Windbreaker City is the fifteenth episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine's second season.
Following Jake and Sophia's breakup, Jake feels increasingly anxious about not having heard back from her regarding her things. Thankfully for him, the Department of Homeland Security has asked that the Nine-Nine fill in for some last-minute no-shows in their terrorist training situation. Unfortunately, the condescending agent in charge has assigned the Nine-Nine to act as the hostages in the simulation, prompting Jake to organize his friends into taking action for themselves.
Back in the precinct, Gina engages Holt in a personality analysis, leaving Holt nonplussed with the results. Amy and Rosa also clash over who gets to have a Saturday shift that both have requested time off for.
This episode provides examples of:
- Appropriated Appellation: Played for Laughs. When the Nine Nine tear off their "Hostage's" stickers after freeing themselves, Jake tries to pull his of but it rips living him with a sticker saying "HOS". Jake replies "That's not what I meant to do but I'm leaning into it. Come on, ya ho's".
- Badass Crew: Despite the fact that none of them actually care about really winning, they do manage to escape, overpower their hostage takers, and take on several dozen federal agents in an epic battle.
- The Bad Guy Wins: Technically, since the Nine-Nine end up taking the role of terrorists in the simulation, the "good guys" in the form of Agent Kendrick win the simulation. But in practice, since Kendrick is a smug, condescending dickhead who deserves to be taken down a few pegs and so is the 'bad guy' in the context of the episode overall, it ends up being this trope.
- Bench Breaker: Terry escapes being taped to a chair by ripping the arms off.
- Berserk Button: Do not make any sort of insinuations towards Terry's weight. He will destroy you.
- Bittersweet Ending: The cops ultimately get defeated and, as they went off-book, are informed that they will not be invited back to participate in any future exercises. But since they acted out primarily after being looked down on by the other agencies and since Jake now feels a bit better about his break-up with Sophia having "catharted", no one really minds that much.
- Call-Back: Jake and Sophia once again refer to each other as "Gruber"
- Cheer Up Episode: Jake is heartbroken over his break-up with Sophia, but he cheers up when the squad is invited to a Homeland Security terrorist training simulation. His colleagues and friends help him enjoy himself — they are assigned roles of victims, but they go rogue.
- Evil Gloating: Jake launches into a monologue of how the NYPD is so much better than the federal agencies he and the Nine-Nine were up against.
- Hoist by His Own Petard:
- Amy's gloating leads her to jump out of cover to do a power pose, exposing her to fire from the US Marshals.
- Jake becomes distracted delivering a villainous monologue and gives Kendrick the opportunity to shoot him. Also, his constant references to Die Hard gave Kendrick the idea of taping a gun to his back like John McClane did in the film's climax.
- Human Shield: Parodied. Jake becomes one by an ATF officer.
- Inter-Service Rivalry: Once again, the Nine-Nine comes into conflict with rather arrogant representatives of federal law enforcement. This time, however, there's paintball.
- Jerkass: Agent Kendrick of the Department of Homeland Security is a condescending dick who clearly gets an ego-boost from unnecessarily belittling Jake and the other cops.
- Loophole Abuse: Rosa and Amy are tied in kills and pinned down. So Amy shoots Rosa to win their bet.
- Not So Above It All: when Peralta issues Kendrick a challenge - NYPD vs Homeland - Kendrick laughs it off as beneath him... until Peralta suggests he's backing down because he can't handle it.Kendrick: You trying to goad me, Peralta? I don't have to engage with mall cops. [Beat] But I will!
- Oh, Crap!: The ATF officer making snide comments about fat cops in front of Terry quickly changes his tune after Terry frees himself from the chair that he's strapped down to... by tearing the chair's arms off.
- Paintball Episode: Well, it's not a live-fire exercise.
- Person as Verb: Peralta, upon realizing what Kendrick did to him, "I got John McClaned. This hurts worse than any paintball!"
- I Resemble That Remark!: Agent Kendrick is such a Smug Snake all his insults have shades of this, like telling Jake and Charles he doesn't have time to sit around coming up with cool high-fives then celebrating by giving his friend one.
- Running Gag: Jake constantly describes Boyle's late poodle, Molly, as being in Hell. Boyle is not pleased.Peralta: When you get to Hell, say hi to Molly.
- Sequel Episode: To "Tactical Village."
- Smug Snake: Agent Kendrick. While he does manage to outwit Jake and defeat the cops, he's far too insufferably pleased with himself and fond of unnecessarily belittling our heroes for no other reason than a power rush to count as a
Magnificent Bastard. - Unnecessary Combat Roll: Boyle indulges in one of these.
- Why Don't You Just Shoot Him?: If Jake had just shot Kendrick as soon as he "surrendered", instead of giving him not one but two chances for last words, the NYPD would've won the exercise.
