I was ready for a laugh, and last night’s premiere of Abbott Elementary did not disappoint. The staff is back together for the new school year and a lot of changes are happening; like the new PGA golf course being built, which is great for the city, right?
Ava, being Ava, sees a child who’s different from what she’s used to, waiting on the bench in front of her office, then quickly runs to tell the others she saw a ghost (please Ava). As she walked back with the others to show them her “ghost”, the child’s parents were now there and Ava said “they were reproducing”.
It’s an interesting way to show how some people deal with gentrification. It can be a little confusing at first until you realize what’s actually going on and then you get used to it. Unless you’re Mr Johnson, who thinks they’re being audited.
“Back to School” – Abbott Elementary School – Pictured: Quinta Brunson as Janet Tiggs, Lisa Anwart as Melissa Shementi, Taylor James Williams as Gregory Eddy, Cheryl Lee Ralph plays Barbara Howard, Chris Perfetti plays Jacob Hill, and Janelle James plays Ava Coleman. Photo: Gilles Mingasson/Disney© 2024.
Jenny tells us what happened between her and Gregory (They finally kissed last season and we all cheered!). They’re still together (the breakup joke messed with my emotions for five seconds) and are going strong, but they don’t want people to know they’re still together, except for Jacob. But mostly fail in this regard because they are not as subtle as they think they are. Everyone knows it!
Construction of the golf course created problems for the school: broken water pipes, increased traffic to and from the school, and an increase in bugs and rodents. Barbara and Melissa raised these concerns with Ava, and in true Ava fashion, she told them she had no control over the matter and instructed them to be ready to make recommendations for the back-to-school staff meeting.
“Back to School” – Abbott Elementary School – Pictured: Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddy and Quinta Brunson as Jenny Tigges. Photo: Gilles Mingasson/Disney© 2024.
Jenny and Gregory are talking in the hallway and Ava looks jealous (We all knew she liked Gregory from day one), but she is distracted when two students confront her. They wanted to verify if Jenny and Gregory were dating for their podcast. Now if students know what happened to them, it might be time for them to come clean.
Jenny notices Mr. Johnson looking at her and Gregory and thinks they should be more careful (Oh love, it’s too late), but Gregory thought they should tell their colleagues. She was hesitant to involve anyone in their business or HR.
Ava realizes that Jenny and Gregory won’t admit to dating, and she calls human resources to help speed things up. When Ava and HR arrived at the classroom, Gregory was ready to at least start letting HR know, but Jenny put a stop to it, saying she had nothing to say. Judging from her reaction, Gregory was worried that Jenny wasn’t as enthusiastic about the relationship as he was.
“Back to School” – Abbott Elementary School – Pictured: Ben Onyx Dowdy as the human resources employee and Janelle James as Ava Coleman. Photo: Gilles Mingasson/Disney© 2024.
But they can’t hide it for long, because when Gregory brings Jenny the lecture notes she left at home (in front of everyone) Questions began to arise: Whose keys were those? Do you like Cinderella? How about a keychain that spells out Jenny’s name? They fumbled through every answer until Mr. Johnson claimed they were selling drugs, HR was there, and Jenny said… that’s what she said. Cat take the bag out now!
“Back to School” – Abbott Elementary School – Pictured: Ben Onyx Dowdy as the human resources employee and Janelle James as Ava Coleman. Photo: Gilles Mingasson/Disney© 2024.
Gregory confronts Jenny about his thoughts. How he thought she didn’t like their relationship. She told him that she was worried that what they were doing wouldn’t work out, but that she really wanted it to. Making things official hasn’t gone well for her in the past. I love how Gregory reassures her and makes her feel safe in their relationship. Janine is ready to let HR know. The crazy part is this whole plot, it’s a big deal to let HR know how this will affect them moving forward, which is probably why Jenny started in the first place (Just like when they first met). HR doesn’t need all of this; the only thing required is confirmation that they are together and signed (To make a fuss over such a small thing).
If this episode is any indication of what we can expect from this season, I’ll be sitting through it every week. What did you think of the season premiere? Abbott Elementary School? Share your thoughts below or connect with me on X/Twitter @chenfordhugs
