Gina Linetti is arguably the queen of throwing shade. She is a character who is never afraid to voice her opinion, no matter how negative it is. Gina has spent every season of Brooklyn Nine-Nine talking all sorts of trash to all of her co-workers and friends. Sometimes it’s subtle, but more often than not, she’s direct.
While she has burned the likes of Jake Peralta and Captain Raymond Holt in the past, the main focuses of her verbal jabs are usually Amy Santiago and Gina’s ex-lover, Charles Boyle. Chelsea Peretti left the show during its most recent season, but she left us with plenty of memorable moments. We’ve gathered her shadiest quotes in the history of Brooklyn Nine-Nine.
I Am, Of Course, Exotic Silk, Where You, Sir, Are Snake Skin
Gina’s friendship with Jake Peralta has allowed him to avoid a lot of her shade throughout the series. The other person mostly exempt is Raymond Holt, seemingly out of Gina’s respect for her boss. But every once in a while, she gets him too. That was the case in season two’s “Windbreaker City.”
In that installment, Gina administers a psychological exam on Holt. He mentions that they aren’t exactly cut from the same cloth, so she fires back this classic line comparing the kind of cloth they would be. It’s clear that she’s insinuating how much more refined and unique she is.
I Don’t See Those Movies, I’m Too Pretty
The relationship between Charles Boyle and Gina Linetti is one that provided viewers with tons of laughs throughout the show’s history. It may have peaked in the season two episode, “Boyle-Linetti Wedding.” In it, Gina and Charles’ parents tied the knot and both were included in the wedding party.
Despite the loving occasion, Gina couldn’t let the day go by without throwing shade at someone. When she asked Jake to hand her the ring, he called her Gollum, referencing The Lord of the Rings franchise. Gina responded by explaining why she had never seen those movies. It was a simple response, but one that slammed everyone who had ever seen them.
I Thought You’d Just Wear A Grey Pantsuit Or Something
On its own, this line doesn’t sound like it had a lot of shade behind it. It seems like someone merely stating that she expected Amy to wear a particular outfit. It’s the context that makes this one click. This quote came during the season five finale, “Jake & Amy,” where the adorable couple got married.
Amy mentioned that she didn’t have a dress and Boyle suggested she wear Gina’s. When Amy shrugged it off because there was no way Gina would wear a white dress at her wedding, Gina admitted that was her plan. The reason? She assumed Amy would wear one of her dull work outfits to the most special event of her life.
I Don’t Value You As People, So Why Be Honest?
Every so often, Gina can throw shade at an entire group of people. She’s that accomplished at it. That’s precisely what happened in the season two episode, “The Defense Rests.” During this installment, Gina was tied to the Boyle family, as she bullied Charles and refused to give his father her blessing to marry her mother.
While she goes back and forth with the Boyles, the subject of her keeping a secret is brought up. Gina explains that the reason she didn’t tell anyone is that she doesn’t respect them as people. Ouch. Like, that’s not even trying to be subtle, it’s straight up mean.
I Wish I Could Do Lunch Today, But I’m Out Of Town
Another case where the quote isn’t so bad out of context. This seems like a reasonable answer someone would give when they can’t make it to lunch. But with Gina Linetti, it’s never exactly what it looks like at first glance. Season six’s “Four Movements” was the goodbye episode for Gina Linetti, so she had to bring some shade.
Knowing Gina is leaving, Amy invites Gina on a ladies’ lunch alongside Rosa. Instead of taking the expected route and accepting, Gina delivered one hell of a line. Telling someone to their face that you’re out of town to avoid them is a whole new level of disrespect.
That’s True In All Cases. Cops Are The Worst
During the season one episode, “The Slump,” a storyline follows Amy’s attempts to get at-risk youths to join the Junior Policeman Program. She fails and looks to Rosa for assistance. Gina wants to help but gets rejected by both. When Rosa and Amy still can’t get it done, they’re forced to turn to Gina.
Rosa notes that Gina not being a cop might make things better. Gina’s response is a sharp blow to the ladies who denied her earlier. In one fell swoop, Gina dissed them and everyone else at the precinct. She added that she was once in the Junior Policeman Program and it clearly didn’t work.
Given Your Daily Life Experiences, You’re Gonna Have To Be More Specific
Gina will never miss an opportunity to destroy Charles Boyle verbally. And she sometimes does it with a smile when Charles is least expecting it. That happened during season three’s “The Mattress.” In it, Charles makes a mistake and inadvertently damages a prized possession of Captain Holt’s.
For some reason, Charles thinks going to Gina for help is a good idea. He panics and frantically tells her that he screwed up big time. Without missing a beat, Gina drops a straight up savage line. She rips apart Charles by telling him that he is always screwing up. Poor guy didn’t see it coming.
Is It Possible To Enter The Color Beige?
“Chasing Amy” is one of the funniest episodes in Brooklyn Nine-Nine history. Amy disappears ahead of taking the Sergeant Exam and the team has to come together to try and find her. Leading the charge, Jake tries to put himself in Amy’s shoes and think about where he’d go if he were her.
Gina quips, “Oh, uh, boring pantsuit store. A crossword factory? A museum of retainers and headgear? Is it possible to enter the color beige?” Even at a time of crisis, Gina finds a way to diss Amy for how boring she is. It’s her favorite topic for Amy shade and was never better than this moment.
Every Time You Talk, I Hear That Sound That Plays When Pac-Man Dies
Anyone who has ever played Pac-Man knows exactly what sound Gina is talking about. She dropped this vicious line during the season two episode, “Undercover.” In it, Jake returns to the precinct from a lengthy undercover stint and Charles couldn’t be happier. Gina is kind enough to ask him about it.
When Charles’ response is, “Yeah, it’s like when I was a kid and my grandma came home from the hospital, only better because Jake’s not unresponsive,” Gina has no choice but to slam him again. He makes it so easy. Considering what he said, it’s no wonder Gina hears that sound when he speaks.
Stop. Each Sentence Is Getting Sadder
Another shot at Amy and this one is the best. It came during season one, in the episode “Thanksgiving.” The gang spends the day playing Boyle Bingo before heading to Amy’s apartment for a Thanksgiving dinner. It’s the first look that viewers and Gina get at Amy’s life outside of work.
Gina checks out the interior of Amy’s apartment and notices that it looks like an older person lives there. She says it’s cool that Amy still lives with her grandmother, but we can’t tell if it’s sarcasm. It doesn’t matter because as soon as Amy admits it’s her stuff, Gina can’t take how sad that whole thing sounds.
