Queer culture is a prominent theme in the show. It appears first in the pilot with the unveiling of the Captain’s backstory. But the really satisfying moments are in real time.
S1E2: When Jake arrests the deputy commissioner’s son, deputy commissioner threatens to “make his life miserable.” Captain Holt steps in to defend his detective, so the deputy commissioner threatens him as well, stating,”You’ve just made yourself a powerful enemy, Holt.”
And the captain follows with the signature mic-drop of the opening of this show:
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 how I’m still standing here? ‘Cause I do my job.
And I do it right.
And then Jake, bless him, says what we were ALL thinking:
#captainholt #jakeperalta #queerculture
See, there have been LGBT-identified characters appear on TV before, but Brooklyn Nine-Nine takes it up a level, giving representation beyond just about having a gay character. The captain’s statement holds his entire life as a gay man in an openly homophobic environment. It’s an acknowledgement that the characters are not just gay because diversity is in now, but that the captain being gay actually makes him a serious badass.
More on queer culture to come.
Liora Sophie 