Brooklyn Nine-Nine has been off the air since its May 2018 S5 finale – at which point it was subsequently canceled by FOX. A brief, but incredibly passionate outcry by both fans and critics turned the tides around and the show was resurrected a day later at NBC, which picked up the series for a 13 episode sixth season, which just debuted last night.

After such a turbulent year (and with new corporate overlords at the peacock network), it was unclear if the show would survive the move between networks intact. And yet, if ‘Honeymoon’ is any indication, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is just as witty, quippy and madcap as ever in its sixth year.

The action starts up immediately after the cliffhanger that ended season five: Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) has successfully married Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) after a series of near disasters and the team is waiting with breathless anticipation on the outcome of Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher)’s bid to become the new police Comissioner of New York City. The cold open adopts a bait and switch approach as Holt confirms that he was successful, leading Jake to grab a boom box of Jock Jams, only to discover that Holt actually misread the email and Jake is left rocking out by himself.

The A plot follows Jake and Amy as they cash in their significant wedding insurance money for an upgraded honeymoon at the isolated Posadita Bonita resort in Mexico…only to discover that Holt is also there, wallowing in despair. This results in a number of comedic trio encounters: first when Holt crashes the newlyweds’ alone time (at dinner, in the pool, during a couple’s massage) and second when Jake and Amy attempt to include him in activities in order to lift his spirits so he’ll go home (these include a sensual food tasting, face masks and a couple’s bath).

Naturally things escalate when Jake discovers that Holt is returning to New York to resign, forcing Jake and Amy to tie their boss to the bed using the sex toys from Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio)’s “box of nightmares”. When a soft touch doesn’t work and their patience boils over, Amy delivers a hilariously G-rated tirade centering around the word “hoot” wherein she lambasts Holt for his behavior.

As always, the vast majority of the comedy comes courtesy of Braugher’s deadpan delivery. While depressed Holt is not quite as funny as other iterations of the character, several of his doom and gloom proclamations are chuckle worthy (I was particularly fond of his exchange with Jake about the drowning bee Holt observed, which ends with Braugher’s clipped delivery of “It did not” when Jake worriedly hopes that the insect survived).

Back at the precinct, the two B-plots juggle different concerns. The Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) / Terry (Terry Crews) storyline is relatively slight as the pair work to suss out the location of Holt’s command guide and uncover his computer password. The stakes are relatively low (the impetus concerns a briefly mentioned, but never seen drug case), but Beatriz and Crews have established a loose, supportive chemistry between their characters following Terry’s efforts to support Rosa’s love life since she came out as bisexual last season. There are also a number of amusing interjections by Gina (Chelsea Peretti) to help keep the humor levels up.

Finally, Gina’s own storyline with Boyle concerns their parents’ oft-discussed, infrequently seen marriage, which is revealed to be on the rocks (Q: is it a sitcom rule that a wedding must inevitably be followed by divorce?) As always Gina’s aloof behavior to her colleague’s distress, and more specifically the Boyle family men’s odd habits, is a great source of comedy and wraps up sweetly when it is revealed that Gina was attempting to protect both Boyle and his father from harm from her cheating mother. The route to get there, which includes Charles listing his father’s imperfections and eventually wearing an oversized paper face mask of Gina in an attempt to unlock her phone, is very amusing.

Never content to rest on a static premise, Brooklyn Nine-Nine elects to shake things up with its closing sequence. Jake and Amy return from their honeymoon to discover that Holt’s “I don’t give a hoot” efforts to combat his political rival John Kelly have resulted in all of the employees of the bottom floor of the building being moved into the Nine-Nine’s bulk room. We’ve seen these kind of gentle plot twists in earlier seasons and they typically add an extra dynamic into the proceedings without affecting the core cast or storylines too much, so it will be interesting to see which new characters and situations emerge from this latest effort.

Random thoughts:

• Holt’s impromptu decision to go to Mexico means that he must purchase all of his clothes at the local gift shop, which leaves Braugher wearing a series of ridiculous novelty t-shirts throughout the episode: What’s up, Beaches?; a fake muscle body; DTF; 1 Tequila, 2 Tequila, 3 Tequila, Floor!; and my personal favorite, Pineapple Slut. I’ll echo Jake and ask where can I buy that last one?
• Boyle’s list of reasons why Gina’s mother may have left his father include: he’s too clingy, too masculine, he overshares, he’s indecisive, he’s always crying, he wears a kimono A LOT, and he has a clinically loose pelvis.
• In case you want to break into Terry’s computer, his passwords include Bald By Choice, Peckman and MacklemoreEnthusiast. Oh Terry…
• Looking for proof that Jake and Amy truly do love each? Exhibit A: their willingness to perform sexy role play characters such as Die Hard‘s Holly Gennaro (a bit obvious, but the wig truly is great) and Melvin “Do Me” Dewey, the creator of the Dewey Decibel system
• Best word of the episode simply has to go to Jake and Amy’s G vs R rated miscommunication when she informs him that “This B needs a D in her A”, which – of course – refers to “this babe needs a drink in her arms.” Perverts
• I’m Joe by the way and I’ll be your recapper for season 6 of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. I’m very happy that the show was rescued and we’ll get to share the adventures of this crazy bunch for another season. See you next week!