After her success in WandaVision, a couple of days ago Marvel announced that Kathryn Hahn will be the protagonist of her series, Agatha: Coven of Chaos. However, before playing Wanda's most beloved antagonist, Hahn appeared in a number of movies and TV shows, one of them being Charles's spiteful ex-wife, Eleanor Horstweil, in Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
Still, in a series full of guest appearances, Eleanor is far from being this TV show's only terrible character. There are plenty of awful if short-lived characters in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. Naturally, this brought the conversation to Reddit to discuss which one-time characters are definitely the worst ones.
Seth Dozerman
After Captain Holt was promoted, the 99 receives a new Captain, Seth Dozerman, played by Bill Hader. However, Dozerman was a controlling perfectionist, who even gave the team tablets (called Dozer Pads) to keep track of their work. Even though some people find Hader's performance hilarious, others think the character was annoying and unmemorable.
Although the character was meant to be a joke, clearly it didn't land with a lot of the viewers. According to Redditor Shagaliscious, "all [Dozerman] did was yell and have a heart attack. They could've gotten a nobody from off the street for this role it was so forgettable."
Frank Dillman
Played by JK Simmons, Frank Dillman was a former NYPD detective revered by Captain Holt. However, when Holt invites Dillman to figure out who pranked Jake, it is revealed that Dillman lost his detective abilities as he's currently working at a yarn store.
Even though Simmon's performance was on point, some viewers believe the character was disappointing. Redditor Atomic_Squash comments "he was just a boring character" because they didn't build expectations adequately for the joke to land. Certainly, the one who steals the show at the end of the episode is Charles, which may be why this character feels so unremarkable.
Stevie ‘Chillin’ Schillens
Stevie Schillens is Jake's former police partner. When his precinct has to share space with the 99, the two friends reunite, to Charles's dismay. However, in spite of Stevie being very similar to Jake, he's a corrupted cop who plants drugs to solve a case the easy way. Fortunately, Charles realizes this, and Stevie is arrested. Even though fans love Jake, sometimes he's not the best judge of character.
Although Stevie is a terrible cop, he still has really funny moments. However, one of the things that annoy the viewers the most is that, as Otomo-Yuki says, "same actor plays a character in New Girl… and B99 had a crossover with New Girl."
Inspector Soren Knausgaard and Deputy Inspector Agneta Carlsson
Soren Knausgaard and Agneta Carlsson are two Interpol Swedish agents who work with Jake and Rosa to figure out a case about stolen Swedish diamonds. Even though Jake is excited to work with them, they turn out to be arrogant and pedantic, which creates a breach between the 99 detectives and the agents.
Even though a lot of people find them funny, others believe their representation of Swedish people was offensive. Redditor elburrito1 shares their experience as a Swedish person, and comments that it was terrible, "from the accents to most of the stereotypes being wrong."
Dottie
Dottie is a character from the seventh season finale who makes it very hard for Jake to be able to join Amy in the hospital while she's going through labor. At first, Dottie seems like a nice regular elderly woman, but soon enough, the viewers find out she's a racist, classist, misogynist, and all-around terrible person.
Although her character is awful, Dottie makes some hilarious jokes, and the show clearly codified her behavior as negative. Making fun of Jake for trying to be with his wife, and shooting a criminal because he sneezed, Dottie is obviously not a good person. However, as Redditor Tactful-Cactus comments, standing her character is "worth it for the very last scene of the episode," when the whole 99 family is there with Jake and Amy's newborn son, which is why this is one of Brooklyn 99's episodes with the most rewatch value.
Sheriff Reynolds
When Jake and Holt are living in Florida as part of the Witness Protection Program, they decide to go after Jimmy "The Butcher" Figgis to get back their lives in Brooklyn. However, when they're preparing for the mission, they're stopped by Sheriff Reynolds, an incompetent officer who makes Holt and Jake's mission way harder.
Redditor mookamookasector2 comments that "the thing with Sheriff Reynolds is that I just can't stop seeing Jerry from Parks & Rec when he's on screen. Jim O'Heir is fantastic but it unfortunately ruins the character for me." While it's true that this character is similar to Jerry, Sheriff Reynolds is not only ineffective but also homophobic and misogynistic, which makes the character truly terrible.
Kate Peralta
When Jake finds out he has a half-sister he's extremely excited to meet her. However, Kate turns out to be problematic. Their first interaction occurs while Kate's being escorted out of the airport by police officers, and later on, she overstays her welcome at Jake and Amy's apartment, even inviting a stranger to their home.
All in all, Kate's an awful sister and Jake tolerates her way more than he has to. Redditor duraross believes the show "tries to shove a moral like 'I was trying to have a relationship with her own my terms, just like my dad'" since Jake tries to get her to go back with her boyfriend so she leaves his home. However, as duraross says, "there's a huge difference between not wanting to spend an excessive amount of time with a long lost sibling who is basically a stranger, and not taking responsibility for a child you helped create."
Jack Danger
After a mailbox key is found on a criminal, Jake and Charles have to work with an agent from the United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS). However, Jack Danger, played by Ed Helms, turns out to be an arrogant and unpleasant person who, out of his ignorance, becomes a detriment to the case.
Redditor chooklyn-5 thinks "the main thing is he never gets humbled or anything like he's arrogant and nothing changes. On top of that Jack has to apologize, just drives me nuts." However, at the end of the episode, during an NYPD raid, Danger hits himself in the doorway and falls on top of a pile of rat excrements, so at least the character gets some sort of punishment. Still, as annoying as the character can be, Ed Helms's acting is amazing, making this one of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's funniest episodes.
Trevor Podolski
Trevor Podolski is an arrogant kid who abuses the fact that he's the son of a Deputy Commissioner. Because his father always gets him out of being arrested, Trevor knows he can commit any crime he wants without being punished. However, Jake and Captain Holt put a stop to this, and finally arrest him, in spite of his father's threats.
As annoying and frustrating this character may be, as Jorgenstern8 says, this episode provides an "ironically good look at how corrupt the NYPD can be." This TV show is constantly illustrating the corruption and incompetence within the Police Department, mostly amongst high-ranking individuals, which widely distinguishes this series from other similar ones. Plus, Captain Holt putting his job on the line to do what he believes is right proves that Holt is the bravest character on the show.
Eleanor Horstweil
Probably Brooklyn 99's most awful character, Eleanor Horstweil is Charles's ex-wife. Before her appearance on the show, Charles had already mentioned her on several occasions as a petty, selfish, and manipulative person, who blatantly cheated on Charles. However, her cruelty reaches its limit when she threats Charles with destroying his last functioning sperm if he doesn't help her to get away with hitting a 90-year-old priest with a car.
In the end, Charles doesn't help her, and Eleanor destroys his last chance to have biological children. Still, Charles becomes a great father to his adoptive son Nikolaj, so everything turns out for the best. However, Redditor D-C-A is still frustrated at the outcome because "it would have been good if they showed her getting what she deserved."