Merry Christmas Happy Holidays from Abbott. After a little break, we were welcomed back from our favorite group of teachers with not one, but TWO episodes!!! It’s a winter break double feature yall so strap in…..
Since we got a lot to cover, i'm going to break down the plots by characters, starting with our favorite OG teacher:
Barbara
Tis the season to be……....inclusive??? Barbara is met with a dilemma when her Muslim student, Khadija (River Blossom), can’t participate in the annual christmas show because she doesn’t celebrate. Barbara feels bad, especially after a couple of kids make fun of her. This prompts Barbara to declare that the Christmas Show is now the Winter Show, excluding anything Christmas related to make sure that everyone is included. At first, this seems like an impossible task, with Janine’s step team now needing a whole new song to dance to, and with Barbara writing a whole new song for her class to sing (but kindergarteners can only learn so much so quickly). Eventually, the performance is saved when Tariq intervenes and tells the children to sing their silly song instead (which is now stuck in my head) and the steppers adapt quickly. Khadija’s mother later thanks Barbara for including her daughter. This was a really heartfelt moment, because the holidays are the time of family, friends and love, but we all have to remember that not everyone celebrates the same way.
Jacob
We get introduced to Jacob’s younger brother Caleb (Tyler Perez), who Jacob shows some envy towards since he is the family’s golden child. I’m not gonna lie, I got freaked out at first by how much they looked like each other. Anyway, Jacob’s earlier statement is proven true as Caleb is easily able to charm everyone in the school, even getting invited to speak on the school podcast. Jacob, frustrated with his brother as he believes he humilates them, is quickly humbled when Gregory plays the podcast where Caleb expresses admiration for his brother. Honestly, this was a really sweet moment, especially because we rarely see Jacob pop off like the way he did. I can see that this really affected him, especially when he said that Caleb charming everyone is one of the reasons why he doesn’t go home for the holidays. And if you remember season 2’s holiday episode “Holiday Hookah”, we know that Jacob has bad memories associated with Christmas. This episode just added a piece of the puzzle to the picture. I hope we get to see more of Jacob’s family, possibly his parents next…….
Melissa
Our favorite Philly Italian spent these two episodes preparing food for her family’s Christmas dinner, even going as far to take up all of the fridges in the school. This is the first time Melissa is hosting Christmas dinner since her divorce since her family doesn’t believe that she can do all of it by herself. We obviously know Melissa’s sister, but we got to meet a lot of her family this Christmas. And they were……..interesting to say the least. Let’s just say that Melissa wasn’t exaggerating with how much didn’t believe in her to host. They constantly belittle her for not having a husband. But Melissa is determined to prove them wrong. But a little hiccup happens when Jacob and Caleb inform her that her bigot uncle has appeared to be dead upstairs. Jacob wants to call the cops, but Melissa, certain that her family will blame her, decides to wait until after dessert. But of course that plan is ruined when the fire department, along with the firefighter that Melissa is dating, shows up after Jacob pressed the uncle’s death alert button earlier. All of this ends when the uncle comes down stairs alive and well. Even though I personally wouldn’t have entertained relatives who constantly insult me, it was nice to see Melissa prove her abilities and worth while being divorced. You don’t need a partner to be capable of hosting family dinners.
Janine, Gregory, and Ava
These three kind of went together this episode. This marks Janine and Gregory’s first Christmas together as a couple, and it starts off on a sweet note. But things take a turn when Ava shows up at Janine’s place, annoying the couple by taking over. Ava declares that she doesn’t have any family in Philly to spend time with at the moment, but Gregory knows that’s not true as he met her father at the end of last episode. Gregory confronts Ava about this and she admits that they don’t have a good relationship, and begs Gregory not to tell Janine as she thinks that Janine will meddle and try to fix Ava’s relationship with her father (which, let’s be honest, is totally something that Janine would do). But this comes to a head when Janine asks Gregory to ask Ava to leave, but because he knows about Ava’s secret, he feels bad and suggests that she stays. Janine quickly picks up that Gregory is keeping something from her, which irritates her. Ava, overhearing, tells Janine to get Gregory out of trouble. Janine reacts very understandingly, and the three hang out the rest of the evening, well until Ava changes into a party outfit and leaves as she reveals she was just killing time, leaving our happy couple cozied up on the couch. It has been a while since we have seen Ava be vulnerable in this way, and I hope this isn’t the end of it. It was nice to see Ava build bonds with Janine and Gregory, even if it caused a little bit of trouble. Hopefully we will dive more into Ava’s relationship with her father later in the season.
Mr. Johnson
Our favorite janitor was Santa this year, hilariously going to each teacher’s house and delivering them a present that lowkey served as an insult, and the episode ends with him going to the North Pole: The Gentlemen’s Club, with a sack full of money.
Overall, these two episodes definitely got me into the Christmas Holiday spirit!! It was nice to see a few of our teachers adapt to the holiday hijinks, while others tackled personal issues. These two episodes were honestly worth the 3 week break as it wrapped everything up in a nice little bow (wink). But let me know what you think and Happy Holidays Everyone!
What did you think?
Loved it
Hated it
So/So
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