Don’t miss your chance to see Quinta Brunson and the Abbott Elementary writers live at Vulture Festival, November 16-17 in Los Angeles. Get tickets here before they sell out!
From its inception, Abbott Elementary has skillfully represented a side of culture that lacks authentic representation on network television. Too often, shows miss the mark when portraying their version of Blackness by overexplaining references to viewers, thus becoming an unnatural caricature of the culture they’re aiming to showcase. Abbott avoids this by allowing its characters to simply exist without turning situations into a forced anthropological presentation. In fact, race is really only mentioned when necessary for a joke or specific story line. Conversely, the writing on Abbott gives very much IYKYK energy by using broad strokes to paint Black experiences in a way that doesn’t alienate viewers of different demographics but still leaves little Easter eggs that are distinctly Black — like in tonight’s episode, Ava and Mr. Johnson rapping with each other is hilarious even if you don’t know the song, but it’s even funnier if you recognize that they’re rapping the lyrics to “Throw Some D’s.”
For instance, growing up, most of my Black friends’ parents shared the “don’t start none, won’t be none” ideology when it came to playground fighting. My parents told me that the only time I would ever get in trouble for physical altercations was if I initiated it; defending myself, on the other hand, was not only encouraged but expected. However, once I started going to more predominantly white schools as I got older, I noticed a difference in white adults who often cherry-picked Martin Luther King Jr.’s quotes advocating nonviolence at all costs. Before a Karen gets up in arms: This doesn’t mean I’m saying fighting back is a “Black thing,” white people don’t defend themselves, or other races and ethnicities don’t have people who encourage their kids to get their lick back. Abbott masterfully circumvents making sweeping generalizations by letting the humor stand on its own without labeling it as a “Black” joke — but those of us from backgrounds similar to the one on the show know how engrained these sentiments are in our community.
Tonight, Gregory reverts to his playground fighting instincts (or lack thereof) when a disgruntled dad named Darnell challenges him to fight after getting jealous of his son’s bond with his teacher. Darnell’s son Jabari looks up to Gregory, something Jabari’s mom, Lisa, highlights one day as she picks him up. She tells him how much she appreciates Jabari having a positive male role model in his life, mainly because “his dad is a little … you know.” Gregory is touched by the compliment and proud of his ability to connect with a student, but Darnell isn’t pleased with the idea of another man forming a bond with his son. Darnell shows up the next day for pick-up duty and immediately interrogates Gregory about a pencil he loaned Jabari. He brings up how he “chitchats” with his son all day — Gregory says it’s more “teaching” than “chatting” — and says he’s trying to “make sense of the situation.”
Gregory tries to table such a discussion to a time when Jabari isn’t present, but Darnell insists on the confrontation, saying Jabari has heard worse as they watch Power together all the time (poor Jabari probably just wants to watch Bluey). Things escalate after Gregory suggests Power isn’t appropriate, which Darnell interprets as Gregory calling him a bad dad. He tells Gregory to “cut the chit-chat” and stop giving out pencils. Gregory agrees but mumbles, “I guess I’ll give him pens,” under his breath, triggering Darnell. In an attempt to de-escalate the situation, Gregory reminds him they literally just met for the first time, prompting Darnell to believe Gregory was insinuating that he’s a deadbeat dad. Darnell becomes increasingly erratic, challenging Gregory to a “parent-teacher fight night” — though not that immediate night, because Darnell needs a haircut so he’ll be back tomorrow, and as Ava says, there’s “nothing more dangerous than a Black man with a fresh haircut.”
Once the other teachers find out about a possible fight between Gregory and Darnell, everyone offers their unsolicited advice while making it known that no one believes Greg will win (Jacob is appalled because this is exactly how The Fresh Prince began, and Gregory “can’t afford Bel Air”). Still, Gregory is steadfast in his belief that fighting would be inappropriate as he isn’t an “uncivilized ruffian.” The next day, Gregory tries to appeal to Jabari’s mom, asking if she perhaps mentioned him around Darnell, causing jealousy. Lisa says she barely talks to Darnell … except for the times she’s mentioned how much Jabari loves Gregory and that Gregory could be a good role model not just for their son but for Darnell, clearly using Gregory to make passive-aggressive digs at her co-parent. She calls the threat of physical violence “classic Darnell,” but before dipping out, she ensures that Darnell will follow up on the threats and Gregory should guard his head.
Tariq (whose stepson is in Gregory’s class), Jacob, and Janine brainstorm on how to support their co-worker, with Jacob suggesting staging a fake fight where he plays the assailant while Gregory beats him up, thus scaring off Darnell. Janine proposes that Gregory leave school five minutes early for the rest of the year to avoid the whole situation. With nowhere else to turn, Gregory calls his dad for honest advice, hoping to find one person who agrees that fighting a student’s parent would be inappropriate. Gregory thinks he’s found that person when his dad says that a fight absolutely shouldn’t happen, but then his dad follows it up with, “Eddie, men do not fight … but we do fight back,” telling his son that if Darnell swings first, “it’s on” before yelling “Down goes Fraizer!” like my own father would.
As Gregory contemplates how to deal with Darnell, Janine unsuccessfully tries to get Barbara to return the $5 she borrowed two weeks ago, and Melissa must face an obstacle of her own when a nasty fall results in an injury. Melissa refuses to seek medical attention, but she limps around the school and winces at any strenuous movement. The pain is so bad that when everyone places bets on Gregory and Darnell’s fight, her wounds force her to listen in from across the hall because she can’t move fast enough to put her money down. Instead of seeing a doctor, Melissa begins taking Jacob’s ten-year-old analgesics from his wisdom-teeth surgery, coming to school the following day with no pain and an abundance of chemically enhanced energy from the expired pills. To prove just how pain-free she is, she climbs a ladder to reach the fancy coffee sweeteners, exposing her ankle, which is still swollen and so black and blue that it’s clear it needs medical intervention, so her co-workers pressure Melissa into seeing at least the school nurse. The nurse tells her to stop wasting her time and go to an actual physician before her symptoms worsen or other ailments occur from overcompensating. Melissa ignores the advice until her back gives out as she tries to get up, and she almost misses Gregory’s possible fight, so she finally goes to the doctor.
Once the end of the day finally rolls around, the teachers gather outside to see what will happen between Darnell and Gregory. Darnell shows up as promised, while Gregory agrees to follow Jacob’s plan. Jacob emerges, dressed like an undercover cop in a ’90s made-for-TV movie, wearing a black flannel and sunglasses with one sweatpant rolled up. He jumps into his cosplay, taking things way too far by saying he’s heard Gregory has “been talking trash about gay people.” The mention of casual homophobia only makes Darnell want to beat up Gregory more, particularly because his cousin’s cousin might be gay, so now he has to beat Gregory’s ass for himself, Jabari, his cousin, and, apparently, Frank Ocean. Darnell takes off his jacket and squares up, but Gregory handles it in the most mature and logical way possible; he says Darnell can hit him if he wants to, but they’re both on team Jabari and fighting would be letting down an incredible kid, who is doing well in school. Pulling on his heartstrings works, and Darnell backs down but not without a last word: If Jabari’s grades start slipping, the fight is back on. The episode ends with Melissa returning to school the next day with crutches and a cast, and Lisa congratulates Gregory on diffusing Darnell’s act of aggression. Apparently, Jabari’s last teacher wasn’t so levelheaded and ended up swinging on Darnell. Thank goodness Janine gave up on getting her money back — Barbara’s got them hands!
Teacher’s Notes
• I love watching Gregory and Tariq interact now that Gregory and Janine are an established couple. Tariq’s pining for Gregory’s friendship and adjusting to “fatherhood” is a great running gag.
• Finally, the funniest lines of the episode:
Melissa, explaining what happens at the doctor’s: “You go in with a bad back, you come out in a body bag … with a bill stapled to it.”
Jacob: “Nothing gets me more fired up than nonviolent conflict resolution.”
Ava, after Gregory says he isn’t an uncivilized ruffian: “Why would you even say it like that? That’s the kind of talk that makes people want to beat your ass.”
