Brooklyn Nine-Nine: 10 Things You Completely Missed From Season One
4. Who Is That Police Action Figure?
In the intro, there is a shot of Jake Peralta astutely examining an action figure of a police officer. At a glance, you would assume the figurine is of a generic cop.
Fans have seen this clip so many times in the intro, it's easy to forget it's taken directly from a shot in the first episode. If you watch the scene where Peralta studies this model figure, you can see him turning it around, giving you a better look at its face. If you look very, very, very closely at the toy, you may recognise it is Carey Mahoney - Steven Gutenberg's character from the Police Academy franchise. In the classic comedy, Mahoney deliberately antagonises his superior and eggs on his fellow officers to act unprofessionally.
This detail is easy to miss but heavily appreciated if noticed. To most viewers, Peralta looks like he's immaturely playing with an action figure. In reality, he's admiring this Police Academy character to foreshadow how he is prepared to throw down with Captain Raymond Holt and will not back down under any circumstances.