S02.E19: Sabotage

[formerlyfreedom]

After a streak of really bad luck, Jake thinks he's being sabotaged by an enemy. Holt assigns Amy and Rosa to investigate the truth. Meanwhile, Holt hurts Gina's feelings by calling her dance troupe a "hobby," and Charles is stuck working a case with Scully and Hitchcock in Jake's absence.

 

 

[Conan Troutman]

Sabotage? I'll be terribly disappointed if they don't do the credits Beastie Boys stylez.

[Galileo908]

Of course Amy would love a MoMA exhibit on office chair design, and keep her turning light on for 30 seconds to "indicate her turning intentions."

 

Like I said last week, Scully is better without Hitchock around. When he's with Hitchcock, he's just as useless. But damn, they're actually good detectives. Useless people, but good detectives.

 

Man, Hoytsman being Jake's saboteur was a good twist. It's only been, what, two months since he was arrested? But then again, a ruined life, cocaine, meth and bath salts in that time is more than long enough to go off the deep end.

 

I love that one of Holt's hobbies is collecting antique globes. Not snow globes as a friend of mine thought, but globes.

[Expat]

The Gina stuff was a big ol bore fest. While she has her moments, she's just so unpleasant for the most part, that I can't work up any sympathy for her when her feelings are hurt. Maybe she should stop being such a huge bitch to everyone else and then, I might give a flip.

 

The Jake storyline wasn't great, but I always enjoy Chris Parnell.

 

So, Scully and Hitchcock actually being competent but pretending otherwise was something I wasn't expecting. I don't know how to feel about that really. lol

[Bort]

I had suspected as much about Scully and Hitchcock. There's no way they'd still be employed, let alone be promoted to detectives, if they had always been incompetent. They're in coast-mode.

I resent Gina for making me fast forward through Holt and Jeffries scenes but her storyline was so repellent (as was she) that it had to be done.

Edited March 16, 2015 by kariyaki

[Galileo908]

Sometimes I wonder just why the squad puts up with Gina's bullshit.

[Ailianna]

Because it's hard to get rid of civil service employees?

[peeayebee]

I love Hoytsman. He's so ridiculous. All the things he was making Jake confess to were OTT and hilarious. 

 

Wasn't Jake's pizza coupon text for a calzone? Ben Wyatt would approve.

 

I'm glad that Scully and Hitchcock turned out to be competent and that they don't want it spread around. I hope that we'll see Charles react differently to them from now on.

 

I didn't mind Gina's story. I thought she got her feelings hurt too easily and overreacted, but I still found a lot of the little remarks she made to be pretty funny.

 

Holt: Sarcasm, the coward's lie.

Edited March 16, 2015 by peeayebee

[Mystery]

I can't believe that I could have had some Amy and Rosa time and instead I got, once again, far too much Gina. The show creators must love her. At least Hitchcock and Scully's story had some relevance and explained why they're even still around as detectives. But stupid Gina and her stupid dancing? Give me strength. 

[ElectricBoogaloo]

Sabotage? I'll be terribly disappointed if they don't do the credits Beastie Boys stylez.

I was totally disappointed in the lack of Beastie Boys. The episode title just begged for it!

[possibilities]

But stupid Gina and her stupid dancing?

It wasn't even her dancing, it was her pouting! At least if it had been dancing, it might have been funny.

 

Why did they pair up the two most interesting women only to drive them off-screen together? What a waste.

 

I love Holt's honesty policy. I'm getting a little tired of the joke about how Terry is timid.

 

Scully and Hitchcock took a turn for the slightly more interesting, but I don't think they did anything Peralta and Boyle wouldn't have already done, so it kind of bothered me that they set it up as being a case P&B were having trouble cracking. Also, I don't think it's credible that Boyle can keep a secret like this for long, so I hope they keep the ball rolling here, and don't just leave it alone.

[biakbiak]

I don't' know if two people who I assumed stated were coming and blew off my passion and then one lied to me and the other described it as a "hobby" and compared it to a passive none audience releated activity like collecting globes (though I do think that is a great hobby as someone who has several antique maps and globes) I would be pissed. I wonder if Jake also bailed or just never said anything.

 

I loved Terry's reaction in the background when Holt was apologizing to Gina and he said he would never lie about bunnies.

Edited March 16, 2015 by biakbiak

[WickedTuna]

I thought it was a fantastic episode (except for Gina). By the time Jake was turtling I was howling. The actor playing Hoytsman deserves an Emmy. I don't know how the writers could do it but they need to bring him back a couple more times.

I had another GTHIAH moment when Holt hurt Gina's feelings. I thought it was funny. I bet she dances worse than Elaine Benes.

[Ms Lark]

I am so glad they clarified the Scully and Hitchcock issue. Given how difficult it is to even make Detective, I have long wondered how they managed it and how they stayed on the job. Now we know.

 

Gina doesn't care about anyone else, why should anyone care about her? Touchy, touchy. Should have been fired years ago, but, as Ailianna said, it's next to impossible to get rid of government workers!

[ElectricBoogaloo]

The actor playing Hoytsman deserves an Emmy.

Dr. Spaceman! He does play a special kind of wacky!

[Mama No Life]

I don't' know if two people who I assumed stated were coming and blew off my passion and then one lied to me and the other described it as a "hobby" and compared it to a passive none audience releated activity like collecting globes (though I do think that is a great hobby as someone who has several antique maps and globes) I would be pissed. I wonder if Jake also bailed or just never said anything.

 

I loved Terry's reaction in the background when Holt was apologizing to Gina and he said he would never lie about bunnies.

Yes, the arms in the air from that blurred angle....priceless.

 

The captain indulges Santa with "juveniles under the age of 8 by pointing out the logical impossibility of disproving a negative.  It's sentimental drivel but they eat it up." Ah Holt, never change.

 

Also loved his dramatic "return" of his own badge and gun at the end for Jake.

 

Charles:  "I'm going to find out whose doing this to you Jakey and rip out their eyeballs and fill them with...."  Holt:  You might be too close to this Charles. "Copy that." 

 

Also, Charles: "Never apologize for making an AMAZING entrance Jake." 

 

Oh man this show slays me.

[Kel Varnsen]

I am so glad they clarified the Scully and Hitchcock issue. Given how difficult it is to even make Detective, I have long wondered how they managed it and how they stayed on the job. Now we know.

One thing I loved about the resolution of that story was that like Boyle said, Scully and Hitchcock didn't prove that they were excellent detectives, just that they were capable of doing their jobs. A lesser show would have made them the greatest detectives in the NYPD.

[highway61]

Glad to see a little depth with Scully and Hitchcock too. I'm reminded of the "The Office" episode (the one co-starring Tim Meadows), when you see that Michael Scott is actually good at selling paper. It's impressive.

[Brandi Maxxxx]

We saw Hitchcock and Scully use their detective skills last season in the episode with the secret bathroom. Now we know why they're useless the rest of the time. How about solving the mystery of what happened to Daniels?

 

I agree that they should have dropped the Gina subplot in favor of more Amy and Rosa. I wish we could have seen them meeting some of Jake's enemies. Total missed opportunity.

[Bort]

Yes, the arms in the air from that blurred angle....priceless.

Even though I was fast forwarding, I did see Terry throw his hands up in the air and I thought it was funny.

We saw Hitchcock and Scully use their detective skills last season in the episode with the secret bathroom. Now we know why they're useless the rest of the time. How about solving the mystery of what happened to Daniels?

She was the older female detective in the pilot that also made good coffee, yes? I've often wondered about her. Maybe she got moved to the work shift that has the guy who shaves at Rosa's desk.

[Brandi Maxxxx]

She was the older female detective in the pilot that also made good coffee, yes?

Yes. She may have just retired. Must have made better investments.

 

Side note: The older detectives seem to be named after the Parks and Recreation writing staff (Norm Hiscock, Mike Scully and Greg Daniels to be specific).

[VCRTracking]

 

The way I look at it, the Gina dancing subplot isn't really about Gina, it's about Holt and Terry's different views on lying to spare a person's feelings. Holt telling Gina he wasn't a "bunny buying coward" and Terry out of focus in the back gesturing "Hey!" is my favorite moment in the episode.

As for Gina herself, I actually expected her to do something really vile like shred important police files or destroying Holt's property, something that would make you go "Why doesn't Holt fire her already?" Her quitting dancing was actually more reasonable than I expected.

 

I didn't expect Chris Parnell to come back so soon. I loved all the horrible things he made Jake confess on camera to, which he did himself! Yeah it would have been nice to see more of Amy and Rosa, but I think they wanted to surprise people on when they were going to rescue Jake.

 

Finding out Hitchcock and Scully can actually be competent and they didn't become detectives out of some mistake was great. That they actually tried back in the 70s and 80s but were now coasting is interesting. If anybody wants to know what Hitchcock looked like Dirk Blocker was on a show in the late 70s, there's a show called Baa Baa Black Sheep, about Marine pilots in the Pacific during WWII. It airs on MeTV at 7 PM Sundays, an hour and a half before B99.

 

Edited March 16, 2015 by VCRTracking

[Traveller519]

The Scully and Hitchcock storyline was the most captivating and, I'd assume, not out of place in a number of police departments. "we've done the work, now it's just time to pad the pension." However, "Making our arrests in the 70s and 80s" seems to be a bit of a stretch. Even if they're supposed to be pushing 65 they would have had to have made detective in their early 20s to be investigating in the 70s. I know that's a romantic era of NYC police work, we even saw Jake dealing with that in the previous season, But we're now 40 years removed from that time.

[Kel Varnsen]

The Scully and Hitchcock storyline was the most captivating and, I'd assume, not out of place in a number of police departments. "we've done the work, now it's just time to pad the pension." However, "Making our arrests in the 70s and 80s" seems to be a bit of a stretch. Even if they're supposed to be pushing 65 they would have had to have made detective in their early 20s to be investigating in the 70s. I know that's a romantic era of NYC police work, we even saw Jake dealing with that in the previous season, But we're now 40 years removed from that time.

Thinking about the math it does sound weird. But at the same time, Holt's flashbacks seem to put him as a detective sometime in that same time period. I mean one of his most famous arrests was the Disco Strangler.  

[amensisterfriend]

I honestly thought we knew before this episode that Scully and Hitchcock are secretly competent! Maybe that was just a theory one of our posters posited that I mistakenly thought was reality...?! 

 

Since these writers love giving mean, selfish, grossly unappealing Gina tons of unearned wins, I hope they let her become a professional dancer---as  long as her new career means she's permanently off my screen. (They liked showing Parks and Rec's April getting tons of terrific educational/professional opportunities despite being a vicious and ungrateful little snot who prided herself on never doing any work, so deciding to make Gina a wildly successful dancer wouldn't be a stretch for them) 

 

I really like most of these characters and actors and the sweeter moments, but I just think the Parks/B99 writers' sense of humor doesn't mesh well with mine. They seem to like tons of goofy, silly, juvenile stuff over sharper wit or clever insight, and then toss in a pointlessly mean character presumably to add an 'edge' but who I just find unfunny and obnoxious.  

[JTMacc99]

Holt: Sarcasm, the coward's lie.

Heh. I didn't see that one coming, which made it even better. 

[hoodooznoodooz]

I love that Jake had to confess to forcing Hoytsman to really cheap out on his father's funeral.

Edited March 17, 2015 by hoodooznoodooz

[VCRTracking]

Since these writers love giving mean, selfish, grossly unappealing Gina tons of unearned wins, I hope they let her become a professional dancer---as  long as her new career means she's permanently off my screen. (They liked showing Parks and Rec's April getting tons of terrific educational/professional opportunities despite being a vicious and ungrateful little snot who prided herself on never doing any work, so deciding to make Gina a wildly successful dancer wouldn't be a stretch for them)

 

I disagree that April never did any work on P&R or that she was ungrateful.  She may have been a bitch about it but she did her job. She was a good assistant to Ron, as in keeping people from seeing him, and as far as I know did her job when she moved up to the National Parks service to work for Leslie for three years during the time jump. Enough for to be afraid she was going to be stuck in a rut and was going to do it for the rest of her life. She also was wiling to do whatever crazy task Leslie asked of her like being sanitation workers and trying to move a meat locker. When Ron and Diane went to get a quickie wedding and ran into Leslie and Ann, they had just come back from cleaning an underpass!

(BTW I love April's reaction to hearing Ron's getting married)

 Except for Ann always she had moments where she's been nice to all the other characters, including Jerry.  She also never squandered any of that effort by other people to help her. She was still doing her job in Washington DC in the future and helping Donna with the "Teach Yo Self" program.



 

Also didn't get the first time the line "I have two beautiful children. Out of three. Not a bad ratio" but got it on rewatch!

Edited March 16, 2015 by VCRTracking

[DXD526]

Amy's right, Jake deserves whatever he gets if he relies on an alarm that's power-dependent!

 

People call detectives "hot dicks"?

 

Chris Parnell rules! He was so underrated on SNL, I'm glad he's getting the chance to shine here (and on 30 Rock). 

 

On the other hand...

Count me among the Gina haters. She's not funny, she's annoying, and just drags down every scene she's in. Instead, more Amy and Rosa, please.

 

On Scully and Hitchcock: So they haven't done any decent police work since the 80s? On what level is 30 years of incompetence supposed to be amusing? Sorry, I don't 'get' that any more than I do Gina.

[Kel Varnsen]

Dr. Spaceman! He does play a special kind of wacky!

Chris Parnell is weird. When I see him I think Dr. Spaceman, but then when he talks I think Cyril Figgis.

[Carrie Ann]

I like Gina, but I think the dancing thing makes absolutely no sense and I'd honestly hoped they would drop it and never speak of it again. Chelsea Peretti is 37 years old; not sure how old Gina is supposed to be. But basically, Chelsea/Gina has shown no actual talent at dancing, but the way they've dealt with it would indicate that she's actually good and pretty dedicated to it. And the problem is...no. Not at that age; not unless it basically is your life. And even then...not at that age. If CP were actually an amazing dancer, and they wanted to work that into Gina so she could show it off sometime, I guess I would understand that. But this is like...if they ever show Gina dancing, it's just going to be underwhelming and pointless. So yeah, I hated this subplot.

Edited March 16, 2015 by Carrie Ann

[hoodooznoodooz]

I'm not as big an Amy fan as most of you, but I did like her reaction to Jake saying, "Speaking of funky smells..."

I hate hate hate when people refer to themselves in the third-person, but when Elmo and Terry do it, I don't mind so much.

[thuganomics85]

Hoytsman!  I honestly didn't predict he'd be the one what was sabotaging Jake.  I'm really digging this character as a rival.  Chris Parnell is just the perfect type of actor for this, and he and Andy Samberg are always entertaining together.  I was bummed that we didn't see much of Amy and Rosa investigating (especially since I like those two together), but they still had some great moments.  Loved Rosa's surprised punch when Jake popped out (I usually aren't a huge fan of physical violence as comedy, but this one actually worked), and Amy's reactions to how immature Jake still is.  And, I love that she uses her turn signal way too early.  Hey, considering how many jerks out on the road don't even use one, I'll take it.

 

Boyle getting stuck with Scully and Hitchcock was fun.  I liked how those two seem to bringing out legit anger from Boyle, which is rare.  Not surprised they redeemed themselves though; I do think the show always showed signs that they can be good detectives, but they just choose not to be.  Still, I liked how Boyle's words were enough to rile them up, and how they begged him not to tell anyone, because they want to remain behind their desks.

 

Mixed on the Holt/Terry/Gina stuff.  Loved Holt and Terry as always; Andre Braugher and Terry Crews are perfect together, a lot of great lines ("Sarcasm: The Coward's Lie."), Terry explaining how lying to his daughters lead to buying them bunnies, and Holt/Terry bickering about lying in general (loved the out of focus "Come on, man!" reaction from Terry, when Holt slammed him to Gina).  But, of course, they had to help "poor" Gina, because her feelings are hurt.  I'm not sure if this is on purpose or not, but it really feels like that Gina basically insults anyone within hearing distance and enjoys it, but any time someone dares to hurt her feelings, she throws a complete hissy fit.  She really is coming off like someone who can totally dish it out, but can't really take it.  And, I don't really like those characters.  I mean, am I really going to feel bad for her tonight, after how she loved watching Amy get upset last week (even going far as to print shirts of her reaction)?  No, I'm not.

 

Overall, fun episode, even if there wasn't too much going on story-wise.  But, it was fun filler and, more importantly, hilarious.

Edited March 17, 2015 by thuganomics85

[Azaelia]

Had Gina not acted like an eight year old child who didn't get a pony for her birthday, I might have actually felt some sympathy for her. Maybe. I really wonder whether the creators of the show realize how insufferable she is. It's such a great show except for Gina. And actually, I have liked some episodes with her, when they have given her almost adult feelings.

 

 

 

I like Gina, but I think the dancing thing makes absolutely no sense and I'd honestly hoped they would drop it and never speak of it again. Chelsea Peretti is 37 years old; not sure how old Gina is supposed to be.

 

 

Jake strikes me as being in his late twenties, maybe early thirties, and Gina's supposed to be about his age as they grew up together. (Although I've never personally understood that as I haven't ever had real "childhood friend" vibes from them. They barely interact.)

Edited March 17, 2015 by Azaelia

[hoodooznoodooz]

Holt is the only person who can make "form 452 underscore J" hilarious.

Boyle: "Look how cool and illegible his handwriting is. I wish I could be that free."

Amy: "I really wish you could come look at urine with us, but you can't."

Edited March 17, 2015 by hoodooznoodooz

[Amethyst]

Good, but not great.  Chris Parnell was funny, but Rosa and Amy just finding Jake so easily rang really false.

 

I'm with y'all, I'm sick of Gina and I wish that plot had gone a different way.  She could have just told Hoyt that he insulted something she loved by calling it a hobby and that she was still gonna dance because she loved it, and to hell with what Hoyt thought.  In her Gina-esque fashion, of course.  It is possible to be snarky and mature.  But this is Gina, so she's gonna act like a baby until someone apologizes to her.  I would have let her ass scoot around in her chair for the rest of the day. 

 

Terry's bunny analogy really didn't work for me; Cagney and Lacey are babies who need to be coddled when they're upset.  We've seen that Gina can be the grown up, and they need to stop giving in to this bratty behavior of hers because it's not endearing, it's annoying.

[dusang]

I so enjoyed this!  I can't even enumerate the stupid little things that made me laugh. I liked Jake's story, I liked Boyle's story, and I liked Terry & Holt's story.  Gina was a bit immature but also funny and she really didn't get much screen time.

 

Although I can sort of understand the comparisons, I don't really feel like Gina is the April of the office.  First, she has actual passions and interests (like dance!) that she actively pursues, rather than exclusively sitting on the sidelines and mocking others' interests and passions.  Second, because she has done more for others in 2 1/2 seasons than April did in 6.  Third, because, for all her weirdness, Gina has actually taken responsibility for her life and made adult decisions, rather than relying on others to shepherd her along.  But mostly because I haaaaaaaate April and I just don't hate Gina.

[Brandi Maxxxx]

Not wanting to get too deeply involved in this debate, let me just say that I think Gina is closer in personality to Tom Haverford.

[castersugar]

Terry's bit about the Icelandic yogurt was amusing to me, because last week when Holt came into the lunch room to give them the brain teaser, he was eating Icelandic yogurt. (It's the same brand I buy, which is why I noticed the cup.) Why he'd get so worked up about it, I don't know, though.

[Expat]

Personally, I don't hate Gina. Like I said, she has her moments and can be funny. It's just that she's one of those characters who tends to be unpleasant to everyone, but always wins. She never gets a comeuppance. She's a Jerk Sue.

[jhlipton]

I can stand Gina, but agree that she is the weakest character on the show (and when you consider Hitchcock and Scully, that's saying something).  I really wish that after she said "I'll never dance again" Holt had said something like "Probably for the best.".  LOL

 

Hichcock and Scully do make arrests (8 one year, as I recall).  They probably do just enough to make quota and not a thing more.

[tennisgurl]

I love Boyle when he`s with Scully and Hitchcock. He bizarrely starts to sound like the cool, tough detective whenever he`s around them.

 

I wonder if they told Boyle that Jake almost got killed, He would have freaked the hell out. 

 

"Juveniles under the age of 8 by pointing out the logical impossibility of disproving a negative.  It's sentimental drivel but they eat it up." Holt and Kevin would be amazing babysitters. 

[hendersonrocks]

Boyle: "Look how cool and illegible his handwriting is. I wish I could be that free."

 

This line spoke to the depths of my soul. LOVED.IT.

 

Solid episode, but I too am saddened by the lack of the Beastie Boys within it.

[Azaelia]

I see Rosa as being more like April than Gina, honestly. Well - I see Rosa as being the sort of person April wants to be, except Rosa perhaps exaggerates a bit herself. They both make flippant deadpan jokes about violence, they both act colder than they really are, etc. I actually think Gina would really irritate April, but Rosa would be April's role model. Gina's more of a ditzy receptionist type, and April was never really ditzy. 

[Rinaldo]

I too am saddened by the lack of the Beastie Boys within it.

This has been said more than once, and I really, genuinely don't understand. The title is never announced or shown within an episode; why should it get a pop-culture underlining?

[hendersonrocks]

This has been said more than once, and I really, genuinely don't understand. The title is never announced or shown within an episode; why should it get a pop-culture underlining?

 

It might be different for different people, Rinaldo, but I had hoped it was a tongue-in-cheek reference to the Sabotage video (a 1970s/80s police video homage; linked below). I could completely imagine the 99-ers running having a field day with it.

 

[GraceAnne]

I can't believe that I could have had some Amy and Rosa time and instead I got, once again, far too much Gina. The show creators must love her. At least Hitchcock and Scully's story had some relevance and explained why they're even still around as detectives. But stupid Gina and her stupid dancing? Give me strength. 

I don’t hate Gina but agree she's been getting WAY too much scene time recently.  The character is much more entertaining in small doses.  When her antics are constantly shoved in the audience face I find it hard to believe an entire squad of police officers would put up with her shit day in and day out.

[dinkysquid]

Please fire Gina! She's an incompetent asshole and when she is on, the show comes to a screeching halt. I always fast forward through any lengthy scenes with her. How long would someone like this actually last in a job in real life? I know TV gives us an "altered reality" but really?!! Sometimes it is just too ridiculous. This useless idiot is never, ever shown actually doing any work and when someone does ask her to do something, she gives some lame snark. Otherwise I think the cast is brilliant.

[Danny Franks]

Please fire Gina! She's an incompetent asshole and when she is on, the show comes to a screeching halt. I always fast forward through any lengthy scenes with her. How long would someone like this actually last in a job in real life? I know TV gives us an "altered reality" but really?!! Sometimes it is just too ridiculous. This useless idiot is never, ever shown actually doing any work and when someone does ask her to do something, she gives some lame snark. Otherwise I think the cast is brilliant.

 

I could not agree more. I find her incredibly annoying, and at times she verges on ruining this wonderful little show, because everything about her character and the constant unearned wins she gets just grate so much. I don't see why anyone in that office would even speak to her, let alone treat her with the kid gloves and favouritism she's lavished with.

 

Amy could have had her fired for bullying, Terry could have had her fired for sexual harassment, even that one instance of her assaulting Boyle (yes, throwing a milkshake over him would class as assault) should be enough to get her thrown out of the door. And if none of those people wanted to take action, then Holt could fire her because she's lazy, rude, insubordinate and an all-round awful, demoralising presence in the office.

 

I can abide characters like her in a show where everyone is some level of asshole, such as The League. If the show establishes that loathing and conniving is the standard for the interactions between its characters, then it can work. But Gina is the vile outlier in a show that's mostly about good, diligent and warm people who clearly care for one another. And they honestly do not need her, because Rosa is acerbic enough to fill that role, while still having the depth that Gina lacks, allowing her to fit into any story the writers come up with.

 

I just ended up angry with this episode, and skipping Gina's scenes. Which meant I got about ten minutes of watchable show, and far too little of that featured the women who actually are valuable characters. I'm am so sick and tired of otherwise excellent (or at least good) shows being brought down so badly by one ill-thought-out, jarring, irritating character.

[WickedTuna]

I think I missed an announcement or something. Was this the end of the season? Did they put it on hiatus so they could run the awful Last Man on Earth? I checked IMDB and the next episode is listed for late April and there were quite a few after that.