"Terry's Kitties" is the nineteenth episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's third season.
A delivery man brings Terry a kitten, resulting in the sergeant telling Jake of how, as a rookie detective at the Six-Five, he'd been mercilessly hazed by the senior detectives. Just when it seemed as if he'd cracked his first case, it turned out that the prime suspect was wheelchair-bound and Terry found himself ranting and raving that the suspect's cat was probably an accomplice. Ever since that humiliating incident, the Six-Five have been sending Terry a kitten on the anniversary of that day as a reminder. Jake, feeling sorry for Terry, resolves that he'll help his friend finally solve the twenty-year-old cold case.
Meanwhile, Holt, Rosa, Amy, along with Hitchcock and Scully, take part in a bomb dismantling class where Rosa and Amy's competitive sides take over.
Also, Pimento's been evicted from his apartment (his screaming was keeping other tenants awake) and invites himself over to Charles' apartment, something which Charles is too meek to object to.
This episode provides examples of:
- Abusive Parents: One of the few episodes it comes up in, but Terry mentions his father being a bully who took it out on his family. Terry, of course, is the opposite.
- Achievements in Ignorance: Hitchcock and Scully score the highest in the bomb dismantling class because they weren't even aware they were dealing with bombs.
- Apparently Powerless Puppetmaster: Charles, of all people, and even lampshaded by him. He lets himself be dominated by Pimento to the point that Gina sails in and intimidates Pimento into leaving Charles' apartment and even apologising to him. Then, just as Gina exults in her victory:Gina: Told you. He just needed to be alpha'd.Charles: ...Is that what happened, or did I just beta you into protecting me?Gina: [staring at him in horror] No. No. That's not what happened. This is not your victory.Charles: [reassuringly] Sure.Gina: Oh, my God.
- The Big Board: Jake spends all night tracking crime by pushing pins into a map of New York. By the time Terry comes into work, the map is completely filled (see the page image above) and Jake concludes that New York is a terrible place and he can't see any reason why anyone would want to live there.
- Call-Back: The episode title is a play on Terry's old nickname of "Terry Titties" from "Pilot".
- Credits Gag: On the Dr. Goor Productions Vanity Plate, the "Shh" after "Notadoctor" is replaced by one of the kitties meowing.
- Cute Kitten: Terry is sent a kitten every year on the anniversary of his screw-up at the Six-Five. Jake finds them adorable, but Terry has nothing but contempt for them.Jake: Morning, Sarge! Ooh! Good morning, my sweet little cuties!
Terry: Don’t call them cute. They’d kill us all if they were smart enough to use weapons. (to the cats) But you’re not smart, you’re dumb. You’re always nekkid and you pee in a box! - Cuteness Proximity: Jake can't resist the adorableness of Terry's kittens. He suggests Terry put the first one in a mug and pretend to take a sip. He cuddles with them and gives them cool Die Hard names, blows them kisses etc. Cat squad, assemble! However, he's usually this goofy all the time. Terry is not moved by their cuteness at all and calls the kitties dicks.
- Dark Horse Victory: Amy, Rosa and Holt all fail the bomb dismantling course because of their over-competitiveness. The winners were Hitchcock and Scully, who weren't even aware that they were handling bombs.
- Department of Redundancy Department: Jake and Terry track down a suspect to the Club International of Brighton Beach International Club. Jake points out that the redundancy in the name indicates how sleazy the place is.
- Didn't Think This Through: After they capture the suspect, Terry tells Jake to find the cat next, Jake reminds him that the cat is probably dead since it has been twenty years.
- Disproportionate Retribution: Terry is so filled with rage by the kittens that, when Jake proposes a way to get back at the 6-5, he assumes Jake's plan is a lot bloodier than it is:Jake: We'll sneak into the 6-5, steal that old case file, and work it till we find your burglar. Then we march back into that precinct-
Terry: And we grind these kittens up and shove them down their throats! - The Dog Was the Mastermind: Invoked by Terry, who in desperation accuses the suspect's cat of being an accomplice.
- Hide Your Pregnancy: The bomb dismantling class gave the show an excuse to put Amy in a bomb suit in order to hide Melissa Fumero's pregnancy.
- Ignored Epiphany: After all three of them fail the course due to not taking it seriously enough, Holt, Rosa and Amy agree not to let their competitive streaks interfere with their work. This resolution lasts all of five seconds.
- Not So Above It All: Captain Holt scolds Amy and Rosa for being so competitive and not taking the class seriously. Turns out he was just slowing them down so that he could win. He is scolded for not taking the class seriously.
- Obfuscating Disability: Turns out Terry's suspect was only faking being in a wheelchair, which Jake figures out when he sees a picture of him and notices that the shoes he's wearing have worn treads note .
- Once Done, Never Forgotten: After discovering that his prime suspect was wheelchair-bound, Terry started ranting and raving that the man's cat was an accomplice. Since that day, Terry's fellow cops at the Six-Five refuse to let him forget about it.
- Out-of-Character Moment: The Cold Open has Holt on a "vacation high" after returning from Paris, acting blissful and cordial. The others plan to take advantage and petition a new tank for the precinct before the high wears off, but Hitchcock and Scully get to him first and spoil Holt's mood and he reverts to his stern, grouchy self.
- Place Worse Than Death: Gina can't be intimidated by Pimento's horror stories because she used to work at a Sunglass Hut kiosk. "So not only have I been through Hell, I was assistant manager there."
- Recycled Script: The A-plot is this to Unsolvable. Jake and Terry take on an old cold case, long thought to be unsolvable. They find a lead, only to hit a dead end in the case later on. Terry leaves the case, while Jake stays up all night trying to solve it. Jake is once again in an unfocused, sleep-deprived state when Terry comes into work and it turns out the culprit was the victim all along.
- Red Herring: Jake picks up a lead in Terry's case when he notices that the building has the same elevator inspector from the time of the crime. The lead turns out to be a dead end, and Jake eventually figures out that the original suspect was the real perpetrator all along.
- Remember the New Guy?: Despite Terry having served several years at the Nine-Nine by this point, this is the first time he mentions his time at the Six-Five and how they send him a kitten every year on the anniversary of his breakdown.
- Shell-Shocked Veteran: Played for laughs, but Pimento's years undercover have clearly left their mark. He screams in his sleep and even tried to sleep-choke Charles.
- Shown Their Work: The show makes some effort in the scenes set in 1996. Not only do the characters wear some hideously dated fashions, but an old-style NYPD cruiser with 90's markings is seen parked in front of the Six-Five, and the SWAT team carries weapons and wears uniforms that would have been used in the period as well.
- Soul-Sucking Retail Job: When Adrian brags "I've been through hell" working as an undercover cop, Gina retorts "I worked at a sunglass kiosk at the mall for four years. So not only have I been through hell, I was assistant manager there."
- Yank the Dog's Chain: In the Cold Opening, when Holt comes back from Paris in a good mood, the main squad try to use the opportunity to get Holt to agree to some demands they have (such as getting a tank). Unfortunately, Scully and Hitchcock inadvertently torpedo this by mentioning some weight Holt has gained to him, spoiling his good mood.
