“Abbott Elementary” - Season 2, Episode 17 Review
In this week’s episode of “Abbott Elementary,” we see something that isn’t often showcased: Chris Perfetti.
Jacob is delighted when Mural Arts, a group that helps students paint murals in their schools, is coming to paint a mural with his students. He encourages the students to choose a mural that encapsulates the legacy they want to leave at Abbott.
The students eventually choose their mural, which is a wall of sock puppets based on a show they all love, but Jacob has some issues with this. When he tells them they can’t use the sock puppets and have to choose something more meaningful, they’re upset, and Mural Arts says if they can’t make a decision the mural won’t be done.
Jacob is eventually convinced that he should allow the students to paint whichever mural they want to paint, even if he doesn’t like it. After he sees the mural they eventually painted, there is a really sweet moment between him and his students.
Jacob’s character is not one that we often see do much besides be the butt of a joke, but this episode really allows Perfetti to shine in this role. He is one of the only main characters who we have yet to see have a sweet moment with students, and it is heartwarming to see.
We also see the return of Mr. Johnson, the beloved janitor who has not been as present lately in the episodes.
Meanwhile, Melissa and Barb find out that Legendary Charter, the company that turned the school down the street into a charter school, has the idea to turn Abbott into a charter school as well. The women are very upset about this, and decide to investigate.
Later in the episode, a mother comes in looking to re-enroll her student at Abbott after he had left to attend a charter school. The school had kicked him out because they were unhappy with his performance, which Barbara and Melissa find enraging. This prompts Ava to join the two women in their investigation into Legendary Charter.
This episode also tackles some issues with Janine and Gregory and the fallout from their kiss in the last episode. Janine wants to break up with Maurice, but she and Gregory are both torn on whether or not they should tell him about the kiss.
When Maurice shows up to ask to take Janine to lunch, Janine and Gregory decide to go together and tell him about the kiss and the breakup. When the three end up at lunch together, Maurice takes the news of the kiss really well, but not so much the news of the breakup.
This episode of Abbott is not one of the best of the season, but it allows some unexpected characters to stand out. It also calls back to Legendary Charter, which was introduced in episode 7, “Attack Ad.”
Although not one of the more exciting episodes, it definitely had a lot of important plotlines. Legendary Charter will definitely be back, and awkwardness between Janine and Gregory is likely to continue as well.
Rating: 3/5
Izzy Charboneau is a second-year majoring in digital and print journalism. To contact her, email ijc5186@psu.edu.
