It was a devastating day for sitcom viewers as Andre Braugher, who played the iconic TV character Captain Raymond Holt, passed away at 61.
Instantly recognisable from his deep voice, Braugher rose to fame on the NBC drama Homicide: Life on the Street, which ran from 1992 to 1998. He won an Emmy in 1998 for his portrayal of the tenacious, arrogant Detective Frank Pembleton in 1998.
However, it was his performance as the deadpan, no-nonsense gay boss in Brooklyn Nine-Nine that made the biggest splash. Although the comedy series opened in 2013, I only began to watch it around 2017 or 2018 during my first year of college and have been hooked ever since.
Apart from being funny, the show also covered important issues in various episodes such as racism, LGBTQ+, women's empowerment and more. Captain Holt was, is and forever will be one of my favourite characters. In Braugher's memory, here are my ten favourite dialogues by him from the show.
1. Hot damn! The prelude of this episode began with the squad guessing why Amy was running late, thus prompting Holt to make the winning guess, earning the iconic phrase "Hot Damn!"
2. You took the wrong fluffy boy!!! A dog is man's best friend they say and Cheddar the infamous Corgi is Captain Holt's baby. When his fluffy boy goes missing, all hell breaks lose following which he says this beating and legendary line.
3. BONEEE? When Holt and his husband Kevin are arguing over a supposed math problem, Rosa suggests that the problem may be deeper and that they probably need to "bone." Holt immediately gets riled up by this and holds onto the door frame screaming 'Bonee???' almost every 10 minutes for an hour.
4. Yas queen! Holt's persona is rarely depicted on TV in the same manner as the majority of gay males. However, there were a few instances in which he exhibited a more "stereotypical" conduct thus shockingly entertaining us all. The finger snap towards the end of this one-liner was just chef's kiss! Cannot think of anyone else who could have pulled this off.
5. Why is no one having a good time? I specifically requested it. Just usual scary boss things and if you're a B-99 fan then you'd know that despite being a tough taskmaster, Holt wanted the team to have fun but the squad had other plans.
6. Vindication!! What is one thing Captain Raymond Holt and Amy have in common? The need to always be right! So of course, when Holt was told Rosa did not like balloon arches, he immediately piped down. Only to be revitalised when she walked into his room and was taken aback by the beauty, thereby earning this reaction from him.
7. You know me...I see a pair of thick, weighty breasts, and all logic flies out the window. A proud gay man having to pretend to be straight while undercover is hilarious, but when Captain Holt did it? I was rolling over the floor with laughter! 'Straight Holt ' was a persona everyone (both the gang and fans) loved and hated.
8. If you love someone, you'll remember what they look like. This line was said when Captain Holt requested all family pictures be removed from the desks of the employees. Even during a crisis, he'd deliver epic dialogues and this one made me smile.
9. Everytime someone steps up and says who they are, the world becomes a better, more interesting place. One of the most eye-welling scenes was towards the end credits of the episode where Rosa was coming out to her friends and family. When Holt said 'So, thank you' and proceeded to hug her, my stone-cold heart automatically melted like ice cream on a sunny day.
10. Wuntch is dead! BAGEL! BAGEL! BAGEL! One of the few times we saw our Captain smile was when his arch-nemesis Wuntch died. Holt celebrated her death by distributing bagels at work. Although highly inappropriate, it was hilarious to see Captain Holt screaming "BAGEL" at everyone.
The world will surely miss you Andre; you were not just a good leader but also a father figure to Jake Peralta (Andy Samberg), another heartwarming and unforgettable component of the show. Rest in peace and power, Captain. NINE NINE!
