Fans of this hilarious sitcom are also probably huge fans of Jake Peralta, played by Andy Samberg. While this man is a detective genius, he has very quirky and peculiar ways of behaving at the office and in the field.
Jake has confidence coming in waves, and he usually does his best to stand by his decisions, regardless of the catastrophe that follows for quite a few of them. In case you need a refresher, here are 10 of the most shameless things that Jake has done throughout the series.
When He Sleeps with the Medical Examiner
In the first season, Jake takes a liking to the attractive medical examiner at a crime scene. However, during the autopsy, Jake finds out that she’s a lot more than he had bargained for, and this leads to some pretty freaky corpse stuff (of the sexual variety). However, he was totally shameless, right? We won’t get into it, but you’ll remember that his female friend’s wishes were a bit… cold? Jake’s a man of lust, though, and this was definitely pretty shameless.
Every Halloween Heist
Jake does quite a lot of sketchy and shameless things when he’s trying to win something. Mainly, the Halloween Heist. Remember when he enlists a repeat offender to help him steal the watch from Captain Holt? We do, and this is only one of the plethora of things Jake has done to win this annual heist.
There are too many things to name, and pretty much every heist is full of shameless (or rather, shameful) actions by the whole crew.
When He Arrests His Girlfriend’s Boss
In the second season, while Jake is dating Sophia, he finds that her job is getting in the middle of their relationship. So, while trying to butter up her boss, he discovers that he’s actually a cocaine user. Naturally, Jake arrests him (at a public function), which definitely puts his relationship with Sophia on very, very thin ice. While they break up after the public fiasco, this is definitely on the list for most shameless things he’s done. Seriously, he has no shame whatsoever, it was his job, after all.
When He Uses a Hostage Situation to Act Out Die-Hard
In the third season, Jake finds himself trapped in a store that is being robbed, alongside Gina and Charles. Rather than, naturally, freaking out, Jake’s excitement over the situation is fueled by his obsession with the film franchise, Die Hard. That’s right, he pretends to be John McClane, and every part of this situation is dramatized as much as this action flick. At least he was successful, but oh, Jake. And no shames were had, not when John McClane is involved.
When He Becomes the Manager of the Fun Zone
When Captain Holt and Jake find themselves in witness protection because of a sticky situation at the end of the third season, they find some trouble in the paradise of their Florida identities. For example, Jake tries to blackmail Holt by becoming his boss at the Fun Zone.
They then have a petty argument and get hit by go-karts, to which their cover might be blown because a tourist records it. There was literally no redeeming part to this scheme, and it is certainly up there on the shameless list.
When He Ignores Amy on a Case
Remember the episode with the puzzler? Jake and Amy are working on a case, and Jake gets extremely jealous over the crossword puzzler guy that is being threatened by an arsonist. This entire episode is definitely not Jake at his finest. Rather than listening to Amy’s plan, he does what he thinks is best for the case. As it turns out, his assigned post ended up being set on fire. That’s pretty shameful, to be honest, but Jake acts shame-free, as Jake does.
When He Promises a Victim’s Mother
Rosa and Jake take on a murder case. The investigation is going nowhere, but the victim has a very distraught mother. Jake makes a promise to her, claiming that she reminds him of his own mother. Rosa frowns upon this, but Jake can literally say no harsh words in front of the woman. He also has zero regrets, because she’s a mom, duh. Can you blame him? Maybe not, but it’s still Jake and all his shameless glory.
When He Bribes Terry’s Girls
In one episode, “Moo Moo”, Terry deals with a horrific instance of racial profiling. While he figures it out with Captain Holt, Amy and Jake babysit his twin girls. When they start asking the tough questions, Jake is willing to flee the house with Amy in tow.
After being reminded that would be frowned upon, Jake goes with the second best option: cake bribing. What’s the best way to avoid tough parenting? Treats and movies. Shameless, really, just smart.
Everything With Doug Judy
The Pontiac Bandit is a recurring character that gives us a taste of his hilarity once a season. While this was Jake’s nemesis, they’ve since become friends, even though Doug Judy is actually still a wanted criminal. You’ll probably remember when they sing karaoke together, and when they have nicknames for each other, and when they do totally other ridiculous things while Judy is their “prisoner”. Jake doesn’t care, frankly, and he and Judy are shameless best buds.
All the Undercover Disguises
If there’s one thing we absolutely love about Jake, it’s his imagination. We’ve seen a plethora of ridiculous undercover names and outfits from this detective, and every single one definitely has an elaborate (and hilarious) background and name. From bikers to pedophiles to mafia members, this man has truly been through the costume closet. What we love even more about it, is that he carries out the job with absolutely no shame.
