S01.E12: Ava vs. Superintendent

[peachmangosteen]

Quote

With the school board threatening to pull their funds, Janine and Gregory decide to help Ava out with her presentation in front of the Superintendent. However, their plan is derailed when a curveball is thrown at Ava. Meanwhile, Barbara offends Melissa when she doesn’t agree with her blackmail idea.

 

[Crashcourse]

"Dyed, fried, and laid to the side." 😆  Back in the day, I knew some guys with processes.  I just love Barbara. 

Well, Gregory's permanent now.  I love the handshake at the end.  Ava:  What's HR?           

[DanaK]

In regards to the cameras that are filming things, I don’t get why sometimes the teachers dance around a topic that includes someone breaking or skirting the law or rules and at other times outright state someone is

[ShowsILoveToHate]

I LOVE this show. Every character has been impeccably cast!!! 🎬🎥🎞📺❤️

[BAForever]

Bittersweet topic as teachers have seen so many lean years. Barbara and Melissa are amazing together. Glad Gregory is here to stay. I have a love-hate relationship with Ava, but gosh she dresses well. Way to step up and be passionate about your teachers Ava, but you're still a worthless principal. 

[LydiaMoon1]

Great show this week.

• Ava's still not sure when the students arrive to school? Oh, Ava.
• Oh, no! Not a rift between Barbara and Melissa!
• Ava and the PA system? Gold.
• Ava renaming the WIFI Network Bad Bitches Only and putting rims on the buses? Platinum.
• So Ava's spent her whole life avoiding data and facts? Sounds like the current state of politics in this country.
• Poor Gregory.
• I LOVE that this show has introduced the concept of angry gardening.
• I gotta say....this show has given me a whole new appreciation of blackmail.
• The Schemmenti Family is a mess.
• Apparently Ava goes to the Church of Sodom and Barbara attends the Church of Gomorrah.
• Congratulations on your new job, Gregory!
• What's HR?
• I swear Ava is the product of some Freaky Friday/13 Going on 30-type experiment. Her adult persona must be  walking around somewhere trapped in a kid's body. There's no other explanation.

Lawd, I love this show.

 

 

Edited April 7, 2022 by LydiaMoon1

[Empress1]

I love Barbara and Melissa’s friendship. I was upset when they were fighting!

That church lady passive-aggressive battle was GOLDEN. “God is good, is He not?” with the perfect head tilt and pursed lip. 

17 minutes ago, LydiaMoon1 said:

I gotta say....this show has given me a whole new appreciation of blackmail.

Right? I get it!

[bluegirl147]

The Superintendent telling Gregory he was sorry for not hiring him as principal 

"My hands were tied".

Gregory under his breath "To a bed".

[Harvey]

I really liked Ava's speech the way she turned it around was unexpected, yet still true to her character. Amazing.

[Empress1]

Did anybody notice Gregory saying it was easy to say yes when Janine asks?

[J-Man]

Old Navy product placement + Old Navy commercials? I thought you were better than this, Abbott Elementary. 

[tennisgurl]

I love Barbara and Melissa's friendship, I am so relived that they made up quickly. "That's why the Schemmenti's are so good at...business." 

Oh, that passive aggressive church lady combat, so much said with a head nod. I am also really glad that Barbara and Jacob still have their garden and that they got to have a nice chat. Who knew that blackmail was such a fun new experience? "I haven't talked to my blackmailer in two years. Do I miss my sister? Every day." The Schemmenti's certainly are something!

Ava actually managed to pull out a decent presentation at the last minute, she really does have a weird kind of charisma that she can pull from. And Gregory is going to stay, and now finally has access to HR, thank goodness. 

Edited April 6, 2022 by tennisgurl

[Empress1]

But @tennisgurl, what’s HR?

[Crashcourse]

My only nitpick about this show is that some of the quips are spoken/mumbled so fast, I don't know what was said.  Ava is especially guilty of this.

I said the same thing about the actors on Grand Crew, although I haven't heard if that show will be renewed. 

Edited April 6, 2022 by Crashcourse

[Empress1]

54 minutes ago, Crashcourse said:

I said the same thing about the actors on Grand Crew, although I haven't heard if that show will be renewed. 

I hope so! I like it. The bald bearded guy looks just like a friend of mine.

Edited April 6, 2022 by Empress1

[853fisher]

Meanwhile in British Columbia, the schools some friends' children attend have proposed eliminating most music classes.  In another article I read, the education minister commented that protesting could wait because "it's a little soon to be determining or assuming there will actually be cuts" based on a draft budget.  So what was the draft, just for funsies?!

I'd love to see inside Abbott music classes again.  Music formed such an important community for me in school.  I continue to be impressed by the way the show touches on such serious issues with great humor.

[emma675]

Ava managed to pull it together with her weird charm and skills when it mattered, but I'll admit it, I was pissed when the superintendent said Abbott would never get discretionary funding as long as Ava was principal. Way to value the kids, you jackass. I get being mad at Ava for blackmailing him, but innocent kids and their educations shouldn't pay the price. Thank goodness for the church lady show down, I guess.

Gregory is in it for real now. I wonder if there's any policy about teachers dating? I guess since Ava doesn't know what HR is, he and Janine are good.

[AD35]

44 minutes ago, emma675 said:

I wonder if there's any policy about teachers dating? I guess since Ava doesn't know what HR is, he and Janine are good.

I think Ava is going find out just what HR is if another teacher besides Gregory makes a complaint about her. As far as what the policy is regarding teachers dating each other, who sets that?  

[Mr. R0b0t]

This may be a throwaway thing, but when AVA was dictating that text regarding wanting a birth certificate for the reality show, she dictated it as if she were asking AVA for a birth certificate, not sending a text from AVA.  So, is she using someone's identity?  Am I crazy?  I watched it twice to be sure I didn't mishear it.

 

[pennben]

10 hours ago, J-Man said:

Old Navy product placement + Old Navy commercials? I thought you were better than this, Abbott Elementary. 

If that is what it takes to keep this wonderful show running for years, bring on all the product placement!

[Harvey]

1 hour ago, Mr. R0b0t said:

This may be a throwaway thing, but when AVA was dictating that text regarding wanting a birth certificate for the reality show, she dictated it as if she were asking AVA for a birth certificate, not sending a text from AVA.  So, is she using someone's identity?  Am I crazy?  I watched it twice to be sure I didn't mishear it.

 

She was just putting her signature at the end of the letter/text lots of people do that. 

[JakeyJokes]

My school also had a recorder concert in third grade. Why was that such a thing? I think we only learned about Hot Cross Buns. 

I looked up “goomah” and it’s Italian slang for a mistress or side chick. Like Barbara, I am both entertained and perplexed by Melissa’s vocabulary.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

12 hours ago, J-Man said:

Old Navy product placement + Old Navy commercials? I thought you were better than this, Abbott Elementary. 

Ava coveting a 1) sweatshirt 2) from Old Navy 3) that aligned with Janine's fashion sense, seemed wildly out of character.

 

[kwnyc]

7 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Ava coveting a 1) sweatshirt 2) from Old Navy 3) that aligned with Janine's fashion sense, seemed wildly out of character.

 

Yeah. I have an Old Navy top that looks like that! :-)

[mansonlamps]

10 hours ago, pennben said:

If that is what it takes to keep this wonderful show running for years, bring on all the product placement!

I don't really understand why this bothers some people so much,  was it better when they used fake brands?   Maybe I'm just good at ignoring it. 

9 hours ago, JakeyJokes said:

My school also had a recorder 

I looked up “goomah” and it’s Italian slang for a mistress or side chick. Like Barbara, I am both entertained and perplexed by Melissa’s vocabulary.

Somebody didn't watch enough Soprano's.🙂

[tennisgurl]

20 hours ago, J-Man said:

Old Navy product placement + Old Navy commercials? I thought you were better than this, Abbott Elementary. 

If we've learned anything from this episode, its that sometimes you have to play a little dirty to get what you need for the greater good! Be it blackmail or product placement.

[Empress1]

9 hours ago, JakeyJokes said:

My school also had a recorder concert in third grade. Why was that such a thing? I think we only learned about Hot Cross Buns. 

We totally had recorder lessons! I guess because the recorder is easy and I think they’re cheap?

[mrsbagnet]

7 hours ago, Empress1 said:

We totally had recorder lessons! I guess because the recorder is easy and I think they’re cheap?

The bane of 3rd grade parents' existence. 😆 I still have my recorder from almost 40 years ago. It's in a box in my closet.

Edited April 7, 2022 by mrsbagnet

[kathyk24]

Ava is lucky that the teachers care about the kids so much that they want to help her. I thought Barbara was rude to Melissa they have been friends long enough to know that Melissa wouldn't do anything illegal. I believe that Gregory has a crush on Janine and he could get her to leave Tarique. Next week is the season finale.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

I thought Barbara was rude to Melissa they have been friends long enough to know that Melissa wouldn't do anything illegal.

Melissa definitely would-she's just too smart to admit to it on camera.

In the first episode, she got rugs for the classrooms that were not donated by the nearby stadium.

[meep.meep]

Wasn't that why Melissa was hauling the rugs out of Barbara's classroom when they were fighting?

I turned this on and my daughter who has not seen the show was in the room.  She laughed hysterically at the music lesson.

[Empress1]

15 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Melissa definitely would-she's just too smart to admit to it on camera.

In the first episode, she got rugs for the classrooms that were not donated by the nearby stadium.

I think she’s made “yikes, I almost said too much” faces when she’s gotten close to talking about shady stuff she’s done or knows about.

[needschocolate]

On 4/6/2022 at 12:36 PM, Crashcourse said:

My only nitpick about this show is that some of the quips are spoken/mumbled so fast, I don't know what was said.  Ava is especially guilty of this.

I said the same thing about the actors on Grand Crew, although I haven't heard if that show will be renewed. 

I agree.  I have to use subtitles for most of what Ava says, because she talks way too fast for me.  My kids are fast talkers sometimes and I remind them that my ears are too old to listen that fast. 

[pianogirl73]

The best partof the show was when they were playing their recorders and would not stop playing until the music teacher stopped them. No matter what Janine said.LOL

[peachmangosteen]

On 4/6/2022 at 1:58 PM, Empress1 said:

Did anybody notice Gregory saying it was easy to say yes when Janine asks?

YES! 🥰

On 4/6/2022 at 8:08 PM, emma675 said:

I wonder if there's any policy about teachers dating? 

Considering when I was in school there were various teacher-teacher relationships, I'm gonna go with no.

On 4/7/2022 at 11:23 AM, kwnyc said:

Yeah. I have an Old Navy top that looks like that! :-)

I need to check if it's still available lol.

[Empress1]

6 hours ago, peachmangosteen said:

Considering when I was in school there were various teacher-teacher relationships, I'm gonna go with no.

A teacher at my high school left his first wife for another teacher. It was apparently quite the scandal when it all went down. His kids went to the school; it was humiliating for them and strained the relationship with their dad for a while.

[rollacoaster]

57 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

A teacher at my high school left his first wife for another teacher. It was apparently quite the scandal when it all went down. His kids went to the school; it was humiliating for them and strained the relationship with their dad for a while.

Both teachers were allowed to stay and keep on teaching?

[peachmangosteen]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

A teacher at my high school left his first wife for another teacher. It was apparently quite the scandal when it all went down. 

This happened at my school, too! 

58 minutes ago, rollacoaster said:

Both teachers were allowed to stay and keep on teaching?

At my school, yes.

ETA: This was all in the early aughts so perhaps this kind of thing is more damning now, I don't really know.

[Joimiaroxeu]

Are recorders reused among multiple students or are they disposable? I didn't understand why Janine said she was going to collect them.

What's an octopus teacher?

Yo, Melissa. Most certainly, sugar does not belong in grits. You couldn't sit by me either with that b.s. 😏

Quote

I don't really understand why this bothers some people so much,  was it better when they used fake brands?   Maybe I'm just good at ignoring it. 

Yeah, watching Black-ish for eight seasons has pretty much inured me to product placement. That show has redefined "blatant," especially now in its final season.

I think what may have changed in recent years is that businesses now commonly pay production companies to have their goods appear on TV shows. In the past a show would have to pay the business in order to avoid trademark infringement. I'm always surprised when I see an actual Google logo or an Apple device on a fictional TV show because I think those must be two of the most expensive to get permission to use unless they are instead paying for product placement.

Edited April 10, 2022 by Joimiaroxeu

[possibilities]

36 minutes ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

What's an octopus teacher?

"My Octopus Teacher" is a documentary about a diver who spent a year with an octopus in its natural environment. It won an Oscar last year (I think). I watched it-- and wow, it really is stunning. I had no idea what to expect, but it was just amazing.

[pianogirl73]

1 hour ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Are recorders reused among multiple students or are they disposable? I didn't understand why Ava said she was going to collect them.

 

No. Each tudent has their own and they keep them after they are done with instruction.

[kathyk24]

11 hours ago, pianogirl73 said:

The best partof the show was when they were playing their recorders and would not stop playing until the music teacher stopped them. No matter what Janine said.LOL

I didn't like that scene. I would have been in trouble for not listening to my teacher. Janine teaches young kids I'm sure some of them like her.

[possibilities]

They do seem to be leaning hard into "Janine is a loser". I agree taht little kids would surely like her, at least some of them would. It's a little messy because they've set up her character to be SO needy, that if a kid liked her, she would probably go overboard with her reaction, and that would be very uncomfortable and maybe even squicky. I wish they'd find a balance with her, like they did with Jacob. She can be awkward, but not 100% of the time. Let her have a few wins.

[katalizt]

4 hours ago, Joimiaroxeu said:

Are recorders reused among multiple students or are they disposable? I didn't understand why Janine said she was going to collect them.

 

3 hours ago, pianogirl73 said:

No. Each tudent has their own and they keep them after they are done with instruction.

In my school the music teacher had a class set and they were disinfected between classes. They could be disassembled to make cleaning easier.

My parents got me my own recorder though so I wouldn't have to share.

[Constant Viewer]

21 hours ago, katalizt said:

In my school the music teacher had a class set and they were disinfected between classes. They could be disassembled to make cleaning easier.

We had this at my school as well. We had to put the mouthpieces in this bluish liquid. The recorders always had a weird taste.

[KarenX]

On 4/7/2022 at 4:58 PM, mrsbagnet said:

The bane of 3rd grade parents' existence. 😆 I still have my recorder from almost 40 years ago. It's in a box in my closet.

My two kids both brought their recorders on a Hawaii vacation, which turned driving around the island into some kind of hobbit movie hellscape.

[KarenX]

On 4/9/2022 at 2:24 PM, peachmangosteen said:

This happened at my school, too! 

At my school, yes.

ETA: This was all in the early aughts so perhaps this kind of thing is more damning now, I don't really know.

OMG. Early eighties yes. Our eighth grade science teacher took us on a field trip to his girlfriend’s kindergarten class at another school while his wife subbed for the classes left behind!

[krankydoodle]

One of my favorite bits in this episode was when the superintendent whispers something to Ava before her presentation while the teachers look on and when they ask her what he said, thinking it must have been something horrible because of the worried look on her face, she admits that she didn't hear it because he mumbled. I rewatched that scene a few times because the reactions from Gregory, Jacob, and Janine just cracked me up.

[RedInk]

On 4/7/2022 at 12:21 AM, Harvey said:

She was just putting her signature at the end of the letter/text lots of people do that. 

Y’all, I thought it was the funniest line in the episode! She found another person with her same name so she could use her birth certificate and meet the age eligibility requirements for The Bachelor. So they’re both Ava. 

[Red Fields]

OMG kids still play Flutophones? That is what we called them back in the 1960s when I was in elementary school! We all had our own. They were the pre-instrument that everyone had up til 3rd grade. In fourth grade you got to choose a real instrument and either went to band or orchestra depending on what it was.