Good morning, everyone.
Oh, my goodness. Sarge!
What are the chances?
I'd say zero.
[SIGHS] I mean, when Genevieve got me these suspenders,
I thought I'd lean into it and go for the whole look.
But I didn't wanna step on your toes.
That being said, you know what this means?
Don't do this, Charles.
Oh, it's already done.
Gather round, y'all. It's time to play, "Who wore it best?"
I'd really rather not.
Because you're a little chicken?
Who wore it best? Who wore it best? Who wore it best?
ALL: Terry.
What? Come on!
You should change, Boyle.
[SIGHS] Fine.
Not here!
[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]
Hey, Peralta. How's it going, man?
Pretty good, thanks for asking.
Cool, cool, cool. So, how's it going?
Uh, still pretty good. Nothing has changed.
Nah, I hadn't heard about that.
All right, you're clearly not listening to me.
I can say whatever I want. Tell me about it.
I murdered Charles this weekend. I feel you.
Now, that I have the taste for blood, I can't stop murdering.
Been there. Okay, Sarge. Sarge.
Jake, when'd you get here? Wow.
I'm sorry. I'm just trying to see
if Captain Holt is done with his meeting yet.
So, how's it going?
Okay. We've been over this. I'm pretty good. Why are you acting so weird?
I'm nervous. I'm gonna talk to Captain Holt
about getting me more responsibility.
Woop, gotta go. Die Hard. Explosions. Whatever.
Wait, no! Just when the conversation was getting interesting!
Hello, Captain Raymond Holt.
It is I, Sergeant Terrance Jeffords, your friend,
but more importantly, your employee.
I've never heard you speak like this, Sergeant. I like it.
Each sentence so rife with information.
Go on, please.
Thank you. I can do more, sir.
I'd like to take on additional responsibilities.
Good, I like seeing you take initiative. Let's see what there is.
One Police Plaza is looking for a city council liaison.
That's a rewarding but challenging opportunity,
but I think you'll do a great job.
That sounds perfect. Thank you, Captain. My pleasure.
The application is due tomorrow… Okay.
It's 96 pages… Okay, okay.
Not including a 4,000-word personal essay.
Okay, okay, okay.
Will that be a problem? No!
Not a problem for Terry. Terry does not have a problem at all.
Terry's got a big problem.
Ooh! Math or real life?
Why would I have a big math problem? I've seen it happen.
I'm supposed to pick up Cagney and Lacey from day care in 30 minutes,
but I have to stay late to work
on an application I just got from Holt.
They're six, they can take the subway.
Rosa, that's crazy. They're babies. Terry, just call them an Uber.
Or just have your sitter pick them up.
Scully actually has the most reasonable idea. These truly are strange days.
Sharon can't pick 'em up 'cause she's out of town with Ava.
And the sitter doesn't get to my house till 6:30.
Jake and I can pick them up.
Absolutely. Couple of issues. I don't have any car seats,
and my rear window is technically a "shower curtain."
Really? Why? Mm.
You know what? Doesn't matter. Just take my minivan.
You got it.
Thanks, guys. I appreciate it.
Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm, mm.
Why are you doing that with your face?
I'm smiling at Mommy and Daddy.
Ugh. Gross.
Picking up Cagney and Lacey.
One taste of practice-parenting,
and you two will be so hot to have sex.
The kind that make babies.
Walk away, Charles. Okay.
But I'll be back in nine months.
How ridiculous is Charles? Psh.
So ridiculous. Psh.
Psh. Psh.
PERALTA: Hey, girls, who's the coolest person
you've ever met in your entire lives?
You are! You are!
And who's the most handsome dude in all the land,
even objectively more than Idris Elba?
You are! You are!
Man, kids are awesome.
You can tell them literally anything, and they'll just say it.
I know, right? Check it out.
Who was the first female congresswoman?
Jeannette Rankin! Jeannette Rankin!
Oh. That's fun. They won't get teased for that.
GIRLS: Up, down. Up, down. Up, down. Up, down.
Oh, uh, maybe don't play with the windows. Jake, tell them to stop.
But playing with the windows is fun. Jake.
And it could spark a lifelong interest in mechanical engineering.
But sure, if you want, I'll tell these young girls
that you don't think science is a good fit for them.
Up, down. Up, down. Play with those windows, ladies!
Yay! Yay!
That was actually really cool with Cagney and Lacey.
I think we rocked it.
Right? I don't see what the big deal is about being a parent.
That was so easy.
Yeah. Anyone who's ever complained about parenting
has no idea what they're doing. [LAUGHS]
[CELL PHONE RINGING]
Mm, hey, this is Sarge, probably calling for some child-rearing tips.
Parent of the year speaking. Terry, baby, talk to me!
Where the hell is Moo Moo?
Oh, no. I think Terry has a child named Moo Moo,
and we forget to pick her up.
It's not a baby, Jake. It's Cagney's blankie.
She calls it that because it has a little cow head.
She said she had it in the minivan. Where is it now?
Uh.
PERALTA, GIRLS: Up, down! Up, down!
Up, down. Up, down.
Never let 'em play with the windows! That's parenting 101!
And, Santiago, I can't believe you didn't stop it.
I'm sorry, sir. I knew it was wrong,
and I did nothing, which is ultimately worse.
Cagney can't sleep without Moo Moo.
And if Cagney doesn't sleep, Lacey doesn't sleep.
And if Cagney and Lacey don't sleep…
Terry doesn't sleep.
No, Jake doesn't live! Oh, my God.
Where did you start letting them play with the windows?
Uh, on Eighth. It was close to the house.
It better be. The sitter leaves in 10 minutes,
and this is the last thing I need.
Okay. I'm so sorry about this, Sarge.
Oh, and one more thing.
I love you.
I love you, too, Jake.
Moo Moo? Moo Moo!
What's going on, buddy?
Oh, hey, Officer… Whoa. Don't move.
Oh, I was just…
Step back, keep your hands where I can see 'em.
Drop that.
Hey, Sarge. We felt really bad about Moo Moo,
so we got you a new one.
She's called New Moo. I don't want it.
The liaison application got you down? I finished that.
I know. There's nothing sadder than finishing a nice, long, juicy application.
It's like, why can't there be another essay? Or even a short answer?
No one is relating to you right now. What's wrong?
I got stopped by a cop last night.
Stopped for what? Stopped for walking.
That makes zero sense, unless…
Oh, crap. I see what happened.
Yeah.
Oh, Sarge, that's terrible.
That's so messed up.
Oh, jeez. I have no idea what's going on.
He got stopped for being black. Get woke, Scully.
What happened? It was right after I found Moo Moo.
What are you doing in this neighborhood, buddy?
I live here. Listen…
Whoa, you need to lower your voice.
Lower my voice?
You know what? Put your hands on your head, turn around.
Don't make any sudden movements.
I didn't do anything! Also, I'm a…
Keep talking. See what happens next. Huh, big guy?
Well, did you tell him you're a cop?
I tried to, but things escalated so quickly,
and I didn't have my badge on me.
I eventually told him,
and he finally looked me up in the system and let me go.
I can't believe this. I mean, nothing like that has ever happened to me,
and I've done some pretty suspicious things in the street.
Hey there! What are you doing?
I'm just playing a prank on my buddy.
Sounds fun. Carry on.
It was a very good prank. I totally thought I was gonna die.
I mean, I've had run-ins with officers before,
but this one really stings. It was right outside my home.
So, what are you gonna do? Slash his tires?
You shouldn't do that, but just out of curiosity,
what kind of car does he drive and where does he park it?
You could file an official complaint.
Captain Holt would wield that like a hammer and crush the guy.
I don't wanna start a whole hullabaloo, all right?
I mean, I think I just need to sit down with the guy
and have a direct conversation.
Just to make sure he doesn't ever
do anything like this again. That makes sense.
You think you two can handle watching
the kids while I meet with Officer Maldack?
Oh, they could handle it.
Calm down, Charles!
But, yes, Terry, we can watch the kids.
Trust me. There's nothing those little munchkins can throw at us
that we can't handle.
Why was Daddy in trouble with the policeman?
Uh, that's complicated.
Is it because he's black?
BOTH: Uh…
What do we do? We can't call Terry.
We told him we could handle anything.
I've got it! We just leave. We go home and never speak of this.
No, we can't leave the children that are in our care.
Right. We call Charles. He's a parent.
He'll know what to do. Smart.
Mm. A parental crisis. This is the good stuff right here.
You are knee-deep in the thick, rich, broth of parenthood.
-[SIGHS] -[SIGHS] Well, that was a nightmare.
Who else can we call?
I'm already ahead of you. Calling Rosa.
Make them go to bed.
It's 6:30 p.m. They're not tired.
Make them.
Okay. Hang up, I'll call Gina.
Oh, come on, Jake. Just explain the deep-rooted institutionalized racism
that remains pervasive in this country to this day.
Gina, they're children.
So, put it in a song, Jake. Watch this.
-♪ Racism, racism ♪ -I'm hanging up.
♪ Racism ♪
Gina, I'm hanging up. That's a great song. I'm hanging up.
Okay, so, Gina was a bust, as well.
Looks like we're out of options, unless…
No. It's all we have.
Hey, Jakey! Yeah, I'd love to chat, but I can't.
Hitchcock and I are eating cake for dinner and watching a movie.
Ask Amy if she wants to come over.
I'm hanging up.
[SIGHS]
Why are you smiling? That was useless.
Are you kidding me? Hitchcock and Scully just handed us a gem.
Who wants cake?
Me! Me!
And who wants to watch 101 Dalmatians
and not ask any hard-to-answer questions about your father and race?
BOTH: Me, me, me! Uh, nice.
Officer Maldack. Thanks for coming.
Hey.
I'm really glad you set this up.
I'm so sorry for what happened.
Oh. Wow.
I'm really happy to hear that.
I was thinking this conversation
was gonna go a lot differently.
No, no, no. It was an honest mistake.
If I had known you were a cop, I never would have treated you that way.
So, you're sorry for not knowing I was a cop sooner?
Yeah. And that's it?
Yeah.
But you shouldn't have treated me that way whether I was a cop or not.
What do you mean?
[SIGHS] I was just walking down the street.
There's nothing suspicious or illegal about that.
Okay, but you and I both know that you don't exactly look like
you belong in that neighborhood.
I live there.
Look, nine outta 10 times, I get called to that neighborhood,
it's about a guy that looks like you.
Were you responding to a call?
No, but you're missing the point.
No, you're missing the point.
I just want you to admit you only stopped me because I'm black,
and to apologize and to say you won't do it again.
Hey, look, we wouldn't even be having this conversation
if you had your badge on you. Next time, don't forget it.
Oh, so, this is all my fault?
I'm not apologizing for doing my job.
That's not the job, man.
Whoa, I can't believe it went down like that.
Should we maybe revisit some of
our earlier ideas vis-à-vis tires and slashing?
I should have known there was no talking to a guy like that.
I don't see any other option.
I'm submitting an official complaint with Holt.
I know it might feel weird to report
another officer, but it's the right move.
Holt's gonna eat him for breakfast.
Maldack has no idea what's about to hit him.
I'm not gonna submit this.
What? Why not?
Because I think it's a mistake.
[SIGHS]
Hey, Sarge? Everything okay?
I only ask 'cause you haven't moved in the last 58 minutes.
He doesn't want me to file the complaint.
Well, of course, Officer Maldack
doesn't want you to file the complaint.
He's the one being complained about.
I just realized you meant Captain Holt. Yeah.
What? Did you mess up the grammar or something?
Did you dangle a participle? Oh, Terry, Holt hates a dangler.
[SIGHS] The grammar was fine. He said he thought filing it was a mistake.
Wow. Well, look, Captain Holt cares about you more than anything.
I'm sure he's got a good reason.
Maybe you should go talk to him about it, you know.
Go to his house.
Yeah, that's a good idea. I'm gonna do that.
And while you're talking to him,
Jake and Amy can babysit your kids. Mmm-hmm.
Unless they're too busy making babies of their own. Chick-a-bang-a-dow.
Get out of us. [SIGHS]
But, yes, we are happy to look after the kids again.
Thanks, guys. I appreciate your support.
Now, I'm gonna go find out what the hell is going on with Captain Holt.
Are you two sure you should be babysitting?
You seemed real freaked when you called me last night.
Yes, but then we figured out how to be good parents.
TV and cake. [LAUGHS]
TV and cake were my parents. [LAUGHS]
It's okay.
Sergeant Jeffords.
That's right, it's me. Sergeant Jeffords from the precinct.
I'm the guy whose damn complaint you don't wanna submit,
and I can't think of one damn reason why.
Everyone, this is Sergeant Jeffords.
Hi!
I'm sorry for interrupting your dinner party.
No problem at all. This is important.
Also, Kevin's friend, Margo, is here and she's a real class-A drip.
Sir, I can't get why you don't want me to file the complaint.
I thought you of all people would support me.
First of all, let me say, what that officer did
to you was wrong. Deeply wrong.
And I'm furious about it.
Okay. So, why won't you back me up?
Because that complaint could backfire.
Cops who blow the whistle on other cops almost always face a backlash,
just like people who socialize with Margo
invariably hear about her trip to Scottsdale.
You're real worked up about Margo.
Sorry. She's horrible.
Listen, I don't wanna see your career derailed
because you were besmirched for reporting on another officer.
But what he did was wrong. He should be besmirched.
Yes, but is that besmirching worth
the greater besmirching of your career?
You have to balance besmirchings.
There's politics to being a cop.
But I wasn't harassed for being a cop. I was harassed as a black man.
I'm not saying do nothing.
I'm saying the most powerful action
you can take is to rise through the ranks,
so that you can make large-scale changes.
I've had to pick my battles, and it hasn't always been easy.
But now, I have my own precinct,
a precinct whose officers would never
do to you what Officer Maldack did.
I understand what you're saying, but…
Shh!
I hear Margo's squeaky shoes in the hallway.
One guess as to where in Arizona she bought them. Scottsdale.
Oh, Ray, there you are. I'm about to start my Scottsdale slide show.
It has all the highlights.
There are no highlights in Scottsdale, Margo!
That's what you think, Raymond.
[SIGHS DEEPLY]
Okay. We got chocolate-chocolate, chocolate-vanilla,
and, my personal favorite, a bowl full of cake batter.
And loads o' movies! Huh?
We don't wanna do that.
Uh, maybe you didn't hear us correctly. We've got cake.
We've got movies. It's time to party.
Is being black bad?
We're black. Are we gonna get in trouble like Daddy?
Jake, can I talk to you for a second?
Yes, please.
We have a problem. I know.
What kinda kids don't wanna eat cake?
Should we call child services on Terry?
Jake, I think we have to face the music and talk to them for real.
I know, you're right.
But I'm gonna munch the cake batter while we do it.
If you don't eat the raw egg fast, it makes you even more sick.
[SIGHS] Never mind. Let's go. All right.
Okay, girls. There's something called "prejudice,"
which comes from the Latin words "pre," or "before,"
and 'judicium," which means "to judge." Are you with me so far?
No. No.
Okay… Um…
You know how it's tougher in this world to be a woman?
BOTH: It is?
No! No, no, that's not what I meant.
Then I don't wanna be a woman.
Me, neither.
You don't have to be if that's who you are.
You know what? That's a whole other conversation. Uh…
-[SIGHS] -[SIGHS] Okay, here we go.
A cop did a bad thing and tried to get your daddy in trouble,
but your daddy didn't do anything wrong.
Because Daddy's black?
Yeah.
That's scary.
It is scary. But that cop was wrong and what he did was bad.
And the most important thing is your daddy's okay.
And he's not in trouble
and he loves you both more than anything in the world.
-PERALTA: Okay? -BOTH: Okay.
Oh. Okay? Well, that wasn't so bad. [CHUCKLES]
Well, if you guys have any other questions, we're here for you.
What's a orgasm? Come on!
Terry, I know you're upset, but this is the right thing to do.
You're this close to the city council position,
and that's just the beginning.
It would be a shame to jeopardize that.
Look, I get that the guys at our precinct wouldn't profile me,
but it still happened. Only one precinct over.
Which is why you need to keep pushing forward in your career,
so that you can change the system.
Terry, you're a great cop. You could become a chief or higher.
How long will it take to make change that way?
Maldack is on the street now.
You know why I became a cop?
Please share.
Because when I was a kid, I always wanted to be a superhero.
Stop it! Stop bothering little Terry!
Or what?
Or I will defeat you!
Whoa.
I wanted to help people like that cop helped me.
But right now, I don't feel like a superhero. I feel the opposite.
When I got stopped the other day, I wasn't a cop.
I wasn't a guy who lived in a neighborhood,
looking for his daughter's toy.
I was a black man. A dangerous black man.
That's all he could see. A threat.
And I couldn't stop thinking about my daughters.
And their future.
And how years from now, they could be walking down the street,
looking for their kids' Moo Moo and get stopped by a bad cop.
And they probably won't get to play
the police card to get out of trouble.
I don't like that thought, and I'm gonna do something about it.
So, I don't care if it might hurt my career.
I'm filing that report, even if I have to go over your head to do it.
[SIGHS]
Kind of seemed like you were gonna
get up and leave after saying all that.
I was, but I think I hear Margo.
Hey, thanks for babysitting last night.
The girls told me what you talked about,
and it couldn't have been easy.
I'm sorry I told them orgasms was another word for oranges.
I panicked.
Yeah, it did make it awkward when
they asked for "orgasm juice" this morning,
but I was more talking about the other stuff.
Yeah. We didn't really know what to say.
At one point, I'm pretty sure I sang
all of En Vogue's Free Your Mind.
Well, they had fun, and you made them feel safe. You did good.
Oh, they made you a thank you card.
Aw. [SIGHS]
Pretty sure my nose isn't quite this big,
especially with all the racial sensitivity talk,
but I appreciate the effort.
Sergeant Jeffords, a moment of your time, please.
I came to a realization after you stormed out last night.
I wouldn't say I stormed out.
I shook hands with both you and Kevin before I left.
And Kevin and I agreed that you squeezed
significantly tighter than necessary.
I guess I was a little worked up.
With good reason. I thought a lot about our conversation.
When I was a young police officer
and things like this would happen to me,
I felt very alone.
I wanted to call out every bad cop
I encountered, and there were a lot.
But as a black, gay man, I never had a superior who was on my side.
So, the advice I offered you,
that came from a different place, a different time.
I put all my energy towards rising to a rank
where I could make a difference.
Well…
I'm there now.
And I realize that if I don't back you up on this,
I would be betraying the very thing that I worked so hard for.
So, I filed the complaint.
I appreciate that, Captain.
Are you still upset?
No, not at all.
You should consider modifying your handshake.
It's sending the wrong message.
Copy that.
Whew.
[SIGHS] I am so glad we don't have to do
any more babysitting for a while.
I know. It was so stressful.
So stressful. But, like, actually kind of rewarding, too.
Shaping young minds like that?
I felt so powerful. Yeah.
But, like, so exhausting. Oh, yeah.
Can you imagine doing that every night? Forget it.
But, also, their little shoes are so cute! They're like little circles!
I know! And everything they hold looks
so big because their hands are so tiny.
Yeah. And they have to hold a cup of water with both hands,
'cause they're so weak. I know!
Ooh-ee!
That's what I'm talking about!
Boyle! Boyle!
Lucky for you, Amy, I am an unlicensed doula.
I've delivered three of my cousins
and one of my uncles. Long story.
Go away! Yes, Papa.
Please close the blinds.
We're about to violate several departmental regulations.
[LAUGHS] All right.
It's been a very long week and as of right now,
we're both off duty.
I think we've earned a drink.
I can get behind that.
I heard from the city council about the liaison position.
Is that right?
You didn't get it.
Oh. Oh, this is a sad drink.
Was it the complaint?
We'll never know for sure, but I think it's likely.
However, this is not a sad drink.
We are celebrating. To doing the right thing.
[SIGHS]
I don't know. [SIGHS] Maybe we shouldn't have filed the complaint.
Maybe I could've done more if I had gotten that liaison job.
Maybe, but one thing's for certain.
Maldack will think twice before
making another bad stop like that again.
And that's a win.
Yeah. It's tough.
It is.
So, Sharon's still out of town.
Who's looking after Cagney and Lacey?
[BOTH SCREAMING]