S01.E11: Desking

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

When the students start participating in a new online trend that causes disruption to the school, the teachers band together to put an end to it. Meanwhile, Mr. Johnson provides comforting life advice to Gregory, and later, the teachers finally meet Jacob’s boyfriend, Zach, who joins in to help stop the students “desking.”

 

[kathyk24]

This episode was so much better than last week. Janine was back to normal. Jacob and Zach were great together. I don't know how Ava has a job when she acts like a teenager her obsession with social media was really funny.

[LydiaMoon1]

10 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

I don't know how Ava has a job when she acts like a teenager her obsession with social media was really funny.

Teenager? I already told y'all that Ava found her peer group with the 6th grade step crew. Developmentally, that is her age. Her distress at not knowing about the latest SM trends was funny though.

• There is a custodial network? Good to know.
• We all knew Jacob's boyfriend would be black.
• Although Jacob's boyfriend's knowledge of sneakers came in handy for the desking mystery, why do I get the feeling that most of his regular conversation is sneaker-related too?
• Interesting...
• So the kids went desking with teachers in the room? Who thought it was a good idea to send Janine and Jacob to solve a problem?
• Sweet, baby Jesus and the grown one too!
• Barbara to Janine: "What have you done?" --A question that should be asked every episode.
• That look that Melissa gave the camera regarding Ava? Priceless.
• Everyday?? Oh, Ava.
• Janine, baby. Never go desking in an oversized maxi dress. Now you really are lame.
• Courtney!! Nice bit of continuity there.
• That custodian, aka Mr. Johnson, stays being the MVP.

10 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

This episode was so much better than last week.

Agreed.

Edited March 30, 2022 by LydiaMoon1

[Empress1]

Mr. Johnson was spitting straight facts. As someone whose primary goal for this year is a career transition, I love that he’s lived a life and had lots of careers! And you know the custodial network has all the tea.

”SWEET BABY JESUS AND THE GROWN ONE TOO.” Sheryl Lee Ralph is undefeated.

[Bookish Jen]

While watching this episode I wondered if desking was an actual thing.

[MaryMitch]

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

While watching this episode I wondered if desking was an actual thing.

If it isn't, I'll bet it will be soon.

[mrsbagnet]

I learned the phrase, "I paid it dust." I had to rewind it twice, and then put on the captions because I thought I was mis-hearing.

3 hours ago, Empress1 said:

”SWEET BABY JESUS AND THE GROWN ONE TOO.” Sheryl Lee Ralph is undefeated.

There were so many good lines in this episode, but that was my favorite.

I loved the janitor dropping knowledge on Gregory. He needs a supportive older man in his life.

[hiisa]

Soooooo....there was no mention of Taylor in this episode which, whatever, relationships aren't mentioned in each ep. But Gregory was giving some major gooey eyes to Janine. Which the custodian found very interesting. Because Taylor has fallen off a cliff? 

[kwnyc]

6 minutes ago, hiisa said:

Because Taylor has fallen off a cliff? 

...or gone back to NYC. :-)

[hiisa]

8 minutes ago, kwnyc said:

...or gone back to NYC. :-)

I guess that's better than falling off a cliff. Where would they even find a cliff? And I guess Barbara doesn't want her mean daughter falling off a cliff.

[Bookish Jen]

2 hours ago, MaryMitch said:

If it isn't, I'll bet it will be soon.

I was thinking the same thing.

And I actually gasped when Janine fell as she was "desking."

[ItCouldBeWorse]

6 hours ago, LydiaMoon1 said:

Everyday?? Oh, Ava.

I think the amazing part is that Ava always seems to be at work as early as the teachers, so probably around 7. I would not expect that of a hard-partying seat filler. She should be rolling in around noon.

(It also seems dangerous letting the kids carry their desks back up the stairs.)

 

[tennisgurl]

That was a great episode, so many great lines and bits. I especially liked getting to meet Jacob's boyfriend and getting to learn more about Mr. Johnson. I love that he's led a really interesting and fulfilling life trying lots of different things without one particular path, that was exactly what Gregory needed to hear. It sounds like Gregory has had so much of his future based around this plan, he could really use time to rethink things. I also REALLY want to know more about the custodial network. 

"We stare at you like that every day." As always, Barbara was on absolute fire. 

[JenLily]

 

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

And I actually gasped when Janine fell as she was "desking."

Me, too! I knew she was going to fall but seeing her foot slip right off the desk and then watching her go down SO HARD, I was like, "OH MY GOD!!"

Mr. Johnson: But a dream can be a distraction just as easy as it can be a goal.

I had to pause, rewind, listen to it again, and pause once more. That line hit me where it hurt. This show is just gorgeous.

[possibilities]

I love that Jacob put on his shorts to make himself look extra-unappealing to the students. He is becoming my favorite character among many great characters. I'm also glad we got to know the janitor's name finally.

[853fisher]

It was a fun callback to have the students use some of the words from Janine's Philly slang lesson.  I think we got "oldhead" and "boul" in this episode.

I don't think there's a weak link in the actors.  If that's what he wants, I hope it's possible for William Stanford Davis, who plays Mr. Johnson, to be credited with the main cast next season.

I'm definitely as cool as Janine and Jacob: I Googled "desking" to see if it was a real trend!  The Free Dictionary has it as a collective noun for all the desks in an office.  Urban Dictionary has something my grandmother wouldn't like me to repeat in mixed company.

 

[DearEvette]

Ok so our pipe fitter, rodeo working, private investigator, minor league coach, nude modelling, RV salesman custodian, Black Yoda is the episode MVP.  I loved getting to know all about him.  So fab.  Also it cracked me up that he said "This ain't my first time at the rodeo" only to later let us know he actually worked at a rodeo. LOL. 

I loved Zach and all their reactions to him. 

Oh, hey!  Courtney!

So many quick and funny lines.  Great episode.

 

[emma675]

I loved this episode! Janine and Jacob teaming up as good cop/good cop, Ava and Janine as bad cop/ bad cop, the kids not breaking, the janitor's wisdom with Gregory, Barbara pitching a fit when she found footprints on the desks in her classroom, meeting Zach (Ava: "Black?? C'mon, you were all thinking it."), and Jacob nerding out to make desking as unappealing as possible. The writing and acting on this show are top notch. 

[chitowngirl]

I so enjoy this show, however, in what world are kids left alone in the classroom for long periods of time like that? Not in the schools I work in! 😆

[ribboninthesky1]

14 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Ok so our pipe fitter, rodeo working, private investigator, minor league coach, nude modelling, RV salesman custodian, Black Yoda is the episode MVP.

Tastefully nude! I don't know why that small bit cracked me up, but it did. 

I, too, am interested in learning more about the custodial network.  

[kwnyc]

Jacob and Zach really work. They are right for each other. :-) (Yes, I was one of many who called that Jacob's boyfriend would be Black.)

I get the feeling in a few years, when people start listing their "Top 10" episodes of this show, "Desking" is going to be one of them.

[Empress1]

15 hours ago, DearEvette said:

So many quick and funny lines

“So he knew you and was like … ‘More?’”

[DearEvette]

37 minutes ago, kwnyc said:

Jacob and Zach really work. They are right for each other. :-) (Yes, I was one of many who called that Jacob's boyfriend would be Black.)

I get the feeling in a few years, when people start listing their "Top 10" episodes of this show, "Desking" is going to be one of them.

Oh yeah, LOL.  It was a given that Zach was black.  I loved their meeting story.  It so so funny that this early in a show's run you can hear something about someone and think "oh that is soooo Jacob.'  The show has done such a great job at crafting these people and their little character quirks.

And yeah, this one, the F.A.D.E. episode and the Courtney episode are my  favorites.

10 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

“So he knew you and was like … ‘More?’”

The written quote doesn't even come close to conveying the brilliance of that line.  Ava's line reading is what made it everything.  Her facial expression and the way she said "more" took me out!

Also "Can we put him behind glass and break in case of emergency." was another great Ava line.

[Empress1]

38 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

The written quote doesn't even come close to conveying the brilliance of that line.  Ava's line reading is what made it everything.  Her facial expression and the way she said "more" took me out!

The delivery was EVERYTHING.

[Phebemarie]

10 hours ago, chitowngirl said:

I so enjoy this show, however, in what world are kids left alone in the classroom for long periods of time like that? Not in the schools I work in! 😆

That's the one thing that bothers me about this wonderful show.  I was a high school teacher.   I asked my friend, a fifth grade teacher, if her colleagues drop in on her classroom in the middle of the day for extended periods (like our friends at Abbot Elementary do).  Of course, the answer was no.  I wish they'd humor us with a throw-away line explaining why all the main characters seem to be free to brain-storm problems .  It could be as easy as the kids are in music or art appreciation or at recess (with the non-existent TAs). 

I suppose we teacher types might be the only group who can't 'suspend disbelief' about it.  😉

 

 

[auntiemel]

2 hours ago, Phebemarie said:

That's the one thing that bothers me about this wonderful show.  I was a high school teacher.   I asked my friend, a fifth grade teacher, if her colleagues drop in on her classroom in the middle of the day for extended periods (like our friends at Abbot Elementary do).  Of course, the answer was no.  I wish they'd humor us with a throw-away line explaining why all the main characters seem to be free to brain-storm problems .  It could be as easy as the kids are in music or art appreciation or at recess (with the non-existent TAs). 

I suppose we teacher types might be the only group who can't 'suspend disbelief' about it.  😉

 

 

Yeah, it bothers me, too. Also, even if your kids were in art/music/PE/computers/whatever, you would only pop into another teacher's classroom to poke your head in and drop something off, or to talk to them if it was REALLY important. Getting interrupted in the middle of a lesson can knock the whole flow off, and getting back on track can take some time. Not always, but sometimes. So a two minute impromptu chat might end up being ten minutes of lost instructional time. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but lessons are timed out pretty carefully, and it can be annoying when something derails them for no good reason. Considerate colleagues would not be doing that to one another on a regular basis.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 3/30/2022 at 7:49 AM, LydiaMoon1 said:

 

• Sweet, baby Jesus and the grown one too!
• Barbara to Janine: "What have you done?" --A question that should be asked every episode.
• Everyday?? Oh, Ava.

On 3/30/2022 at 2:42 PM, tennisgurl said:

"We stare at you like that every day." As always, Barbara was on absolute fire. 

On 3/30/2022 at 3:34 PM, JenLily said:

Mr. Johnson: But a dream can be a distraction just as easy as it can be a goal.

On 3/30/2022 at 9:27 PM, emma675 said:

(Ava: "Black?? C'mon, you were all thinking it.")

9 hours ago, Empress1 said:

“So he knew you and was like … ‘More?’”

9 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Also "Can we put him behind glass and break in case of emergency." was another great Ava line.

 

Ava: "I forgot that Black people can be annoying, too." (looking at Janine.)

 

Edited April 1, 2022 by ItCouldBeWorse

[dcalley]

"Black?!" "It's actually pronounced Zach."

[Bookish Jen]

6 hours ago, dcalley said:

"Black?!" "It's actually pronounced Zach."

I howled at that remark!

[Empress1]

The “meet the boyfriend” was the best 30 seconds of TV I saw this week.

[SmithW6079]

We figured Jacob's boyfriend was Black, but I loved that Zach was chunky guy.

[mojito]

On 3/31/2022 at 8:46 PM, auntiemel said:

Yeah, it bothers me, too. Also, even if your kids were in art/music/PE/computers/whatever, you would only pop into another teacher's classroom to poke your head in and drop something off, or to talk to them if it was REALLY important. Getting interrupted in the middle of a lesson can knock the whole flow off, and getting back on track can take some time. Not always, but sometimes. So a two minute impromptu chat might end up being ten minutes of lost instructional time. That doesn't sound like a big deal, but lessons are timed out pretty carefully, and it can be annoying when something derails them for no good reason. Considerate colleagues would not be doing that to one another on a regular basis.

The absurdity is what makes it comedy.

[auntiemel]

1 hour ago, mojito said:

The absurdity is what makes it comedy.

I mean...I don't know. It's actually NOT absurd, in the classic comedic sense of the word. As in--so outrageous that it has prima fascia comedic value. It's just a depiction of an annoying habit that wouldn't be realistically widespread within the profession. Probably only teachers or people who knew teachers would know that you don't just do that. Also, if there was, say, ONE character that did it, and it was painted as outrageous by the rest of the characters as an illustration of how clueless that character was...sure. That's for comedic value. But, as it is, they don't even reference it. It's just the habit of the people on the show.

I think it's just dramatic license, because it would be really hard to further the plot if the characters could only interact during the roughly two-minute increments you get during recess after you've talked to kids that needed to hang behind, made emergency copies because something came up, and...oh, yeah...took your one opportunity that you'll have for HOURS to pee. Even if you didn't really have to go. LOL.

And, honestly, that's another good point--at a decent-sized elementary school, all of the recesses and lunch periods would be staggered. these characters would never even see each other aside from before and after school, and staff meetings.

At the first school I worked at (elementary school with 1,200 students), I taught fourth grade. And even by the end of the school year, there were primary teachers there that I had never met. Would NOT have been able to pick them out of a line-up. You just don't cross paths that often with anyone but your grade-level team (or subject matter team, in secondary ed).

Still, it's not like it's a deal-breaker. I get that it's a show. Not a documentary. Still funny as hell! 😊

[Moose135]

3 hours ago, auntiemel said:

Probably only teachers or people who knew teachers would know that you don't just do that.

It's not a documentary. Most shows, even those that try to get all the details right, will make you crazy if you know the subject or work in the field. I get that way about aviation-related shows. I had an old friend who was retired from the NYPD. He would always complain about what they did on NYPD Blue. I used to tell him, "Nick, an hour of watching cops write reports and eat donuts doesn't make for good television." I'm not sure he ever forgave me for that...

Edited April 5, 2022 by Moose135

[mojito]

14 hours ago, auntiemel said:

Probably only teachers or people who knew teachers would know that you don't just do that. Also, if there was, say, ONE character that did it, and it was painted as outrageous by the rest of the characters as an illustration of how clueless that character was...sure. That's for comedic value. But, as it is, they don't even reference it. It's just the habit of the people on the show.

I think the show gives the viewers more credit than you give them. We laugh at the outrageousness; we don't need to dissect each scene for reality to show that we know better. We don't need the show to depict only one character to demonstrate how out of the norm he is. I hate shows that go out of their way to explain the humor to those who don't get it. It ruins it for everyone else. We've got enough juvenile comedies already.

[Annber03]

On 3/31/2022 at 11:30 AM, Empress1 said:

“So he knew you and was like … ‘More?’”

I was about to quote that line, too :D. That was classic. And everyone's reactions to Zach being able to get Jacob to focus were great, too. Jacob and Zach are adorable and I love them :). And Zach's appearance made it all the more appropriate that Jacob and Janine were hanging out together so much this episode, given she's the one he opened up to about Zach a few episodes back. Plus, they both have a bit of a more...optimistic, shall we say, outlook on how to try and bond with kids, so yeah, no wonder they click so well. 

Also loved Melissa's loud guffaw when Janine was surprised at the idea of kids putting their feet on their desks because, "our students respect us!"  Her and Ava teaming up to play interrogator of that kid was good, tool And then Janine totally messing up when trying to put the straw in the juice drink...XD.

But wow, yeah, first Courtney, then the kids jumping up on desks...this school's kids really go above and beyond with their antics, don't they :p? That fall Janine took when she tried to do the desking thing looked like it really hurt!

I love that the janitor's had such a varied history with his jobs and interests :D. Him bonding with Gregory was nice. 

[LydiaMoon1]

On 3/30/2022 at 7:49 AM, LydiaMoon1 said:

Teenager? I already told y'all that Ava found her peer group with the 6th grade step crew. Developmentally, that is her age. Her distress at not knowing about the latest SM trends was funny though.

• There is a custodial network? Good to know.
• We all knew Jacob's boyfriend would be black.
• Although Jacob's boyfriend's knowledge of sneakers came in handy for the desking mystery, why do I get the feeling that most of his regular conversation is sneaker-related too?
• Interesting...
• So the kids went desking with teachers in the room? Who thought it was a good idea to send Janine and Jacob to solve a problem?
• Sweet, baby Jesus and the grown one too!
• Barbara to Janine: "What have you done?" --A question that should be asked every episode.
• That look that Melissa gave the camera regarding Ava? Priceless.
• Everyday?? Oh, Ava.
• Janine, baby. Never go desking in an oversized maxi dress. Now you really are lame.
• Courtney!! Nice bit of continuity there.
• That custodian, aka Mr. Johnson, stays being the MVP.

Agreed.

After re-watching this episode while waiting for the new season to drop, I'm still so impressed with the writing and by the amount of character development the show manages to effortlessly squeeze into the dialogue. Case in point, while everyone else is commenting on the students desking, Barbara's first concern was that one of the children could get hurt. Really tells you everything you need to know about Barbara's character and her commitment to the children. It just shows one of the many ways the writing on this show is brilliant. Quinta Brunson truly deserved that Emmy.

[DearEvette]

24 minutes ago, LydiaMoon1 said:

After re-watching this episode while waiting for the new season to drop, I'm still so impressed with the writing and by the amount of character development the show manages to effortlessly squeeze into the dialogue. Case in point, while everyone else is commenting on the students desking, Barbara's first concern was that one of the children could get hurt. Really tells you everything you need to know about Barbara's character and her commitment to the children. It just shows one of the many ways the writing on this show is brilliant. Quinta Brunson truly deserved that Emmy.

100% agreed.  Like Jacob letting drop that he applied to Morehouse.  Simple little line.  But said so much and really when he said it, I was like 'well of course he did!'  So when in the very next episode he busts out perfect double dutch, you fully expect it.  The characters are really are well lived in and the writing really is so well done on this show in service of that.

[LydiaMoon1]

34 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

100% agreed.  Like Jacob letting drop that he applied to Morehouse.  Simple little line.  But said so much and really when he said it, I was like 'well of course he did!'

Same, girl. Same.

[possibilities]

I wasn't surprised he tried to go to Morehouse, but I admit I didn't see the double dutch coming.

[Guest]

I think this was the funniest episode of the show so far. (I’m behind!) I loved their final solution.

[EtheltoTillie]

On 9/20/2022 at 7:04 PM, possibilities said:

I wasn't surprised he tried to go to Morehouse, but I admit I didn't see the double dutch coming.

But you could have predicted that Janine couldn’t do double dutch.