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These "Gina Moments" From Her Last 'Brooklyn 99' Episode Were So Touching, Even Rosa Cried
Spoilers ahead for Brooklyn Nine-Nine Season 6, Episode 4. Sadly, all good things come to an end, which means that our elegant bird/wolf is finally flying the Nine-Nine coop. This week, audiences were forced to endure Gina Linetti's final Brooklyn Nine-Nine episode in what can only be described as the Paris of episodes. But before she left the precinct for good, the assistant gave each of her friends (except for Hitchcock and Scully) their own "signature Gina moment," which she tailored specifically for each person.
While some of these moments were straight-forward gifts, some came in the form of abstract life lessons. But all of these gestures had one thing in common: They showed what a huge hole Linetti will leave in her wake. And while she's had a huge impact on everyone at the Nine-Nine, they've left an impression on her, too. Amy showed Gina that it's OK to express her feelings, and Holt emphasized the importance of being prepared. Rosa taught her strength, while Charles demonstrated what family is all about. Jake showed her that friendship is everything, while Terry taught her that being a parent doesn't mean having it all together.
So while Gina's confident about her future (she's got a crystal in her pocket at all times, remember), she's a better person after her tenure at the 99th precinct. And although Gina Linetti Spaghetti Confetti is fundamentally the same person as she was in Season 1, she's made huge strides in her personal life. Not only did she save the precinct, but she had a baby and even survived a near-death experience. Here are some of the highlights from her dramatic send-off.
Her Dance
Gina never does anything normally, which is why she announces her two-week notice with the help of several back-up dancers. Not only does she have a body double handspring down the length of the room, but she emerges from the behind the bulletin board with all the confidence of someone who actually executed those impressive acrobatics (she didn't). Linetti then performs a dance called "The Linexit," which comes in four, forty-five minute long, movements — each one expressing one aspect of her personality.
When She Drops Sage Life Advice
"A bird can never learn to fly if it doesn't leave the nest, end quote, Gina Linetti, right now," Gina tells the captain as they play their weekly game of chess. While she's still devastatingly bad at the game after four years of lessons, she's been teaching Holt to trash talk, who can now serve insults like, "The hospital called. Your test results came back positive: You're a stage-five dumb*ss."
However, that's not the only wisdom Gina's imparts to her boss. Holt advises that maybe she should think a little more carefully about her next steps, since life can be scary and uncertain. This is a great point, which she takes into consideration, but Gina fires back with, "Just because you want to do something doesn't mean you get to do it. Life is chaos; success is completely arbitrary, and confidence is everything."
That's deep, right?
When She Isn't Mean To Amy
This one's a bit confusing, since Gina's always making fun of Amy, but it's clear that Linetti loves "Arnie" deep-down. When Santiago gives Gina a gargantuan book filled with her tweets, just liked she always wanted, her friend orders her to burn it, so she can learn to be less earnest. However, Amy refuses, saying that she likes having emotions. "Amy, the lesson I wanted to leave you with is to just be yourself!" Gina says. "If you want to cry like an idiot for hours on end, just do it!" Amy, of course, cries "like an idiot."
When She Makes Rosa Cry Accidentally
Gina's advice to Amy surprisingly makes Rosa tear up, too. "Inadvertent Gina moment!"
When She Calls "Daddy"
Jakes wants Gina to have a celebrity at her going-away party, and through Terry's security connections, they learn that Mario Lopez, a.k.a. A.C. Slater from Saved By the Bell, is in town. They attempt to sneak into the Manhattan Club, where the actor is located. The two friends strut into the building with a snooty confidence that only the über wealthy possess — Gina disappeared into her role as Pamplemousse Lacroix.
When the attendant (played by Eugene Lee Yang of Try Guys fame) insists on getting their member info, they pretend to ring "Daddy." After saying the word "daddy" exactly 14 times (I counted), the frustrated employee finally lets them in.
When She Turns Away AC Slater
After convincing the former teen heartthrob to come to a fake benefit for monkeys, Gina tells Lopez that they're actually at capacity. Jake is understandably confused, since he got beaten up by security to get the actor here. But that's when Jake gets his Gina Moment: She doesn't need a celebrity or fancy venue for her big send-off. "You guys are all the splash that I need," she tells him, sincerely.
The Mother Dough Starter
Although she burned the original sourdough starter with Jacinta (her space heater), this is still a sweet gesture on Gina's part. "I've never really understood the logic behind the two of us," she tells her brother/ex-lover. "But I love you, and I'm going to miss you." Awww.
The International Yogurts
The Sarge is sad that he never got his Gina Moment — that is, until she leaves a video of herself in the bullpen. She announces that she signed him up for an international yogurt-of-the-month club, and his first one is from Austria. "Terry's never had Austrian yogurt before," Jeffords says, grinning. "Terry had the best moment of all."
Her Golden Statue
Although Gina may be gone, her striking presence will remain in the form of a terrifying, golden effigy, which she's left in the bullpen for everyone to see. However, she's the first to admit it's not a perfect likeness. "And even though it looks like she has wet hair and just combed through a deep conditioning treatment, and even though her jeans look cheap, and even though she has sausage fingers, I hope it reminds you of me, and I'm going to miss you," Linetti tells her co-workers.
While it's unclear what Gina's going to do after leaving the Nine-Nine, her confidence has always gotten her far. And she's got plenty of back-up plans, which include discovering a new type of melon, writing a YA novel about literally anything, creating a cryptocurrency called Gina-Coin — and let's not forget her dream to become a bullfighter. So although we won't be seeing Gina around the precinct on a regular basis, we can rest assured that at any given moment, she's thinking about one thing: Richard Dreyfuss hunkered over eating dog food.