Jake and Sophia

In its original American broadcast, "Jake and Sophia" was seen by an estimated 3.99 million household viewers and gained a 1.9/5 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research.[1] This was a 17% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 3.41 million viewers with a 1.7/4 in the 18-49 demographics.[2] This means that 1.9 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode, while 5 percent of all households watching television at that time watched it. With these ratings, Brooklyn Nine-Nine was the second most watched show on FOX for the night, beating Mulaney and Family Guy but behind The Simpsons, fifth on its timeslot and fifth for the night, behind Once Upon a Time, The Simpsons, The OT, and NBC Sunday Night Football.

"Jake and Sophia" received mostly positive reviews from critics. LaToya Ferguson of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "B" grade and wrote, "All of this being said, 'Jake And Sophia' isn't uproariously hilarious or as quotable as the earlier episodes of this season. However, it still brings something to the table. In fact, the line readings are some of the best of the season, and that actually elevates the episode's quality. It's still a fun and funny episode of television. But in a lot of ways, the humor in 'Jake And Sophia' is subtler than that of the previous episodes."[3]

Jackson McHenry of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Amy Santiago is Brooklyn Nine-Nine's unsung hero. Captain Holt's been the season's obvious perfectly enunciating standout. Gina has lines, and Chelsea Peretti's line readings, that rocket her into the weird comedy stratosphere. Andy Samberg's Jake has enthusiasm and star power, while Terry and Rosa are simply powerful (self-conscious and unselfconscious varieties respectively). And Boyle’s Brooklyn‘s bumbling Tom Bombadil—harmless and charming, but somehow essential."[4] Allie Pape from Vulture gave the show a 3 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "Eva Longoria hasn't been much of a screen presence since Desperate Housewives ascended to that omniscient voice-over palace in the sky back in 2012, and it was nice to see her pop up in tonight's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, the first of what will apparently be a three-episode arc for district attorney Sophia Perez. (In case you were wondering where Longoria's been, the short answer is producing EVERYTHING.) It's a shame the show couldn't have found a slightly less-hackneyed plotline than 'accidentally slept with the enemy' to introduce her, especially after Arrested Development's Julia Louis-Dreyfus arc pretty much rode that trope into the ground, but Longoria is an appealing presence here, even if her character isn't very fleshed-out."[5]

Alan Sepinwall of HitFix wrote, "'Jake and Sophia' was a great example of what Schur and Goor talked about before season 1: that point a good sitcom reaches where the characters have become so specific that you can place them into any story and it’s inherently funny because they're the ones in that story."[6] Andy Crump of Paste gave the episode an 8.0 and wrote, "Whether Brooklyn Nine-Nine will circle back around to his feelings for his coworker remains to be seen, but that's probably a 'yes' (and you can put decent odds on Sophia's career as a defense attorney remaining a sticking point for as long as Longoria sticks around). For now, 'Jake and Sophia' has shifted the pecking order in ways that hopefully prove meaningful in the long run; in other words, it's just another solid installment from one of the most remarkably progressive sitcoms on the market. (And how about the Stephen Root/Sandra Bernhard cameo at the end?! Please let their newfound fling recur again and again.)"[7]