S02.E03: The Jimmy Jab Games

[formerlyfreedom]

The squad has time to kill when the arrival of the Serbian President's motorcade to Brooklyn has been delayed. So, Jake launches "The Jimmy Jab Games," an annual series of competitions in the precinct. Meanwhile, Terry and Holt take on a new drug task force approved by Holt's nemesis, Deputy Chief Madeline Wuntch.

 

 

[Jodithgrace]

Well, despite the fact that they "borrowed" this entire plot line from one of my favorite episodes of the Office (Office Olympics) I thought this was very funny. Once again, Holt steals the show with his deadpan delivery. And the fact that in all these years he has never realized that Wuntch rhymes with lunch. 

 

I really like the way they are handling the Peralta/Santiago thing. Rosa confronted him about it like a real friend. I think she  truly deserves to head up the task force. 

 

The month old Chinese food..arggh! 

 

One thing confused me...did Jake actually do anything in the competition? We didn't see him actually eating the Chinese food, or trying to pass himself off in disguise..his skateboarder outfit was hardly a disguise. From what I can tell, he just hung around until everybody else announced they were out!  Until the final obstacle course, that is. I guess that's how he designed the competition! 

[Galileo908]

"There's more than one right way to make paella, Jake. There's like 10 right ways."

 

"On you mark. Get set, Wahlberg!"

 

I loved everything about this episode. I'm surprised how drawn in I was to Holt and Wuntch arguing with each other.
 

 

One thing confused me...did Jake actually do anything in the competition? We didn't see him actually eating the Chinese food, or trying to pass himself off in disguise..his skateboarder outfit was hardly a disguise. From what I can tell, he just hung around until everybody else announced they were out!  Until the final obstacle course, that is. I guess that's how he designed the competition!

 

Totally a Jake thing to do.

[BoogieBurns]

"On you mark. Get set, Wahlberg!"

 

Which was followed up by, "On your mark. Get set. Ruffalo" and "On your mark. Get set. Paul Gosselaar."

[Bort]

I liked that the issue with the tape was not that it was a Ross/Rachel accidental sex tape, but that it was just Boyle and Gina talking about it, which is reason enough for them to panic about anyone seeing it.

[Rinaldo]

I don't know how this show, even in the midst of a premise that other shows have done (I can think of half a dozen that did "our own special game that we invented and do at special times"), comes up with jokes I've never heard before:

 

"That's no better -- hands in your lap like a pervert."

 

"I once gave my aunt a jaywalking ticket, and things really deteriorated between us."

 

"I think the belly will draw attention away from my face." "Smart! -- like one big boob."

 

As for whether Jake actually did anything in the games (he did do the disguise, and said "I got to six" -- we just didn't see it): the strategy seems to be like The Amazing Race: the essential thing is to keep from being the loser at each stage, because everyone else moves on.

Edited October 13, 2014 by Rinaldo

[Happytobehere]

Loved, loved, loved it.

The more I see if Boyle and Gina, the more I like them, and this comes from someone who thought that Gina was the weakest link on the show last season.

Rosa continues to impress. I like the layers and character development. I'm glad they didn't leave her as angry lady cop.

Holt and Tery are terrific together, although I would like to see more Holt and Jake.

Still not sold on Peralta and Santiago as a couple. I see more pitfalls than benefits.

Braugher and Sedgwick are really gelling in their dry comedic jousting. I hope she remains a recurring character beyond her sign on run.

Hitchcock is mentally ill to the point that you wonder how her passes the departmental psych evals.

[Ms Blue Jay]

"On you mark. Get set, Wahlberg!"

Which was followed up by, "On your mark. Get set. Ruffalo" and "On your mark. Get set. Paul Gosselaar."

 

And then on your marks, get set, Rogen.

 

My first thought was Joe Rogan, but I'm leaning toward the intent being Seth Rogen; not sure.

 

Kyra Sedgwick on this show does nothing for me; she plays everything way too winkingly.  I continue to not understand the appeal or humour ("humour"?) of Santiago at all.

 

Everything else continues to shine.  Great job show keep it up.

Edited October 13, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[VCRTracking]

God, I love this show and everybody on it.

[possibilities]

And then on your marks, get set, Rogen.

My captions said "...get Seth, Rogen!" Whether that's accurate or just a captioner's goof, I think it makes the whole thing even funnier.

[Ms Blue Jay]

possibilities, that's so much funnier.  Thanks for pointing that out.

 

Did she also do, "On your Mark -- Paul Gosselaar"?  LOL!   Only now just realizing that Wahlberg and Ruffalo are Marks, too! :)  On your Marks!

Edited October 13, 2014 by Ms Blue Jay

[VCRTracking]

I completely missed the Marks joke. Brilliant.

 

I love Rosa's disguise and immediately dropping it when the desk sergeant called her "sweetheart"!

 

I admit that I lean back like a "matinee goer" when I sit!

Edited October 13, 2014 by VCRTracking

[Rinaldo]

Well, it's better than folding your hands in your lap like a pervert.

 

I too missed the significance of Mark and Seth. And I rewatched it. I'm an idiot.

[shelley1234]

This show always delivers. I think the funniest moment of the night was the Mark jokes and how they continued through the whole competition. Wahlberg, Ruffalo all and my favorite Paul Gosselaar. It's those little jokes that just make the show for me.

I also loved that they have the drug the street name Giggle Pig. Mainly because the street names of drugs are often redonkulous and this just made fun of that.

Also, don't ever not have Jake be playful with Santiago again. Es no bueno.

Edited October 13, 2014 by shelley1005

[ChromaKelly]

I admit that I lean back like a "matinee goer" when I sit!

I love that "matinee goer" is an insult. And folded hands in your lap is "like a pervert". Now I'll never be able to sit with my hands folded in my lap again, lest I look like a pervert.

[amensisterfriend]

I don't know if the writers made a few subtle changes to Gina's character or if I'm just too in love with this show right now to find any fault with it, but I'm actually semi-enjoying Gina this season after feeling throughout S1 that she was the only imperfect thing about the show. I really like how she was such a gleeful part of the Jimmy Jab Games rather than feeling she was too "cool" to participate. And her secret thing with Boyle is....a whole lot less awful  than I'd expected. Trust me, I mean that as a compliment :) 

 

Rosa just gets more and more awesome. Her character actually reminds me a little of Firefly's Zoe, who I loved. 

 

Holt's giddiness about the unnoticed split infinitive delighted me to no end. 

 

I, too, was reminded of the Office's Olympics episode, but the similarities didn't bother me. It actually just reminded me that I haven't loved any sitcom as much as I loved S1-S4 of The Office...until now that B99 has come into my life :) 

Edited October 13, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[possibilities]

I'm ambivalent about Holt being so undone by Wunch. He really comes across as kind of a basket case, with Terry having to lead him around and help him cope with every step in his day. He was already flawed and human enough, for me, and now he just seems like a hapless incompetent, as juvenile as the rest of the squad, with Terry babysitting him as well as Jake et al. The stoicism starts to seem like a cover, not a quirk, and that's disappointing to me.

[VCRTracking]

 

and now he just seems like a hapless incompetent, as juvenile as the rest of the squad, with Terry babysitting him as well as Jake et al.

 

That's a bit harsh. The whole "Gigglepig" wasn't to get one over on Wuntch, it was a legitimate problem but Wuntch was being too much of a petty bitch about it. 

[peeayebee]

I'm ambivalent about Holt being so undone by Wunch. He really comes across as kind of a basket case, with Terry having to lead him around and help him cope with every step in his day. He was already flawed and human enough, for me, and now he just seems like a hapless incompetent, as juvenile as the rest of the squad, with Terry babysitting him as well as Jake et al. The stoicism starts to seem like a cover, not a quirk, and that's disappointing to me.

I see it as the opposite. He is stoic, but his one weakness is Wuntch. They are so alike that they're bound to get under each other's skins.

 

 

Loved the ep, though I'm sad that I didn't get the Marks jokes. Just means I'll have to rewatch. :)

 

Loved Holt's greeting to Wuntch: "Hello, Deputy Chief Wunch. You've aged!" I really enjoyed all their interactions. I assume the historical names they were throwing around were real, but I was as in the dark as Terry. Oh, and so funny when Holt and Wuntch were using basketball metaphors incorrectly.

 

Lots of fun.

[bethy]

At first, I was a little dismayed that they'd "copied" the Office Olympics, but as the episode progressed, I decided to consider it an homage to one of my favorite episodes of The Office.  I'm so enjoying how they are dealing with Jake and Amy - their flirting/teasing of each other walks such a great line that it's easy to see how Jake could tell himself he's not flirting, even as Rosa can tell that's not what it really is.  I love that both Boyle and Rosa know Jake well enough to comment on how he's doing with Amy. 

 

And as a teacher of writing, I'm trying to figure out how to work Holt's little rant about the colon/semi-colon and split infinitive into one of my classes.  See, kids!  Grammar and punctuation ARE fun!

[iMonrey]

I loved how Holt and Wuntch kept criticizing the way Terry was sitting.

 

From what little we saw of it, it looks like poor Boyle lives in a terrible hell-hole of an apartment. Or was that supposed to be his ex's basement? We never found out whether he found an apartment of his own.

[possibilities]

I know the gigglepig issue was real, but the way Holt was dithering and scheming about Wuntch was what I meant about how he's a mess. He's not just planning a scheme to outwit her because she's an obstructionist. He's emotionally involved with the game the two of them are playing, for his own reasons. He could have inserted stealth punctuation and grammar bait as a strategy to get around her, without becoming caught up in the gleeful competitive aspect. Holt as a man who outwits his enemies by being unexpectedly clever and beyond reproach is more interesting to me than Holt the guy who gets caught up in petty bullshit just like everybody else.

 

I was okay with it the first time she appeared, when he thought she had sabotaged him. But once they cleared up that misunderstanding, I thought they would have moved on.

Edited October 13, 2014 by possibilities

[thuganomics85]

Yeah, this did remind me a lot of that episode from The Office, but I still enjoyed it.  How could I not enjoy a plot featuring both Jake and Amy being "pregnant" at one point and bantering, Rosa chewing out a desk cop in a blonde wig, and Amy busting out some impressive victory dance movies.  All capped off with Holt seeing the end of it.  Awesome.

 

That said, I really love that this led up to Holt and Terry making Rosa the head of the new task-force.  They hinted that in "Fancy Brugdom", that, in a lot of ways, Rosa might actually be ready for a leadership role over Jake and even Amy, and I think, as goofy as this was, this makes sense.  Jake is still too immature and silly at times, and Amy still tries to avoid confrontation, but Rosa was the one willing to just confess to Holt what they were doing.  So, I'm really looking forward to this development.  I also liked getting more of Jake/Rosa, since there is a lot to mind out of this particular duo.

 

I'm still loving the Holt vs. Wuntch battle, and it doesn't bug me that Holt is losing his cool over it.  I can buy that this is one of the few people that can make him lose focus, and make mistakes.  I like that Holt isn't perfect, has weaknesses, and can be petty like the rest of them.  Plus, while I love Crazy, Entertaining Terry, I also like Mature Terry, who gives good advice and his protective of the squad.  It's stuff like what he does in this episode, that makes it fine for him to go nuts like last week or in the Thanksgiving episode, because, overall, he is a very intelligent man.  Even if he needs to brush up on his League of Nations history, heh.

 

The Boyle and Hitchcock stuff was fun in remembering that Hitchcock can actually be a pretty manipulating guy.  Holt might not have approved it, but I'm glad Boyle finally got fed up with him.

 

"My mustache was Era... Appropriate!"  Damn right!  Lay off the stache, Wuntch!

Edited October 14, 2014 by thuganomics85

[WickedTuna]

Damn. I wished I liked this episode as much as y'all. There were sections I liked but not alot. I didn't enjoy the games at all. I loved Boyle and Hitchcock wrestling around...I just love Boyle. But not with Gina. I shudder when they show the two of them.

I was hoping they were done with Sedgwick. I've never liked her and I think she sucks at comedy. Plus I don't get any chemistry with Braugher.

For all my complaining, I still love this show. I think Samberg is getting better and better and almost always makes me at least smile. I'm not liking the Santiper though. I've seen enough of the "will they or won't they" couples and don't want to see any more.

[MrWhyt]

Loved Santiago giving away her baby disguise.

[Dancingjaneway]

According to Melissa Fumero's twitter the Jake having Amys baby banter was improv. This episode was so funny and I'm so glad that Rosa is going to head the task force. This show continues to kick ass and I really hope that it's doing well in the ratings. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

All the Mark jokes cracked me up but Paul Gosselaar was my favorite because it was so much longer and obvious.

Holt's glee at slipping that split infinitive without Wuntch noticing was hilarious. I feel you, Holt.

[arc]

I know this is a Dan Goor show more than a Mike Schur show (or esp a Greg Daniels show), but... Jimmy Jab games == Office Olympics from The Office, Wuntch == Tammy 2 from Parks and Rec, and the gigglepig task force == Harvest Festival or any of the many fun Parks and Rec arcs over the last few seasons... ? Still very watchable, but ...

 

I guess any workplace sitcom with an arc about a work project is probably going to feel Harvest Festival-y.

Edited October 14, 2014 by arc

[amensisterfriend]

It's definitely a valid point, but I guess I care a lot less about whether what B99 is doing is wholly original than about how it's executed. I love the characters, dialogue, and overall tone of this show so much that I'm totally fine with some things bearing a faint or even not-so-faint similarity to what we've seen on The Office (which is one of my all-time favorite shows) or Parks and Rec (which, like B99, is sweet and engaging, but for me not especially funny.) For me, most of the characters and the lines feel really fresh, and the fact that the employees of this workplace comedy happen to be cops has already allowed for different storylines than what we saw on The Office or Parks. 

Edited October 14, 2014 by amensisterfriend

[hoodooznoodooz]

I loved Jake and Amy having to print out a photo of Gina using a laptop from 1996, or whatever year it was.

[Traveller519]

Two days later and I still can't not think of Amy's victory dances and start laughing.

[Danny Franks]

Why is this show so good? It's like all the different parts of it are amusing and witty, but somehow it just combines into something that can leave me in stitches, just from a single line or reaction.

 

Poor Terry and his apparently terrible chair posture, for example. Andre Braugher's line delivery on his critiques of Terry were so fucking glorious, and then when Wuntch randomly commented on it too, it was just perfection. Nothing like a joke that seems to only exist because one person is odd, then for it to be reinforced by someone else, minutes later.

 

And also, "You're like the League of Nations in '36. Just hoping the Abyssinian Crisis solves itself." Awesome reference, Captain Holt. I bow to you. Though Terry's right, he doesn't know enough about basketball. And, "I don't want to sound dramatic but today was... sub-optimal."

 

I really liked that all of them were so excited about the Jimmy Jab Games. Amy's grin was infectious, even Rosa was smiling. And the ceremonial lighting of the bagel was great too. These sort of elaborate ceremonies and rituals dreamed up by bored people are always so much fun. The jokes about out of date and tatty office equipment landed well too. The prize being the least gross chair, the challenges involving crappy old laptops.

 

Jake talking about his "flower buying fingers"? Brilliant. 

 

Hitchcock's demands were so sweet, yet utterly pathetic at the same time. "I just want to be part of a conversation where Jake uses my name, and no one makes fun of me".

 

Jake and Amy are still cute, and I like that they're not hitting the angst button. Most shows would go for Amy being jealous of Jake wanting to date, but this one has her encouraging it, which feels more realistic under the circumstances. She's aware of her attraction to him, and his to her, but she's got a boyfriend. So get Jake a girlfriend. Problem solved, right?

 

Their flirty moments seemed real as well, and I'm not surprised they were improvised. It's the sort of 'naughty' outlet you can find when two people are into each other, but unavailable. Jokes that gradually get more suggestive and sexually loaded. But they still completely sell the idea that they're really good friends.

 

Amy winning was nice, even if Jake did kind of let her. Loved her dorky dancing and again, the genuine excitement she had about it. Then the sheer mortification when Holt and Terry walked in, and her need to tell them that she won.

[NoWillToResist]

 

Holt's giddiness about the unnoticed split infinitive delighted me to no end.

 

Right?

 

I love, love, love that even though Amy is the biggest brown-noser teacher's pet in the world, she was also giddy with excitement about the games. I cannot possibly express how happy I am that she's not a total downer, by-the-books harpy.

 

She and Jake are great. I had no idea how much I viewed their flirtations as normal interactions until they weren't there anymore. And on that note, never do that again, Show!!!

And Terry constantly annoyed at criticisms on his posture? Hee!

[Chas411]

 

That said, I really love that this led up to Holt and Terry making Rosa the head of the new task-force.

That was also my favourite part of the episode. I didn't like Rosa when the show began but I love how she's developed into such a strong character. She still has her edge but you see her have genuine friendships with the team. I think she'd be a great leader.

[bethy]

They've done such a great job taking characters you think you know - the irresponsible man-child, the uptight brown-noser, the hardass female cop, the bumbling guy who just wants to hang out with the "cool" guy - and tweaking them enough to make them so likeable. The characters of Jake, Amy, Rosa, and Boyle are so much more than I expected them to be when I first started watching.

[Duke2801]

I know this is a Dan Goor show more than a Mike Schur show (or esp a Greg Daniels show), but... Jimmy Jab games == Office Olympics from The Office, Wuntch == Tammy 2 from Parks and Rec, and the gigglepig task force == Harvest Festival or any of the many fun Parks and Rec arcs over the last few seasons... ? Still very watchable, but ...

 

 

Yes, the concept of the Jimmy Jab games were very reminiscent of the Office Olympics.  But, to me, that's where the similarities ended.  They didn't have the same jokes or storylines.  And definitely no paper birds/closing ceremonies.  ;) 

 

As for the idea that Wuntch is a rip off of Tammy 2 from P&R, and the Gigglepig Taskforce is like the Harvest Fest?  That's a reallllly big stretch, in my opinion.  Ron and Tammy 2 were hardly the first "stoic man comes undone by a certain female character" trope done on a TV show.  And how a police task force is anything like a Harvest Fest? Ya got me.  No clue.  Like, maybe similar in that "certain characters are working together towards a common goal."  But never in a million years would I have associated the 2 storylines in my mind! 

[peeayebee]

One little thing I just loved was that the name Jimmy Jab came from Jake not knowing how to pronounce Ahmadinejad.

[charlieboo]

I'm actually semi-enjoying Gina this season after feeling throughout S1 that she was the only imperfect thing about the show. I really like how she was such a gleeful part of the Jimmy Jab Games rather than feeling she was too "cool" to participate.

 

I loved her "Thanks, Jake" when they were explaining the rules. It was the exact intonation of a news anchor throwing it over to his co-anchor. This show doesn't waste one second of dialogue.

[arc]

And how a police task force is anything like a Harvest Fest? Ya got me.  No clue.  Like, maybe similar in that "certain characters are working together towards a common goal."

I feel like outside of Parks and Rec and now B99, assuming the task force goes like I expect it to, very few sitcoms have these kind of long multi-episode arcs, esp not specific work projects with a big climax.  Any workplace sitcom, people work towards a common goal, but any specific project is almost always contained in one episode, maybe a two-parter some of the time.

[ElectricBoogaloo]

One little thing I just loved was that the name Jimmy Jab came from Jake not knowing how to pronounce Ahmadinejad.

I loved that when they showed someone correcting him by saying the actual name, he totally blew it off as "Yeah, Jimmy Jab!" like when Joey tried learning French on Friends.

I also loved that you could see other people from the precinct still working in the background while the games were announced (and played).

[Tigris Tv]

I like that Holt has this particular flaw in his personality.  it is his blind spot .  We all have one (or a few); something that doesn't make sense with the rest of our personality - and also something that doesn't go away even when there is no more rational reason for it. 

 

I think an interesting path could be if they make efforts to sabotage that end up actually improving them (not through "accident" but from actually stepping up to face those challenges), or having other people on the team step up to the challenges - that might even be better - that their efforts to sabotage each other end up creating opportunities for people in B99 to step up, like in this episode with Terry and in presumably future episodes with Rosa heading up the Task Force.  That would be an interesting path - and only possible with Wunch and Holt having this irrational back-stabby relationship. 

 

I liked the conversation between Rosa and whats-his-name in the car, and the revelation that he was pushing the open-door button.  Yes it was the standard "other person tells you how you feel" but it was also not drawn out and it was him owning up to it rather than being forced to look at mountains of evidence and being convinced externally about it.  Instead, being made aware of it, he was able to observe his actions and impulses and own up to it.  Aw.   Curious if we will see this "Rosa's friend" person - and also why we have not seen Santiago's boyfriend lately. 

 

Note: I realize I'm getting everyone's name wrong. 

Edited October 18, 2014 by Tigris Tv

[dusang]

So late to the party -- just got to watch this now (damn you, CityTV and Rogers generally, damn you all to hell!) but I have to agree with all the love.

 

I was surprised by the "door open" elevator reveal as, no matter how he felt about Amy, I would have expected Jake to be a slightly pettier competitor, as it were... or maybe I'm just projecting my own vicious competitive streak on him.

 

Oh snap!!  I can't remember who had the camera -- Scully or HItchcock!!  Oops!  Although I did love that little storyline of Sculcock trying to get Boyle to make him appear cool -- the quick cut from him flipping over the stair railing to Gina crossing out his picture was one of my favourite moments.

 

Also love Rosa immediately blowing her cover at the desk sergeant calling her "sweetheart".

 

And I'm rewatching the Closer and I have to say, hearing Kyra Sedgwick without the Atlanta drawl is both weird and awesome.

[jhlipton]

And as a teacher of writing, I'm trying to figure out how to work Holt's little rant about the colon/semi-colon and split infinitive into one of my classes.  See, kids!  Grammar and punctuation ARE fun!

 

Well, if that's the lesson you learn from the fall of Addis Ababa!

I'm going to have to rewatch that scene know that I've looked up what they were talking about.  (I knew the LoN, but not about Italian incursions into Ethiopia or how they were one of the pieces that showed the Powers of the time how ineffectual it was.