[Jake is undercover as a new member of the Italian mafia, attending a wedding celebration dinner.]
Jake
Excuse me, excuse me! I'm Jake Peralta. [The guests applaud.] So thrilled to be here today. As many of you know, I used to be a cop. [The guests boo.] Hey, I was dirty; I took tons of bribes. But as a former detective, I know a thing or two about life sentences. And Angie, Marco, you just got slapped with the best life sentence there is: marriage. Make us proud, have a son. Salut!
If I'm ever going to make captain, I need a good mentor; I need my rabbi.
Peralta
Sorry, dude, but this new guy's gonna be a washed-up pencil-pusher who's only concerned with [robot gestures, robotic voice] following every rule in the patrol guide. Meep morp zeep, robot captain engaged!
[standing right behind Peralta] Is that what you think?
Peralta
[stands up, turns around, smiles] H-hey! New captain alert! [looks around, laughs awkwardly] You must be the new C.O.! I'm Detective Jake Peralta, great to meet you—
Now don't let me interrupt, you were describing what kind of person I'm going to be. I'd like you to finish.
Peralta
Nah, that's not necessary. [Holt looks back, stone-faced] Or I could recap, very quickly, sure! Um, let's see, I think I said some joke about you being a washed-out pencil-pusher—
Now do the robot voice. The robot voice you were doing when you implied I'm a rule-following robot. I want to hear it again.
Peralta
[looks around nervously, speaks more quietly, does robot gestures] Um, meep-morp. Zarp. Robot!
That's a terrible robot voice.
Peralta
Yup.
The next time I see you I'd like you to be wearing a necktie.
That's fine work, detective.
Peralta
[wearing a tie] Thank you very much, sir. Testament to what can be achieved when you dress appropriately. [stands, revealing that he's wearing Speedos and no trousers]
[smiles slightly] You know what? Such fine police work, let's share it with the whole team. Santiago, Boyle, Diaz, get in here! Bring everyone! And a camera!
Peralta
That's not necessary—
[with the squad behind him] Let's have a hand for the fine master detective Jake Peralta!
[NYPD Deputy Commissioner Podolski has arrived at the 99th Precinct, bullied Peralta into releasing his son Trevor, the one who'd been tagging NYPD vehicles with spray paint cans, resulting in thousands of dollars in expenses. Podolski has left the building; Peralta comes into Holt's office and drops his report on Trevor on Holt's desk.]
Peralta
Well, we don't have to worry about Podolski's son anymore. The case is officially out of my hands. No charges filed.
[Examining the report] Why is there yogurt on this?
Peralta
The Deputy Commissioner threw my report into Terry's trash can. And he'd been eating yogurt earlier.
Terry loves yogurt. Something wrong?
Peralta
Yeah. I called six precincts about this kid! He's been brought in a dozen times. Theft, vandalism, drunken disorderly- but he's never been processed. His daddy comes in and bails him out every time! He's a lucky little jerk.
No, I wouldn't say lucky. I feel bad for this kid. I mean, what kind of father cares so little for his son that he lets him get away with everything? [Seemingly nonchalant] Well, he's someone else's problem now. Like you said, it's out of your hands.
Peralta
All right, I see what you're trying to do, but it's not gonna work. I'm not gonna arrest him. I'm gonna arrest him!
Peralta
Yes!
[Peralta and Holt stop Deputy Commissioner Podolski in one of the 99's vandalized marked units]
DCDeputy Commissioner Podolski
What is this?! You can't do this! Get that thing out of here!
Peralta
Excuse me, sir. Trevor Podolski, you're under arrest for vandalism and destruction of property.
DCDeputy Commissioner Podolski
What are you doing? I told you to back off, Peralta.
Peralta
First off, the name is Santiago, Detective Amy Santiago. Second, I'm arresting your son, which, as I say it aloud, seems like an unwise choice. But it's the one I'm making. Once again my name is Amy Santiago!
DCDeputy Commissioner Podolski
You're being stupid, Peralta. Don't be stupid. I can make your life miserable.
Commissioner, please don't talk to my detective in that tone. If you have a complaint you can take it up with me.
DCDeputy Commissioner Podolski
You just made yourself a very powerful enemy, Holt. I'm gonna be watching you- both of you- like a hawk!
You're gonna have to try a little harder if you want to scare me. I've been an openly gay cop since 1987 so you're not the first superior officer to threaten me. You know why I'm still standing here? 'Cause I do my job. And I do it right.
Detectives, our monthly crime statistics are due. I want paperwork on all your closed cases by tomorrow. Scully, you can just write "I didn't close any" on a piece of paper.
I already got my paperwork in, Captain.
Then I guess this little reminder isn't for you.
Jake
[Quietly] Wow, looks like he hates you even more than me.
No, he doesn't. We have a good relationship. We're on the same page.
Something to share with the rest of us, Santiago?
No, sir. I wasn't- [Turns and points behind her] Peralta was the one that was talking!
Jake
God, you must have been the worst fourth grader ever.
Joke's on you; I skipped fourth grade.
Jake
I happen to be a very good secondary.
[In a flashback]
So you were just borrowing those cars?
[Jake starts banging on the one-way glass from outside the interrogation room]
Jake
Ask about his bank account. Ask about his bank account! Ask him about his bank- [The glass shatters] -account. You should ask him about his bank account. [Leaving] Captain! Santiago broke the glass!
You talking oldest bags? 68.
Jake
20? Were you even a cop then?
No, man. That was before I made it into the academy.
[Everyone is confused for a moment, then Diaz smiles as the penny drops]
Charles isn't talking about his oldest arrest.
DJDiaz, Jake, Santiago
Ew!
Jake
God, you had sex with a 68-year-old when you were in your 20s?
You know how it is, when you have a chance to bed an older woman, you-
Jake
No, that's not an older woman; that's an old woman! That's someone's grandma!
She was, actually; that's how I met her.
Oh! [Everyone grimaces and starts laughing]
Don't- don't knock it 'till you try it! She had a replacement hip with some serious torque. It was like having sex with a Transformer!
Jake
That is no one's fantasy!
Jake
I swear, these perps are so stupid. I'd make a better criminal than any of 'em.
Yeah, you would! And everyone would call you "The Handsome Bandit".
Jake
Thank you, Charles. And the best part is, none of you could catch me.
I'm fairly certain you would be caught. No, scratch that. I'm 100% sure you'd be caught.
Jake
Ho-ho-ho! All right, challenge accepted.
I didn't issue a challenge.
Jake
Fine, I'll issue it for you. What's the most valuable thing in your office?
Jake
God, you are such a hero. All right, how about this; I bet you that by midnight tonight, I can steal the Medal of Valor from your office.
Why would I possibly agree to that?
Jake
Because if I lose, I'll work the next five weekends. No overtime. And I won't tell anyone here about the time I saw you wearing short-shorts outside of work. But if I win-
Jake
-you have to do all of my paperwork tonight, the busiest and spookiest night of the year. And you have to publicly state that I am an amazing detective/genius.
And this won't interfere with you doing your job?
Jake
You mean my job as an amazing detective/genius? No, it will not. I will do all of my work, guaranteed.
I'm considering it. I'm interested. I agree to participate.
Jake
All right, there's the robot I fell in love with.
[Sees Jake in a janitor's costume] Nice costume Peralta.
Jake
No Peralta here! Just a janitor pushing trash around.
Jake
[Sighing] Captain! Hey!
You really thought this was gonna work?
Jake
Um it did work. This whole janitor gambit was designed to fail. It's just like in chess. Sometimes, in order to win, you need to sacrifice your king.
That's exactly how you lose in chess. Have you ever played the game?
Jake
20 seconds to spare. Game over, Captain. Check me.
I think you mean "Checkmate". You really need to learn how to play chess. How'd you get everyone to help you?
Jake
I appealed to their sense of teamwork and camaraderie with a rousing speech that would put Shakespeare to shame.
[In a flashback, Jake is standing on a chair in front of the other detectives, speaking in a terrible Scottish accent.]
Jake
For too long we've been put down, ridiculed, made to wear ties! But no more! For today, we defeat him!
[Back in the interrogation room.]
Jake
No. Oh, no, not at all. My speech did not inspire them. So I bribed them. I told them that if we pulled this off I would do all of their paperwork. And since you're doing all of my paperwork...
I'm impressed, Peralta. Well done.
Jake
Thank you, sir.
[Holt goes to the interrogation room door and opens it.]
In fact, the thing you failed to see, Captain, is that teamwork is the... [Holt walks out of the room past him.]
Jake
Captain! Sir? He's not coming back.
Detective Peralta has made a collar in the jewelry store heist.
Way to go, Jakie! [Raises hand for high five]
Jake
Ah, that's okay... [Grabs Boyle's hand and lowers it]
No. He didn't get sufficient evidence to make it stick, so we have the next 48 hours to fix his mistake.
[The officers and detectives in the briefing room groan.]
Damn it, Jake. What evidence did you have when you arrested this guy?
Jake
Some pretty ironclad stuff.
[In a flashback, Jake approaches Dustin Whitman at a magazine stand.]
Jake
Dustin; it's been a while. Mind if I ask you a few questions?
DDustin
Well, well. If it isn't Joke Peralta. [Laughs]
Jake
Okay, that's it! You're under arrest!
[Back in the briefing room.]
Jake
Case closed?
[Amy shakes her head and glares.]
If we don't find something conclusive, it jeopardizes the case and opens up the Department to a lawsuit. So cancel your plans. We're here until this is over.
[The officers and detectives groan again and throw some balls of paper at Jake.]
Now, I know everyone's mad at Detective Peralta for ruining their weekend.
Jake
But?
That was it. I was just demonstrating for Detective Peralta what a fact is.
Jake
It's good to see you, Sal. I'm so sorry about the fire.
SSal
I can't believe it's gone, Jakey. All of it. The pizza oven. The first dollar bill I ever made. The 7-Up fridge.
Jake
Hey, it's gonna be all right. You'll rebuild.
SSal
The Fire Department's been asking a lot of questions.
Jake
Oh, Fire Department questions. Let me guess: "What part of my face do I put food in? How do you count to one? What's air?"
SSal
They think I torched my own place. You know I wouldn't do something like that, right?
Jake
Yeah, of course. But can you think of anybody who might've done it?
SSal
I can think of ten pizzerias that want me out of the game. That jerk Mario comes to mind. We share a delivery radius.
Mario is number ten overall in Brooklyn, and rising fast. He might've wanted to move up the ladder.
Jake
Of one foodie weirdo's personal pizza email blast?
Jake
Okay, we'll start with him. Then we'll move on to the rest of your competition, see if anything suspicious turns up.
It'll be the perfect opportunity to update my rankings. Can we stop at home for a pizza bib?
Jake
No, Charles, we gotta go fast.
Right, right, I'll just use my work bib.
Jake
No, no bib! We're gonna solve this for you, Sal. Sit tight.
Same to you, your Honor. [Hangs up the phone.]
Jake
Oh, what judge were you talking to?
Jake
You call your mom "your Honor"?
She's a federal judge on the 9th Circuit. What else would I call her?