It's the last day for many at the 99 and the gang spends it on another, elaborate heist.
Tropes (spoilers ahead!)
- And the Adventure Continues: The series ends with a Time Skip to a year in the future with the gang reuniting after having gone their separate ways for yet another Halloween Heist, with the promise that — no matter what — they will be in each other's lives.
- Anti-Climax: In universe. Everyone's very disappointed when, after all the increasingly elaborate schemes of the Halloween Heists, the final one is won by Hitchcock paying a guy $40 to hand the prize to him.
- Back for the Finale:
- Gina makes her return, appearing frequently throughout the episode.
- Teddy appears as a part of Amy's ruse.
- Mlepnos, who first appeared in the pilot episode, randomly shows up at the Precinct, now claiming his name is Jerry.
- Bill makes his regular heist-episode appearance, looking even worse for the wear than before.
- Pimento appears briefly, helping Rosa double-cross Amy.
- Caleb, Jake's cannibal friend from prison, gives the gang a clue using his newly-acquired needlepoint skills.
- Technically Hitchcock, who makes his first in-person appearance after spending all season communicating through video chat.
- Bedmate Reveal: The episode opens on Terry waking up for work, and finding Jake in his bed to tell him about the heist (he's telling everyone in person rather than the more sensible option of texting).
- Bittersweet Ending: The crew are all heading off to new adventures, but it means they will never be the same team they once were. Still, they intend on continuing their annual heist, showing that they'll always be a part of each others' lives.
- Breather Episode: Played With. Yes, the conflict of the episode is Jake retiring, everyone moving on, and the overall winner of the heists. However, there's no dealing with criminals, corrupt cops, or anything that threatens their lives or the future of their community.
- Call-Back:
- Nearly all the clues and locations involved in the heist are references to past episodes.
- Holt tells Jake about the discussion he had with Terry in the first episode regarding how Jake is a great detective aside from being unable to figure out how to grow up. He then adds he thinks Jake has finally figured it out.
- The Cameo: Andy Samberg's wife Joanna Newsom plays the cellist that Holt has hired for his goodbye.
- Chair Reveal: Pulled off by Hitchcock, of all people.
- Cutting the Knot: One of the clues is on one of the snacks in the vending machine. While Holt tries to figure out the number combination to the snack with the clue, Rosa simply breaks the glass with a fire extinguisher.
- Darkhorse Victory: The winner of the heist happens to be Hitchcock, who was never in Brazil at all. Rather than having an elaborate plan, he simply bought the container from Bill after running into him by chance.
- Distant Finale:
- Subverted - after Jake's fireworks appear to go off preemptively, he seemingly wakes up in a hospital after a 7-year coma. It turns out it's just an elaborate part of Amy's scheme.
- Played straight at the very end, where Jake and the others show up at the 99th Precinct about a year later to surprise Terry with another Halloween heist.
- Faked Rip Van Winkle: Jake awakening from a seven-year coma turns out to be a ruse to get him to confess to Amy where the container with the prize is.
- Fatal Fireworks: Jake checks on the fireworks he bought for the end of the heist when he notices the countdown is active and about to set off. He fails to stop it in time, there's a Smash to Black, and Jake awakes in a hospital after a seven year coma. Only all that was a ruse; the fireworks never went off and Amy chloroformed him and faked the coma scenario.
- The Fellowship Has Ended: The Brooklyn 99 crew as we know them is no more. Holt and Amy are going off to new positions, and Jake is retiring to raise Mac as a stay-at-home dad. However, the ending shows that while they may no longer work together, they will still find time to be with one another.
- Foreshadowing: In the beginning, Hitchcock says he is participating. When the others point out he is in Brazil, his response is "Or am I? Come and find out." The others think he is just trying to trick the others into visiting him, but as it turns out, he never went to Brazil. All part of his plan to win the final heist.
- Full-Name Basis: Everyone calls the cellist Holt hired “Caroline St. Jacques-Renard” every time she’s addressed.
- Fun T-Shirt: Gina wears a series of black shirts that read "Shocking Reveal" and variations thereof. She seems to change into them instantaneously between cuts.
- Gambit Pileup: As with previous heists, all the players have their own schemes and double-crosses going on. Unfortunately, this interferes with Jake's overarching plan to turn the heist into a meaningful goodbye party.
- Going Native: Invoked by Pimento, who's going to Canada to deal with a pack of wolves attacking a diamond mine. His plan is to infiltrate the pack, replace the alpha and become their leader, then double-cross the mining company and thrash the mine.
- Grand Finale: For Brooklyn 99 as a whole.
- Hollywood Magnetism: Jake and Boyle bought magnetic suits to ride under Gina's armored car; however, Holt, who secretly sold them the suits, has the control, and has both of them trapped inside the car while he goes after the prize.
- I Reject Your Reality: Gina, of course. She acts as though she secretly crashed the heist even though Jake had actually texted her about it so she could join and mocks the gang on "you're gonna regret you fired me," ignoring Holt pointing out she left on her own accord and everyone was amazingly supportive of her.
- Kansas City Shuffle: It's impossible to keep up with the number of them going on with the heist.
- Last Disrespects: One of the clues is on Madeline Wuntch's grave, which has a balloon arch over it. Jake did not put it there for the heist; Holt places a new one every week.
- Missing Steps Plan. How Hitchcock won the Heist. He apparently hadn't actually retired from the 99 and wasn't in Brazil. He has actually been living in the Beaver Trap (his and Scully's "pervert Van") for months. However, he didn't actually have a plan past that. He ends up winning the Heist by buying the tube from Bill after Bill steals the tube from everyone following the Gambit Pileup that causes everyone to get locked in a storage unit.
- Opening Shout-Out: Jake's plan was to end the heist at the Brooklyn Bridge, claiming that it has great sentimental value for the team. When Amy asks when they were ever at the Bridge, the camera cuts to the Team Power Walk shot from the title sequence, with the bridge in the background. It's revealed they were there to buy food at a falafel stand and their intense looks were because the falafels are really good.
- Platonic Declaration of Love: During their final scene together, Rosa tells Amy to stop worrying so much about whether or not Rosa will end up in a long-term romantic relationship with somebody. Rosa then tells Amy that she loves her, and Amy tells Rosa she loves her too.
- Rank Up: Terry is promoted to Captain after Holt leaves for his position as Deputy Commissioner.
- The Reveal: We finally see Holt's tattoo: an image of Kevin's head on Cheddar's body. Holt says that he asked for a portrait of Kevin and Cheddar but that the tattoo artist somehow got that simple request twisted.
- Shout-Out: Amy's Faked Rip Van Winkle scheme for Jake is straight out of Mission: Impossible – Fallout. Jake lampshades this by saying "Did you just Mission Impossible me?"
- Stock Sitcom Grand Finale: Lampshaded and parodied. After the heist, the characters are gathered at the bullpen of the Nine-Nine before heading home, some of them for the last time. As they all head into the elevator, Jake turns off the lights... and is reprimanded by Terry because the precinct is still operating.
- So Proud of You: Holt mention's Jake's repeatedly referring to him as a father figure, before informing Jake that while he doesn't have a son, if he did and he'd turned out like Jake, he'd be extremely proud.
- Surprisingly Realistic Outcome:
- After all the various gambit pileups, how does Hitchcock win the heist? He just paid a guy $40 to get the canister everyone was fighting over.
- As Jake prepares to leave the precinct for the last time, he turns off the lights. Terry immediately reminds him the precinct is still active and running 24/7 so he needs to turn them back on.
- Wins by Doing Absolutely Nothing: Hitchcock ends up being the ultimate winner of the Final Heist. He basically did nothing and then bought the tube from Bill for 50 dollars after the Gambit Pileup caused everyone else to get taken out of the game.
