The fight to save Abbott was in full swing on Abbott Elementary Season 2 Episode 19.
With Barbara’s former student, Draemond, going full steam ahead with his plan to make the elementary school a charter school, the teachers were forced to suit up, step up, and give it their all.
When they realized the moral approaches weren’t going to yield the success they needed, they resorted to some frowned-upon methods—tricking the parents into signing the petition unknowingly. Surprisingly, it was Barbara’s idea, and while she made sure to emphasize that this isn’t how she usually lives her life, it was a special case—the future of Abbott was on the line.
Barbara is an OG Abbott teacher, so you honestly don’t want to mess with her. And it’s nice to see her tiptoe on the dark side ever so briefly, including when she surmised that Draemond was a “jackass.”
Barbara being glad to hear explicit content and calling someone a jackass #abbottelementary pic.twitter.com/S87zBg79ZS
— Mihrimah| FS | Xanaxyra Targaryen🪬🤲 (@Mihrimah_FS) March 16, 2023
The teachers rallied together to come up with a fun open house to get the parents invested, Janine’s idea that Ava stole, but who’s keeping score? Though, we have to give her credit for coming up with AVA Fest—no, it wasn’t a nod to her as principal, it stood for A Very Abbott Festival. She just gets it.
Melissa: you can’t name the open house festival after yourself!
Ava: it’s called the Ava festival. A Very Abbott Festival
Now see that’s how you do it! #abbottelementary pic.twitter.com/YtRYoMtSMK— Mihrimah| FS | Xanaxyra Targaryen🪬🤲 (@Mihrimah_FS) March 16, 2023
The one thing that’s clear is that the teachers are very much aware of each of their strong suits and flaws. They knew that despite Ava coming through to secure a “headline” for the event—Yasmine Sullivan—they needed a backup plan in case she proved to be unreliable. And she did. When they said to trick the parents, Ava took it to the next level, even lying to her staff about booking the local yet global R&B singer.
Thankfully, Gregory anticipated this flub, so he took one for the team and reached out to Tariq, Abbott’s original legend. You know it had to take a lot for Gregory to make this sacrifice, but in the end, he saved the day by riling up the parents and showing them just how devoted Abbott was to their children. When Janine and Tariq broke up, it seemed as though his appearances would be limited, but the series truly finds creative ways to involve him which is so fun. And there’s no bad blood with Janine and Tariq so that’s good.
ABBOTT ELEMENTARY – “Festival” – Abbott Elementary rallies together to fight the threat from Legendary Charter Schools. Ava pitches a festival to draw parents to school and collect their signatures for a petition. However, Draemond shows up with the intention of derailing the event. WEDNESDAY, MARCH 15 (9:00-9:32 p.m. EDT), on ABC. (ABC/Gilles Mingasson)
QUINTA BRUNSON, SHERYL LEE RALPH, LISA ANN WALTER, TYLER JAMES WILLIAMS
And when it mattered most, the community also stepped up, basically ensuring that Mr. Johnson could mop the floor with Draemond after his speech to convince everyone to embrace the Legendary Charter brand flopped and the parents saw right through it all.
The Open House proved to them that Abbott is a good, nurturing, and fun place for their kids, with incredible and caring teachers. And despite not having all the necessary resources, they always find a way to make it work—they’re resourceful. One of the parents made a great point—if Draemond cared so much about Abbott, why wouldn’t he invest in the school they already had instead of trying to make everything better, which simply meant that half of the students and teachers would get cut.
At the end of the day, it was Abbott 1 – Draemond 0. They’d put that up on the scoreboard, but unfortunately, that didn’t survive the hurrah.
Other Noteworthy Moments
- For someone who really identifies with the Black experience, I was surprised Jacob didn’t know who Lee Daniels was.
- There were plenty of sweet moments between Gregory and Janine, including their blissful gaze once they realized that Abbott was saved. Also, Gregory saying “I’ll do it with you after school, Janine,” and Barbara’s “ohhh,” was fantastic.
THEY CANT KEEP DOING THIS #AbbottElementary pic.twitter.com/BW6oI7Iw5u
— َ (@sxarlights) March 16, 2023
quinta playing in our face… #AbbottElementary pic.twitter.com/RDPzvWgjMH
— َ (@sxarlights) March 16, 2023
- Erika is the definition of a good friend, and she sees between the lines. Hopefully, she’ll be the one to talk some sense into Janine because Gregory is not fine being just friends.
- Her offer to get Gregory roped into Herbalife tickled me.
- Ava is always one foot in one foot out. She clearly cares about the school but she always does what’s best for Ava, including going to a job interview for Chief Marketing Officer at Legendary Schools. You have to respect her hustle.
- “Just trying to dunk a white dude” wins as the best quote from the episode. At least Jacob’s aware, right? Nut-ass suit was a close second.
Get outta here with that nut ass suit!! #abbottelementary pic.twitter.com/zNZXSuh9Qt
— ticketmaster hate acct. (@thomxsjw) March 16, 2023
- Amber made an appearance and good news—not only did she get the bag, but she also moved on already with a new man!
- Gregory’s dancing brings me joy… more joy than his deadpan stares into the camera.
- Tariq is truly unstoppable… points for creativity and his desire to make raps for national parks.
The episode, though comical and heartwarming, took an important stance, emphasizing the need to cherish, celebrate, protect, and fight for our public schools and the teachers who go hard for their students. If we don’t, who will?
What did you think of this week’s Abbott Elementary?