To be completely honest, I found the inspiration for this blog post as I was procrastinating this blog post. Settled into my couch after a particularly long school day, I had my chromebook and my cat on my lap as I paid more attention to Brooklyn 99 then I did to the email I had in front of me. 

And then I saw them. My favorite couple on the show and part/most of the reason I was rewatching it. Jake and Amy.

I was fortunate enough to be introduced to the show by a few of my friends, and I fell prey to the fantastic writing and humor of Brooklyn 99. The show is lighthearted and relaxing, perfect for decompressing after a stressful day. It’s humor reminds me that you can still be relevant, respectful, and not too raunchy while being absolutely hilarious. 

This fantastic writing carries over into fantastic characters that are as well developed as they are funny. Each one seems as though they could be a person you may actually meet, and the chemistry of the actors pulls the audience in to be a part of their little group at the precinct. While each of these characters has a special place in my heart, I particularly enjoy the relationship between Jake Peralta and Amy Santiago. These two characters, played by Andy Samberg and Melissa Fumero respectively, are detectives and colleagues at the always interesting 99th precinct. And they are absolutely adorable. 

Awkward and heartwarming, the detective’s relationship caught my eye from the very beginning. Their childish antics covered up real feelings, and throughout the progress of their relationship, you saw those feelings grow and be realised. But even before their relationship developed what really impressed me was their mutual respect for each other as detectives. Too often teasing can turn into borderline bullying and harassment and be reasoned away by the fact that “that’s just what people do when they like each other.” This is a poor and frustrating example for girls (and boys) all over the world as they become conditioned to believe that bickering and belittling is a sign of a healthy start to a relationship. There is a fine line between this and teasing, and Jake and Amy walk it perfectly. 

Childish and immature, Jake teases Amy about many things, her obsession with pleasing her Captain, her over the top speeches and academic approach to things (Santiago style.) Amy returns in kind, commenting on Jake’s poor hygiene, his immaturity, and lack of organisation. But through all this, there is an underlying respect for each other as detectives and colleagues. They build each other up instead of tearing each other down. Their bet at the beginning raises their arrest rates, and they are always causing the other to consider a different perspective, often causing epiphanies in many different cases. Jake is always encouraging of Amy’s career aspirations, even eventually writing her a letter of recommendation in season one when Amy thinks she may want to transfer to the Major Crimes department (who Jake hates.) 

One of my favorite moments comes in season four with the episode “Chasing Amy,” when they are in a relationship and Jake is helping Amy prep for her sergeants exam. At one point Amy goes missing and the squad races to find her before the exam starts. Jake channels Amy by recreating her love for paper supply stores and organisers, as well as knowing that libraries would catch her interest. Using her instincts, Jake tracks Amy down to the place that they had their first date, a rooftop where they had a stakeout. Jake admits that Amy “you flirted with me for twenty seconds” and he “became obsessed with you forever.” Amy is on the roof because she worries that her passing this exam and the subsequent promotion will change their relationship. But Jake lovingly states that he always knew that she would be his boss and that, “You can’t be afraid to be successful, you’re too good for that.” And the whole world said: Awww (well  at least the part of the world that was watching Brooklyn 99.)

So while I love their relationship because of their amazing chemistry, their crazy antics, and the fantastic buildup, Jake and Amy really stole my heart with their ability to make each other laugh, their equal standing in their relationship, and their respect for each other. They are each others person for life and I think that kind of a relationship is a beautiful thing.

So in conclusion, long live Jake and Amy. 

Here’s some more articles about Jake and Amy (they’re on Buzzfeed so they’re probably blocked on a chromebook though.) Enjoy!

https://www.buzzfeed.com/alliehayes/jake-and-amy-from-brooklyn-nine-nine-are-iconic

https://www.buzzfeed.com/katangus/peralta-and-santiago-4eva