Elf Blood

Hey everyone! Terrible news! Fox is cancelling one of my favouritest-est shows of all time, Brooklyn 99!

Apparently it’s been suffering from poor ratings, and I just do not understand why that would be the case – it’s solidly written, with relatable and enjoyable characters, and it’s representative as all hell! My personal favourite episode is “Moo-Moo”, which tackles the “Walking-while-black” issue in US policing. I love that the central conflict isn’t whether or not the officer that stops and searches Terry is doing his job or not – it’s specifically called out for being a bad thing – but instead is a question of Black Survival. Does Terry raise an official complaint and make sure a bad cop never inflicts that pain on another black person again? Or does he stay quiet to  protect his career so that he can rise to the top and effect much greater change?

The fact that the key conversation happens between two black men, both of whom have been shown to have been subject to discrimination – of multiple kinds, not just racial – both of whom who are major characters in the show and not just whipped up to discuss the issue; that is particularly powerful.

And the main white character plays the role not of saviour, but as an ally! Jake supports Terry by looking after his kids, enabling Terry to try and take the initiative to resolve things himself.

I genuinely feel that if we lose Brooklyn 99, we lose a major part of modern, urban comedy. And that would be a major punch in the gut for everyone.

Support Brooklyn 99! Let Fox know what you think of their decision – and maybe make requests to Netflix so they can see the love for this show, and maybe give it new lease of life!

See you next week!

M.