Gina is something special. She doesn’t seem to take her job or her friendships too seriously. In fact, it sometimes seems like she just floats through her job until she hits her big break.
However, it can’t be denied that she’s also a tremendously funny character with some surprising depths, and there have been times when the viewer is invited to both feel sorry for her and to hate her.
Felt Bad: That Time She Was Hit By A Bus
It’s not everyday that one sees a character in a television sitcom right there on the screen, but that’s exactly what happens. Of course, she manages to make a surprisingly good recovery, but it’s still disconcerting to see a character like Gina subjected to such a brutal physical encounter. While it does strain credulity to think that she could recover so fully from being run over by a bus, it’s definitely a relief to see her back to her old self so quickly.
Hated Her: When She Blew Off Terry And Jake
After Gina leaves the precinct to begin her own career, she quickly finds tremendous success. Unsurprisingly, this quickly goes to her head. Thus, when Jake and Terry try to help her out, she quickly shows that she doesn’t care about them in the ways that she did before. To be fair, this is a bit of sloppy writing on the part of the show, but it’s also true to Gina’s character. Thankfully, she does manage to reconcile with her friends before the end of the episode.
Felt Bad: When She Revealed That She Was The One That Got Jake In Trouble In High School
To the surprise of exactly no one, Jake Peralta still carries around a lot of baggage from his high school days, including his dismay that he was known as “The Tattler.” Unbeknownst to him, it was actually Gina who tattled and got his bad boy best friend in so much trouble that it destroyed their friendship.
Jake responds with anger at first, and one can’t help but feel sorry for Gina, who only did it so that she could save Jake from falling in with the wrong sort of crowd and ruining his future.
Hated Her: When She Ruined Boyle’s Family Sourdough Starter
There’s no question that the Boyles are one of the strangest groups in television, and that definitely includes Charles. Unfortunately, Gina’s little physical relationship with Charles means that she gets even more firmly enmeshed in that strange clan, and she gets custody of the famous sourdough starter. Unfortunately, she’s a little careless with it, and she ends up burning it to a crisp. It’s rather frustrating to watch Gina be so thoughtless when it comes to other people’s belongings.
Felt Bad: Her Obviously Troubled High School Life
It’s made pretty clear that Gina, like Jake, had a bit of a troubled time in high school. That’s probably not surprising, given that she’s a bit of an odd character, and high school is notoriously difficult for weird people. However, it also leads the viewer to feel more than a little sorry for her, and it also allows for a more nuanced understanding of why she behaves the way that she does in the present.
Hated Her:That Time She Tricked People Into Drinking Cement
Oh Gina. Somehow, she manages to be both infuriating and endearing, often at the same time. Unfortunately, the time when she tricked people into drinking cement was one of those times where she was more infuriating.
While it’s obviously played for laughs, and while it’s very much in-character for Gina to do such a careless (and, frankly, dangerous) thing to her coworkers, one would think that she’d be at least a little more considerate.
Felt Bad: How Everyone Always Dismissed Her Weirdnesses
From the beginning of the series, it’s very clear that, even in a precinct known for its strange characters, Gina is of a different order altogether. Unfortunately, this means that the other officers are a little too inclined to dismiss her idiosyncrasies. While it’s true that Gina sometimes brings this on herself with her bad behavior, one can’t help but feel a little sorry for her that her talents so frequently go underappreciated.
Hated Her: The Statue
When it becomes clear that Gina is going to be leaving the Nine-Nine, she gives each of the of the precinct their own personal goodbye. While many of these are touching in their own way, it wouldn’t be Gina if she didn’t do something that was more than a little ridiculous, and thus the viewer is subjected to the sight of her truly hideous state. It’s textbook Gina, but it’s not one of the moments that really makes the audience like her very much.
Felt Bad: How Everyone Seemed To Only Want To Be Close To Her When They Needed Something
Just as the precinct tends to dismiss Gina and her various weirdnesses, they also tend to only come around and talk to her when they need something. Given how absolutely bizarre Gina can sometimes be, this is not totally unexpected, but still, one can’t help but feel a little sorry for her that people who are supposed to be her friends can also prove to be very opportunistic in their approach to their friendship with her.
Hated Her: When She Tried To Trick Boyle Into Giving Up Their Shared Hotel Room
The physical relationship between Charles and Boyle is one of the most hilarious parts of the early seasons. However, as with so many things, it comes to an end. As a result, each of them try to trick the other into relinquishing a room that they’d booked together. Gina goes particularly low, trying to trick Boyle using one of his favorite food blogs. Even for Gina, this is a particularly distressing indicator of what she’s willing to do to get her own way.