Review: Abbott Elementary, “Class Pet” | Season 4, Episode 3

“Really,” you’re thinking: “A banger of a season? Already?”

To anyone who’s followed my criticism over the years—I am forever grateful and thankful—you’re most likely aware that I typically wouldn’t ever ask such a question about a season of television. Especially not this early on. In my coverage of The O.C. Season Three, I was surprised to find in rewatch that the first few episodes of the season were “actually good,” but I definitely wasn’t trying to ever reframe things as the season secretly being a banger. (Nor did I do that for Season Two, a season I still am ultimately very fond of.) But given my (hopefully understandable) issues with and criticisms of the past couple of seasons of Abbott Elementary (acknowledging that Season Three was also the result of a writers’ strike, the same thing that KILLED Pushing Daisies on ABC), it is a bit surprising for me to realize or at least even consider that Abbott Elementary Season Four just might, in fact, already be a banger.

As I noted in my review of this season’s premiere episode, there is something to this season making its large, systematic issue something worth attempting to overcome in a way that the audience doesn’t have to debate the merits of “both sides.” (And possibly failing in that attempt to overcome the situation, which would also be a new dynamic for the Abbott crew.) The golf course on its own is obviously a tangible antagonist for the Abbot crew, but the concept of gentrification is something else—a whole other beast. But in terms of the audience not having to debate the merits of the situation, that’s also the case for said crew, as it’s immediately clear that this is a situation where you don’t have to worry about any of the teachers falling on the side of this obstacle at any point (unlike in the case of charter schools or working for the district)... aside from maybe Jacob. (You know why.) And for that, there’s hopefully no real need for the show to poorly maneuver its way into getting to a place where it needs to fight it. Because that place of “fighting it” already started in the premiere, only for the Abbott crew to accept it with the now oft-mentioned bribe. So, anyone paying attention knows that this is only the beginning, not the end of the conflict.

Which brings us to “Class Pet,” where this season’s major conflict once again comes front and center. Only, this time, it’s not actually on the end of the gentrifying golf course development but instead on the consequences of the Abbott crew doing whatever it takes to finally make the system work for them for once. “Class Pet” honestly would’ve been just fine as an episode if it had only kept the aftermath of the golf course/lawyer/bribe/computer situation confined to the cold open, as that’s yet another homerun for this season. (Thus the early classification of “banger” status.) But following up on this story and its consequences—as in the consequences of something that was supposed to be seen as a win for the team, as opposed to the consequences of them essentially selling out to the gentrifiers, which is most likely coming—Abbott Elementary proves that it just might truly be hitting its stride.

And the episode does so by putting both Ava and Melissa in front and center, which is always a gamble. For the former, it’s a case where Ava—despite Janelle James’ terrific work—can arguably be too cartoonish or over the top, messing with the entire dynamic. And for the latter—again, despite Lisa Ann Walter’s terrific work—it’s a case where the writing can often leave things lacking for the character. Instead, both of these characters are provided with fully fleshed-out stories, combined with the expected dynamic performance to come with them. And with the other characters in the supporting roles and backseats of the story, it all combines to make a terrifically funny—and touching, which is the Abbott Elementary special—episode.

In the case of Ava’s role in all of this, she’s the one leading the charge in making this whole new computer situation work. “Class Pet” is not just an Ava-focused or -centric episode; it’s one of those episodes that highlights her particular brand of competency as Abbott’s principal and—like it or not—leader. For all of Ava’s… Ava-ness, she is a hustler who does care about these kids at Abbott—even when she’s dunking on them. And as much as she loves to put herself first, she’ll ultimately always put them first ahead of her. (Like a 1A/1B situation. Janine is 100Z.) Of course, regarding that aforementioned Ava-ness, it’s her hubris that causes her to fly to close to the sun and almost ruin the racket for the whole school, which leads to a last-minute necessity to save the day at Abbott, in a way that’s far less forced or intricately-planned than usual.

Again, while the cold open for “Class Pet” would’ve been enough in terms of even addressing the computer situation, Jordan Temple’s script works because it pings on something that is so frustrating it can only be handled in a comedic sense. When Ava explains that even donated computers (without all the bribery and blackmail of it all) wouldn’t be allowed by the district, it’s a point that rings as especially (and, of course, upsettingly) true and real from Abbott Elementary. Yes, Abbott got these computers via less-than-honorable means, but the fact that even if someone wanted to actually help out the school and donate computers—such as Bradley Cooper, for example—it wouldn’t be allowed just highlights the continued cycle of underfunding and limited resources these characters in this world (and honestly, public school teachers in real life) have to deal with. So when Ava tells O’Shon (Matthew Law), the district tech guy, that she’ll just “find another way” to get her students computers, there is a sense of triumph there—even though the audience could tell even before this moment that O’Shon was going to be Team Abbott by the end of the episode. (And O’Shon, by the way, is a fun new introduction to the world of Abbott, especially as the Rachael Leigh Cook to Ava’s especially dismissive Freddie Prinze Jr.)

Then there’s the Melissa/Sweet Cheeks the guinea pig B-plot—a part of the “Class Pet” aspect of it all—which is definitely one of those sitcom plots where you can see exactly where it’s going but can still appreciate how it very much delivers.¹ Arguably, the funniest bit of this entire plot is the moment where Janine learns the “lesson of the episode”— 

“I feel awful. I mean, I pushed Melissa to do something she didn’t want, and it didn’t work out. I should not have tried to assert my guinea pig agenda. I might be grown, but I can still make rookie mistakes.”

—only for it to not really be the lesson…or matter at all, honestly. It’s obviously clear to the audience that Melissa is keeping Sweet Cheeks all to herself, but there really is something to Janine having that standard, weekly clarity moment without it actually mattering that really hits. After all, considering how often Janine has to learn a lesson she already knows or already should’ve known on a weekly basis, it’s an especially fun lampshading of the Abbott Elementary episode structure to have a false version of that.

But this plot also works because of just how real and honest it is, without even speaking to the public school aspect of it (though it does find a way to tie it into teaching the students about responsibility, in a nice callback moment between Melissa/Gregory). Initially, I was going to compare this plot to the classic trope of the father who tries to tell you he won’t take care of your little rat dog that is your responsibility, only to become the most attached to it of any family member—but then I realized this could honestly apply to any parent, as this was also the case for my mother and our late dog Chewy (who was not a “rat” dog), as my mother essentially became Chewy’s mother as well.

“Class Pet” is honestly just a strong episode from top-to-bottom. The main plots are the type of strong stories you want from supporting characters, and the rest of the dynamics that comes from everyone else as a result manage to maintain both the level of humor and heart that Abbott Elementary is all about. There are puns, there are pets, and there are plans (of gaslighting)—all in Philly. And it all makes for a banger of an episode this early in the season.

Stray observations

• In classic Fergs fashion, I ended up writing this review while traveling for a trip across the country—in the middle of a chaotic time of packing for a less far away move and getting slightly sick in all the stress. As usual, apologies if I am clearly delirious in anything (or everything) I wrote.
• “Ringworm” and now “Class Pet” have both mined jokes from the fact that Melissa and Jacob still live together. I personally think addressing that fact this way is so much better than the actual concept of seeing them live together.
• Re: the delivery driver just leaving the computers in the worst place possible and not helping to bring them inside: It’s funny when it happens on television, not when it happens to me.
• Ava: “Jesus would help.”
  Barbara: “Jesus was lean. 33. With muscles.”
  Ava (right to the camera, so we all know): “Hot.”
• It’s worth noting that Janine’s acceptance of Gregory and his classroom’s pet rock (“Dwayne ‘The Pet’ Rockson” is genius, by the way) is a far better look for the character and the Janine/Gregory coupling than her dismissiveness towards his reaction to ringworm last week. This is not to say that Janine has to accept all of Gregory’s eccentricities, but, like, it would’ve made more sense for her to accept last week’s eccentricity than this week’s.
• Ava: “I like to cause doubt and confusion by creating a memory that doesn’t exist. Some call it gaslighting, I call it ‘kids have computers in their classrooms’.”
• Ava (to Jacob and Barbara, just in the hall): “We just hanging out?” In this moment, Ava clearly has a point. It’s a nice touch, as Jacob and Barbara just standing in the hall is clearly set-up blocking for this scene to even exist. So to have it acknowledged in any way is perfect.
• Ava: “So, if you love new computers, lie like an old carpet.”
  Barbara: “I cannot, I do not, I will not lie.”
  Ava: “I heard you tell Janine she looked cool in that goofy sweater.”
  Barbara: “Okay, you got me.” And this makes for back-to-back scenes of characters essentially dunking on Janine’s sweater, as the previous scene has the bit about Sweet Cheeks biting Janine because of her sweater.
• Ava: “First of all, he wears glasses. Second of all, you two need a pair if you think he’s attractive.”
• Melissa (to a student playing with a pencil between his fingers like it’s a knife): “You gotta stop that, kid. You’re gonna hurt yourself.”
  Aaron: “No, I’m not. I don’t feel pain. Do guinea pigs?”
  Melissa: “...no more pencils for Aaron.”
• Barbara’s fish is named “Queen La-Sea-fah.”
• Barbara (re: O’Shon): “Mmm, mm, mmm. That man put the ‘form’ in information technology.”
  Jacob: “He’s a real firefox.”
  Mr. Johnson: “Get your ass on Chrome. Anyway, he looks just like me five years ago. But with more hair.”
  Ava: “This man is a weenie.” I like to imagine that this is the one time Mr. Johnson is 100% telling the truth, and Matthew Law will play him in a flashback one day.
• Melissa holding Sweet Cheeks as she drives, singing “Guinea Pigs Just Want to Have Fun” is the best use of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun” on ABC since the Stumptown episode that was a three-act queer love story utilizing three different versions of “Girls Just Want to Have Fun.”
• Ava: “Plot twist: The ‘M’ in M. Night Shyamalan stands for ‘Melissa’.”
  Janine: “Yeah, yeah. Give it up, Melissa Night Shyamalan.”
  Gregory: “Guys, there are other directors. Just because he’s local doesn’t mean he’s the only director.” Yeah, but in this case, he applies.
• Ava (re: O’Shon): “He ain’t all that. And he’s poor.” Yes, but Mr. Johnson just rented She’s All That from Blockbuster, so time to cue the greatest romantic movie of all time: the She’s All That version of the music video for “Kiss Me.”
• Mr. Johnson: “So the old guinea pig had a long-lost twin? I know the feeling.”
  Melissa: “Yeah, well, um… Honestly, it’s the same guinea pig.”
  Mr. Johnson: “So what did I bury?”