Abbott Elementary Recap: Janine’s Choice

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Nothing is worse than constructing what felt like a perfect outfit in your head only to put it on and realize nothing about it looks right. Actually, for a clothing enthusiast like me, things can get worse: what if you don’t have time to change your outfit, forcing you to go about your day in an ill-suited ensemble? I’ll rein it in before I go full Cher from Clueless, but I think everyone can relate to the disappointment and discomfort that arises when something you believe would be a perfect fit turns out to be not quite right. I use this metaphor anytime I have to summon the courage to pivot my life plans, reminding myself that sometimes, what we dream as the correct journey for ourselves doesn’t translate into reality — and that’s okay because tomorrow, we get to choose to wear something else.

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Janine’s impending rise up the district’s professional ladder is her version of my outfit nightmare. Accepting a full-time position after crushing her fellowship seems like the natural next step. However, the show’s writers have continuously left a trail of breadcrumbs depicting Abbott’s gravitational pull on Janine. The library pilot program is thriving, Janine fits in wonderfully with her coworkers, and the superintendent is excited for her to help more schools in the district. Still, something isn’t quite right. Despite everyone else’s excitement at the district, she keeps running into reminders of her old job, like seeing the picture of her students beaming in the library during the superintendent’s presentation about the success of her brainchild. At first, she attributes her discontent to what her coworkers call “the dip,” or the drop in adrenaline when the dust settles following a significant achievement. Eventually, the actual source of the pulling at her heartstrings becomes impossible to ignore when Gregory visits Janine at the district to turn in his grant proposal for the Garden Goofballs.

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The Abbott staff ply Gregory with parting gifts for Janine; Jacob gives her a framed photo of himself, Melissa supplies mace, Barbara includes a hand-written card, and Mr. Johnson graciously offers a strand from his favorite mop. Saving the best for last, Gregory bestows a small pot of dirt from his garden (remember when she said the dirt had a certain Janine sais quoi? We love a man who listens to everything!), complete with seeds for a polka-dot plant, which is supposed to be “a reminder to embrace the unexpected.” Before leaving, he asks for Janine’s lanyard back at the request of Ava, who desires for Abbott to be a Janine-free space for the school’s event that evening, and she quickly produces it from under her shirt, admitting she wears it daily, which is a clear indication of where her heart is. Gregory, too, understands how big of a deal Janine leaving Abbott is, telling the cameras that it’s the end of an era, but Janine will always hold a special place at the school.

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For the majority of the episode, Janine wears a deep green top that, combined with the mentions of Gregory’s Garden Goofballs, reminded me of a plant. Her “greenness” is emphasized throughout her scenes as she grapples with the crossroads of coming into her own and learning who she wants to be in this world. She’s growing and blossoming, but it’s all very new. So when Gregory waltzes into the office wearing all brown (okay, tan, but work with me here), like soil to help her grow while presenting a literal pot ready to house a plant, it’s beyond clear that Janine has to make a choice. The timing of her revelation is inconvenient — the district is throwing her a welcome party after work. During the day, she’s confronted with the permanence of a future at the district by all the onboarding preparation for her new job. She squirms at the thought of working with schools other than Abbott and avoids setting up her new health insurance and parking spot, hilariously wiggling her way out of any decisions. I, too, am interested in a “less intense” version of a 401K like a “301K” or “201J.”

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Once Janine’s welcome party rolls around, she’s overtly anxious to sign the paperwork to cement her new position. The team at the district is ready to memorialize the event with their tradition of snapping the new hire’s photograph as they sign their contract and take a celebratory shot. Janine, who can rarely betray her authenticity, makes a shaky excuse, saying she needs her lucky pen and runs to her office. There, she reads Barbara’s card. We already know how much weight Barbara’s words hold for Janine, and her note is glowing with pride as she wishes her well on her next journey. If Gregory’s gift and Barbara’s well wishes weren’t enough to change the tides of Janine’s decision, what she sees on the next page of the card takes things over the top — the sight of her old student’s signatures and innocent encouragement is all she needs to follow her gut. Instead of sticking around for her party, Janine decides to return to her teaching job. In true Janine fashion, she immediately pulls up to announce her return to the school, where the second annual Ava Fest is happening.

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As this week’s impeccable opening scene (what a hilarious homage to The Bear, as we patiently wait for season three) displays, the entire school is preparing for this year’s Ava Fest, looking to improve the experience from last time. Though last season, Ava turned it into a party to garner community support against Abbott turning into a charter school, Ava Fest is just Abbott’s annual open house. Draemond Winding adding Abbott to Legendary Charter Schools is no longer a threat, but Ava still intends to make Ava Fest an annual extravaganza because she won’t allow something with her name on it to be perceived by anyone as mediocre. This year, she’s meticulously supervising all planning for the event and has promised another Philadelphia superstar to headline the open house. Technically, the inaugural Ava Fest never really involved Jazmine Sullivan, as Ava lied about the Philly native’s appearance to get more people to attend. But, this year, she’s adamant that Questlove will perform as a special favor for her.

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If Janine is a plant and Gregory is soil, according to Ava, she’s a root because, apparently, she’s behind the formation of The Roots, as she and “Ahmir” go way back. She regales the staff with stories of being pickleball partners and parasailing in the Florida Keys, where Questlove lost the Afro pick that “holds his power.” Ava says they met at a party in the 2000s while she was dating Allen Iverson and was beating up her man’s groupies when Questlove told her she had natural rhythm. Soon, they teamed up to create The Roots. Her lore continues when she says she saved the band by quitting before she “Yoko-Ono-ed” them. No one believes her, but as word gets out and the community anticipates the A-list appearance, Melissa, Jacob, Barbara, and Gregory devise a plan B, coming up with backup entertainment and an alternate Canva flyer that explicitly says Questlove will not be there. Ava discovers her employee’s secret plan and is infuriated, unwavering in her promise that her friend is showing up, but they continue working around her usual delusions.

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Once Ava Fest rolls around, the staff pats themselves on the back for executing a well-organized event despite a few parents vocal about wanting to see Questlove. Janine stumbles in with the news of her decision, and everyone but Ava welcomes her back with open arms, though Mr. Johnson insists she must return his mop string. Ava claims the real reason Janine returned is to see Questlove (or that she got pregnant and the district fired her). Everyone begs the principal to be honest about her alleged relationship with the musical artist. She still denies lying, and Barbara puts her foot down, saying they’ve seen her “steal, cut corners, lie pathologically, plot, prevaricate” and a slew of other P-words, so there’s no reason for them to believe Questlove is coming. But before she can wrap up her fierce read, Questlove enters the gymnasium and daps up Ava with a familiar handshake before confirming all of Ava’s stories, calling her “Honest Ava.” Questlove takes the stage for a private DJ set for the Abbott Elementary community, playing Junior Senior’s “Move Your Feet” as everyone dances and soaks up the camaraderie of their special school.

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Teacher’s Notes

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• I’ve been rewatching Curb Your Enthusiasm to honor the final season, and I just finished an episode with William Stanford Davis, who guest-starred as a retired pastry chef. I laughed, thinking it sounded like one of Mr. Johnson’s stories. Now, seeing Mr. Johnson judge the cafeteria food, I decided to believe Curb and Abbott exist in the same universe, and Mr. Johnson was more than qualified to taste the “elevated” meal. Check out season 10, episode 3, if you want to see Davis in action.

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Lastly, here are my favorite lines of the episode:

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• Ava, after Jacob points out that Jazmine Sullivan never actually came to Abbott: “Do you not have an imagination?”

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• Melissa: “This calls for a plan B that you cannot get from CVS.”

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• Ava: “That’s when I used to go by the name MC Gilette, a name that [Questlove] gave me because he said I am the best a man can get.”

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