What To Remember Before Season 3
The Big Picture
- Season 2 of Abbott Elementary dives into the personal lives of the teachers, giving viewers a deeper understanding of their characters and relationships.
- The show addresses the real issue of public versus charter schools, highlighting the potential negative consequences of turning into a school charter.
- The teachers in Abbott Elementary undergo significant character developments, tackling real issues faced by educators while maintaining humor and heart. Janine and Gregory's romantic tension is explored throughout the season.
Abbott Elementary is coming back February 7th, and it will certainly be filled with lots of surprises and, as usual, chaos. This award-winning sitcom is a delight for all kinds of viewers out there, as it perfectly blends the right amount of comedy, familial moments, and even romance. Season 2 aired on ABC from September 2022 to April 2023 with a total of 22 episodes, and the viewers were taken into a rollercoaster of emotions, with both new and old issues, character developments, and so much more. Given that the interval between Seasons 2 and 3 is quite long, let’s have a rundown on the important events that went down last season.
Abbott Elementary
TV-PGComedyA workplace comedy centered around a group of dedicated teachers - and an oblivious principal - in a Philadelphia public school where, despite the odds stacked against them, they are determined to help their students succeed in life.
Cast Quinta Brunson , Tyler James Williams , Janelle James , Lisa Ann Walter , Sheryl Lee Ralph , Chris Perfetti , William Stanford Davis , Courtney Taylor Main Genre Comedy Seasons 3 Release Date December 7, 2021‘Abbott Elementary’ Season 2 Shows More of the Teacher’s Home Lives
Before Season 2 of Abbott Elementary aired, it was announced that it would give more insight into the personal lives of some of the teachers. For instance, in “The Principals’ Office,” the viewers get to see the home life of Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), as she teaches Janine (Quinta Brunson) how to cook properly in her house — with Jacob (Chris Perfetti) tagging along. Melissa is shown to be organized about her cooking methods, which clashes with Janine’s creative ways. Later, Melissa shares that she likes to strictly follow recipes because she had a feud with her estranged sister Kristin Marie (Lauren Weedman), specifically about Kristin Marie putting the wrong ingredient while making their grandma’s favorite dish. Janine tries her best to reunite the sisters but gets scolded for intervening. Here, viewers get to see more of Melissa’s personal life, which ultimately helps in understanding who she is, since she is the “tough” and straightforward of the teacher group.
Another example is Janine’s personal life, which was briefly touched on during Season 1. Apart from Janine’s romantic relationship with her longtime partner Tariq (Zack Fox) coming to an end, viewers also get to see more of Janine’s family. It’s insinuated that Janine doesn’t have a close connection with Ayesha (Ayo Edibiri), Janine’s younger sister, who now lives in Colorado. Janine explains that when her sister left, she was the one who had to take care of their mother, who was difficult at times. The Teague sisters rehash their past when Ayesha visits her in the episode “Teacher Appreciation.” There is tension between these two throughout the episode. However, after their back and forth, they quietly decide to reconnect, a sign that they will try to talk to each other more.
The Public Versus Charter Schools Debacle Is Shown in ‘Abbott Elementary’ Season 2
Abbott Elementary also shows a real issue faced by the education system in the US, which is public vs charter schools. To summarize, charter schools are backed by private funding, meaning they have a more laid-back policy. However, the main reason why the Abbott crew doesn’t want the school to turn charter is because these schools have a reputation for shutting down without giving enough warning, simply because they don’t meet the standard anymore. This affects everyone — teachers, parents, and, of course, students. This issue is tackled well in Abbott Elementary. The school faces a problem when an ad from a charter school shows them in a bad light, and the one who ran it turns out to be Barbara’s old student, Draemond (Leslie Odom Jr.). Draemond wants Abbott to go charter, but the teachers don’t because they see how it affects some students.
To fight against turning charter, the Abbott teachers had parents sign a petition during the open house. Draemond even goes to the school, but everyone defends Abbott. This particular issue will certainly come around again in the next season.
‘Abbott Elementary’ Season 2 Shows the Teachers’ Character Developments
CloseSeason 2 of Abbott Elementary greatly tackles the teachers’ developments with humor and heart, and the viewers get to understand what they are going through — a lot of which are real things that real teachers experience. The viewers see how the teachers handle different types of students, all the while trying not to let issues deter them from teaching. Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), for instance, learns the lesson of the classic “Do not judge a book by its cover.” She encounters a young mother of one of her students and is surprised to see her with revealing clothing and tattoos. Barbara tries to explain to the mother that she should cover up but later realizes that how she dresses and how she looks does not, in any way, reflect how she looks after her own child.
There’s also Gregory (Tyler James Williams), who is known to be very meticulous and serious when it comes to how he teaches and how he acts to other people. He also has respect for his father, who has always pushed his son to join the family landscaping business. While Gregory does love growing plants and flowers — he even makes a cute little garden in Abbott — he works up the courage to say to his father that he loves teaching. Next is Ava (Janelle James), the principal of Abbott who loves to relax and basically not do her job. But throughout the season, viewers see more of her character, how smart she is, and how she wants to learn. For instance, in “Valentine’s Day,” Ava sits in during Jacob’s black history class when some parents voice out their concern about a white man teaching such a topic. But Ava actually becomes engaged in class, to the point where she goes back to school. It’s a rather refreshing take on Ava’s character, and it shows another side of her that warms the hearts of people.
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What Happened Between Janine and Gregory?
One of the most anticipated things about Season 2 was the whole will-they-won’t-they between Janine and Gregory. It’s obvious that Gregory has a thing for Janine since Season 1, but it becomes more and more apparent in Season 2. In the early episodes, Jacob finds out about Gregory’s crush on Janine and accidentally tells her, though it is met by disbelief by Janine herself (even though their colleagues say that the crush is very obvious, which, as a viewer, is true). Season 2 basically revolves around these two teachers dating other people and trying not to fall for one another. Gregory is obviously jealous when Janine starts seeing his best friend Maurice (Vince Staples), but doesn’t want to let anybody know. But in “Teacher Conference,” Janine and Gregory drunkenly kiss. Janine eventually breaks up with Maurice in the next episode, and Maurice realizes that Gregory likes her.
Sadly, after the kiss, Janine and Gregory decide to go back to the way they were before. Of course, their dynamic is changed now, and there are times when things become awkward. But things pick up in the season finale, where the Abbott crew goes to the Franklin Institute for a fun overnight field trip. Janine and Gregory later have a heart-to-heart talk. Gregory admits that he wants them to be together, and while Janine also expresses that she likes Gregory, she doesn’t want to be in a relationship now and wants to go through life by herself first, which, after her 10-year relationship with Tariq, is very understandable. So, the season ends with them deciding to just be friends.
Abbott Elementary is available to watch on ABC and on Hulu.
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