Abbott Elementary: Holiday Hookah

December 8, 2022 10:48 PM - Season 2, Episode 10

Janine, Gregory and Ava arrive (separately) to a hookah bar party, while Jacob, Barbara, Melissa and the janitor party quietly...or not so quietly when Jacob runs his mouth off.

This show really, really does remind me of Parks and Rec-style. Especially the near kiss at the end.

posted by jenfullmoon (13 comments total)

Felt a lot of cognitive dissonance during the hookah club scenes this episode. In the logic of the show, COVID isn't a thing, but I couldn't stop watching and thinking "oh god, a hookah club during a pandemic? how did they even shoot this episode, given the TV / Film industry is one of the few still being pretty good about COVID protections for workers?". They even made a joke about the lack of ventilation when they walked out of the place!

Also not a huge fan of stringing out the Will-They Won't-They of Gregory and Janine. I think it would feel more earned and less trope-y if we ever actually had character development with Amber and Gregory. Instead I don't think we've seen her on-screen in ages. Makes it feel a bit 1D, like Amber is more a maguffin to drive conflict than anything else.

Stuff I liked included the whole "Christmas is painful for me" plot with Jacob, because yeah, that's real and I feel it. Laughed when he can't cross the street TWICE without a car almost hitting him and laying on the horn. Classic Philly, though I don't miss it. Gregory looked really hot in that shirt / sweater, and Ava continues to show a little more of her possible heart-of-gold turn by inviting Janine out. Also I just realized that I've been thinking that Larry Owens (who plays Jacob's husband Zach) and Charles Jones are the same person for like a year? In my defense, Larry can sing his ass off and they do look pretty similar.
posted by lazaruslong at 2:56 AM on December 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

Clearly, Janine fell asleep in the hookah bar and dreamt most of this episode: there is no chance in hell that Ava would not tell everyone she met that she was dating an NBA player.
posted by Etrigan at 6:46 AM on December 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

My DVR cut off the end of the credits scene- what happens after Ava's boyfriend shuts the door to the car with Janine outside?
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 6:48 AM on December 9, 2022

She says something like "Oh, okay... I'll... get in the other side...", and he nods with a sort of resigned Yeah, that's Ava's seat, and we both know neither of us is going to ask her to move over or otherwise remember that other people exist, so... look. Janine walks around the car.
posted by Etrigan at 6:54 AM on December 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

there is no chance in hell that Ava would not tell everyone she met that she was dating an NBA player.

...but I must admit, "Well, he's been dating me for five years, but I've only been dating him for two." is a truly great line.
posted by Etrigan at 7:11 AM on December 9, 2022 [9 favorites]

COVID isn't a thing, but I couldn't stop watching and thinking "oh god, a hookah club during a pandemic? how did they even shoot this episode, given the TV / Film industry is one of the few still being pretty good about COVID protections for workers?". The COVID isn't a thing, but I couldn't stop watching and thinking "oh god, a hookah club during a pandemic? how did they even shoot this episode, given the TV / Film industry is one of the few still being pretty good about COVID protections for workers?". They even made a joke about the lack of ventilation when they walked out of the place!

This reminds me of how Jenna Ortega had to film a club dancing scene while obviously very sick with covid, but they didn't stop filming until they confirmed a positive test.

I'm not saying that happened here because I have no idea, but the entire world is DONE WITH COVID and doesn't care and they may have thrown protocols out the window for this too for all I know.

Also not a huge fan of stringing out the Will-They Won't-They of Gregory and Janine.

That's exactly how TV works, drag it out for a few years before you go there. This is the new Pam and Jim, and I say that as someone who didn't even get into The Office.

I think it would feel more earned and less trope-y if we ever actually had character development with Amber and Gregory. Instead I don't think we've seen her on-screen in ages. Makes it feel a bit 1D, like Amber is more a maguffin to drive conflict than anything else.

I literally do not remember who Amber is, nor do I care, because she is a Romantic False Lead trope. There is literally NO REASON TO CARE ABOUT HER EXISTENCE because she only exists as a temporary roadblock (probably one of many) to string out J/G for three or so years. There shall be some Kimberlys and some Maurices and who the hell ever for the next few years to placehold until Quinta decides to go there, because that is how TV works.
posted by jenfullmoon at 7:32 AM on December 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

I literally do not remember who Amber is

Me neither! And I thought Gregory was single!
posted by ThePinkSuperhero at 8:20 AM on December 9, 2022 [1 favorite]

I literally do not remember who Amber is, nor do I care, because she is a Romantic False Lead trope. There is literally NO REASON TO CARE ABOUT HER EXISTENCE because she only exists as a temporary roadblock (probably one of many) to string out J/G for three or so years. There shall be some Kimberlys and some Maurices and who the hell ever for the next few years to placehold until Quinta decides to go there, because that is how TV works.

ok


i want less trope more substance is all i was trying to get at. would be great to get a chance to see naté jones who plays amber again as well
posted by lazaruslong at 9:39 AM on December 9, 2022 [2 favorites]

I literally do not remember who Amber is

You're not the only one. Is she the parent who kept bringing the student in late?
posted by dlugoczaj at 12:29 PM on December 9, 2022

I don't think so...I don't think he's dating a parent...I remember he dated Barbara's daughter and that ended offscreen in a bout of mutual "meh." I can't remember Amber AT ALL, but I don't think that was the daughter's name....
posted by jenfullmoon at 5:58 PM on December 9, 2022

Yeah, she's the parent of that late student. Thank you for your donation to my mouth!
posted by lazaruslong at 2:59 AM on December 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

Ha, loved the gift exchange. The bust of Mr. Johnson because he always talks about how he didn't get to keep any of the art he modeled nude for was such a funny character moment for both Mr. Johnson and Janine. But also, hilarious to think Janine had that made in the week since the name draw by a local artist on a teacher's white elephant budget.

Ava complaining about her work husband dancing with her work nemesis and demanding something cheap to do a spit take with was my favorite Ava moment this episode. But the Andre Iguodala boyfriend reveal was also great.

I'm meh about will they/won't they sitcom romances, but Janine and Gregory awkwardly deciding to dance because they like being normal was cute.
posted by the primroses were over at 12:13 PM on December 10, 2022 [1 favorite]

Abbott Elementary Is Trying To Kill Us.

Though the series has strongly suggested that Janine and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) will be endgame ever since the two first met in the pilot episode, Brunson has made the savvy, if painful, decision to keep the two apart for however long she’s deemed necessary.

Unfortunately, it doesn’t look as though anything is going to change any time soon since Greg is dating Amber (Nate’ Jones), and from the looks of things, Janine is about to have a thing with rapper Vince Staples, who plays Greg’s friend Maurice.
posted by jenfullmoon at 12:50 PM on December 10, 2022 [2 favorites]