"The Chopper" is the 22nd episode of Season Two in the Brooklyn Nine-Nine television series. It originally aired on May 10, 2015 to 2.56 million viewers. Viewers give it 8.5 out of 10 on IMDb.
Episode Synopsis
When Wuntch lets Jake work his dream case, Holt worries she is setting them up to fail. Meanwhile, Terry hopes to get his girls into a magnet school by hosting a field trip.
Gina is distracted by her cell phone and nothing can make her look up. Jake makes a cash bet to the rest of the staff that the first person to make her look up wins. The team shenanigans involve a spontaneous dance party, Charles approaching Gina and her immediately throwing a stapler at him, Amy lying that the former president George W. Bush passed away (to which Gina responds "Who dat?") and Rosa blowing an airhorn. Just when it seems like nothing will work, Terry changes his Facebook relationship status to "it's complicated", to which Gina instantly looks up in shock. Terry starts dancing in celebration of his win, until he gets a phone call from his angry wife.
Jake gloats over Carl Mather's death during a staff meeting. Mather was one of Fulton Street Four who stole $21 Million from an armoured car depot. All four were caught by the FBI but the money was never found. All four of the guys were released in the first semester and now one of them is dead, making Jake believe someone is still after the money. Ray tells Jake that he cannot be sure the four were connected to the money theft, and that they need to be right about their suspicions with Madeline Wuntch constantly watching over them. Jake then says he wants to catch the remaining three (with a knife in his mouth and two machine guns in his hands).
Terry tells the team they'll be hosting a field trip for the Brooklyn Park Magnet School, and that he needs to make a good impression on the school he wants his daughters to attend so they can get off the waitlist. Terry wants the event to be kid-friendly, meaning no reference to or displaying the gory side of crime-fighting. Ray, Jake and Charles search an apartment where the second Fulton Street Four member Lionel Murray has been murdered. Ray tells Jake and Charles that Wuntch wants to give the case to major crimes, but Jake refuses to let that happen. Terry brings the schoolchildren into the precinct and shows them around. Gina bonds surprisingly well with the female students, figuring out their interpersonal dramas instantly.
Ray, Jake and Charles walk into Wuntch's office where Ray tells Wuntch about the Fulton Street Four. Jake tries unsuccessfully to talk Wuntch out of the case, only to be given full investigation. Jake and Charles theorize that one of the Fulton Street Four is trying to kill off the other three so that he can keep the money for himself. Jake starts with Reggie Bludsoe and Ray tells them that he's including himself in the case due to his belief that Wuntch wants Jake and Charles to fail. Jake tries to make away with his Lamborghini but Ray says that he changed it to a sedan. Terry's field trip is going well, and the tutor - Dr Nancy Susman - asks to speak to him alone, leading him to believe she is impressed and will give his daughters placement at the school. He asks Amy and Rosa to entertain the children while he's busy. Amy panics when she doesn't feel cool enough to interact with children, and takes Rosa's advice to show the children pictures of dead bodies. Dr Susman is shocked and appalled upon reentering the room, despite the children's eagerness to inspect the gory photographs. She ushers the children out and Terry is angry at Amy and Rosa for potentially ruining his daughter's chances. Gina reappears and announces she's helped sort out all the students dramas.
Jake, Ray and Charles enter an apartment where they discover a fake wall housing Reggie Bludsoe, who fears for his life. Back at the apartment Reggie tells Jake, Charles and Ray that each Fulton Street Four member had a key to a safe containing the $21 Million, and all four keys were required to open the safe. Ray tells Jake and Charles that Michael D'Angelo's place is two hours away and refuses at first to take a chopper until he realises that Wuntch will crucify him for not taking one. Charles is excited that Jake actually hired a chopper. In the chopper, Jake reveals Wuntch said they could have whatever was necessary to solve the case. Ray is worried that he will be fired if they don't get D'Angelo, but Jake tells him that if they do catch him it will take off.
Terry, Amy, Rosa and Gina manage to show Dr Susman the schoolchildren actually learned a lot about forensic crime and she is impressed to hear the children speak of their new knowledge. She agrees to take Terry's daughters off the school wait list. Ray, Jake and Charles arrive at the barn where D'Angelo is suspected to be hiding. The trio (along with the tactical squad) enter the barn but are disappointed to find D'Angelo's dead body, realizing Bludsoe played them. Jake phones the hospital and finds out Reggie has escaped, leaving Ray enraged. Jake tells Ray he is too fixated on Wuntch to appreciate how big the case is. Ray agrees and notes that because he had a lowly job in his previous station's public relations department, he's putting too much pressure on himself to be perfect. He is able to clear his mind and solves the mystery of Bludsoe's whereabouts with Jake. Ray, Jake and Charles then get back in the chopper and pursue Bludsoe. Ray, Charles and Jake bust Bludsoe in the basement of the coffee shop he took a job at, and find the safe with the stolen $21 million. Back at the station, Jake and Charles get photographed in front of the recovered stolen cash. Ray almost believes Wuntch when she says she's impressed with him, until he realises she wanted something from his success all along. She tells him she's relocating him to another job: NYPD public relations.
Movies
- Charles' title for Jake's memoir book, Go Ahead, Jake My Day is a parody of the line "Go Ahead, Make My Day" spoken by Clint Eastwood in the movie Sudden Impact
- Holt refers to John McClane's character from Die Hard as Ron McClane
- Jake jumping out of the helicopter with a knife in his teeth while holding two machine guns is a reference to Rambo
- There is a slight reference to Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction in which Bruce Willis says the line "it's a chopper baby".
- When being ridiculed by Holt about Jake's plan to "jump out of a helicopter with a knife between your teeth". Peralta corrects him, saying the line "it's called a chopper" although Willis's line refers to a motorcycle and Peralta is referring to a helicopter.
Musicals
- Boyle's first call name choice is, Rum Tum Tugger is a character from the Musical Cats
Musicians
- Gina refers to one of the elementary school students as a Filipino Justin Bieber
Politicians
- Amy tells Gina that the American President George W. Bush died and Gina has no idea who he is
- Raymond Holt
- Rosa Diaz
- Raymond Holt
- Jake Peralta
- Charles Boyle
- Jake Peralta
- Raymond Holt
- Madeline Wuntch
- Raymond Holt
- Madeline Wuntch
- Rosa Diaz
- Raymond Holt
- Raymond Holt
- Terry Jeffords
- Rosa Diaz
- Madeline Wuntch
- Raymond Holt
- Madeline Wuntch
Cast
| Actor | Character | |
|---|---|---|
| Andy Samberg | ... | Jake Peralta |
| Stephanie Beatriz | ... | Rosa Diaz |
| Terry Crews | ... | Terry Jeffords |
| Melissa Fumero | ... | Amy Santiago |
| Joe Lo Truglio | ... | Charles Boyle |
| Chelsea Peretti | ... | Gina Linetti |
| Andre Braugher | ... | Captain Ray Holt |
| Dirk Blocker | ... | Michael Hitchcock |
| Joel McKinnon Miller | ... | Norm Scully |
| Kyra Sedgwick | ... | Madeline Wuntch |
| Mo Gaffney | ... | Dr. Sussman |
| Perry Anzilotti | ... | Reggie Bludsoe |
| Dan Cole | ... | Grant Knox |
| Corey Allen Kotler | ... | The Super |
| Makayla Lysiak | ... | Tricia |
| Paul Mabon | ... | Officer Lou |
| Eve Moon | ... | McKenzie |
| Benjamin Cole Rover | ... | Bobby |
| Charles A. Tamburro | ... | Helicopter Pilot |
| Peter Janov | ... | Evans |
99th Precinct
D'Angelo's Place
Bludsoe's Apartment
The Fulton Street Four
Bingpot
Soundtrack
- "Ante Up" by M.O.P. plays as the chopper lands and they get off of it.
Trivia
- Jake's call sign is Death Blade
- Charles' call sign is Sidewinder
- Holt's call sign is Wet Blanket and Velvet Thunder
has a pacemaker
- Amy went to a magnet school where she was voted “most likely to befriend a school administrator”
- Amy was given a key in eighth grade so she could stock the teacher’s lounge fridge and clean up after the teachers in middle school.
- Cagney and Lacey can count to 20 in English and mandarin at the age of 3.
- Madeline’s office is on the 20th floor
- Amy is terrible with kids
- Charles’ title for Jake’s memoir was Go Ahead, Jake My Day
- Jake’s title for his memoir was Case Closed, Jake Open
- Holt pacing slowly is the equivalent of a full-on, rage-fueled freak out. Standing perfectly still is worse than pacing slowly.
- Hitchcock had a boudoir photo session at some point in time
- Holt was promoted to the head of NYPD Public Relations
- Gina was named Spring Dance Princess at the Brooklyn Magnet School
Running Gags Mentioned
Relationships Featured
- Raymond Holt & Madeline Wuntch
- Jake Peralta & Raymond Holt
- Charles Boyle & Jake Peralta
- Rosa Diaz & Terry Jeffords
Connections To Other Episodes
- Madeline Wuntch's new office is thanks to Holt's letter of recommendation he wrote on her behalf in The Defense Rests.
- Holt's promotion to the Public Relations office becomes official at the end of the next episode, Johnny and Dora and lasts until the season 3 episode The Oolong Slayer.
- Holt told Jake about working in public relations for the NYPD in the Pilot when Jake asked what took him so long to get his own command.
Videos
Images
Behind The Scenes
- The helicopter pilot who flew the chopper was also in Die Hard.[1]
- The barn that is used for D'Angelo's Place in this episode is the same one used for the Boyle Family Farm in Season 8's Game of Boyles.
| Filming Location | City, State | Details | Scenes |
|---|---|---|---|
| NYPD 78th Precinct | Brooklyn, New York | Building exterior | Establishing shots meant to represent the 99th Precinct |
| South 5th Street | Next to river, beneath Williamsburg Bridge | Ensemble walking down the street in the Title Sequence | |
| CBS Studio Center | Studio City, California | Stage 12 | Scenes that take place in the 99th Precinct |
| CBS Studio Center/New York Street Backlot | 1. Outside of Bludsoe's Apartment next to ambulance 2. 99th Precinct Street entrance, talking to Nancy Susman in front of school bus | ||
| Ventura Farms | Thousand Oaks, California |
|
|
| Proper Hotel | Downtown Los Angeles, California | Building's Exterior | The outside of the Proper Hotel was used as the establishing shot for Bludsoe's Apartment |