Hey! This episode starts off with the teachers at a PTA meeting hosted by Tariq (Zack Fox) and Krystal (Raven Goodwin). Honestly, it took me a minute to remember that Tariq is now dating a mom of a student at the school, which is why he is part of the PTA. But it’s always good to see him. The discussion revolves around concerns about the potential gentrification of the neighborhood due to the development of the golf course, which we learned of last episode. Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) seems dismissive, possibly due to the golf attorney offering computers to stop complaints. The meeting quickly turns into a discussion about Will Smith movies and with everyone doing the line dance for “Wild Wild West”.
In a class taught by Jacob (Chris Perfetti), he notices a student, Brandon, scratching his arm. Later, he informs other teachers that one of his students has ringworm. Gregory (Tyler James Williams) reacts the same way I would, by gathering his things and getting up, and leaving the break room. Despite sending the affected student home and sanitizing the desks, the teachers are still worried. Jacob tries to assure them that everything is fine, but then Brandon’s mom sends him back to school since it isn’t school policy to send a kid back home for ringworm. I just want to take a moment and say that the note from the mom to Jacob stating “I'm not the one, or the two so please send my child home at three. Try Jesus, don’t try me” was the highlight of my day. The situation escalates when Brandon reveals that he passed his Switch around the classroom, potentially spreading the ringworm. Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Ava’s plan is put into place.
All the older kids are isolated upstairs with Jacob while Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) stands guard. All the kids must make sure that their hands are washed. The desks are being sanitized. No recess, group activities, gym, library, or unchaperoned trips outside the classroom. And of course Ava (Janelle James) is wearing a hazmat suit. Gregory is particularly anxious and takes extreme precautions, constantly sanitizing and spraying Lysol, even refusing to open the door to Janine and postponing their plans due to fear of getting ringworm, which upsets Janine. I get where Janine is coming from, but I honestly can’t blame Gregory either. I feel like after COVID, and maybe this is just me, we all kind of have PTSD about infections and illnesses, and besides, no one wants a contagious fungal infection. I wouldn’t be as extreme as Gregory is but I feel like if me and my partner had plans later that night, but we found out that someone in our proximity had a cold, or maybe pink eye, I would be a little cautious. Meanwhile, Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) confronts Barbara about her lack of precautions, as Barbara believes she is immune to ringworm due to her faith. This leads to a discussion about personal beliefs and taking precautions for the safety of others. Even though Melissa’s concerns mostly stemmed from the fact that she has a hot date with a guy who has an inground hot tub, she does make a good point that even though Barbara feels she is immune because God protects her, what about her kids in the classroom, what if some of them don’t even believe in God. This honestly feels a little out of character for Barbara because even though she has a right to her beliefs, her lack of precautions is a little negligent as a teacher.
Back upstairs, Jacob’s students are upset about being isolated in the classroom, and Jacob also disagrees with the situation. One of the students needs to go to the bathroom, and when Jacob denies the request because he can’t leave the classroom at the moment, the student compares him to Mr. Morton and Draco, the strict Athenian lawmaker Jacob was teaching about earlier. It seems like the comment about Mr. Morton hits Jacob harder than the one about Draco.
Eventually, Jacob allows the student to go to the bathroom, but it turns out that the student actually went downstairs to give his little brother his jacket, return a book to the library, get a drink from the teacher’s lounge, and dap up Barbara, breaking all protocols and potentially exposing the entire school to contamination. The teachers are now panicking again. However, Jacob suggests putting all the exposed students in a combined isolation class in the gym for the rest of the day, and he volunteers to sacrifice himself to supervise them. Barbara is later found to have contracted ringworm (shocking I know) and leaves the school. The school day ends with Janine feeling disappointed that Gregory is postponing their date, but he eventually gives in after seeing how upset she is. It’s a heartwarming moment to see Gregory overcome his fears to make Janine happy. I really like them as a couple.
The episode concludes with all the teachers revealing that they've caught ringworm, with Jacob being extremely infected with several of them. The only one who didn’t catch it was Ava, which is no surprise since she spent the whole day wearing a hazmat suit.
Overall, this episode was extremely funny. It had a great plot and showcased another small bump between Gregory and Janine that ultimately strengthened their relationship. This episode gave me major COVID flashbacks, not just with the extreme precautions that were taken, but also the discussion of your comfort vs the comfort of others around you. We all experienced a sense of fear, especially after the pandemic, which made this episode relatable. My favorite part was seeing Gregory freaking out. Williams has great comedic timing, and his facial expressions to the camera are a highlight for me. Although the golf course is only mentioned briefly at the beginning, it's likely that the golf course issue and potential gentrification will be this season’s main conflict. I’m excited to see how they handle this plot, as gentrification is a significant recurring problem in Philly. Thank you for reading, and feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.
What did you think of the episode?
Loved it
Hated it
So/So
コメント