USPIS is the eighth episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's second season.
Rosa takes charge of the Giggle Pig task force and orders Jake to follow up on a key that may or may not be connected to the US Postal Service. Enter Jack Danger (pronounced "Donger"), a US Postal Inspector with an encyclopedic knowledge of the postal system and not much else. Jake and Danger butt heads and the conflict leads to the investigation grinding to a halt.
Amy, meanwhile, is trying to quit smoking and her uncharacteristic behavior leads to Holt, Terry, and Gina deciding to help her out.
Tropes present in this episode:
- Arson, Murder, and Jaywalking: Rosa is not happy that Danger called and said Peralta and Boyle abandoned him, took information from a classified computer, and licked a roll of antique stamps.
- Awesome McCoolname: Jake and Charles are excited to meet "Agent Jack Danger." Then subverted when they meet him and find out it's pronounced "Dong-er" and decide the real pronunciation is pretty fitting.
- Blatant Lies: Holt catches Amy smoking in a Port-A-Potty due to smoke coming out of a vent, but she insists that it's steam from the shower.
- The Bore: Jack regales Jake and Boyle with the entire history of the USPIS, sparing no detail. Jake takes this as punishment for going behind Jack’s back.
- Call-Back: We're reminded, once again, that Terry used to have a weight problem. In this episode, we get to see just how huge he used to be.
- Dynamic Entry: Charles requests to be the one who breaks down the suspect's door, despite Jake insisting that he's never been able to do it when he's tried before. He eventually relents and Charles successfully kicks in the door and does a roll, becoming so excited he high-fives the bad guy.
- "Eureka!" Moment: The combination of Danger's knowledge of the US Postal Service and Jake's street smarts lead to a major break in the case.
- Funny Background Event: When Jake ejects Danger's music tape and throws it in the backseat, Charles picks it up and puts it in his coat pocket.
- Going Cold Turkey: Amy has been hiding her smoking habit from Teddy and decides to quit. Holt, Terry, and Gina decide to pitch in and help her.
- I Have to Go Iron My Dog: Everyone had one of these to avoid or explain forgetting Scully's birthday party (apparently a big one). Scully was scamming them for money.Amy: I panicked and said I had to go to the vet because my puppy-cat got sick.
Boyle: I said I had to take my mom to get birth-control pills.
Terry: That's better than my excuse. I said I had to go to my girls' bat mitzvahs.
Holt: (entering the break room) Squad, we missed Scully's birthday, and it was a big one. I told them I was in Ecuador. I think they bought it. - Inferiority Superiority Complex: A lot of Danger's obnoxiousness clearly stems from the fact that the United States Postal Service is no longer as important as it used to be. The USPIS actually has significant federal authority, but most people have never heard of it, which he's clearly bitter about.
- Insistent Terminology: Danger insists that "Going Postal" means doing something kind and generous. His defensive tone implies that he is well aware of the term's more popular definition. This is Truth in Television, as the Postal Service really does not like the term "Going Postal". They feel it associates the post office and its workers with violent crime. It's even a part of training for new employees on why they shouldn't use the phrase.
- Inter-Service Rivalry: The New York Police Department butts heads with the United States Postal Inspection Servicenote to the detriment of the investigation at hand.
- Jerkass Has a Point: Jake's actions are irresponsible and clearly put the investigation and the squad at risk, but he's not wrong that Jack Danger is an obnoxious, obstructive and ineffectual idiot who is bungling the investigation.
- Jurisdiction Friction: Danger claims jurisdiction for USPIS over the Giggle Pig case after Jake goes behind his back, to Rosa's displeasure.
- The Load: Jack Danger proves to be almost useless out on the streets. When casing out one of the mailboxes being used as drop off points, a dealer sees them and makes a run for it. Jack attempts to give chase, but his keychain is still attached to the mailbox and he falls. He then panics and grabs Jake’s leg, preventing him from catching the perp.
- My Friends... and Zoidberg: Danger does this during a drug raid, desperately playing up his involvement.Rosa: Freeze! Police!
Danger: And USPIS!
Jake: NYPD! Hands in the air!
Danger: Also USPIS! - Negated Moment of Awesome: During the big raid at the end, Jack Danger knocked himself out bumping his head on the doorway and is out cold during the whole thing.
- Obfuscating Stupidity: Scully, as it turns out, is devious enough to guilt the rest of the detective squad into giving him cash after lying that he'd had a milestone birthday.
- Obstructive Bureaucrat: Danger hates e-mail because it led to mass layoffs of postal workers so he insists on sending information through snail mail. He eventually becomes completely uncooperative and Jake has to steal the information he needs.
- One-Liner, Name... One-Liner: Danger uses this speech pattern after the successful bust. He tries to sound like a badass, which he is not.Danger: All right, another win for USPIS.
Peralta: You're lying in rat turds.
Danger: It's all part of the job, little brother. It's all part of the job. - Self-Serving Memory: Danger tries to cast himself as a hero when recalling details when in reality he's the reason why Jake lost a suspect.
- Small Name, Big Ego: USPIS as a whole. Its members are very proud of it, and think little of other branches of law enforcement.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Rosa delivers one to Jake after he offends Danger so badly that USPIS claims jurisdiction over the Giggle Pig case, thus potentially damaging the careers of everyone at the Nine Nine. Jake makes it up by sitting through Danger's very long and pedantic lecture on the history of the US Postal System in order to get jurisdiction back.
