The episode received positive reviews from critics, who praised the show's take on the George Floyd protests, although some were still skeptical about its approach to the themes it raised.
In July 2021, it was announced that the first episode of the season would be titled "The Good Ones" and that David Phillips and Dewayne Perkins would serve as writers, while Cortney Carrillo would direct.
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.
"[4] 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.
"[5] Nick Harley of Den of Geek gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "'The Good Ones' is an excellent starting point for Season 8 with many new status quos to navigate.
"[6] Brian Tallerico of Vulture gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "The season premiere of Brooklyn Nine-Nine needed to feel familiar to fans of the show while recognizing how the world has changed since it debuted nearly a decade ago.
"[7] Karen Han of Slate wrote, "Brooklyn Nine-Nine does the best job possible of acknowledging the problem with portraying cops as uncomplicated heroes while still remaining a good-natured, funny show, but it feels fitting, and fortunate, that this is its final season.
But the show has pulled off miracles before, so the fact that the new episodes are at least thoughtful about the predicament its good-guy characters are stuck in is promising for the series' finale — and its legacy.
"[8] Emily VanDerWerff of Vox wrote, "The episode highlights just how much Brooklyn Nine-Nine will gladly question the institution it's set within while insisting that the people we're watching every week are largely beyond reproach.