Brooklyn 99: Why Terry Didn’t Get Transferred In Season 6
Terry Jeffords (Terry Crews) was almost transferred to a different precinct at the end of Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 6. The Fox-turned-NBC sitcom has kept most of its core characters intact in its run, but that doesn't mean that the series doesn't occasionally tease the squad losing a member for drama's sake. Thankfully, in a twist of events, Terry was able to remain at the Nine-Nine precinct at at the end of season 6 — but the decision came at a cost.
In Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 1, Charles Boyle (Joe Lo Truglio) almost left his position at the 99th precinct — and the country, in general — to move to Canada with his girlfriend, Viviann (Marilu Henner). He obviously changed his mind, admitting that he didn't want to leave the United States which forced him to break up with his fianceé. Captain Raymond Holt (Andre Braugher), on the other hand, was transferred out of the station and stripped of his status a couple of times, but he ultimately made his way back. While Brooklyn Nine-Nine provided explanations on how Charles and Holt were able to remain in their original workplace, the same can't be said for Terry.
As the superior officer of the detectives in the 99th precinct before Captain Holt was even assigned to the station, Terry has a close relationship with the rest of the squad. Given this, everyone was supportive when he took his Lieutenant's exam. He aced the test, giving the whole gang cause for celebration — until they learned that due to budgetary concerns, Terry would have to be transferred to a different precinct on Staten Island. Not wanting to hold him back despite the unfortunate circumstances, everyone put on a happy face, encouraging Terry that it would be a good experience and they could remain in-contact. At the end of Brooklyn Nine-Nine season 6, however, the Nine-Nine received news that Terry would remain at their precinct after all.
Simply happy about the unexpected development, no one from the team pressed Captain Holt on why Terry was no longer transferring. Brooklyn Nine-Nine also has yet to provide an explanation about the sudden change of plans, which is unusual for the sitcom, since it typically lays out how plot twists happen. That said, based on what was going on elsewhere in the finale, it's possible that Terry's fate had something to do with Madeline Wuntch's (Kyra Sedgwick) decision to demote Captain Holt to a beat cop.
Prior to Holt's revelation that Terry would be staying with the Nine-Nine, he paid his arch-nemesis a visit to sincerely thank her for helping his squad take down NYPD Commissioner John Kelly (Phil Reeves). At first, Wuntch, who was serving as an interim commissioner at that point, seemed to be touched with the gesture. This gave fans the idea that the pair was finally making progress towards a more harmonious relationship — until she decided to demote Captain Holt on the spot. While Brooklyn Nine-Nine didn't reveal how the rest of their conversation played out, the general idea was that Wuntch's decision was based on Holt getting promoted to a detective without having served enough time as a regular police officer. That said, this may not be entirely the case. It's possible that Holt struck a deal with Wuntch about being demoted: if she pulled some strings to keep Terry in the Nine-Nine, he'd willingly give up his rank to be a beat cop. While Holt had openly despised Wuntch, seemingly unable to keep his tendencies to make fun of her in check even at the most inopportune times, it's also clear that his squad is very important to him and he would do anything to keep it intact. This explains why there's barely any resistance from him when he's forced to become a uniformed officer: because there's also something in it for him.
The question of how Terry Jeffords's move to a different precinct has never come up again in Brooklyn Nine-Nine. The detectives don't seem to be suspicious of the sudden change of plans and Holt is already back as captain. With Wuntch dead, it remains to be seen if the sitcom will ever provide an official explanation for the mystery.