Things You Missed On The First Episode Of Brooklyn Nine-Nine
Not all sitcom pilots are great, nor do they typically wind up perfectly representing what a show will become should it run for multiple seasons. A lot can change as actors grow into their characters and writers find their voice. As a result, certain gags and references dropped on the pilot only end up making sense in hindsight.
With seven seasons so far (and an eighth on the way) Brooklyn Nine-Nine has changed a lot since its first episode. The rivalry between Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg) and Amy Santiago (Melissa Fumero) turned into a romance which led to marriage and a kid! The crush Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) had on Rosa Diaz (Stephanie Beatriz) became a fierce friendship. Brooklyn Nine-Nine survived the departure of Gina Linetti (Chelsea Peretti), it built a father-son bond between Peralta and Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), and it reinforced again and again that if there's one thing Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) loves it is yogurt.
How much writing was on the wall from the very beginning? What things were left on the cutting room floor after the pilot episode? And what little tidbits might you have missed about the very first episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine? Here's what you might have missed on episode 1.
The Jimmy Jab Games
The pilot episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine includes a flashback scene wherein Peralta and Diaz are playing what they call "fire extinguisher roller chair derby," however this activity is clearly a part of a much longer series of games — The Jimmy Jab Games, to be exact.
The flashback refers to the previous captain of the Nine-Nine, Captain McGinley, who was not a stickler for rules and basically allowed anything to happen at the precinct, including a series of ridiculous physical challenges called The Jimmy Jab Games. The Jimmy Jab Games are so named after Peralta's mispronunciation of the name of President of Iran, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. While these games mostly ceased after Captain Holt took charge of the precinct, they didn't disappear completely.
On the season 2 episode "The Jimmy Jab Games," the games are used as a means to reveal that Jake still has romantic feelings for Amy even though they agreed that dating in the workplace was a mistake. On "The Jimmy Jab Games II," the games exist specifically to show much much Jake has changed since the games began prior to season 1. Jake's purpose in winning the games is so that he can pass off his paperwork to the losers and spend more time with Amy and their baby.
The Jimmy Jab Games may have only seemed like a throwaway bit when they first appeared in the pilot, but they wound up playing an important role in the evolution of the show's characters.
Raymond Holt, robot captain
The story of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's pilot episode sets up a cantankerous relationship between Jake Peralta and his new boss, Captain Raymond Holt. Before Holt even arrives, Jake makes comments about how the new captain will be a "washed-up pencil pusher" and does a robot voice while adding that Holt will only be interested in "following every rule in the patrol guide." To punctuate this explanation, Jake intones the following robot noises: meep, morp, zeep.
Naturally, Holt is behind Peralta the whole time and forces Jake to do the impression again so that the precinct may deride his "terrible robot impression."
Over time, the relationship between Peralta and Holt grows from petty squabbling to deep, personal respect. The "meep morp zeep" joke makes a stunning return at the end of season 2 when, against his will, Holt is forced to resign his commission as acting captain of the Nine-Nine. As Holt becomes overwhelmed during is parting speech, Jake calls out for him to be "robot captain," and Holt responds with the saddest "meep morp zeep" in recorded robot history. Dismissed.
The tastiest clue in the history of the Nine-Nine
The main conflict of the Brooklyn Nine-Nine pilot involves a murder case that Jake and the team are investigating when Holt becomes captain. While the crime may be murder, the real twist here is the motivation: ham.
If you're a Brooklyn Nine-Nine fan, you know that one of Charles Boyle's core character traits is his love of gourmet foods. Boyle's status as a foodie is established during the pilot episode when it is revealed that the murder victim was also robbed of what is described as a $6,000 ham. Boyle immediately identifies the food as "jamón ibérico" — arguably the most delicious ham on the planet. And, yes, a fact you probably did not know is that jamón ibérico is real and is really the most expensive ham in the world. The ham is made from the rare, black, Iberian pig and it can take upwards of three years to cure properly before it can be eaten at peak flavor.
The owner of a deli turns out to be guilty of the murder — he murders the victim to steal the jamón ibérico, a difficult meat to get a hold of legally in the United States. While $6000 is a bit of an exaggeration, it isn't by much: The best jamón ibérico can sell for upwards of $4500 for a leg.
Murder for ham may sound funny, it's also weirdly believable.
Brooklyn Nine-Nine's third stooge
When Terry explains who everybody in the Nine-Nine is, he singles out the older pair of do-nothing officers, Hitchcock and Scully — but he also mentions a third officer named "Daniels." What you absolutely know as a Brooklyn Nine-Nine fan is that we have never seen this Daniels character since the pilot episode. Even in the pilot, Daniels has no lines whatsoever. All we know about her is she can "make good coffee."
What you might not know is that, in January 2019, Brooklyn Nine-Nine co-creator Dan Goor mentioned Daniels by name. If you recall, this would've been shortly after Fox canceled Brooklyn Nine-Nine and NBC promptly picked it up. There was a lot of talk during that time about how the show would evolve and change on a new network.
While Andy Sandberg talked about the ability to curse on NBC, Goor talked about more story-focused changes. One of the biggest hints was that the show might finally bring back the Daniels character and explain exactly who she is, and while Daniels has not returned as of this writing, Brooklyn Nine-Nine is still expected to air new episodes in 2021. Daniels could appear at any time!