'Brooklyn Nine-Nine' Season 1, Episode 3: 'The Slump' Recap

The gang debates the best cop movie of all time. Peralta shows them a video of Hitchcock getting kicked and then robbed by a hooker.

Captain Holt asks Peralta about several of his cases at briefing, but Peralta has nothing solved. His employees accuse him of being in a slump.

Later, Peralta has one case he is about to close: a missing grandma named Helen who went out for bagels and never came back. An old lady was picked up that morning matching her description.

Holt brings Amy Santiago into his office and asks her if she will head a community outreach program for him. She goes to Rosa and tells her she signed her up for the Junior Police Program.

Peralta brings in the family of the old woman they found... but it's not Helen. No one recognizes her. Charles pulls an ID card from her back pocket and finds she out who she is. Peralta realizes he is, indeed, in a slump.

He brings his friends into the break room and asks for suggestions on how to get out of a "hypothetical" slump. Holt comes in and tells him that closing cases is usually the best way to end one.

Amy begins the Junior Police Program. Gina comes to listen, offended that her help has been rejected, and riles up the at-risk kids, turning them against Amy. Rosa takes over, thinking she will appeal to them more. The kids make a quick autotune of her speech, and laugh at her.

Charles finds Terry building a doll house for his daughter, but struggling, and offers to help.

Peralta tries to switch cases with Hitchcock, who has an easy case to solve. Peralta notes that will mean lots of paperwork, and gets the swap. He heads off to catch a drug dealer.

Peralta busts into the dealer's apartment, but it's just an old man playing the flute surrounded by parrots.

Hitchcock comes in. A criminal came up to confess to him while he was on the street, and turned in all his accomplices!

Peralta is peeing at the urinal when Gina comes in to tell him that evidence was mishandled, and his last two cases were dismissed. She tells him he seems to be cursed, and the urinal sprays him with water. He goes to speak with Holt, telling him he believes he is cursed. Holt pulls him from casework until the superstition blows over, remembering a friend in the force who had a similar problem.

Amy and Rosa debate over how to get the kids to listen to them. They settle on asking Gina for help.

Peralta snores over paperwork, and tries to get himself onto Hitchcock's murder case, but Hitchcock won't let him touch the folder. Holt brings over a rabbit's foot that his friend who also believed he was cursed had recommended.

Terry has been defeated by the princess castle for his daughter. It doesn't help that Peralta ran into it and knocked it over.

As Peralta types in data, he gets an idea. He's not allowed to work on cases, so he makes Charles meet him in the bathroom. He asks him to make calls for him.

Gina talks to the at-risk children and tells them they just need to find their passion. She found hers. Gina dances for them, but it doesn't reach. She tells them they never have to stop at a red light and they can carry a gun. Eight kids sign up. Gina tells the ladies she took the program as a kid and it doesn't work.

Peralta brings the family of Helen into the bathroom. He accuses them of lying for insurance fraud, and notes they've done the same thing in five different states. There is no Helen.

Holt praises Amy and Rosa, but Amy admits it was Gina. Holt makes her his personal assistant. Gina isn't thrilled by Holt's praise, but Amy is clearly longing for it.

Peralta is pleased to have broken his slump, and realizes that sitting and letting his mind rest rebooted it, and that was Holt's plan all along.

Charles builds the castle for Terry, and tells him not to put so much pressure on himself. He's a good dad.