Summer is firmly over, and few things ring in the transition into autumn like new episodes of Abbott Elementary. Coming off a strike-impacted third season that coincided with more buzz than ever surrounding the show, Abbott gifts us a solid premiere episode, signifying how ready the cast and crew are for the new season. The show is no longer television’s Rookie of the Year; Abbott is now established in the industry, and with a whopping 22-episode season, the writers and actors have room to breathe and really flesh out story lines in true sitcom fashion. We’re even getting a crossover with It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia, so it’s safe to say real television is back, baby.
Not much has changed in the halls of Abbott Elementary: Jacob still hates Mr. Morton, Ava avoids work at all costs (she declares that action is her least favorite thing to take), the teachers remind the kids how much better they are than New Jersey, and Janine shares stolen glances with Gregory over their students’ heads. However, these stolen glances are no longer of the will-they, won’t-they variety. Following last season’s finale, which culminated in a Janine-and-Gregory kiss, the pair have moved forward with their connection and are testing the waters romantically. Here is an example of the delicate yet exciting place Abbott finds itself in four seasons in; the choices made now will determine if it makes it through the gauntlet to legacy-sitcom status. I’m particularly interested in how Janine and Gregory move forward since fan reception to romantic relationships can be particularly precarious depending on which way the wind blows. Some fans were already sick of the will-they, won’t-they tension after a mere two seasons, while others, like myself, reveled in the tension. Now, we get to find out if this relationship is in it for the long haul, like The Office’s Jim and Pam, or merely a blip, like Parks and Recreation’s Ann and Andy. Or could this be a classic breakup-to-make-up situation, like New Girl’s Jess and Nick? There are many possible avenues, and watching it unfold in real time is what makes television so entertaining.
For now, we have no idea what Janine and Gregory’s future holds, which is perfectly fine because we get to have fun living in the moment of the early days of their romance. We get cute moments that play on their idiosyncracies, like Janine telling Gregory she would never take him somewhere without buttered noodles and Gregory uncharacteristically wearing Janine’s lipstick kiss on his cheek. They’re adorable as they try to play coy at work despite everyone already knowing the advancement in their relationship, with Ava considering the sneaking around an affront to their intelligence. Their co-workers have no problem humoring them, but once the students start to pick up on the vibes, Ava puts pressure on them to go public so she won’t get in trouble by bringing an HR representative (Warren, one of Janine’s opps from the district) to the school in hopes of forcing their hand. True to their personalities, Janine advocates for keeping things under wraps, while Gregory wants to come clean, noting there’s nothing professionally wrong with what they’re doing as long as they’re honest about it.
After Janine awkwardly avoids a conversation with Warren, Gregory begins to worry that she has cold feet regarding her feelings. Jacob assures him that Janine is deeply in “like” with him, so he shouldn’t have anything to worry about. So when Janine realizes she forgot her presentation for the back-to-school staff meeting (which is very important as she’s pitching a field trip to the aquarium, and “if the kids don’t go to the aquarium, they fail the SATs”), Gregory plays the perfect boyfriend and runs to her apartment to retrieve it during his free period. He barely makes it back in time before bursting into the meeting right as Janine runs out of stalling time and handing her back her keys. The staff starts grilling them with questions about their evident closeness, including coming to and from work together with their overnight duffel bags in tow, until they break under pressure — the pressure being Mr. Morton’s accusation that the duffel bags were being used to sell drugs. Janine blurts out that they’re having sex, officially letting the cat out of the bag.
Janine immediately tries to stuff the cat back in the bag, causing Gregory to initiate an honest conversation about why she wants to keep things private. She admits that she’s fearful because it wasn’t successful the last time she made something official (I can’t wait for Tariq’s first cameo of the season), and she really wants things to work out this time. Gregory pulls Janine into his arms, soothing her anxiety by reminding her that this time is different. They decide to come clean with HR, this time leaving out the sex portion, thankfully. Gregory and Janine finally sit down with Warren and Ava to spill the details of their coupling. Janine treats it like a therapy session, omitting anything about sex but oversharing to the point where she tries to bring the conversation to when she hit puberty in 11th grade, prompting a fantastic Tyler James Williams deadpan. Warren stops her there, saying all he needs to know is their current relationship status. For the first time, Janine and Gregory publicly declare that they are boyfriend and girlfriend. With everything on the table, Warren makes a record of the relationship, giving a backhanded blessing (I love this rivalry) and allowing them to move forward with the romance.
While Janine and Gregory formalize their relationship, the staff deals with the repercussions of a PGA golf course currently under construction a few blocks from Abbott, the first sign of which being a new white student that Ava mistakes for a Victorian-era ghost at the West Philly school. Apart from the influx of white people in the neighborhood eager to live near the course, the siphoning of resources that are necessary to build such a project immediately affects the school. A water pipe bursts, traffic is unbearable, the power is faulty, and the gas shuts off as construction ensues. Ava deflects complaints, claiming there’s nothing she can do since it’s a city-backed project.
When a student’s tooth falls out while they’re trying to chew a frozen chicken nugget since the cafeteria couldn’t heat them without gas, Melissa puts her connections to use to try and improve conditions. Her construction-worker cousin, Tommy, tells her that the golf course is cutting corners by using nonunion workers. She proposes to tattle to the city or have her cousin kill all their pets. Obviously, they choose the former. With word of Abbott’s discontent rumbling, an attorney representing the golf course makes an appearance at the school. He apologizes with the timbre of a politician, persuading them of the value the golf course will add before giving out gift cards, ergonomic chairs, and new computers. Then he promises that the workers will be unionized by the following week. I know when something feels too good to be true, and it seems as though Abbott has introduced a new villain.
Teacher’s Notes
• I love this “Jacob can’t read” conspiracy theory. I hope it becomes a running gag along with his hatred for Morton. Speaking of: Watching him take the beef to HR was hilarious, but Mr. Johnson accusing Melissa of flirting via lunch takeout menus takes the cake.
• I’m very biased, as I live next to one, but I’m happy Abbott Elementary is shedding light on how golf courses use an inordinate amount of resources.
• Finally, here are my favorite lines of the episode:
Ava on Janine and Gregory: “We know what two people look like when they’re hunching hard.” I never thought I would hear hunching on network TV, so thank you, Janelle James, for that amazing delivery.
Mr. Johnson after Janine admits that she’s having sex with Gregory — not that she’s a drug dealer: “This is even worse than I thought. What people won’t do for money.”
Barbara, squaring up to the golf-course lawyer: “Your little construction project has put quite a strain on our lives. We got a white child now. You wanna get his parents involved?”
Ava when Warren says she can’t sell jewelry the students make on Etsy because of child-labor laws: “Is it really work if they love what they do?”
