Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Season 2 of Abbott Elementary.
Quinta Brunson's Emmy-winning hit show Abbott Elementary has returned with a bang, with the third episode of Season 2 primed to air this week. The show boasts both the use of wholesome comedy and a mockumentary style made popular by The Office — but rather than take place in a typical office setting, Abbott Elementary follows the daily struggles of elementary school teachers in Philadelphia’s public school system.
While niche in subject, the sitcom successfully provides universality for audiences to appreciate through the relationships fostered between the primary band of teachers that the show follows. This season, our favorite teachers are already getting even closer, of course, in the show’s expectedly hilarious fashion.
The Teachers' Dynamics Are Changing in Season 2
In case your summer break was a bit too long, let’s remind you of some important info from the first season of Abbott Elementary. Janine Teagues (played by mastermind-behind-the-show Brunson) is an overly enthusiastic second-grade teacher who wants nothing more than to do a perfect job at her perfect school with the perfect kids, though rarely anything goes according to her perfect plan. Joining Brunson on screen as part of the cast are Tyler James Williams, Lisa Ann Walter, Sheryl Lee Ralph, Chris Perfetti, and Janelle James, who portray fellow teachers Gregory, Melissa, Barbara, Jacob, and principal Ava Coleman, respectively. At the end of the first season, Janine ends her years-long relationship with her middle-school sweetheart Tariq after he makes the decision to move to New York to further pursue his not-so-bustling rap career. Additionally, towards the end of the last season, audiences were shocked when Gregory asked out Barbara’s daughter Taylor — despite his long-standing crush on Janine. Perhaps, though, circumstances will not stay the same for long.
In fact, it was just during last week’s episode, "Wrong Delivery," that hope for Janine and Gregory’s potential romance was rekindled when it was revealed that Gregory had lost interest in Taylor. Interestingly, this inevitably impacted Gregory’s relationship with Barbara in the meantime. Barbara, a rather intimidating character with her great poise and high standards, already appears unapproachable to the group of teachers, having shunned Janine countless times in the previous season during her frequent and desperate attempts to impress Barbara — although the veteran teacher seems to have come around a bit on her previous opinion of the newbie. In last week’s episode, this intimidation factor is hilariously reflected in the teachers unanimously deciding not to correct Barbara when speaking of white celebrities who she thought were Black celebrities of similar names.
That aside, one can only imagine the pressure felt by Gregory who avoided Barbara time and again last week, knowing that whenever the time eventually came that he couldn’t escape her, he would have to confess to rejecting her daughter. Thankfully for Gregory, he did not end up having to confess anything at all, but rather received both sides of a double-edged sword from Barbara: she actually apologized to Gregory for Taylor rejecting him, letting Gregory know that the ball was not in his court after all. At least he didn’t have to face the wrath of Barbara defending her daughter, right? One can only imagine how going to work every day under such circumstances might have been excruciatingly difficult. Regardless, Gregory now must not only cope with the embarrassment of being broken up with by the mother of the person he was seeing, but he must face that person’s mother every day at work.
Things aren’t all so bad for Gregory in the romance department, though. Need we remind everyone that Janine is entering this second school year of Abbott Elementary newly single as she grieves the loss of the only romantic relationship she has ever known? While it may take time, perhaps this new season is when the stars align for Gregory and Janine, and Gregory may finally act on his desire for Janine, which audiences have witnessed since the start of the series. After all, timing is key, and with the two teachers both detached from their previous partners, no one is standing in the way of their undeniable chemistry any longer.
How Are the Rest of the Teachers Doing?
Ava remains oblivious and isolated from the other teachers, continuing to embrace her position of power as Abbott’s completely unqualified principal. In last week’s “Wrong Delivery,” Ava hosted a Shark Tank-inspired meeting where Abbott’s faculty were encouraged to propose their investment ideas for the school’s remaining grant money — reminding everyone, albeit in the show’s light-hearted fashion, that she will remain unconventional, untouchable, and rather unlikable. Jacob continues to be positively awkward in his goings-on with teachers and students alike, even attempting to give Gregory advice on how to end things with Taylor as if he has ended dozens of relationships himself (when in reality, Jacob’s advice was revealed to be from experience on the being-dumped end). Melissa’s sister was introduced in last week’s episode as well, bringing an interesting new relationship dynamic to the Abbott Elementary scene. Upon visiting a rival charter school, Addington, when a box of their textbooks is mistakenly delivered to Abbott, the teachers are shocked when they run into an apparent doppelgänger of Melissa’s, another Jersey-accented woman with similar hair, makeup, and overall aura. It’s not until the end of the episode that the group learns that the two are sisters — and, naturally, archnemeses when Melissa confronts her sibling with a healthy dose of smack talk.
As the second season of the award-winning Abbott Elementary rolls out, audiences can certainly expect plenty of ups, downs, and shifts in the relationship dynamics amidst the eclectic group of teachers as they navigate another hectic school year. Perhaps Gregory will finally make his move with Janine, or maybe Ava will finally make more friends at work. Needless to say, in the coming weeks, Wednesday nights on ABC will make for excellent television with Abbott Elementary in the mix.