Brooklyn Nine-Nine fans were shocked to learn of the death of Andre Braugher at the age of 61. Initially, reports said that he died after a short illness, and now we’ve learned he died after a short battle with lung cancer.
Braugher is known for multiple guest and starring roles in TV. His role as Captain Holt is one of the biggest, bring in every episode of the FOX and NBC cop comedy series. He came into the first episode as the new captain of the Nine-Nine, making it look like he would be a hard man to impress. It was quickly clear that he was someone who wanted to make the precinct something they could all be proud of, but also harness their individual skills and abilities.
Over the course of eight seasons, we watched him become a father figure to many of the Nine-Nine family. He also proved himself to be a conflicted man when it came to his position as a Black gay man in a position of power. This helped to bring up a lot of debate as the show focused on some important topics for the world today.
As we pay tribute to Braugher, we’re taking a look at Captain Holt’s 10 best moments throughout Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
10. His reaction to Rosa’s suggestion for the problems
Holt and Kevin weren’t without their marital problems. In fact, the whole final season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine had us worried that this couple would permanently break up. That would have been heartbreaking but, spoiler, things worked out!
At one point when arguing, the team offers suggests to help with the situation. Rosa tells them that they should “just bone.”
For most people, that would be a suggestion either taken on board or a suggestion quickly ignored. In this case, we got multiple moments of Holt interrupting everyone with “Bone!” at the audacity of the suggestion. This is not a word that Holt likes!
9. Going undercover as a straight man
There were times when Captain Holt had to go undercover. On one of those occasions was when he had to play a straight man. That shouldn’t be that difficult or hilarious as Braugher made it, but he captured the fact that Holt is a proud gay man. Sure, this man had to pretend to be straight when he started out in the force, but he hasn’t had to hide it for so long and could own it.
So, seeing him pretend to be straight and have the awkwardness that came with it allowed Braugher to show some of his comedic timing.
One of the best lines from this whole part was “there’s nothing more intoxicating than the clear absence of a penis.” This was a response to his favorite part of a woman. You can’t tell me you don’t start laughing just thinking of it.
8. His rivalry with Wuntch
Brooklyn Nine-Nine did great with various recurring guest stars. Kyra Sedgwick was one of them, hopping in as Madeline Wuntch every season. Think of her as the Joker to Holt’s Batman. Of course, she wasn’t always a problem, except that she wanted to get a one-up over Holt all the time.
We got a great backstory between the two of them. It turned out Wuntch liked Holt in that way but he didn’t because he is gay. That was the reason Holt thought Wuntch hated him for, but it turned into something a lot simpler and funnier.
Throughout the season, we got a chance to see Holt come up with some great nicknames for her. There was always a question of what he would come up with next. And he never disappointed.
7. His love for Cheddar
Captain Holt and Kevin didn’t have children. Their corgi Cheddar was their baby, and they certainly treated him that way. They made it clear that they would protect him at all cost, but Holt expected him to make him proud and live up to expectations.
Sadly, the dog that played Cheddar died. Stewart had a fun day at the beach before dying peacefully, but the show needed to find a way to handle that whole situation. What better way than bring Stewart’s sister, Stella, in to play the role and write in a death and have another dog pretending to be Cheddar.
Of course, this led to the perfect moment. Holt made it very clear that he knew this wasn’t Cheddar. “You’re not Cheddar, you’re just some common bitch!”
6. Realizing his assistant was flirting
Who would think that a tie would mean so much? Well, it does to Captain Holt. This is the way he’s able to tell when someone is flirting with him. At least, it’s when he could tell his assistant was flirting.
It all came down to a knot. Holt made it clear that the use of a single Windsor knot was the biggest giveaway that his assistant was flirting with him. This is the easiest tie knot to pull open, so of course, it’s the one to use when you want to come onto someone. “Why bother wearing any clothes at all?” is something Holt wanted to know after making his observations known.
This was a small plot point for an episode, so it could have gone forgotten about. It just helped to show us Braugher’s comedic abilities and timing.
5. Knowing how Kevin’s friends see him
It’s hard to imagine Holt would feel inferior to his husband. They are both well-read, educated, and take pride in anything we’d probably consider upper class. However, they two had a gap between them. At least, that’s the way Holt viewed things.
There’s a moment where Holt shares how he knows Kevin’s friends see him. They view him as Kevin’s “working-class bimbo.”
It’s such a raw moment within the comedy. We get this chance to see how Holt feels inferior and puts a sense of reality to this relationship. These types of moments are important, even in comedy.
4. Dancing to ‘Push It’
We are so used to seeing Captain Holt as this stoic man, but he has a humorous side. He’s also willing to do things that he needs to make life easier for those working in his precinct.
When Amy is in labor and in pain, she needs a distraction. It comes to the leaders of the precinct to step in. Yes, Holt and Terry are the ones to help distract her. What better way than a rendition of “Push It.”
This is an underrated moment of the entire show. There are other musical moments that stand out for a lot of people, especially the “I Want It That Way” moment, but this one is just so Captain Holt, it makes it perfect and we had to include it.
3. Being there when Rosa comes out
As we get to know the characters more, their personal stories came out. One that may have been surprising or not surprising to some was Rosa coming out as bisexual. Of course, there were people against her, but there was one who we knew would have her back. Yes, it was Captain Holt.
While Braugher brought a lot of comedy, he was also able to bring the seriousness a moment needed. This was one of those moments. He made it clear that anytime someone stood up and said who they were made the world a better place.
The best moment was him hugging her. There was a waver in his voice which was either great acting or a moment that was real for Braugher himself.
2. His ‘hot damn!’ moment
In the early episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine, we had Holt as this complete opposite to the rest of the team. He was stoic, didn’t seem to get jokes and pranks, and it looked like he would be the one to constantly please.
Well, that was until the moment the group stopped working so they could take bets on Amy’s tardy behavior. It was nothing like her, as the one always eager to please, so it was clear there was a reason. Of course, usually, we’d expect Holt to tell everyone to get back to work, but he joined in.
He was also the one to get it right. The “hot damn!” comment was so out of character at first, but it set the tone for so much to come.
1. His request that Terry forget about the systemic racism
Before the Black Lives Matter protests in the summer of 2020, Brooklyn Nine-Nine brought a storyline that saw Terry arrested while in his own neighborhood looking for a toy his daughter dropped. Terry became a victim of racial profiling, and as a cop, he wanted to do something about that.
Yet, Holt surprised Terry and everyone by telling Terry to let it go. Surely, this proud gay Black man would want to fight against racial profiling and systemic racism.
It came down to Holt learning an important lesson. He’d ignored a lot from the past, but he couldn’t do that anymore. The only way that change could happen is if he was willing to help Terry fight for that change. He realized that he was part of the problem, and it was such a huge moment for the show, for Holt, and for so many people watching it. It has to be the best Holt moment. He showed that it wasn’t too late for anyone to learn a lesson.
Watch all eight seasons of Brooklyn Nine-Nine on Peacock TV.