Abbott Elementary Recap: Barbara’s Library Showdown
Abbott Elementary is officially the cool kids’ club of Hollywood. I imagine Quinta’s phone is constantly ringing with stars clamoring for a spot on the show, no matter how small. (I know I’m still holding out on the possibility of Daniel Radcliffe playing Mr. Johnson’s son.) This season already has an impressive roster of cameos, but it seems the red carpet is still rolling out, as Deadline reported that Lana Condor, Keegan-Michael Key, Tatyana Ali, and Karan Soni are some of the faces we can anticipate seeing in the second half of the season. But, as exciting as these names are, if Abbott is the cool kids’ club, it’s only right to bring in the coolest kid TV has ever known: Cree Summer.
Cree Summer is arguably one of the best voice actors of our time, though I may be biased as a child of the ‘90s (Susie Carmichael was my everything). Her IMDb is like scrolling through a terms and conditions document, with the page boasting over 400 roles throughout her decades-long career. Her experience in children’s television combined with her legendary status in the world of sitcoms — we love you, Freddie Brooks! — makes her the perfect guest star to play Abbott’s new librarian in Janine’s library pilot program. The role is practically (and possibly?) made for her: She plays Rosalyn Inez, a library sciences grad student wearing a classic Cree Summer hat exuding earnestness and optimism. Roslyn and her hats seamlessly fit in at Abbott, impressing the staff with her organization and enthusiasm for reading.
Barbara is the only one skeptical of Rosalyn’s new systems, as they interfere with her modus operandi, which has been perfected and established over the many years she’s served at Abbott. No longer can Barbara casually waltz into the librarian-less library and take out books at her discretion to read to her kindergarteners. Now, Barbara has to check out the books, respect the reservation list, and abide by the three-book limit. As Abbott’s HBIC, this is entirely unacceptable and not at all what she envisioned when another “grown woman of substance” joined the school. Barbara tries to have Ava intervene, but Ava, who is now less inclined to hide her nerdy side, gets distracted by a lost copy of “Slaughterhouse-Five.” Things worsen after Barbara brings her class to the library without scheduling first. Rosalyn asks them to leave, offering Barbara help with the reservation Google Doc if she needs it. Barbara is so appalled by her five-year-old “scholars of words and letters” being unceremoniously kicked out of the library that she responds sharply, “Oh, I know what a Google doctor is!”
In an act of pure pettiness, Barbara parades a line of frowning kindergartners through the hall, spouting off at Janine about how Rosalyn is the equivalent of a hostess at a hip new restaurant “who has no respect for the patrons that came before they started charging $25 to set your drink on fire.” She ends her rant by saying there needs to be changes to the program, adding a cryptic statement, “I would hate to leave that feedback.” Then, when Babara takes her kids to a storytime session led by Rosalyn, the students’ excitement and engagement with the librarian’s expert storytelling voices throw even more gasoline on the flame. One student innocently asks, “Mrs. Howard, how come you don’t read this good?” I mean, who can compete with Cree Summer’s voice work?
Once Manny learns of Barbara’s contempt for Rosalyn, he tells Janine she must shut the pilot program down. He argues that Barbara has so much influence in the district that her negative opinion threatens their mission to listen to the teachers’ feedback. Plus, the superintendent will look for any reason to say no. Janine is about ready to surrender, but Gregory’s passion for the library empowers him to tell Janine to stand up to Barbara, as she’s essentially throwing a temper tantrum because things aren’t going her way. At first, Janine is terrified at the notion of standing up to her mentor, but she knows she has to advocate for the greater good of Abbott. The evidence supporting the positive effect of the librarian outweighs the good, so it’s time for Janine to put her foot down.
Janine confronts Barbara, listing off all of the program’s benefits and noting that Barbara’s only negative feedback is that it isn’t working for her personally. She pushes through her fear of disappointing her role model and stands firm, telling Barbara she’s standing by the program regardless of the threat of her disapproval. Though her heels clack awkwardly down the hallway as she runs out in fear, this is a pivotal moment for Janine’s character. We’re truly seeing her learn, grow, and gain confidence in her role as an educator; Abbott has successfully incorporated character evolution in a short period without divesting from the heart of the show. Abbott isn’t a sitcom where characters remain static — they grow naturally, allowing us to realistically bond because it feels like we’re growing with them.
When the teacher feedback finally comes in, Janine reads all of the submissions — each featuring rave reviews — except one titled “Unvarnished Thoughts on a Rather Ambitious Program,” written by Barbara. She’s so anxious she has Gregory read it first, but he insists she read it herself. We’re only privy to the beginning of the submission as Janine reads it out loud, practically melting as she repeats Barbara’s words. Barbara writes that describing the library program as a “positive addition” would be insufficient; she goes as far as saying it’ll impact students far beyond the walls of Abbott. The rest will remain between the two women, but the olive branch worked. Barbara even joins Rosalyn at the next storytime, contributing a bombastic Jamaican accent that the kids love.
While Barbara comes to terms with the new library system, an unlikely couple forms as Melissa sublets the extra bedroom in her apartment, putting an ad out for a “cozy guest suite with a view.” I knew that when Jacob left his apartment with Zac, the writers were opening the door for roommate-centered shenanigans, but I assumed his blossoming bromance with Gregory would lead the two to live together. Clearly, that was too obvious of an assumption because the writers gave us an even better odd couple after Jacob answers Melissa’s tenant search under the pseudonym Lester. Melissa, who used the name Mildred, loves Lester’s application, but it isn’t until everyone adjourns in the break room and Jacob bursts in, excitedly sharing that he’s found a “cozy guest suite with a view,” that they realize the sitcom Gods paired them together.
We’re so used to the usual Abbott dynamic duo pairings of Barbara and Melissa or Jacob and Janine that my mind never wondered how the resident redheads would interact independently. Both have expressions of shock and horror as they realize the situation, but soon, they settle into a quaint, platonic love affair. It reminds me of New Girl’s Winston and Cece bonding while Jess was away on jury duty. These pairings are especially amusing in sitcoms with low stakes and dynamic characters — It’s fun to throw two random characters into a bag and see what happens! Melissa and Jacob end up having a lot more in common with each other than they could have imagined, beginning with their love of The Real Housewives of New Jersey and extending to their inclination for sour cream and onion popcorn seasoning. Once they break the ice, Melissa and Jacob get vulnerable about their recent breakups, easing into an effortless friendship.
The love story of Jacob and Melissa hits a speed bump when Jacob notices that their new dynamic throws off the energy at work. Naturally, the other half of the fun of sitcoms indulging in the odd-pairing trope is seeing how the rest of the ensemble reacts to the unlikely friendship. At Abbott, this manifests in the breakroom when Jacob wears a particularly ostentatious shirt to work at Melissa’s suggestion, and his new roommate comes to his defense, blocking Ava’s insult before it even lands. Ava is forced to deflect, setting her sights on Mr. Johnson and taking a shot at his shoes before he breaks down into tears at her bullying. Then, when Jacob eats out of Melissa’s Tupperware, he initiates a lawless domino effect where Mr. Johnson eats Barbara’s lunch, causing Barbara to be so cranky she drinks the last cup of coffee without making a new pot, leading to Gregory being so tired he leaves the hose on in the garden and ending with students tracking mud into Melissa’s classroom. To cease the chaos, the roommates agree to hide their relationship at work to “protect the friendship” and maintain harmony.
Jacob and Melissa’s surreptitious friendship lasts exactly two seconds. They can’t help but giggle at memes sent by text message as they sit on either side of the room. Mr. Johnson and Gregory immediately pick up on the strange energy, and Mr. Johnson snatches Jacob’s phone, pointing out proof of their friendship. He agrees to keep their secret but warns them they’re playing a dangerous game. Pretty soon, it becomes too hard to keep their friendship within the confines of their home, so together, they solidify their relationship, declaring their mutual adoration as if they were romantically involved in an illicit workplace affair. No one but Mr. Johnson truly cares, and they realize Abbott’s ecosystem is stronger than they believed. Now that the hard launch of their relationship is out of the way, it’s time for more adventures between the unexpected pair.
Teacher’s Notes
• As a Real Housewives superfan, it would be remiss of me to point out how hilarious Jacob using the word “hubris” to describe RHONJ is after listening to Adriana repeat the word on the RHOM reunion last week. The hubris!
Last but not least, here are the best lines of the episode:
• Melissa: “When you’re over fifty, relief looks like joy.”
• Gregory, when seeing Janine’s distraught thinking face: “You look like Raven having a vision.”
• Ava: “The only white-on-white friendship I’m invested in is Ben and Jerry’s.”