The Lake House (Brooklyn Nine-Nine)

In July 2021, it was announced that the second episode of the season would be titled "The Lake House" and that Neil Campbell and Marcy Jarreau would serve as writers while Kevin Bray would direct.[1]

"The Lake House" received generally positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the double-episode premiere a "great" 8 out of 10 rating, writing, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine shows its dexterity as season eight opens, providing a parade of comedy while also leaning into serious socio-political issues. It deftly navigates this tricky balance all while making sure each character remains true to their own personalities and motivations. The first two episodes are a hilarious start to what looks to be a stunningly good final season."[2]

LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B−" rating, writing, "The issue with doing a double premiere is that while it may make sense from a network standpoint to include an episode that is simply non-stop jokes — especially after an episode like 'The Good Ones' —it might not always tonally work. Or, as is the case for the combination of 'The Good Ones' and 'The Lake House,' the latter episode might somewhat undercut an aspect of the former."[3]

Alan Sepinwall of Rolling Stone wrote, "Mostly, though, continuing Brooklyn Nine-Nine in this environment just seems untenable, with these episodes not likely to satisfy either viewers who expect the show to more radically change itself, or those who just want the same series it was before months of lockdown and protests. Give the creative team credit for at least trying to acknowledge the ugliness now very publicly associated with policing, but the post-office version of Nine-Nine feels like it would have been the better way to go for a chance to spend a few more weeks with Jake and his friends."[4] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "This is Brooklyn Nine-Nine by the numbers, and it loses some points for lame, outdated jokes about weed edibles and a cliché parenting story with Amy and Charles. However, this is a great recurring bit about how Terry loves hedging, but hates ledges. Overall, it's a passable, if unspectacular installment."[5]

Brian Tallerico of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Overall, it's an episode that spins its wheels a bit and feels longer than it is, but that also has enough unexpected sources of humor to balance out the wacky physical comedy like locked doors, allergic reactions, and a very high Rosa. It's not as ambitious as the season premiere, but a solid follow-up in that it counters the internal division of that half-hour with one about how much these people still truly need each other. After all, they're family."[6] Emily VanDerWerff of Vox wrote, "'The Lake House' is full of standard sitcom stuff. Certainly, Brooklyn Nine-Nine should not be all heavy topics, all the time. People's lives go on in darkness. We're still patching up marriages and having babies and hanging out with friends, even in a pandemic. Life is never all one thing, and art should reflect that."[7]