After briefly getting axed by FOX last year in a move that spawned a great deal of internet backlash – which in turn led to NBC swooping in to rescue it within a day – the fan favourite cop comedy Brooklyn Nine-Nine makes a triumphant return to our television screens this week. Created by Michael Schur (yes, the same guy who also developed Parks and Recreation and The Good Place) and Dan Goor, the show revolves around a squad of officers at a New York precinct. Known for its diverse cast of loveable quirky characters and ability to tackle real social issues with a distinctive brand of heart and humour, it’s no wonder that Brooklyn Nine-Nine has received widespread acclaim from fans and critics alike. In honour of our favourite squad finally coming back, we thought it would be fun to take a look back at some of the best moments from the show so far! Some of them are funny, some of them are touching, but all of them are iconic scenes in their own right which make us go “noice!” So, without further ado, here are our top 9 iconic moments of the Nine-Nine:
Kwazy Cupcakes (1×19, “Tactical Village”)
One of the best relationships that has grown over the course of the show is that of Gina Linetti and Captain Raymond Holt which truly began to shine Episode 19 of the first season. While the rest of the team were away on a team building course, Captain Holt was introduced to ‘Kwazy Cupcakes’. As we all have experienced one time or another, mobile game addiction is a mighty enemy and Holt had got it bad. The best moment being that of Gina interrupting a bathroom break and finding the Captain playing the game in the men’s room. We are treated to the incredible line, “I do not have a problem. If I want to play Kwazy Cupcakes, I will play Kwazy Cupcakes.” The start of a beautiful relationship that only grows throughout the seasons.
Yippie Kayak Other Buckets (3×10, “Yippie Kayak”)
Everybody knows that Jake’s love of Die Hard is one of his defining characteristics. He talks about it almost non-stop throughout the 5 seasons and we were even treated to a Die Hard style trailer in preparation for Season 6. So, when Jake, Gina and Boyle find themselves in a hostage situation on Christmas Eve, Jake is ready to live his ultimate fantasy. When the opportunity presents itself Jake gives himself up, allowing Boyle to take the role of John McClane and defeat the bad guy. This touching moment that sees Jake give up his chance to be the hero in favour of his best friend being able to take the acclaim. While his finishing line delivery might leave a little to be desired, the passion is clear from Boyle as he screams “Yippie Kayak, Other Buckets”. A perfect representation of the pairs friendship.
How do you solve a math problem with a boning? (4×08, “Skyfire Cycle”)
We are back with Season 4 with Captain Holt who is struggling with the new night shift schedule which is preventing him and his Husband, Kevin from ‘Boning’. What starts as a simple math problem-based issue about probability soon escalates as Amy calls the pair “Our Dads” to Rosa. This moment works so perfectly as we have the escalation throughout the episode ending in the moment in which Rosa tells Holt they just to need to ‘Bone’. His initial response of “How dare you detective Diaz, I am your superior officer” which with every word gets louder until Captain Holt fully flips and a montage of him ranting about the word ‘Bone’ ensues in which I have never heard better line delivery. Cut to the next day and Holt’s direct one-word answers soon reveal that him and Kevin got that math problem out of their system. It’s an incredible moment which will surely stand out in most fans mind as a classic.
Terry tells the squad he was stopped by a cop (4×16, “Moo Moo”)
Brooklyn Nine-Nine has never been a show to shy away from addressing real world issues, and one of the most prevalent examples of this comes in “Moo Moo”. Widely regarded as one of the most important episodes of the show to date because of its handling of systemic racism, it centers on Terry dealing with having been stopped by a cop in his own neighbourhood while trying to retrieve his daughter’s blanket. When he tells the squad what happened the following day, they’re surprised to hear of his encounter. “That makes zero sense, unless… oh crap, I see what happened,” Rosa says. Still, she and the rest of the squad offer varying sympathetic responses that continue to beat around the bush, avoiding directly addressing the issue at hand – until Scully asks what happened. “He got stopped for being black,” Hitchcock matter-of-factly states. “Get woke, Scully!” The line delivery itself may be comical, but Hitchcock’s response serves to directly introduce the issue of racial profiling in a way that only Brooklyn Nine-Nine could.
The Proposal (5×04, “HalloVeen”)
The Halloween heists are always known as the highlights of each season with the elaborate plans getting more and more crazy every year. So, when it came to the 5th season how do you top it? Well originally, I was going to be writing about the classic line from Captain Holt, “You’re not Cheddar. You’re just some common bitch.” but upon a rewatch I realised it can’t be anything other than Jake’s proposal to Amy. Every season we saw this couple grow more and more. The heists were always when they were at their most competitive, but you could always see the love between them no matter who won. To have them become engaged on a Halloween heist feels so right. And why not throw in a last-minute Boyle faint just to top it all off.
Holt and Rosa have a heart-to-heart (5×10, “Game Night”)
While there are many memorable moments in this episode, it’s the discussion between Rosa and Holt in the final moments of “Game Night” that really stands out, largely because of its impact within the context of LGBTQ+ representation. There’s something special about seeing a longtime out and proud gay police captain have a heart-to-heart with a newly declared bisexual cop (both of whom are notably also people of colour), offering her words of encouragement and support at the start of her coming out journey. After Rosa telling her parents she’s bisexual didn’t go exactly as she hoped, Holt reassures her that things will improve, and Rosa thanks him. “Every time someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place,” Holt then goes on to say. “So, thank you.”
It’s a line that feels like it’s meant for not only Rosa, but for those watching as well – especially us viewers who also identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community. We feel seen through Holt’s words, a sense of hopefulness and pride instilled within ourselves for wanting to live our truth. As Holt and Rosa share this incredibly touching moment and embrace one another in a hug, somehow our hearts feel a little bit lighter… and just as Rosa does, we too believe that maybe everything will be okay in the end.
I’m about to monologue, son! (5×14, “The Box”)
Putting Sterling K. Brown in to your series is already a massive win for any show but putting him in to a situation where he is your prime suspect and the team need to break him down; perfection. They have all night to interrogate Brown’s Philip Davidson in hopes they can get a confession out of the dentist/suspected murderer. The highlight of this episode ends up being when Jake with eight minutes left to go, monologues his little socks off eventually triggering Davidson to confessing his crimes. We are treated to three “Hot Damns” from Holt and the sweet sense of victory as Jake shows what a great detective he can really be. In a touching ending we even get a moment between Holt and Jake as they acknowledge how much they have learnt from each other. A beautiful ending to an incredible episode.
“I Want It That Way” cold open (5×17, “DTF”)
♫ Tell me why… we love this moment so much? ♫
Perhaps it’s the unexpected hilarity of the situation, the throwback to late 90s boy band nostalgia, or a combination of the two. But when Jake is faced with a lineup of possible convicts and learns that the perpetrator had sung along to the Backstreet Boys’ hit song “I Want It That Way” at a bar, our quick-thinking detective devises a unique plan to root out the true criminal. He asks each of the potential suspects to sing a line of the song, realizing that the victim will likely be able to pick the voice she heard out of the lineup. “Really?” asks one of the suspects, surprised by this request. They hesitantly start singing one by one at Jake’s command, but by the time they reach the chorus it’s turned into a full-on sing-along session – with Jake himself enthusiastically joining in and forgetting the reason they’re singing. Further cementing the iconic status of this scene, a real-life squad of police officers actually recreated it in a music video they made!
Jake and Amy’s wedding (5×22, “Jake & Amy”)
It’s the moment the show’s been building up to for the past five seasons, through stakeouts and bets and jealousy and undercover missions and unexpected relationship developments in the evidence room… and yet everything goes wrong before it happens! As Jake and Amy’s wedding day arrives in the aptly titled “Jake & Amy”, what was supposed to be a perfectly planned ceremony for the couple suddenly becomes derailed by a bomb threat at the wedding venue, forcing them to leave. Rather than cancelling their impending nuptials altogether though, the two of them (with a push from their number one supporter, Charles) decide to get married right then and there at the precinct! While it wasn’t exactly the wedding they’d envisioned, in the end everything goes off without a hitch – except for Jake and Amy getting hitched, of course!
Their vows to one another are beautiful, reflective of how they complement each other and have grown as a couple through all the crazy days they’ve endured together over the years. Of course, being the “distracting childish” duo that they are according to Holt, it’s not surprising that their vows would include a little humour as well! “Your butt. Your butt is the bomb. There will be no survivors,” Amy quips at the end of her vow, a sweet callback to the very joke she’d told Jake not to include in their vows the previous day. Jake is visibly touched by this, tearing up as he tells her, “I love you so much. You’re my dream girl,” and Amy tells him she loves him too. If this moment isn’t the perfect example of true love, we don’t know what is.
Did your favourite moment make the list, Nine-Niners? Let us know!
Brooklyn Nine-Nine returns for its season 6 premiere with “Honeymoon” Thursday, January 10th at 9/8c on NBC.
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