Brooklyn 99- the show I would not shut up about for the past year. In my opinion, it is the least problematic and most diverse show I have ever seen. It takes place in the fictional 99th precinct of New York and follows a team of detectives who work for the NYPD. Every season, there is an iconic Halloween themed episode in which there is a heist. The characters agree on an object to steal, team up, and make elaborate plans to become the yearly Ultimate Detective/Genius.
Warning: There will definitely be spoilers.
6. Cinco De Mayo (Season 6, Episode 16)
In order to distract Terry from the stress of his upcoming lieutenant’s exam, the squad decided to hold the annual Halloween Heist on a new date, Cinco de Mayo. Although this episode has a major twist of events crowning Terry the winner, I ranked it as number 6 because of all the betrayal. Between Jake and Amy, Terry and Jake, Holt and Kevin, Rosa and Charles. There were too many twists and turns along the way AND the heist didn’t even take place on Halloween.
Memorable quotes:
“You tricked me, Rosa! And then you shipped me to New Jersey! First of all, grow up.” – Charles Boyle
“Notify me when you’re done, via bark.” – Raymond Holt
5. Halloween, Part III (Season 3, Episode 5)
The bet for this heist was to see who could steal a crown locked in a briefcase handcuffed to the interrogation room table by midnight. Jake and Holt hold a draft and pick teams to assist them throughout the night. Jake picks Rosa and Charles while Holt picks Terry and Gina. Amy feels left out because both Jake and Holt reject her from their teams. I ranked this as number 5 because I felt that it was a little bit too predictable. Amy Santiago is obviously a handworking genius and is capable of literally anything, so she was bound to be the winner.
Memorable quotes:
“If I die, turn my tweets into a book!” – Gina Linetti
“We have to get that crown back. I already changed my email to “kingjakerulez” with a z. Everyone’s going to think I’m an idiot.” – Jake Peralta
4. Halloween IV (Season 4, Episode 5)
This year, the squad is competing for the Ultimate Detective/Genius plaque. With the help of Gina, Jake locks everyone in separate rooms and manages to steal the plaque, handing it to Gina. However, Gina gets hurt while roller skating and is sent home but the plaque returns to its original position. The lights suddenly go off to reveal the words “Heists are dumb” on the plaques and they confront Terry, accusing him of being the one with the plaque. Gina reveals herself to be the mastermind behind the heist, citing that getting the “Detective” status is her goal. She is subsequently named “Ultimate Human/Genius”. This episode is iconic, mainly because the winner is Gina.
Memorable quotes:
“Oh, it hurts so bad. I hope to God I’m not humbled by this.” – Gina Linetti
“I’m just so sick of roller skating’s dangerous image. We’re not all bad boys.” – Charles Boyle
3. Halloween (Season 1, Episode 6)
This episode is the first Halloween Heist of the show. Jake attempts to take Holt’s Medal of Valour from his office. I love this episode because everyone works together to help Jake win. In addition to the heist tradition, Jake introduced his long-running joke naming one of Amy’s innuendos as the title of her sex tape.
Memorable quotes:
“Kind, Sober and Fully Dressed. Good news everyone, we found the name of Santiago’s sex tape.” – Jake Peralta
“Can’t tell you how many nuns I wanted to beat up in Catholic school. Ten.” – Rosa Diaz
“People think if they put on a costume they can just get away with anything they want. Halloween is Christmas for jerks.” – Amy Santiago
2. Halloween 2 (Season 2, Episode 4)
In this episode, everyone works together- but this time it’s to help out Captain Holt.
The task is that Jake needs to steal Holt’s watch from his wrist before midnight. If Jake wins, Holt will do Jake’s paperwork for one week, but if Jake loses, Jake will do five weeks of overtime without pay. I learned that Holt is an evil genius and Rosa can do a mean somersault. I love how Jake was extremely confident throughout the heist but in the end, legend and king Raymond Holt pulled through with the win.
Memorable quotes:
“Look, I can’t help it if my life is literally a Step Up movie.” – Gina Linetti
“Last Halloween, after you won the bet, I went back to my office to do everyone’s paperwork, but I did no paperwork. I started to plot my revenge. I began by creating a word cloud.” – Raymond Holt
1. HalloVeen (Season 5, Episode 4)
Jake, Amy and, Holt all claim to have won the 5th Halloween heist. Jake
by proposing to Amy, Amy by finding the altered cummerbund at midnight, and Holt by recovering the cummerbund after the midnight deadline. Terry wins the heist, also revealing to the squad that he is a Lieutenant, having passed the exam weeks ago. This episode is without a doubt the best Halloween episode in the series. This was also the first episode that made me cry. I waited five whole seasons for Jake to propose to Amy.
Memorable quotes:
“She’s a strong independent woman, and she don’t need no man. That being said, I truly hope she says yes. But it’s her decision, so just back off!” – Jake Peralta
“You can’t surprise me. Letting me into your life was the worst mistake you ever made.” – Amy Santiago
“You’re not Cheddar, you’re just some common b*tch.” – Raymond Holt
“Some of you have asked me what got me through prison. Was it my family? Don’t be stupid. Was it knowing that my friends would eventually get me out? Of course not, I never believed in any of you. No, the only thing that kept me sane was planning for the Halloween heist those many years doing hard time.” – Jake Peralta