Ava is the eighth episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's third season.
Sharon, Terry's wife, is coming over to the Nine-Nine so that she and Terry can go on one last romantic getaway before she gives birth. But since Terry and Rosa have to go to Riker's Island to interview an inmate, he gets Jake to make sure Sharon's comfortable until he gets back. Jake, in turn, recruits Gina to help him keep Captain Holt away from Sharon because Holt, with his bluntness, makes Sharon uncomfortable.
Meanwhile, the precinct's internet is down and Amy and Charles have to fill out a backlog of paperwork by hand and send it to One Police Plaza via fax. Things go from bad to worse when Hitchcock and Scully decide to help out.
This episode provides examples of:
- Actually Pretty Funny: Sharon finds it hilarious that Jake calls a doula a "vaginal Gandalf". She orders him to call the "wizard".
- Afraid of Doctors: Terry and Sharon refuse to go to a hospital for the birth after the bad experience they had the last time. When Frederick recommends it, however, she agrees to go because she doesn't want any complications with the baby.
- Amusing Injuries: After checking in on Sharon, Frederick advises Peralta that they should certainly go to the hospital, as the precinct is a "terrible environment."Frederick: ...you can hear the faint sound of someone screaming through all the vents.
Gina: That's Hitchcock. His arm's stuck in a pneumatic tube. It's hilarious. - Bait-and-Switch: When Terry learns Sharon is in labor, he insists on getting the information from his perp before leaving because he won't have a chance otherwise, ominously saying he'll make him talk... cue Terry begging the perp in tears not to let him miss the birth of his baby, which works flawlessly.
- Brain Bleach: Gina is rendered practically comatose by the details of childbirth in Terry and Sharon's birthing plan."I just found out what an episiotomy is. I'm gonna need ninety minutes."
- Break Out the Museum Piece: Amy, Charles, Hitchcock, Scully have to use increasingly obsolete technology throughout this episode. They go from filling out online forms to filling out paper forms by hand and submitting them through fax to finally having to submit the forms via pneumatic tubes!
- Call-Back: In Charges And Specs Holt mentions all his breakups have been completely mutual. This episode proves he was lying.
- Character Title: Terry and Sharon's newborn daughter is named "Ava."
- Comically Missing the Point: When Sharon discovers that her water has just broken, Jake — apparently believing her to be talking about her bottled water — calmly reassures her that they can get her another one. Before realising that she's talking about "body water".
- Delivery Guy: Played with. Jake does help Sharon when she does into labor, but since the show averts Instant Birth: Just Add Labor!, he doesn't actually help deliver Ava; he at first attempts to get ahold of her doula, and when all other options fail, takes her to the hospital and lets the professionals handle it. His duties consist mostly of keeping Sharon comfortable and keeping everyone else from getting in the way.
- Dude, Where's My Respect?: Terry is driven into a panic specifically at the thought of his pregnant wife being in the care of Jake during her labor and lays into him after Jake decides to follow Frederick's advice and take her to the hospital. As indicated under The Load entry, however, Jake is pretty much the only member of the precinct who is actually doing anything useful or helpful during the situation. Terry acknowledges this at the end of the episode.
- Dumbass Has a Point: Or rather 'Cloudcuckoolander Has A Point'; when Jake defines a doula as a "vaginal Gandalf", an impressed Sharon remarks that it's actually a pretty good way of understanding it.
- Even Evil Has Standards: Terry gets the perp to talk when revealing his wife is in labor. The perp gives the information because he won't let a man miss his child being born.Perp: (through tears) Thank you for making me a part of this magical experience!Terry: You're a TERRIBLE person...but you're welcome.
- Everyone Has Standards: Frederick turns on his doula mode when Holt "lies" that he threw away the duck. He then becomes completely professional and tells the 99 that they should take Sharon to the hospital, because he's worried about her blood pressure.
- Exact Words: Holt denies that he threw Frederick's duck in the trash. Because he actually threw it off a bridge.
- Field Promotion: All through the episode, Jake addresses Sharon as his "god-wife", which does not exactly please her ("Oh yes, Terry did tell me that you might be calling me that.") But after he's managed to steer her through disaster after disaster, all of them caused by other people, and she's becoming increasingly convinced she needs to be in the hospital, she grants that he's earned it:Sharon: I mean, I know we said no hospital, but I don't want to risk anything by making a stupid mistake. Look, you're my god-husband.Jake: We both know that's a fake position.Sharon: Not anymore.
- From Bad to Worse: The smoke alarms go off because Scully plugged ten(!) fax machines into a single outlet and caused a fire. Then Jake accidentally sets off the sprinklers while trying to shut the alarms off. There's also what Holt did to his ex-boyfriend's duck. At first the story was he threw it into the garbage. He threw it off a bridge.
- Geeky Turn-On: When the internet goes down, Charles and Amy have to process all the paperwork by hand. Charles takes to this even better than Amy does, which she naturally finds very attractive.
- Happy Place: While Gina is (supposedly) trying to calm down Sharon.
- "Hell, Yes!" Moment: when Terry and Rosa are held up on the Underground, they opt instead to get back to the 99 on foot.Terry: Run, Terry, run. Think of your wife in the care of Jake.
Rosa: [having just found two police bikes] Sarge.
Terry: Aw hell yeah! - Honor Before Reason: Holt could tell the truth to Frederick, that he tossed the duck off the bridge. He instead keeps insisting he didn't throw it in the trash.
- Instant Birth: Just Add Labor!: Subverted. Sharon's water breaks while at the precinct and she refuses to go to the hospital, so the team attempts to have her give birth at the precinct for some time. Then Jake decides enough is enough and brings her to the hospital; the baby is born over an hour after they arrive.
- It's All About Me: Even when helping a woman in labor, Gina can only obsess on how hard it is for her. See Happy Place for an example.Gina: You're in a Channing Tatum movie. You're in a Channing Tatum movie...
Sharon: I don't like Channing Tatum.
Gina: I wasn't talking to you! - The Load: While the other members of the precinct eventually pull through, they're mostly not incredibly helpful to Jake or Sharon during the ordeal:
- Holt spends most of the episode acting obstructive and sulky because he's offended that Sharon finds him upsetting and off-putting, and also stubbornly refuses to admit he threw away Frederick's duck; Jake has to order him to lie.
- Gina can't quite move past her disgust of pregnancy and desperation to avoid Sharon at all costs (although admittedly, did still try to help).
- Amy and Charles's various attempts to speed up the paperwork process only cause more disasters, mainly because they keep listening to...
- Hitchcock and Scully, who are their usual useless selves and are the direct cause of most of the said disasters.
- And even Frederick stubbornly refuses to come and help Sharon out until Holt admits that he threw away Frederick's duck-decoy.
- Inverted with Jake, who Terry assumes took Sharon to the hospital because he just hadn't paid attention to the fact that they didn't want to go there, but who is the most level-headed person in the episode, paying attention to Sharon throughout and making sure that she gets what she needs.
- Not So Above It All: Holt apologizes for being surly and childish over learning that Sharon's uncomfortable with him and then having to beg his ex-boyfriend for help.
- Only Sane Man: For once it's Jake who has the role. He's very put-out to be in this role.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Jake is so dedicated to helping Sharon, he acts like the responsible one.Holt: It didn't end well for Frederick and me.
Gina: Ooh, why not? Dish, sir, dish!
Jake: Gina, no. I can't believe I'm saying this, but we simply don't have time to hear about the captain's sordid romantic past.
Gina: What have you become?! - Panicky Expectant Father: Terry spends most of the episode getting more and more stressed about his child's impending birth.
- Perp Sweating: Subverted. Terry asks for "five minutes alone" with the guy they're interrogating. Cut to him pleading not to miss the birth of his child and the guy sobbing and giving him the names they need.
- [Popular Saying], But...: As Charles' dad once told him, "When the going gets tough, the pill bug curls up into a ball and pretends to be dead."
- Right Behind Me: when Jake asks for Gina's help keeping Holt away from Sharon, she promises to keep him appraised of Holt's location at all times.Holt: Gina, Peralta.
Gina: He's behind me. - Running Gag, Rule of Three: Holt interrupting Charles when he tries to say what he's thankful for.
- Screaming Birth: Averted. Sharon expresses discomfort throughout the episode but she doesn't scream. Most of the yelling, in fact, comes from Jake and Gina as they panic over the whole situation.
- Skewed Priorities: Lampshaded when Jake finally explodes over Holt's stubbornness regarding the wooden duck incident:Jake: What the hell?! Just tell him what he wants to hear!
Holt: But it's a lie.
Jake: I don't give a crap! Sir, Sharon needs a doctor, so get over yourself, tell him you threw away his stupid duck, and give him twenty bucks to buy a new one!
Holt: It cost $740.
Jake: What?! That is an insane price for a duck! That's way too much! Alright, now I'm angry about the wrong thing. - Surprisingly Realistic Outcome: Jake assumes that the doula will do his "vaginal Gandalf" thing and follow the book that Sharon and Terry had for the baby. Frederick, however, points out this isn't a safe place to have a delivery: the atmosphere is stressful with all the criminals in holding, there's no bed available, and Sharon's blood pressure is too high for him to have confidence. At a hospital, he can monitor her better with doctors to make sure she has no complications. Sharon and Terry later admit this was the right call, as she has a better experience in the hospital.
- Ungrateful Bastard: After Jake takes Sharon to the hospital, when he shows up Terry screams at Jake for disregarding their birth-plan and distrust of doctors. In his defense, he's clearly stressed and panicking, and once he calms down and learns / realises exactly how helpful Jake had been throughout the entire ordeal he makes a point of allowing Jake to be the first person besides Terry and Sharon to see their new daughter.
- Working with the Ex: With Sharon in labor and both her doula and backup doula unavailable, Holt has to call upon his ex-boyfriend, Frederick, to come down to the precinct to check on her. The reunion is tense, to say the least (an antique wooden duck was involved in the breakup).
