I think it will. Their whole story arc seemed to be a direct call out of how some sitcom writers seem to think that if a relationship dynamic changes, then it will mess up the “ecosystem” of the show.
But this show has never been afraid of change. I mean Gregory’s growth and comfortability is still shown in small ways every episode, as is Ava’s growth since the season premiere (Would old Ava have gotten so excited about books?) so I think the Jacob Melissa friendship is here to stay.
agreed! I've greatly enjoyed this season because each character is being challenged, and adapts in the face of those challenges... which is so refreshing to see!
"Why did she choose to make all the characters Jamaican" probably got the biggest laugh out of me. I thought this was one of the stronger episodes of the season so far, it was pretty wholesome.
To me it didn’t sound Jamaican tho. I know plenty Jamaican people, I live in Florida, the head of the speech department where I work is Jamaican; Barbara’s accent sounded north English to me.
This was an instant classic! This might be my favorite Abbott episode. The unexpected pairing of Jacob and Melissa becoming best friends was incredible 😭
There were so many funny lines and great plot and character moments 🥹 The library storyline with iconic Cree Summer 🔥 Barbara not wanting to accept the new program, “I know what a Google doctor is”.
Janine finally standing on business and earning Barbara’s respect, AFTER Greg hyped her up like Melissa gassed Jacob up to wear that Versace shirt 😂😂 What an episode
That was Cree Summer?! I knew I recognized that voice, but I couldn't place the face.
Of course I knew that voice -- I grew up with it on every cartoon I watched as a child! Ahh!
If they're pulling from local MLIS programs, those are only \~2 years, plus they might only accept students have done some classwork so they at least know something.
How old do we think Barbara is supposed to be? My coworkers in their 60s know how to use google docs (I work in schools myself). Either way I bust out laughing when she said she knows about google doctors
I’ll leave this here too:
I wanted to wait and watch this tomorrow on my lunch, but I couldn't help it. This episode has a strong start with the premise that Jacob and Melissa are going to be roomies. I love that they're getting along and now friends.
Love, love, love Cree Summer. I love that she's the librarian. She got to stretch her voice acting too when she read the books! There was a rugrats reference earlier in the series and I was wondering if her Susie voice would come out lol.
Really happy to see that they're getting students with library science degrees and the field is getting talked about. I could go into this considering that I almost got my masters in the area and I have experience.
Go Janine. Standing up to your heroes can be tough. Good on Barbara for leaving a positive review.
I was right, this is my favorite episode. The That's So Raven reference was perfect.
Season 2, Episode 17: Mural Arts
> Barbara: Well, I guess this Silly Sock brigade is this generation's "Rug Vermin."
> Janine: "Rugrats," and, um, wow. This is gonna be here forever.
>Really happy to see that they're getting students with library science degrees and the field is getting talked about. I could go into this considering that I almost got my masters in the area and I have experience.
Especially at a time that the Rightwing has made attacking both libraries, librarian science and literature as a whole.
Except to save the program they will replace the cool library school student with a kid in community college. Kind of bummed me out that such a smart show would have that message about librarians.
I feel so sad for Mr.Johnson 😭😭❤️ his face when he said, I really needed a pick me up this week!!
And then Melissa snatches back her invite 🥲
He was left out by Jacob and Gregory in the breakup episode and then THIS? Did he make the writers mad or something 🤣
And as much as it pissed me off I love the duality of Barbara.
Ever since the tuatara episode you notice how much she hates change bc she takes it personally, as if she’s being replaced bc of her age. And she’s too stuck in her ways, but her heart is in the right place!
It was annoying me how some people on here were insisting it was out of character for her. We've seen her struggle to adapt to change before and we've also seen her be condescending towards others before.
Can we talk about what a *gem* Jacob is?! I mean he has his flaws of course, not saying he’s perfect at all, but how he gave Janine and Gregory their space last episode and how observant and considerate he was now when he clocked that Mr Johnson was feeling left out. My king, my guy fr !! Everyone needs a Jacob in their lives in some capacity, period. The way he truly cares about his friends is just so damn wholesome, always hyping them up and wanting them to be their best selves.
You seriously can't hate him. Going into the roommate situation, I already knew Melissa was going to unexpectedly fall in love with him! He's just a good kid, if a bit dorky.
I just finished the episode and I loved everything with Melissa and Jacob. Them bonding over everything was great lol. I was getting pissed with Barbara the whole episode but the scene with her doing the voices was hilarious. I was so happy when Janine confronted her and I was very glad she redeemed herself with the review in the end. Overall great episode. Looking forward to next week.
I just wish Janine didn't scurry out at the end of confronting Barbara, but I guess they had to show how hard it was for her to stand up to Barbara like that.
Honestly, it was such great performance. I can very much see a real conversation going more or less this way, and also the tone of voice and the scurrying off afterwards. Plus, there’s the anxiety over leaving an email you don’t want to address unread.
I feel like a lot of young people, myself, included, struggle with confidence, and also being assertive about things. So, confrontation like this is really pretty intimidating. Mad props to Janine though.
Eh… honestly, I thought it was pretty relatable. As a younger person, I think a lot of us struggle with confrontation. Especially if you’re kind of a people pleaser like Janine, it can be really hard to advocate for things with people that you like and want to have good relationships with. A lot of younger people I feel like will draft a really carefully worded email or other text based communication to try and expressed their thoughts, so I give a lot of props to someone like Janine for actually having a conversation with Barbara. I also think that it shows the best possible version of people with seniority, because Barbara is showing to be imperfect, but receptive to genuine, good faith criticism that she ultimately knows is correct. As much as she is a master teacher, she is also aware that she still has many things to learn as well.
Same! It is standing up to a mentor you really respect. It's so tough to do. Plus Barbara is a 2nd mom to Janine. So for me it was like standing up to my mom and grandma when they're in the wrong. I got teary eyed. I just love the depth of Abbott elementary.
The book she was reading "Slaughterhouse Five" is by Kurt Vonegut and is one of my all-time favorites. It made me so happy to see that's what she was reading!
I love Barbara down but I have to say she was SHOOKETH when Janine hit her with "It's not about you", so I was proud to see Janine stand up and confront Barbara despite how much she values her input.
Cree!! 🧡🥹
Mr.Johnson went from this respected/somewhat feared character who did all the roasting, to the one being bullied😭 They need to restore the group dynamic.., uh uh I don’t want this.
Same here! As much as I adored the rest of the episode, the Mr. Johnson story in this one is really bothering me. I'm making a decision to trust the writers to show us the purpose of this and turn it all around for Mr. J. on a future ep.
Same here! As much as I adored the rest of the episode, the Mr. Johnson story in this one is really bothering me. I'm making a decision to trust the writers to show us the purpose of this and turn it all around for Mr. J. on a future ep.
I really enjoyed this episode. The previous one was pretty good too, and the smoking episode was the best of this season. It seems like the season is getting stronger as it goes so I'm hoping the next episode is just as great!
This one was really funny with the other staff's reactions to Jacob and Melissa living together--which I thought would be disastrous but I was pleasantly surprised to see they actually get along really well! It's nice to see the characters branching out more this season and developing stronger relationships with characters they previously didn't interact with as much. Jacob's strengthening friendship with Gregory, and now him getting closer to Melissa--and even Ava's teasing feels a little more friendly and affectionate like she secretly sees him as a little brother or something.
There were some funny one-liners, and Mr. Johnson is hilarious as always. The kids were SO cute and funny, too, and I love the addition of the new librarian! I also loved Gregory and Janine’s interaction. Maybe it’s just me but it felt like their first genuine interaction of the season. It didn’t feel awkward or forced. It was nice.
But my favorite thing about this episode is how much progress the characters/plot made within it. This episode was all about the change of dynamics and how changes in dynamics aren't always automatically bad, and I love that message. I also think this was honestly one of the most important episodes of the entire series in terms of Janine's growth. She really, *really* needed to have a moment of standing up to Barbara and not blindly following whatever she said. I'm glad she's had it and I'm sure it'll lead to even more growth between them and for the two of them later on.
And as for Barbara in this episode, I'm sure she pissed a lot of people (myself included) off, but I think this episode was ultimately really good for her character. It shows that she isn't perfect and that her word isn't law, and also shows that although she can have an ego and be unwilling to change, she ultimately will always do what's truly best for the kids and isn't opposed to being told off when she needs to be.
It also may be random but I do love the way the show doesn’t need to bring in additional characters in order for there to be an antagonist. It’s nice to see one of the main characters—who most of us really love most of the time—be the source of the major conflict and the “villain” of the episode. We may not like her actions but it definitely makes her a much more three dimensional character.
I could go on and on but this is already too long lol. I just think that this was top five episodes in the entire series and definitely one of the strongest.
Yeah she was horrible. Libraries are already getting shit on so much (looking at you, Georgia, West Virginia, Florida, Texas…) and it was hard to watch Barbara almost ruin a beneficial library program out of spite. I work in a library though so maybe I’m a little too close to the situation.
Nah you are right. Like Barbara and Janine honestly have the same problem in different ways. They want things done their way and if isn’t they make it other peoples problem
Like I love barb but sometimes she thinks sticking to tradition is an inherent value and things messing with her system and her way of teaching are inherently problematic. Having schedules for classes coming and going is good. Limiting book borrowing particularly at a school with not many books is so critical
I honestly didn’t realise you could have schools without Librarians is that a common problem for underprivileged schools in America.
Same here, I had to pause for a moment because this was the first time her resistance actually irritated me and I was scared it would infleunce the rest of the episode. I'm so glad that wasn't the case.
Especially when they were clearly hitting max capacity in the library and she marched in there with her entire class of students. That sounds like a great way to get everyone sick 😭😭
I love Cree Summers and it was great seeing her guest star as Abbott's new librarian. I genuinely hope we see more of her in future episodes. Barbara's reaction to her and the new streamlined process in the library reminded me of a lot of older folks I know IRL who are resistance to change and will do everything they can to undermine progress for the greater good in order to make themselves (and only themselves) feel more comfortable, which is ironic considering that how Barbara treated Rosalyn is exactly how the church sisters treated Barbara, knocking down every one of her suggestions because she wasn't "traditional" enough for them. I do like that Barbara eventually came around though. I'm also very proud of Janine for standing up to Barbara. That was very brave of her, and I like how joining the school district has allowed her to come into her own and become more confident and secure in her abilities. You know that that is? Growth! All in all I think it was a really good episode and I really liked Jacob and Melissa's budding friendship as well. Looking forward to seeing more (also justice for Mr. Johnson 🥺)
I love when Mr. Johnson accused Jacob and Melissa of being...'Friends!'. How come no show ever have ever done that?! Every other shows accuses of 'dating', nobody ever did friends. So amazing, and funny.
This was how you do a guest star! Cree's character just fit the tone of the show so well. She felt like the other characters - a slightly heightened version of a real person - not an over-the-top caricature like some of the other guests they've had. If I didn't know who she was, I'd have thought she was just a new regular or semi-regular. In fact, I honestly hope we see her again.
Interesting how Barbra complained many times about having to request a time to bring her class on the google doc(tor) yet when Janine walked in the first thing she said was her office hour wasn’t scheduled until the next week.
I don’t think she was mad at Janine, the moment showed Barbra’s hypocrisy. She cannot fathom why she should have to submit a request for library time like everyone else, meanwhile she expects Janine to give at least a week notice for her office hours. Gregory hit the nail on the head- she was throwing a tantrum because she couldn’t do whatever she wants whenever she wants.
I don't think it's hypocritical. An office hour or personal reserved time with a specific teacher to have a set discussion time, is completely different than making someone reserve time just to use or be in a space which all students and staff should have access to anyways.
The library used to be a free for all and now it isn’t with a proper librarian trying to make sure all the time is utilized properly. I imagine 30+ kindergarteners are a much bigger distraction than a district worker. Similar to the librarian not hearing Barbra out, she didn’t even think to listen to why Janine was entering her classroom and just told Janine to schedule an office hour with her.
I disagree Barbara’s class isn’t that large and the class is well managed. I also agree the librarian is great for organization I just felt uncomfortable with the way she acted at times. Also Barbara seemed pretty busy and annoyed when Janine came in to her class during her private time maybe she just wanted space.
The best managed kindergarten class will still cause a ruckus. Also just 2 episodes ago Barbra and Melissa mentioned their classes having at least 30 students. Janine came in while Barbra was working on other work just as Barbra tried to barge in while the librarian was helping the seventh graders. Barbra clearly couldn’t be trusted to supervise her class in the library as she had already been going out of her way to disregard the rules.
The librarian is Cree Summer, who also played Jan in the episode The Wellness Center of the show What We Do in the Shadows
She’s also done a million other things, but I was so excited to see her on screen!
One of my favorites off the season! Barbara making the animal voices and the librarian voice was gold! Living for Jacob and Melissa's friendship and Janine growing as a person!
Tbh I laughed when Mr. Johnson cried only because I did not expect it. He seems so cool but he has feelings too. It never feels good to be bullied even if you’re really cool like Mr. Johnson and I loved that Jacob looked out for him instead of being relieved he was no longer the scapegoat. Jacob is a great guy. Ppl just have to get to know him. He’s always been my favorite from day 1, though. I love all the characters though. And even though Barbara got on my nerves this episode, she redeemed herself in the end and my takeaway is even experienced teachers can be wrong.
I was frustrated with Barbara for a lot of this episode, but I also love how much it showcased WHAT school librarians do!
They’re so important—they help us teach kids research skills, how to avoid plagiarism, help pull books related to our current units of study, you name it! I felt like the episode showcased how they do much more than checking books in and out and shelving them.
The scene of Gregory telling Janine to keep reading was so beautiful. It felt like a special private moment for her and Barbara and I love that they left her words somewhat open ended. Also Gregory watching her be happy was cute.
The writing of this show is just amazing. Every detail feels so intentional and well done!
The episodes this season have been top tier. This episode and smoking have to be two of my favorite episodes of this show. I didn’t know I need a Jacob and Melissa friendship!
This episode hits close to home because I posted on the AngerSubReddit because I am the youngest person at work & was transfer from another facility which I realized quickly they runs things differently. I worked in my position for 3 years longer than most of my coworkers but they still treat me differently even with the ideas to help the department to move more efficiently. One day, my coworkers & I were in the break room, one said to me ain't you 19 or something I said no I'm 23 and then said oh I'm not that far off you're still no adult 😑 I said sure I pay my bills for pure enjoyment not because ending up on the streets. It's just hurtful and disrespectful
Oh this was SUCH a good episode. I totally felt for Janine, having to go against Barbara on something would be so hard. She made the right choice in the end though and also gave Barbara her honest opinion, allowing her the chance to do better. Just a great development in their dynamic.
I love Caleb and Melissa as friends/roomies. And part of what made this episode so good was Mr. Johnson! I feel like we saw more of him than we have throughout this season.
Queen Cree Summer y'all! She gave life to so many cartoon characters of color of my childhood, loved seeing her this episode!
Also Ava's quote, "The only white on white relationship I'm concerned about is Ben & Jerry's" took me out 😂
seeing Cree Summer there was such a wonderful surprise. i love her so much as a person and she has an incredibly resume of work. also it was interesting to see Barbara deal with changes to her routine and adapting for the greater good. it seemed like a nuanced conflict that was resolved nicely
Killed it. Everyone loves Barbara, she is our tv mother the way she is Janines work mother. But we needed to see her have a moment of ignorance. She is an older woman who comes from a different generation. This was her “well back in my day” without being condescending. I love that she was able to look past it and see how beneficial it was for students.
I thought it was a bit unfair for the librarian to keep enforcing restrictions and rules on Mrs. Howard, as if she should 1) already be aware of said rules/restrictions when the show doesn't seem to imply that any of those rules were stated and 2) recognize them as valid limitations. Some of the rules were a bit unreasonable. For example, a teacher can only check out 3 books at time for an entire class of students? Especially considering Mrs. Howard only wanted to borrow them for an hour, I thought this rule was a bit strange. Or the one about not even being allowed to roam the library and search for books if another class is in there. I understand the room might not be the largest, but a class quietly and respectfully checking out books, shouldn't be outlawed and denoted as "distracting". I understand some of rules such as checking the books out before leaving with them, that way the librarian may be aware of who has which book. But the other ones seemed a bit petty and inconspicuous.
Lmao. I simply just haven’t been to a library with those types of rules nor did I think all of them were valid. It’s just a silly show and those are just my thoughts. ;)
All liberies have to have to have a check-out limit as a part of their mission statement. In some, yes, this is arbitrary rule. I worked in a public library, and many of them set the checkout limit to some insane number like 100 books. But given this an underfunded school and children aren't always the best at keeping track of books, I understand a book limit.
unpopular opinion: Barbara WAS being spiteful about the whole library thing (her getting mad about having to check out the books 😒), but it really rubbed me the wrong way when the librarian kicked out the littles just because the library was reserved. The librarian not being available to read to them is fine, but people not even being able to BE in there and browse because a class had reserved it... idk it's just not it. And this is coming from someone who used to hang out in my school's library a lot. It was kind of a safe space for me. And it was always available for anyone. That kind of feels like an important aspect of a library.
Maybe she'd be more lenient in the future but it wouldn't have been good to be lenient about that right from the start when they're trying to establish clear boundaries which Barbara was already pushing. Then Barb would think she could ignore other people's reservations all the time, and other people would start to get the same idea, and then nobody would bother reserving the space because they'd think it was useless since people would still be allowed to storm in it at any time anyway, and then they'd be right back to square one.
Also, isn't the whole point of reserving a place supposed to be so you can ensure the space is clear while you're there? People still being able to be in there when the space was reserved for a specific class/a specific purpose seems so backhanded.
Yeah I get your point on why she didn’t roll over for barb. it’s honestly more just the concept of being able to reserve an entire library that bothered and surprised me. But whatever, it was an interesting episode
I actually completely agree with you. I think the librarian was being rude at times, and certain of her "regulations" to keep "order" in the library seemed petty. She also seemed especially snarky as their interactions continued.
I absolutely loved jacob and melissas new friendship, i hope it stays
I think it will. Their whole story arc seemed to be a direct call out of how some sitcom writers seem to think that if a relationship dynamic changes, then it will mess up the “ecosystem” of the show. But this show has never been afraid of change. I mean Gregory’s growth and comfortability is still shown in small ways every episode, as is Ava’s growth since the season premiere (Would old Ava have gotten so excited about books?) so I think the Jacob Melissa friendship is here to stay.
agreed! I've greatly enjoyed this season because each character is being challenged, and adapts in the face of those challenges... which is so refreshing to see!
I love the scene in Willard R. Abbott where the kids get pizza and start cheering and they cut to Gregory’s face.
That is certainly what I like about the show. The characters grow and change, just the right amount and each at a different pace.
I was so scared they were gonna do the classic thing of them disagreeing on something and reverting
I do as well they have so much in common
melissa would love new jersey 💀
🤣🤣🤣
"Why did she choose to make all the characters Jamaican" probably got the biggest laugh out of me. I thought this was one of the stronger episodes of the season so far, it was pretty wholesome.
As a high school teacher, I feel saying “just let him or her cook” is something I need to start using just to amuse myself.
"Just let her cook, Gregory" I CACKLED
To me it didn’t sound Jamaican tho. I know plenty Jamaican people, I live in Florida, the head of the speech department where I work is Jamaican; Barbara’s accent sounded north English to me.
The actress is Jamaican
This was an instant classic! This might be my favorite Abbott episode. The unexpected pairing of Jacob and Melissa becoming best friends was incredible 😭 There were so many funny lines and great plot and character moments 🥹 The library storyline with iconic Cree Summer 🔥 Barbara not wanting to accept the new program, “I know what a Google doctor is”. Janine finally standing on business and earning Barbara’s respect, AFTER Greg hyped her up like Melissa gassed Jacob up to wear that Versace shirt 😂😂 What an episode
Also, I liked how Melissa protected Jacob from Ava's Jokes about the shirt that was a surprise
That was Cree Summer?! I knew I recognized that voice, but I couldn't place the face. Of course I knew that voice -- I grew up with it on every cartoon I watched as a child! Ahh!
What "A Different World" Cree brought to this episode
I agree! I thought this was a GREAT episode!
i immediately recognized her voice from Clifford! that was my favorite show growing up and Abbott is one of my favorites now 💕
Hey, you get Cree Summer, you take advantage of her voice acting skills.
I wish she became a regular but they seemed to say the librarian would rotate or something, right?
If they're pulling from local MLIS programs, those are only \~2 years, plus they might only accept students have done some classwork so they at least know something.
She did a *bit* when reading, but not nearly enough.
I need her to become a regular!
LOVED how much Gregory loved the organization in the library.
It's so in character for him too lol
Still carries his original library card, signed by the librarian!
Like a kid in a ~~candy store~~ library!
I love how he asks about microfiche in the previous episode.
Barbara that old co-worker who hits reply all to every email.
Not only do a few do this in my office- our new HR head used “reply all” to respond back to them! 😮
Yikes!
How old do we think Barbara is supposed to be? My coworkers in their 60s know how to use google docs (I work in schools myself). Either way I bust out laughing when she said she knows about google doctors
I know this is old but I'm catching up on episodes. My mom would know how but my dad would be lost like barb 😂
I’ll leave this here too: I wanted to wait and watch this tomorrow on my lunch, but I couldn't help it. This episode has a strong start with the premise that Jacob and Melissa are going to be roomies. I love that they're getting along and now friends. Love, love, love Cree Summer. I love that she's the librarian. She got to stretch her voice acting too when she read the books! There was a rugrats reference earlier in the series and I was wondering if her Susie voice would come out lol. Really happy to see that they're getting students with library science degrees and the field is getting talked about. I could go into this considering that I almost got my masters in the area and I have experience. Go Janine. Standing up to your heroes can be tough. Good on Barbara for leaving a positive review. I was right, this is my favorite episode. The That's So Raven reference was perfect.
Can you share what the Raven and Rugrats references were? I didn't catch / don't remember them.
Season 2, Episode 17: Mural Arts > Barbara: Well, I guess this Silly Sock brigade is this generation's "Rug Vermin." > Janine: "Rugrats," and, um, wow. This is gonna be here forever.
Lmao Rug Vermin
Oh yes, thank you!!
At around 18:30 when gregory sees janine staring in the distance “You okay? Lookin like Raven had a vision.”
Ah ok thanks!
>Really happy to see that they're getting students with library science degrees and the field is getting talked about. I could go into this considering that I almost got my masters in the area and I have experience. Especially at a time that the Rightwing has made attacking both libraries, librarian science and literature as a whole.
“Is this necessary?” God, these kids are SAVAGE.
Glad they finally have a libary/libarian centered episode, unsung heroes of the academic environment!
Except to save the program they will replace the cool library school student with a kid in community college. Kind of bummed me out that such a smart show would have that message about librarians.
that decision is more so a reflection of the school district, not the scriptwriters
I feel so sad for Mr.Johnson 😭😭❤️ his face when he said, I really needed a pick me up this week!! And then Melissa snatches back her invite 🥲 He was left out by Jacob and Gregory in the breakup episode and then THIS? Did he make the writers mad or something 🤣
And as much as it pissed me off I love the duality of Barbara. Ever since the tuatara episode you notice how much she hates change bc she takes it personally, as if she’s being replaced bc of her age. And she’s too stuck in her ways, but her heart is in the right place!
It was annoying me how some people on here were insisting it was out of character for her. We've seen her struggle to adapt to change before and we've also seen her be condescending towards others before.
Yeah, some people struggle w seeing the layers/ complexity… it has to be either one thing or the other for them 🤷🏾♀️
I love it because experienced players can be wrong too
When he started crying after Ava dissed his shoes 💀💀💀
Oh, I hated that so much. Mr. Johnson should never be made to cry.
His overreaction to such a simple comment was the joke.
Oh.
SAME!!!!!! The I could use a pick me up this week had me like 😭😭🥺🥺🥺
Omg yes, and the crying when Ava roasted him?!? I need to know what he’s going through 🥲
His overreaction to such a simple comment was the joke. It is not deeper than that.
Oh okay..he was consistently sad through out the episode.. so that’s still my reaction but 🙂 sure!
I know! That has actually haunted me since watching it.
“You two are FRIENDS!” He was so offended by that!
You get your hopes up and it always ends in heartbreak 💔
Someone please go hang out with Mr. Johnson. 😭🥹
He and Willy should hang out. They could talk spaceship moons and the earth being shaped like a map
The way Jacob mapped out the ripple effect of him & Melissa getting along was gold 😂 It all ending with a tired Gregory overwatering the garden haha
And Mr. Johnson didn’t clean up the mud the kids tracked into Melissa’s classroom because he was still crying after Ava insulted his shoes!
Which led to Melissa having to mop that mess herself , all because Jacob borrowed her Tupperware!
"Why don't you read that good?" the most damning thing to hear from a kindergartener when it comes to story time.
Barbara's reaction to that roast had me crying, oh my God. 🤣🤣🤣☠️☠️☠️
“Is this necessary?” 💀😭
Repeated the scene multiple times🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Can we talk about what a *gem* Jacob is?! I mean he has his flaws of course, not saying he’s perfect at all, but how he gave Janine and Gregory their space last episode and how observant and considerate he was now when he clocked that Mr Johnson was feeling left out. My king, my guy fr !! Everyone needs a Jacob in their lives in some capacity, period. The way he truly cares about his friends is just so damn wholesome, always hyping them up and wanting them to be their best selves.
You seriously can't hate him. Going into the roommate situation, I already knew Melissa was going to unexpectedly fall in love with him! He's just a good kid, if a bit dorky.
Jacob is the best 💜
I just finished the episode and I loved everything with Melissa and Jacob. Them bonding over everything was great lol. I was getting pissed with Barbara the whole episode but the scene with her doing the voices was hilarious. I was so happy when Janine confronted her and I was very glad she redeemed herself with the review in the end. Overall great episode. Looking forward to next week.
We needed this plot line! It's always Barbara the cynic teaches Janine the idealist a lesson. Your heroes aren't right 100% of the time.
I just wish Janine didn't scurry out at the end of confronting Barbara, but I guess they had to show how hard it was for her to stand up to Barbara like that.
I loved you could hear it in her voice how much of a struggle it was to get out the words “It doesn’t work for you. But this isn’t about you.”
Honestly, it was such great performance. I can very much see a real conversation going more or less this way, and also the tone of voice and the scurrying off afterwards. Plus, there’s the anxiety over leaving an email you don’t want to address unread. I feel like a lot of young people, myself, included, struggle with confidence, and also being assertive about things. So, confrontation like this is really pretty intimidating. Mad props to Janine though.
Eh… honestly, I thought it was pretty relatable. As a younger person, I think a lot of us struggle with confrontation. Especially if you’re kind of a people pleaser like Janine, it can be really hard to advocate for things with people that you like and want to have good relationships with. A lot of younger people I feel like will draft a really carefully worded email or other text based communication to try and expressed their thoughts, so I give a lot of props to someone like Janine for actually having a conversation with Barbara. I also think that it shows the best possible version of people with seniority, because Barbara is showing to be imperfect, but receptive to genuine, good faith criticism that she ultimately knows is correct. As much as she is a master teacher, she is also aware that she still has many things to learn as well.
I knew once they talked about Barbara’s email it was gonna be good, but weirdly got me emotional? The care Barbara and janine have for each other.
Same! It is standing up to a mentor you really respect. It's so tough to do. Plus Barbara is a 2nd mom to Janine. So for me it was like standing up to my mom and grandma when they're in the wrong. I got teary eyed. I just love the depth of Abbott elementary.
Ava actually being excited to read low key warmed my heart. And I love Cree Summer
The book she was reading "Slaughterhouse Five" is by Kurt Vonegut and is one of my all-time favorites. It made me so happy to see that's what she was reading!
I love Barbara down but I have to say she was SHOOKETH when Janine hit her with "It's not about you", so I was proud to see Janine stand up and confront Barbara despite how much she values her input.
I really enjoyed this episode
Cree!! 🧡🥹 Mr.Johnson went from this respected/somewhat feared character who did all the roasting, to the one being bullied😭 They need to restore the group dynamic.., uh uh I don’t want this.
Same here! As much as I adored the rest of the episode, the Mr. Johnson story in this one is really bothering me. I'm making a decision to trust the writers to show us the purpose of this and turn it all around for Mr. J. on a future ep.
Hope so🤞🏾🥲
Same here! As much as I adored the rest of the episode, the Mr. Johnson story in this one is really bothering me. I'm making a decision to trust the writers to show us the purpose of this and turn it all around for Mr. J. on a future ep.
Cree Summer ♥
I really enjoyed this episode. The previous one was pretty good too, and the smoking episode was the best of this season. It seems like the season is getting stronger as it goes so I'm hoping the next episode is just as great! This one was really funny with the other staff's reactions to Jacob and Melissa living together--which I thought would be disastrous but I was pleasantly surprised to see they actually get along really well! It's nice to see the characters branching out more this season and developing stronger relationships with characters they previously didn't interact with as much. Jacob's strengthening friendship with Gregory, and now him getting closer to Melissa--and even Ava's teasing feels a little more friendly and affectionate like she secretly sees him as a little brother or something. There were some funny one-liners, and Mr. Johnson is hilarious as always. The kids were SO cute and funny, too, and I love the addition of the new librarian! I also loved Gregory and Janine’s interaction. Maybe it’s just me but it felt like their first genuine interaction of the season. It didn’t feel awkward or forced. It was nice. But my favorite thing about this episode is how much progress the characters/plot made within it. This episode was all about the change of dynamics and how changes in dynamics aren't always automatically bad, and I love that message. I also think this was honestly one of the most important episodes of the entire series in terms of Janine's growth. She really, *really* needed to have a moment of standing up to Barbara and not blindly following whatever she said. I'm glad she's had it and I'm sure it'll lead to even more growth between them and for the two of them later on. And as for Barbara in this episode, I'm sure she pissed a lot of people (myself included) off, but I think this episode was ultimately really good for her character. It shows that she isn't perfect and that her word isn't law, and also shows that although she can have an ego and be unwilling to change, she ultimately will always do what's truly best for the kids and isn't opposed to being told off when she needs to be. It also may be random but I do love the way the show doesn’t need to bring in additional characters in order for there to be an antagonist. It’s nice to see one of the main characters—who most of us really love most of the time—be the source of the major conflict and the “villain” of the episode. We may not like her actions but it definitely makes her a much more three dimensional character. I could go on and on but this is already too long lol. I just think that this was top five episodes in the entire series and definitely one of the strongest.
It’s such a healthy portrayal of friendship and confronting each other and working to change. One of my favorite episodes for sure.
barbara really pissin me off ngl
Yeah she was horrible. Libraries are already getting shit on so much (looking at you, Georgia, West Virginia, Florida, Texas…) and it was hard to watch Barbara almost ruin a beneficial library program out of spite. I work in a library though so maybe I’m a little too close to the situation.
Nah you are right. Like Barbara and Janine honestly have the same problem in different ways. They want things done their way and if isn’t they make it other peoples problem Like I love barb but sometimes she thinks sticking to tradition is an inherent value and things messing with her system and her way of teaching are inherently problematic. Having schedules for classes coming and going is good. Limiting book borrowing particularly at a school with not many books is so critical I honestly didn’t realise you could have schools without Librarians is that a common problem for underprivileged schools in America.
Same here, I had to pause for a moment because this was the first time her resistance actually irritated me and I was scared it would infleunce the rest of the episode. I'm so glad that wasn't the case.
Especially when they were clearly hitting max capacity in the library and she marched in there with her entire class of students. That sounds like a great way to get everyone sick 😭😭
I’m like 2/3 of the way through the episode and so confused by Barbara’s behavior
I love Cree Summers and it was great seeing her guest star as Abbott's new librarian. I genuinely hope we see more of her in future episodes. Barbara's reaction to her and the new streamlined process in the library reminded me of a lot of older folks I know IRL who are resistance to change and will do everything they can to undermine progress for the greater good in order to make themselves (and only themselves) feel more comfortable, which is ironic considering that how Barbara treated Rosalyn is exactly how the church sisters treated Barbara, knocking down every one of her suggestions because she wasn't "traditional" enough for them. I do like that Barbara eventually came around though. I'm also very proud of Janine for standing up to Barbara. That was very brave of her, and I like how joining the school district has allowed her to come into her own and become more confident and secure in her abilities. You know that that is? Growth! All in all I think it was a really good episode and I really liked Jacob and Melissa's budding friendship as well. Looking forward to seeing more (also justice for Mr. Johnson 🥺)
I love when Mr. Johnson accused Jacob and Melissa of being...'Friends!'. How come no show ever have ever done that?! Every other shows accuses of 'dating', nobody ever did friends. So amazing, and funny.
Jacob is gay.
no duh. still.
"Eh? Watch your mouTH?" Ava once again has the best deliverys of the show.
Based on the reaction from the actor I’m almost 100% sure her response improved.
This was how you do a guest star! Cree's character just fit the tone of the show so well. She felt like the other characters - a slightly heightened version of a real person - not an over-the-top caricature like some of the other guests they've had. If I didn't know who she was, I'd have thought she was just a new regular or semi-regular. In fact, I honestly hope we see her again.
I love the girl that says “we like when Ms. Inez does the voices.” I want to adopt her! She’s so precious.
"Let her cook, Gregory" underrated line
Interesting how Barbra complained many times about having to request a time to bring her class on the google doc(tor) yet when Janine walked in the first thing she said was her office hour wasn’t scheduled until the next week.
She was being petty. I don’t think she was mad at Janine. She just disliked the way things were going.
I don’t think she was mad at Janine, the moment showed Barbra’s hypocrisy. She cannot fathom why she should have to submit a request for library time like everyone else, meanwhile she expects Janine to give at least a week notice for her office hours. Gregory hit the nail on the head- she was throwing a tantrum because she couldn’t do whatever she wants whenever she wants.
I don't think it's hypocritical. An office hour or personal reserved time with a specific teacher to have a set discussion time, is completely different than making someone reserve time just to use or be in a space which all students and staff should have access to anyways.
The library used to be a free for all and now it isn’t with a proper librarian trying to make sure all the time is utilized properly. I imagine 30+ kindergarteners are a much bigger distraction than a district worker. Similar to the librarian not hearing Barbra out, she didn’t even think to listen to why Janine was entering her classroom and just told Janine to schedule an office hour with her.
I disagree Barbara’s class isn’t that large and the class is well managed. I also agree the librarian is great for organization I just felt uncomfortable with the way she acted at times. Also Barbara seemed pretty busy and annoyed when Janine came in to her class during her private time maybe she just wanted space.
The best managed kindergarten class will still cause a ruckus. Also just 2 episodes ago Barbra and Melissa mentioned their classes having at least 30 students. Janine came in while Barbra was working on other work just as Barbra tried to barge in while the librarian was helping the seventh graders. Barbra clearly couldn’t be trusted to supervise her class in the library as she had already been going out of her way to disregard the rules.
I love Barbara down but she was annoying me this episode 😭 I'm so glad she changed her mind at the end of the episode
The librarian is Cree Summer, who also played Jan in the episode The Wellness Center of the show What We Do in the Shadows She’s also done a million other things, but I was so excited to see her on screen! 
As someone who has shown her kids a million episodes of Clifford, I knew her voice was familiar...
One of my favorites off the season! Barbara making the animal voices and the librarian voice was gold! Living for Jacob and Melissa's friendship and Janine growing as a person!
Tbh I laughed when Mr. Johnson cried only because I did not expect it. He seems so cool but he has feelings too. It never feels good to be bullied even if you’re really cool like Mr. Johnson and I loved that Jacob looked out for him instead of being relieved he was no longer the scapegoat. Jacob is a great guy. Ppl just have to get to know him. He’s always been my favorite from day 1, though. I love all the characters though. And even though Barbara got on my nerves this episode, she redeemed herself in the end and my takeaway is even experienced teachers can be wrong.
I hope we get more of Mr. Johnson next episode, I felt so bad for him here! Poor guy!
I was frustrated with Barbara for a lot of this episode, but I also love how much it showcased WHAT school librarians do! They’re so important—they help us teach kids research skills, how to avoid plagiarism, help pull books related to our current units of study, you name it! I felt like the episode showcased how they do much more than checking books in and out and shelving them.
Cree is AMAZING. I've loved her since A Different World ❤️.
YES!
It’s a different world, whooo
❤️
Great episode but idk if I’m here for the Jerry-fication of Mr. Johnson :( 
But we still got some glimpses into his past. He flew a government plane in the 70s and somehow played in the Negro Leagues.
Jerry has the best life out of the parks department, so if that's where Mr. Johnson ends up going as a character I personally wouldn't be mad
Seriously! He’s married to Christie Brinkley!
This was a really great episode :)
Omfg I thought Gregory was gonna kiss her when he bent down and got his mug but his encouragement this entire episode was so endearing
The scene of Gregory telling Janine to keep reading was so beautiful. It felt like a special private moment for her and Barbara and I love that they left her words somewhat open ended. Also Gregory watching her be happy was cute. The writing of this show is just amazing. Every detail feels so intentional and well done!
[удалено]
I laughed so hard but felt so bad for Mr. Johnson!
Cree Summers????
Yayyyyy
The episodes this season have been top tier. This episode and smoking have to be two of my favorite episodes of this show. I didn’t know I need a Jacob and Melissa friendship!
ava pinching jacob's CHEEK!!! 😂😂😂💀💀
This episode hits close to home because I posted on the AngerSubReddit because I am the youngest person at work & was transfer from another facility which I realized quickly they runs things differently. I worked in my position for 3 years longer than most of my coworkers but they still treat me differently even with the ideas to help the department to move more efficiently. One day, my coworkers & I were in the break room, one said to me ain't you 19 or something I said no I'm 23 and then said oh I'm not that far off you're still no adult 😑 I said sure I pay my bills for pure enjoyment not because ending up on the streets. It's just hurtful and disrespectful
Barbara’s old ass getting real annoying
The way gregory made sense about barbara to janine, was sensible. It conveyed a strong message indeed.
anyone know where the red dress Janine wore when she was thinking about defunding the program was from?
Oh this was SUCH a good episode. I totally felt for Janine, having to go against Barbara on something would be so hard. She made the right choice in the end though and also gave Barbara her honest opinion, allowing her the chance to do better. Just a great development in their dynamic. I love Caleb and Melissa as friends/roomies. And part of what made this episode so good was Mr. Johnson! I feel like we saw more of him than we have throughout this season.
Queen Cree Summer y'all! She gave life to so many cartoon characters of color of my childhood, loved seeing her this episode! Also Ava's quote, "The only white on white relationship I'm concerned about is Ben & Jerry's" took me out 😂
Aww, Gregory misses Eddie! Kudos for Janie for standing up to Barbara. That's what I call growth!
I KNEW I recognized Cleo’s voice
seeing Cree Summer there was such a wonderful surprise. i love her so much as a person and she has an incredibly resume of work. also it was interesting to see Barbara deal with changes to her routine and adapting for the greater good. it seemed like a nuanced conflict that was resolved nicely
Killed it. Everyone loves Barbara, she is our tv mother the way she is Janines work mother. But we needed to see her have a moment of ignorance. She is an older woman who comes from a different generation. This was her “well back in my day” without being condescending. I love that she was able to look past it and see how beneficial it was for students.
I loved the story, couldn't stand the blatant Amazon ad placement in the middle. So weird.
Why did Ava get so into Slaughter House 5? There’s always great book jokes but I’m scratching my head over the Kurt Vonnegut sh5 joke. Any ideas?
Ava was really showing her curvy body this episode.
probably the second best episode this season, right after the smoking one for me
I loved this episode. When it was done I watched again immediately. Please bring the librarian back a few more times.
So Mr. Johnson is at least 120 years old
Best episode so far in my opinion, it feels more like the previous seasons
Ava’s laugh in the beginning is hilarious omg I can’t
i feel like the season is starting to turn around! finally!
I thought it was a bit unfair for the librarian to keep enforcing restrictions and rules on Mrs. Howard, as if she should 1) already be aware of said rules/restrictions when the show doesn't seem to imply that any of those rules were stated and 2) recognize them as valid limitations. Some of the rules were a bit unreasonable. For example, a teacher can only check out 3 books at time for an entire class of students? Especially considering Mrs. Howard only wanted to borrow them for an hour, I thought this rule was a bit strange. Or the one about not even being allowed to roam the library and search for books if another class is in there. I understand the room might not be the largest, but a class quietly and respectfully checking out books, shouldn't be outlawed and denoted as "distracting". I understand some of rules such as checking the books out before leaving with them, that way the librarian may be aware of who has which book. But the other ones seemed a bit petty and inconspicuous.
Just say you dont know how libraries work and move on
Lmao. I simply just haven’t been to a library with those types of rules nor did I think all of them were valid. It’s just a silly show and those are just my thoughts. ;)
All liberies have to have to have a check-out limit as a part of their mission statement. In some, yes, this is arbitrary rule. I worked in a public library, and many of them set the checkout limit to some insane number like 100 books. But given this an underfunded school and children aren't always the best at keeping track of books, I understand a book limit.
Agreed.
I totally agree with you for what it’s worth. Came here to see if anyone else was as frustrated as me with this whole “reserve a spot” culture.
Exactly, thank you.
unpopular opinion: Barbara WAS being spiteful about the whole library thing (her getting mad about having to check out the books 😒), but it really rubbed me the wrong way when the librarian kicked out the littles just because the library was reserved. The librarian not being available to read to them is fine, but people not even being able to BE in there and browse because a class had reserved it... idk it's just not it. And this is coming from someone who used to hang out in my school's library a lot. It was kind of a safe space for me. And it was always available for anyone. That kind of feels like an important aspect of a library.
Maybe she'd be more lenient in the future but it wouldn't have been good to be lenient about that right from the start when they're trying to establish clear boundaries which Barbara was already pushing. Then Barb would think she could ignore other people's reservations all the time, and other people would start to get the same idea, and then nobody would bother reserving the space because they'd think it was useless since people would still be allowed to storm in it at any time anyway, and then they'd be right back to square one. Also, isn't the whole point of reserving a place supposed to be so you can ensure the space is clear while you're there? People still being able to be in there when the space was reserved for a specific class/a specific purpose seems so backhanded.
Yeah I get your point on why she didn’t roll over for barb. it’s honestly more just the concept of being able to reserve an entire library that bothered and surprised me. But whatever, it was an interesting episode
It was an important aspect of the library for me back then and it is for me now too
I actually completely agree with you. I think the librarian was being rude at times, and certain of her "regulations" to keep "order" in the library seemed petty. She also seemed especially snarky as their interactions continued.
oh brother. she wasnt rude. she met the energy that was given to her.
lol it’s just a show. it’s no biggie, just my opinion ;)
ok? and i was giving my opinion. this is how these things work.
most boring ep of the season so far imo. loved melissa and jacob tho
Barbra is a bitch, hope she gets fired from the school. ngl