NutriBoom is the sixteenth episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's fifth season. It aired back-to-back with "DFW".
After desperately signing on to become a NutriBoom sales representative during the previous Halloween heist, Jake is now desperate to get out his contract as he needs the money to pay for a nice honeymoon. Dragging along a semi-reluctant Charles, Jake heads to NutriCore headquarters only to discover that the company's predatory business practices are far more aggressive than they'd previously imagined, everyone acts as if they're in a cult, and the founder's wife has been mysteriously missing for a long time. Also Jay Chandresekhar is involved.
Back at the Nine-Nine, Amy proudly begins her first day as sergeant of the precinct's uniformed officers. She begins her first briefing only to find herself dealing with Gary Jennings, a peppy know-it-all who constantly interrupts her with his own ideas on how to improve the precinct. She turns to her friends for help on how to deal with Gary only for them laughingly tell her that she's dealing with her very own Amy! Her day suddenly becomes completely preoccupied with trying to avoid Gary while using the very same tactics her friends would use to avoid her.
This episode provides examples of:
- As Himself: Jay Chandresekhar guest stars as himself.
- Because You Were Nice to Me: Played for laughs. Bill considers Charles and Jake, who he's met maximum of twice, to be his best friends.
- Bland-Name Product: NutriBoom's logo is a dead ringer for Real Life MLM Herbalife.
- Call-Back: Bill the Ringer returns to deliver Jake's NutriBoom after Jake signed a contract during "HalloVeen".
- Catchphrase: "Boom boom!" is used by everyone in NutriBoom. Even Jake picks it up after awhile.
- Church of Happyology: NutriCore has many similarities to a real Church of Happyology.
- The Coroner Doth Protest Too Much: According to NutriBoom, Debbie is "happy, healthy, and alive." As it turns out, she atually is.
- Dissonant Serenity: A mark of NutriBoom is that all its members have this, and it's seen in Bill, who knows that it's a cult but is still very chilled about it, Jay after they get to him, and the guy that Boyle gives a neck-massage.
- Distinction Without a Difference: According to Bill, NutriBoom is not a pyramid scheme. It's a "conical-tiered multi-flow-through medical marketing entity."
- Doomed Moral Victor: Jake refuses to be bribed, but loses his honeymoon for nothing, as the FBI can't charge NutriBoom with anything yet. As it will take several years to build a case.
- Failed Attempt at Drama: Amy attempts to follow Terry's advice by pausing as she pours her drink, but eager Gary keeps speaking up to fill in the silence.
- Groin Attack: NutriCore subjects Jay Chandresekhar to "nard torture" to keep him in line.
- Happiness Is Mandatory: To Nutriboom.
- I Am the Noun:Debbie: I am NutriBoom.
- Identical Stranger: Nobody, including Hitchcock, Scully and everyone at NutriBoom, seems to be able to see any difference between Charles and Bill.
- Karma Houdini: NutriCore manages to get away with everything. Though considering that Bill becomes destitute in all of his subsequent appearances, it's implied they didn't get away for long.
- Kick the Dog: NutriCore are willing to do this all over the place, including literally to Jay Chandresekhar's kidnapped dog.
- Leaning on the Fourth Wall: Jake reminds Bill that they'd agreed to only meet once a year for the annual Halloween heist.
- Ponzi: NutriBoom is very clearly one of these, or more specifically, a Multi-level marketing pyramid scheme, which requires the distributors to recruit more distributors to earn money.
- Shaped Like Itself: NutriBoom's product messaging is that it will lower users' amino acid levels as well as boost them.
- Spear Counterpart: Gary to Amy.
- Suspiciously Specific Denial: Photos of the wife of NutriBoom's founder (whom no one has seen in person for quite some time) include a quote from her stating that she is "happy, healthy, and alive." Jake and Charles don't exactly need to flex their detective muscles much to conclude, "Oh, Debbie dead." Then subverted, as Debbie not only turns out to be just as alive as she claimed, but the true founder and brains behind NutriBoom.
- Take That!: The episode's main plot is a big one against the shady and cultish business practices of MLM companies.
- Thousand-Yard Stare: Played for laughs by Charles after he has to give the cultists neck massages. "They formed a line."
- Twofer Token Minority: Lampshaded in-universe when Holt - speaking from much personal experience - puts pressure on Amy by pointing out that her new position of authority means she will be seen as representative of all Latina policewomen.
- Unusually Uninteresting Sight: By the end, Jake is rather blase about the fact that an evil corporation/cult is now stalking him.
- You Are What You Hate: All of the things Amy hates about Gary are her defining qualities.
