One of the many reasons that NBC brought Brooklyn Nine-Nine back from the brink of cancellation was the show's adorable family dynamic — all the characters have, in a number of different instances, shown just how much they care about each other. Whether it's taking literal bullets to buttcheeks, or trying to rescue a pal from a pyramid scheme, these guys have gone above and beyond the call of friendship.
It's not easy to rank these moments according to impact (how does one evaluate them, anyway?). However, there are a few instances that have generated a feeling of warmth slightly more intense than on other occasions.
When Amy Tries To Fix A Broken Toilet
When Rosa is trapped in a building teeming with active shooters, the squad is terrified of what might happen if something goes wrong. Everyone reacts in their own way to the situation, but Amy's hyperactive Type-A personality convinces her that the best course of action is to repair a broken toilet in the bathroom (simply because Rosa had brought it up at some point).
She tries her hardest, getting herself drenched in drain water, but at the end is unable to actually do it. She finally lets go of her rage by destroying the innocent toilet. Amy then hugs Rosa, who is still wet from the drain water, making for a beautiful and emotional moment.
When Raymond Makes Breakfast For Kevin
Captain Holt requests Charles's help in cooking an anniversary breakfast for his husband, but his initial attempts (and Boyle's aggressive behavior) lead to failure. While they part ways in anger, Raymond its that he read Charles's blog, and understands how each dish is meant to tell a story.
He reveals that he prepared a Croque Monsieur for Kevin, a sandwich that the couple shared in Paris during their first anniversary. Adorable as this is, it also shows that Holt is a phenomenal chef — Charles even likens him to Mozart.
When Gina Respawns The Mother Dough
The death of Great Nana Boyle is a sad event for the family, only made worse when Charles learns that Gina has inherited the "mother dough," an ancestral and incredibly important Boyle relic. Of course, she ruins it by placing it too close to her space heater, but then Charles is "banished" for not protecting it.
To make things better, Gina begins a new sourdough starter, informing the extended plethora of cousins that they are welcome to borrow a piece of it whenever necessary. This act is selfless by Gina's standards and gets Charles his beloved place in the family back.
When Rosa Comes Out As Bisexual
Rosa is not ready to tell anyone about her bisexuality (mainly because it's something she is just beginning to explore). Charles is the first to discover this, through a combination of eavesdropping and logical deduction. The squad is unsurprisingly ive, but Rosa is anxious when it comes to coming out to her parents.
The Diazes unfortunately do not respond well to the news, leaving her daughter without their . Over time, her dad starts to accept her for who she is to the relief of fans. Rosa's father's acceptance made for a great moment in the series, while also showing an unfortunately very realistic portrayal of what it can be like to come out.
When Charles Throws A Birthday Dinner For Rosa
Charles is careful not to acknowledge Rosa's birthday, the one day she doesn't like to celebrate. Instead, he requests her assistance in transferring an arcade game from a bar to his home, but she immediately wises up to his plan.
Luckily for her, the surprise is not spoiled as her calculations failed to consider that Marcus might just rent the whole bar for them to spend a private night out. Rosa rejects Charles's repeated attempts at a nickname, Ro-Ro, but this time he claims that he has earned that right (and she doesn't stop him).
When Terry Loves Love (Which Is Always)
Almost every scene with Terry Jeffords is filled with warmth and comion — his habit of taking the nine-nine under his wing gives off strong maternal vibes. He cherishes many things, too many things to count, from yogurt to kreplach to Frasier to suspenders, but there is nothing more he loves than love.
Terry doesn't hold back from displaying his affections, either, as seen in the exciting way he talks about his babies, helps Jake and Charles get out of their respective funks, or cheerfully fanboy over his favorite writers.
When Madeline Wuntch Doesn't Betray The Nine-Nine
The enmity between Raymond Holt and Madeline Wuntch is literally on an epic level: think Superman and Lex Luthor but without the planetary destruction. Therefore, it comes as a total shock when she, along with CJ and the Vulture, are onboard with Jake's Suicide Squad plan to entrap Commissioner Kelly.
Holt, especially, is astounded that she doesn't double-cross him like she has a thousand times before (although technically, her aim was to become the next Commissioner). Even so, Wuntch's meant a lot to the nine-nine, as well as to the city of New York.
When Jake Does Better Than Captain Latvia
Nikolaj politely asks his father to get him a Captain Latvia action figure for Christmas, but the item doesn't arrive on time. Jake and Charles go on a personal investigation, where they accidentally uncover a highly dangerous gun smuggling operation.
The pair unfortunately lose all of the Captain Latvia toys when the gangsters burn their goods, but Jake hands his buddy a wrapped present for the kid, anyway. It turns out to be a policeman doll, and everyone gets to melt over Nikolaj imitating his father, "I'm Detective Papa, and I'm going to go to the Farmers Market. I hope they have aged Gouda."
When Hitchcock & Scully Protect Their Informant
In one of the most bizarre episodes of the series, Hitchcock and Scully's pasts reveal them to be super-cool (and super-hot) hunks; even Jake and Charles are unable to decide which one of them was more attractive.
While following some new leads from an '86 case, Peralta notices that one of the bags of money found at Gio Costa's hideout was never logged in. He suspects that Hitchcock/Scully may have stolen it, but is pleasantly surprised when he learns that the duo had used the money to set up their informant, Marissa Costa, as the NYPD refused to place her in witness protection.
Anything To Do With Holt & Jake
The intensity of Jake's authority issues would scare anyone away, but not his boss/mentor/friend/new dad, Captain Holt. Furthermore, the exuberance of the former's general attitude in juxtaposition with the latter's stoic demeanor makes for some brilliant comedy.
The captain accepts his role as a substitute father figure, even officiating the Peralta-Santiago wedding at short notice. The best scene of all, however, occurs when Holt secretly tells Jake that he was injured in a hula-hooping accident, showing him a photo as proof, fully aware that he would tear his hair out trying to prove that such a thing was possible.