S02E13 - Nine-Nine
"Nine-Nine" is the thirteenth episode of Season 2 of We Can Fix Pawbert and the first part of a two-part crossover with Brooklyn Nine-Nine. It reunites the pack with the officers of Precinct 99 exactly one year after their first encounter.
Synopsis
On October 30th -- exactly one year since the pack's first visit to Precinct 99 -- Bogo relays a request for assistance with financial patterns that may connect to the Clawrence Lynxley investigation. Pawbert decodes Lynxley accounting in a seized mushroom shop's records, revealing two hundred thousand in monthly throughput flowing to a shell company called Tempest Holdings. Jake proposes hosting the annual Halloween heist at the safehouse, and Captain Holt reframes it as a legitimate security audit.
Plot
The episode opens on October 30th at Site Two—exactly one year to the day since the pack first visited Precinct 99. Nick notices the date on the calendar and remarks on the coincidence, pointing at the heist trophy on the shelf and Charles's napkin pinned to the corkboard. When Luther's phone buzzes with a message from Bogo, the timing becomes even stranger: Precinct 99 has requested their assistance with a case that may connect to the Clawrence Lynxley investigation.
The reunions at Precinct 99 are warm and chaotic. Jake bounds over to greet them with theatrical enthusiasm about destiny and the one-year anniversary. Nick and Jake reprise their elaborate handshake—fist bump, finger wiggle, and something that might be a secret gang sign. Amy and Judy bond over binder systems while Rosa and Luther exchange minimal words of maximum respect. Charles emerges with welcome-back muffins and Gina makes a brief appearance before disappearing back into the bullpen. Captain Holt welcomes them with his signature perfect monotone and leads them to the briefing room.
The case centers on The Fungus Emporium, an artisanal mushroom shop that has been generating far more revenue than its customer traffic would suggest. Rosa discovered the unusual smell emanating from the premises wasn't mushrooms but industrial cleaning solvents—the kind used to wash dye pack residue off cash. Pawbert studies the seized financial records and immediately recognizes the methodology: his father's accounting system, modified and updated but with the same base structure he was forced to learn at age twelve.
Working alone in the evidence room with Luther standing guard, Pawbert spends hours decoding the nested encryption. Charles brings mushroom risotto for sustenance, and Pawbert mentions he still has Charles's napkin with the pancake recipe pinned to the corkboard at the safehouse. Charles nearly breaks down emotionally before Jake physically restrains him from hugging Pawbert. Eventually Pawbert cracks the cipher: the dates are offset by thirty-nine days, and the amounts are split across three columns that need to be summed to reveal the real transfers. The mushroom shop was moving roughly two hundred thousand a month.
The interrogation of proprietor Morley Sporesworth—a nervous mole on an elevated chair, interrogated by Jake and Rosa who tower over him like buildings—reveals the money flows to something called Tempest Holdings. Pawbert recognizes the pattern: the weather-themed name connects to Clawrence's background as Chief Engineer of the weather wall system. He calls it "ego in plain sight"—hiding your signature in the name, daring people to notice. Luther texts Corbin immediately to get ZSI running traces on Tempest Holdings.
Jake proposes hosting the annual Halloween Heist at the safehouse the next day, claiming the defending champion must host. Luther initially refuses—it's a ZSI-secured location—but Holt reframes the proposal as a legitimate security audit. Having experienced officers attempt to breach the safehouse using every creative method they can devise would reveal vulnerabilities that could be fixed before actual threats exploit them. Holt reminds Pawbert that he trusted the Ninety-Nine once before, and they helped him discover that joy was not a betrayal of accountability. He believes Pawbert has found what he told him to look for: mammals who stand with him.
In the hallway, Charles catches Pawbert alone and observes that he has changed. A year ago, Pawbert had sad eyes. He still has sad eyes, but they're different sad—like the sadness has company now. Pawbert confirms he found people who stayed. The goodbyes at the precinct door are warm: Amy gives Judy her seventeen contingency scenarios on a flash drive, Jake and Nick exchange their ridiculous handshake, and Holt tells Pawbert he expects him to be prepared.
That night at Site Two, the pack prepares for tomorrow. Pawbert decides to leave the trophy visible on the shelf rather than hide it—a statement that if they want it, they have to take it from them. In bed, Pawbert confesses to Luther that he doesn't understand the feeling of anticipating something instead of dreading it, of looking forward to tomorrow instead of just surviving it. Luther names it simply: hope.
Key Moments
- The pack returns to Precinct 99 on October 30th—exactly one year to the day since their first visit
- Nick notices the coincidence and points to the heist trophy and Charles's napkin on the corkboard
- Nick and Jake reprise their elaborate handshake while Rosa and Luther exchange minimal words of mutual respect
- Charles brings welcome-back muffins; Gina makes a brief appearance before disappearing
- Holt's briefing reveals The Fungus Emporium as a money laundering front disguised as a mushroom shop
- Pawbert immediately recognizes Milton's accounting system in the seized records
- Pawbert spends hours in the evidence room decoding the nested encryption
- Pawbert tells Charles he kept the napkin recipe on the corkboard; Charles nearly breaks down
- The cipher cracked: thirty-nine-day date offsets and split columns reveal two hundred thousand monthly throughput
- Morley Sporesworth breaks under interrogation by Jake and Rosa, naming Tempest Holdings
- Pawbert connects the weather-themed name to Clawrence's engineering background
- Jake proposes hosting the Halloween Heist at the safehouse
- Holt reframes the heist as a legitimate security audit to identify vulnerabilities
- Holt reminds Pawbert he has found mammals who stand with him
- Charles observes that Pawbert's sadness has changed—it has company now
- Pawbert decides to leave the trophy visible as a statement of confidence
- Luther names the unfamiliar feeling Pawbert describes: hope
Key Lines
| Line | Speaker | Context |
|---|---|---|
| "DESTINY, Amy!" | Jake | October 30th coincidence; one year to the day |
| "They were LITERALLY laundering money! In a mushroom shop! It's beautiful!" | Jake | Classic Jake delight at absurdity |
| "This is my father's system." | Pawbert | Recognizing Milton's accounting methodology |
| "I still have your napkin. The one with your pancake recipe. It's on the corkboard at the safehouse." | Pawbert | To Charles; triggers emotional outburst |
| "It was kind. I remember kind things." | Pawbert | Explaining why he kept the napkin |
| "I am suggesting you transform a recreational tradition into tactical intelligence." | Holt | Reframing the heist as security audit |
| "I believe you have found what I told you to look for. Mammals who stand with you." | Holt | Callback to S01E11 advice |
| "You still have sad eyes, but they're DIFFERENT sad. Like the sadness has company now." | Charles | Observing Pawbert's change |
| "You want it? Take it." | Pawbert | About the trophy; confident statement |
| "That's called hope." | Luther | Naming the unfamiliar feeling |
Characters Introduced
| Character | Species | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Morley Sporesworth | Mole | Proprietor of The Fungus Emporium; arrested for money laundering |
Locations
- Site Two -- kitchen (cold open), living room (tag), bedroom (tag)
- ZPD Precinct 99 -- bullpen, briefing room, evidence room, interrogation room, observation room, Holt's office, hallway, exterior
Items
- Heist trophy -- "ULTIMATE HEIST CHAMPION/GENIUS" in ridiculous gold; visible on the shelf at Site Two
- Charles's napkin -- Pancake recipe with "NINE-NINE!" written on it; still pinned to the corkboard at Site Two
- Maddie's card -- On the corkboard alongside Charles's napkin and the recipe card
- Tempest Holdings intelligence -- Financial connection to Clawrence; forwarded to Agent Corbin and ZSI for processing
Notes
- This is the second Brooklyn Nine-Nine crossover, following the first encounter in the Season 1 heist episodes. Jake references Pawbert's title defense as the "ULTIMATE HEIST CHAMPION/GENIUS."
- Holt's callback -- "I believe you have found what I told you to look for. Mammals who stand with you." -- directly references his advice to Pawbert during the first Precinct 99 visit.
- Gina Linetti (mink) makes a brief appearance in the bullpen, her only scene in the episode.
- The Tempest Holdings discovery is a major investigative breakthrough, connecting Clawrence's weather engineering background to his financial operations through weather-themed naming.
- Morley Sporesworth's interrogation is played for comedy -- the mole is eight inches tall on an elevated chair, interrogated by Jake and Rosa who tower over him like buildings.
- Charles's observation about Pawbert's eyes -- "different sad" with "company" -- captures the emotional arc of the season concisely.
- Luther naming the unfamiliar feeling as "hope" is a quiet emotional beat that closes the episode on warmth before the heist begins in the next episode.