Yahoo News Which ‘Abbott Elementary’ Teacher Is the Best Hang?
If you could get drinks with anyone in the Abbott Elementary cast, who would you pick? Perhaps grabbing aperol spritzes—and then taking a long “nap-erol spritz”—with Jacob (Chris Perfetti) would be a good time. Gossipping with Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) over a glass of sauvignon blanc? The perfect night. A night out with Ava (Janelle James) would be thrilling, if one could make it out alive.
But we haven’t mentioned the coolest Abbott Elementary teacher yet: Mr. Gregory Eddie (Tyler James Williams), whose chill demeanor and listening skills dominate the third episode of Abbott Elementary Season 3. When older students start flocking to Gregory’s classroom for lunch, free periods, and after school chat sessions, the teacher panics. He doesn’t want to be the Cool Teacher. He doesn’t see himself as a good hang. Gregory needs his alone time!
These students start to really pester Gregory. Not only are they farting on command, but they’re also asking about girl problems, and Gregory is totally allergic to talking about…women. When Gregory calls them “females,” the boys point and laugh, as if their teacher said a bad word. “Ha,” one student says with a giggle. “You said feeeeemalless.” In elementary school, the f-word is no longer “f*ck.” Rather, it is “females.”
‘Abbott Elementary’ Loses Its Best Teacher
The lady gossip is the final straw for Gregory. When one of the boys, Javon (JeCobi Swain), asks Gregory for advice on what to buy his fourth-grade boo for her birthday, Gregory struggles to come up with a response. The kid has been thinking about buying a chain for himself for his girlfriend. Gregory advises against that—what kind of girl wants…to see a chain on her boyfriend?
“Think about it, man,” the kid says. “She’ll get to have a boyfriend with a new chain.”
Tyler James Williams.
Still, no. But Gregory’s one to talk, here, seeing as how last season, he bought his bougie girlfriend a Lego bouquet for Valentine’s day. Cute, but not the right gift for a girl with designer handbags. Try giving something like that to Janine (Quinta Brunson) instead, Gregory. This advice backfires: Javon’s girlfriend wails in the hallway about not getting the new chain. Melissa, her teacher, is peeved that Gregory prevented this from happening. So…boyfriend chains are all the rage, I guess?
After this chaos, Jacob and Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) work together to push Gregory to understand that being the Cool Teacher might actually work out in his favor. Being the Cool Teacher comes with a lot of power. Gregory can now persuade students’ opinions, he can lead them to greater lives and control drama like the chain situation. It’ll take some time to really wrangle the kids and set them on the right path, but Gregory’s status makes him a key figure in the students’ lives—as annoying as the farts during lunch may be.
We’ve gotten to see Gregory really blossom from substitute into the school botanist and a full-time teacher in the past two seasons of Abbott. Williams’ performances in these first two episodes of Season 3 prove that he’s one to watch—his character’s hilarious lines are perhaps subtler than those of Janine or Ava, but at times, that only makes him funnier. Gregory’s blank stares into the camera in this episode, paired with the kids’ frenzied pleas for advice, results in one of the best performances Abbott has seen to date.
Quinta Brunson.
Although Janine’s ex, Tariq (Zack Fox), makes his grand return to Abbott—his “child” (the son of a girl Tariq’s been dating for a couple weeks) is in Barbara’s classroom—the rest of the episode takes place outside of the school limits. With Janine working off-site at the district headquarters, Season 3 appears to have added two new regular locations to its roster: the district offices, plus a nearby bar frequented by Janine and her old Abbott pals.
Why ‘Abbott Elementary’ Chose That Wistful Ending for Janine and Gregory
While Janine’s new job offers her the chance to mingle occasionally with Ava—who attempts to enlist Janine as a district “mole” for Abbott—it’s hard for us to get used to Abbott without her. Janine still tries to give new opportunities to her old place of employment, hiring a sign language interpreter for Jacob’s classroom, but Abbott just feels off without her.
Will Janine ever return to teach the students of Abbott and continue her slow burn with Gregory? Or will Gregory’s “roster” of women—the students’ words, not mine—stay static for the rest of the school year?
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