DISCLAIMER: This Brooklyn Nine-Nine recap contains more spoilers than the number of twists and turns during any given Halloween Heist. Our crew sure knows how to keep things interesting. You’ve been warned. Proceed with caution.
Welcome back, Nine-Niners! Brooklyn Nine-Nine blessed us with the Halloween Heist to end all Halloween Heists this week. I’m all for celebrating Halloween in May, as well as every other month of the year. This heist was chock full of twists and turns, betrayals and figurative back stabbings…and tasers. Tasers everywhere. We met Scully’s identical twin brother Earl, and apparently they have some skeletons in their collective closet. In a surprising upset, Terry snagged the title of Ultimate Human/Genius. He’s also going by Lieutenant Jeffords these days. Yay for promotions!
Alright, ready to delve into “Cinco de Mayo?” Just be sure to include Boyle in your heist planning. He’ll at least keep you entertained with his questionable phrasing.
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We open with Hitchcock (Dirk Blocker) ringing in the Cinco de Mayo festivities with a Mariachi band. Terry (Terry Crews) objects to this, citing that he has a migraine and his lieutenant’s exam is approaching. Time to hit the books! Holt (Andre Braugher), Jake (Andy Samberg), Amy (Melissa Fumero), Rosa (Stephanie Beatriz) and Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) concoct a plan to revitalize Terry in time for his exam. Our sergeant is feeling overwhelmed by the impending test. What better way to blow off steam than engaging in the annual Halloween Heist? A Halloween Heist on Cinco de Mayo? Risky, but I’ll allow it.
Next, our team decides on this year’s coveted object – Scully’s medical bracelet. Strange choice. The participants break into teams. Jake and Terry partner up against Holt and Amy. Meanwhile, Rosa and Boyle decide to sit this one out. Scully (Joel McKinnon Miller) is locked inside a supply closet with his bracelet. The team that’s able to break into said supply closet undetected will be crowned Ultimate Human/Geniuses. Let the games begin!
Then, we see Jake and Terry scheming together regarding their first move. Jake brings forth a surprising guest player – Scully’s identical twin brother Earl (Joel McKinnon Miller). Now, they’ll utilize Earl as a decoy in front of Holt and Amy while they procure the real medical bracelet from our Scully. Sounds like a foolproof plan, right?
Later, Jake is wheeling Earl through the bullpen so Amy can spot them. She swiftly steals Earl, believing him to be our Scully. Amy takes the bait hook, line and sinker. Jake reunites with Terry and Scully, and we see the trio possesses the real medical bracelet. However, Scully learns that his twin brother is in the precinct, which does not sit well with him. Apparently, they have a tumultuous relationship. While Scully chases after his brother, Jake steals the bracelet and double-crosses Terry. Betrayal time! Jake can’t afford to lose another Halloween Heist.
Meanwhile, Amy and Holt are attempting to pull the decoy medical bracelet from Earl’s wrist. Scully pinpoints Earl and the two duke it out, rolling to and fro on the floor, much to the surprise of everyone. Not a soul knew Scully even had siblings let alone an identical twin. Jake has the real medical bracelet in his pocket. Or does he?
Next, we see a disguised Boyle hastily retreating from the bullpen to meet with Rosa. He possesses the real medical bracelet that he nicked from Jake’s pocket. However, Rosa swipes the bracelet from Boyle and claims to have put chloroform in his fake beard. Betrayal number two! She packs up the unconscious Boyle and has him shipped to Trenton. Nobody can pull off an elaborate practical joke like Rosa Diaz.
Later, Kevin (Marc Evan Jackson) arrives at the precinct with Cheddar in tow. He confers with Holt inside his office, and we see Rosa emerge from the couch cushions. She hands the bracelet to Holt. So, she was in cahoots with Holt this whole time! Kevin hands Holt his prized cummerbund from last year’s Halloween Heist.
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Meanwhile, Jake apologizes to Terry for betraying him. He realizes their friendship takes precedence over any and all heists. He suggests they team up once again to track down the bracelet. Jake also informs Terry that he knows Holt hid the bracelet inside Cheddar’s chew toy. The pair brew up a plan to retrieve said bracelet. It requires Terry being painted gold to resemble Gina’s gold statue outside the precinct. Jake remarks on how Terry looks awfully like the Oscar statue. He could make a killing on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
Later, after Jake and Terry’s plan succeeds, the former handcuffs the latter to a metal grating. Betrayal time again! It’s nothing personal – all part of the game. Back in the bullpen, Terry reemerges in a rage, having pulled the metal grating off its hinges. He exclaims that the bracelet is in Jake’s pocket. However, Holt believes he still has the bracelet and it’s safely ensconced in Cheddar’s chew toy. But…
…Kevin has the actual bracelet. He swapped out two decoys for Holt and Jake to find. Kevin decides to partake in the annual festivities, and appears to be catching on very quickly. Jake even tases Amy for trying to flee with the bracelet. Everyone is openly betraying each other, with backstabbing after backstabbing. Boyle barges into the bullpen, irate that Rosa had him shipped to Trenton. Then, he reveals that his doppelganger Bill is still alive and well. Bill is also participating, and joins the gang donning Boyle’s exact disguise. Separated from birth, these two.
Now, Terry chastises all of them for allowing the heist to unveil their uglier sides. Suddenly, a banner drops from the ceiling, and in its descent clips Terry in the head. Terry falls to the ground like a limp noodle. The banner crowns Jake as the victorious heist winner, and the Mariachi band returns to pay homage to the Ultimate Human/Genius Jake Peralta. Well, except he didn’t actually win.
Next, our gang realizes that Terry is properly concussed and may not be able to take the lieutenant’s exam. Thankfully, Bill has a shopping cart so they can wheel Terry to the testing site. Our crew rallies together, wheeling an unconscious and gold-painted Terry to Police One Plaza.
However, they arrive at the testing site to an empty room. Not a table or chair in sight. Suddenly, Terry jumps out from behind them, very much clear of mind and far from concussed. A banner drops from the ceiling, this time crowning Terry as the winner. The Mariachi band surrounds them, serenading them with Terry’s victory song. Terry explains that he had been planning the heist for months, sowing seeds of discord and carefully pulling threads. He even cancelled the Halloween Heist that was initially supposed to occur on its namesake day. Our gang believed that a gas leak was to blame for the heist’s cancellation. Terry is just that good. Oh – and Terry took his lieutenant exam months ago…and he passed. Yay!
Later, we see our gang celebrating at Shaw’s. Terry is officially crowned the Ultimate Human/Genius/Lieutenant. Scully and Earl finally make up, realizing that their “differences” shouldn’t separate them. Jake and Terry playfully threaten to defeat each other come next year’s heist. All is well in the world of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
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Now, this might be one of my favorite heists to date. Of course, last season’s heist was hard to top, given that Jake proposed to Amy. This episode was laden with an over-abundance of betrayals and over-the-top competitiveness. “Cinco de Mayo” is proof that Brooklyn Nine-Nine still has it. To me, this show is at its best when it gives in to absurdist comedy. When it embraces slapstick and really goes big with the jokes. The bigger and more absurd, the better.
With two episodes left, do you think a Peraltiago baby announcement is on the horizon? How will Terry manage as a lieutenant? Is Bill officially part of the squad? Join me next week as I continue to recap Brooklyn Nine-Nine, here on Geek Girl Authority.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs Thursdays at 9pm on your NBC affiliate.
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What I do: I'm GGA's Managing Editor, a Senior Contributor, and Press Coordinator. I manage, contribute, and coordinate. Sometimes all at once. Joking aside, I oversee day-to-day operations for GGA, write, edit, and assess interview opportunities/press events.
Who I am: Before moving to Los Angeles after studying theater in college, I was born and raised in Amish country, Ohio. No, I am not Amish, even if I sometimes sport a modest bonnet.
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