‘Brooklyn Nine-Nine’ Recap: “Halloween IV”

Ryan Aday
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Every October, the officers of Brooklyn’s 99th Precinct observe a tradition. This annual event, called “The Heist”, consists of the officers attempting to steal a significant object and have it in their possession at midnight. Whoever accomplishes this feat is declared grand champion and smartest person on the planet. Amy, Jake, and Captain Holt all previously won the competition. Needless to say, they all prepared for victory this year.

Recap

Holt, Jake, and Amy each announce “The Heist” in their own ceremonial way. Holt shows the precinct the new plaque Gina made to commemorate the event. The three defending champions pick partners, and the game is on. Amy picks Rosa, Holt picks Boyle, and Jake is stuck with Gina.

Holt’s plan is to throw off Jake by picking his best friend, Boyle. He appears correct as Jake has hired a Boyle look-alike as part of his plan. He decides to use his hire to double Gina instead. They successfully steal the plaque, however, Gina roller skates into a post and loses her front teeth. They return the plaque, and each group must start again.

Gina fakes losing her teeth as part of a master plan

Amy and Rosa orchestrate a plan in which dozens of pizzas are delivered simultaneously, causing confusion. Rosa dresses as a delivery person and steals the plaque. She puts it in her pack, and they hide it in the bathroom.

Over the course of the evening, each team thinks they have the plaque. When midnight arrives, they all celebrate their victories. A black light shows all of the plaques are fake spelling “Heists Are Dumb”. This leads the gang to investigate Terry who said earlier that heists were dumb.

When they confront Terry in the interrogation room, the doors to the room lock and Gina appears behind the glass. She informs the precinct that she is the winner of the annual heist. She ordered three fake plaques and spraypainted them with the words. Her front two teeth have always been able to come out, and she used that to her advantage. After claiming victory, she demands that the plaque is changed from “World’s Smartest Cop” to “World’s Smartest Human”.

Reaction

Jake won the inaugural heist but comes up short this year

This episode featured the 9-9 back in Brooklyn and back to basics. The previous crossover episode and the first three in Florida served as event programming. “Halloween IV” played out as the majority of the episodes do. Jake and Holt have conflict, and the rest of the officers choose sides. The resolution, as always, is far fetched but resonates enough to be believable. It looks like it’s back to business as usual at Brooklyn’s coolest precinct.

Highlights

  • The interaction between Jake and the hired body double
  • Amy never wanting the night to end due to Rosa being on her team
  • Hitchcock disclosing his likelihood to die of a scare-related incident

Brooklyn Nine-Nine airs Tuesday nights at 8pm EST/PST followed by New Girl at 8:30pm. Check out our complete recap of this week’s New Girl.

Ryan Aday
Ryan is a former college athlete with a degree in Communication from Point Loma University. He is also a 6-time Game Show Contestant (Incl. Wheel of Fortune) and decorated fantasy football player (Fantasy Football Evolution Hall of Fame). Mr. Aday is kind to animals.