The Serious Humor of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's Raymond Holt
The phrase "serious humor" may be an oxymoron, but it also perfectly captures Captain Raymond Holt in cop sitcom Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The actor playing him, Andre Braugher has little to no experience in comedy, but that only makes his character more brilliant. The police spoof has many characters who you'll laugh at watching just an episode or two. Holt is funny in a much more subtle and clever way. We dig into what makes the captain of the 99th precinct so funny.
The first and most obvious thing you notice about Holt is the serious demeanor he wears. On other shows, this trait would make him the least funny character. Instead, writer and producer Michael Schur uses this to make Holt as hilarious as anyone. Holt casually does everything from having a dance-off to creating secret handshakes with all of the detectives (to mess with Jake, as he didn't get one as punishment for being late) all without breaking a smile. His many emotions are all summed up by the same blank expression. The captain's inability to laugh or try to be funny should be a weakness. Instead, it's the foundation of one of the best characters on television.
The second great piece of the masterpiece known as Raymond Holt is his acting and pretending to be other people. As the captain is gay, his impersonations of straight people prove to be hilarious, with him commenting on women's "heavy breasts" and "thigh gap." In another episode, he goes undercover, pretending to be a criminal, rambling about how "nefarious" he was and his love for pushing people. The brilliance of these scenes of Holt acting is how it portrays how he views other people and their thoughts and motives, giving us a great look at how he thinks.
The final piece of this complex character is how behind his facade of seriousness and responsibility lies a side of pettiness. Holt is always insulting and messing with his sworn enemy, Madeline Wuntch. He's very competitive, especially in the annual Halloween heist, and a gloating side of him ensues after this. This side of him is built to make him funnier and more relatable. Giving him a few relatable traits makes him easier to picture in the viewer's eyes. Raymond Holt is a one-in-a-million character. The idea behind him is like no other. Despite all his differences, we feel his dreams. We know his motives. Most importantly, we laugh at his unique world view and the unconventional things that ensue.
The first and most obvious thing you notice about Holt is the serious demeanor he wears. On other shows, this trait would make him the least funny character. Instead, writer and producer Michael Schur uses this to make Holt as hilarious as anyone. Holt casually does everything from having a dance-off to creating secret handshakes with all of the detectives (to mess with Jake, as he didn't get one as punishment for being late) all without breaking a smile. His many emotions are all summed up by the same blank expression. The captain's inability to laugh or try to be funny should be a weakness. Instead, it's the foundation of one of the best characters on television.
The second great piece of the masterpiece known as Raymond Holt is his acting and pretending to be other people. As the captain is gay, his impersonations of straight people prove to be hilarious, with him commenting on women's "heavy breasts" and "thigh gap." In another episode, he goes undercover, pretending to be a criminal, rambling about how "nefarious" he was and his love for pushing people. The brilliance of these scenes of Holt acting is how it portrays how he views other people and their thoughts and motives, giving us a great look at how he thinks.
The final piece of this complex character is how behind his facade of seriousness and responsibility lies a side of pettiness. Holt is always insulting and messing with his sworn enemy, Madeline Wuntch. He's very competitive, especially in the annual Halloween heist, and a gloating side of him ensues after this. This side of him is built to make him funnier and more relatable. Giving him a few relatable traits makes him easier to picture in the viewer's eyes. Raymond Holt is a one-in-a-million character. The idea behind him is like no other. Despite all his differences, we feel his dreams. We know his motives. Most importantly, we laugh at his unique world view and the unconventional things that ensue.
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