haven’t seen Adrian since season three, the show’s writers could have made his appearance entertaining and useful to the story’s plot. However, the only part of Adrian’s reappearance that is somewhat useful is his loud mouth, which reveals to Detective Charles Boyle that two of the other characters are trying to have a baby. Adrian has a rich history with various characters on the show, so his cameo should have had much more depth and meaning. The episode was no less entertaining than others, but the return of Adrian could have been used much more effectively.

Doug Judy’s episode, “The Takeback,” had a similar fate. Doug and the show’s main character, Detective Jake Peralta, have a complicated relationship. Doug has a history of criminal activity, and he constantly slips through Jake’s fingers by promising that he’s changed for the better. This duo has produced a number of iconic episodes for the show, but this one fell flat. The episode had some funny moments, but it really served no purpose. Like Adrian, Doug is a character that could have brought a great quality to his episode, but the episode’s writing prevented him from doing so.

Even though a few episodes of season seven were subpar, the rest of the season has delivered several outstanding moments. With new characters, some unprecedented family drama and a lot of jokes, Brooklyn 99 is back in full swing. I’d give it four out of five stars.