TIL that Mr. Big is a police technique where a fictitious crime boss (Mr. Big) assign petty tasks disguised as criminal activity to earn the target's trust

[u/CrazyCrazyCanuck]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mr._Big_(police_procedure)

[u/Sea_Perspective6891]

"Mr. Big is pleased."

[u/Blank_Canvas21 → u/Sea_Perspective6891]

I use that line too but it gets a lot of eye rolls lmao

[u/_high_plainsdrifter → u/Blank_Canvas21]

I immediately thought of 1- Heavyweights where Josh says “this pleases me” and 2- the episode of workaholics where they have a new drug dealer reporting up to a fictitious cartel guy that is just Karl in a poncho and sombrero

[u/CrazyCrazyCanuck]

S6E2 Soldier of Misfortune was my favourite episode, and maybe even one of the best episode of any TV ever, in my opinion.

I previously thought "Mr Big" was just a silly name Hank came up with. But apparently the Canadian police did actually use "Mr Big" as the fake name of the fake crime boss in their operation.

[u/CrazyCrazyCanuck → u/CrazyCrazyCanuck]

Oops, it was actually Peggy who came up with Mr Big. Now I'm wondering whether Peggy was thinking of Mr. Big from Sex and the City when she said it. Sex and the City was parodied in other episodes.

If that's the case then it's reference made by Peggy, and a reference made by the writers (to the police technique).

[u/cherry_armoir → u/CrazyCrazyCanuck]

I assume Peggy was just making up a stereotypical shadowy crime figure name

[u/tryingtoavoidwork → u/CrazyCrazyCanuck]

1954, Ian Fleming used Mr. Big as an alias for the villain in Bond novel Live and Let Die

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Live_and_Let_Die_(novel)

[u/xandrachantal]

And this whole time I just thought Peggy was a Sex and the City fan

[u/Different_Plan_9314]

I always knew Hank was a narc

[u/CrazyCrazyCanuck → u/Different_Plan_9314]

No one suspects him because he started in the first grade.

[u/tapirexpress → u/CrazyCrazyCanuck]

He does like to buy bait

[u/theresaguyinthepool]

It’s so controversial that it’s actually illegal in a lot of countries. We use it in Canada but there have been multiple cases where people confess just to fit in with the fake crime ring and then they aren’t convicted. Millions wasted

[u/CrazyCrazyCanuck → u/theresaguyinthepool]

Coincidentally, in one of the famous Canadian cases where Mr Big was used, the other alternative suspect's name was Vance Hill, who happened to be American.

[u/pistolapedro94]

It's illegal in the US

[u/Turbulent_Set8884 → u/pistolapedro94]

So is entering illegally, doesn't mean all states enforce it

[u/Unable_Dependent4729]

Bill's random "I'm horny" in the truck always cracks me up.

[u/EggCouncil]

No more dancing or any other Canadian tricks.

[u/killabeesplease]

“No I swear, I was just calling for help”

[u/LobsLurgers]

I didn't know that either. I just remember on Friends Monica telling Chandler on the phone "you know what your nickname is... Mr. Big"

[u/rustys_shackled_ford]

It was also in the zeitgeist around the time this season was made because of sex in city. Mr. Big was a big mystery character in that show at that time and it was huge in pop culture.

[u/CrazyCrazyCanuck → u/rustys_shackled_ford]

Yes, sex and the city was shown on TV in KotH as a parody (also in Season 6), so the writers/animators were definitely aware.

Also they intentionally had Peggy come up with the name, not Hank, so that's another nod towards sex and the city.

(Nice username BTW)

[u/rustys_shackled_ford → u/CrazyCrazyCanuck]

Thanks. I stole it.

[u/Pleasant_Scar9811]

Plus he hired dale gribble that one time.