S02.E12: Fight

[DearEvette]

Quote

During a day of touchdowns and missed plays, the Abbott Elementary faculty find themselves learning lessons in teamwork. Two of Janine’s students aren’t getting along in class, leading her to seek advice from her colleagues on how to help repair their friendship. Meanwhile, Melissa and Ava plot to bring down Mr. Johnson in fantasy football.

Airdate: 01/11/2023

[DanaK]

The title should be referencing Season 2 not 1 

[Annber03]

"Do you want to watch Toy Story tomorrow?"

"Which one? I can't do three again."

And those drawings... Oh, my god, those girls were ruthless! But aw, I like that they managed to sort things out in the end, and that their sisters befriended each other, too. Even if they bonded over things like beating people up :p. I'm hoping that call Janine made to her sister means that we'll get to meet her at some point soon. I think Barbara had a good point about Janine needing to learn to sit with conflict sometimes, though I totally sympathize and understand why she gets so anxious in those kinds of situations. 

I'm glad Gregory was able to make some peace with his dad, too. I smiled at his thing about how he likes gardening at the school (and LOL at Jacob and Barbara's reactions upon realizing that Gregory had been secretly tending to the garden all this time). 

Jordan eating the seed and the wet paper towel XD. The kids on this show are so great. 

[JeanJean]

Good episode! And I love that Jeanine had a good talk with Barbara and that she realized her pattern.

I have this weird pattern with Abbott. A lot of times, I'm "meh" for the first half and by the end I realize it was a very good episode.

One thing -- doesn't Jeanine teach 1st grade? Because her kids seem kind of verbally advanced for that age, and I really don't want this show to go the precocious kids route. (I had a couple of students a year older who hated each other and they were nowhere near as good at verbal sparring.) Maybe with all the internet, kids are more advanced, though.

I really appreciated that in the second half, the scenes were really allowed to breathe. I wonder if that's been a pattern all along, and that's why the episodes grow on me.

Edited January 12, 2023 by JeanJean

[Roaster]

Another well-written episode.  A B-plot and a C-plot in addition to the main story; no wasted minutes; characters true to themselves.  Gregory's father instantly a good character.  No wonder this show wins awards.

They really have been setting us up to see Janine's sister.  It will be interesting to see what kind of personality they give her.
 

[peridot]

I'm surprised that Janine didn't do anything after that girl cut off her sentence and when the other girl slapped the drawing down.  I know she's disciplined kids before, this episode made her seem inept.  Also, I'm surprised nothing happened to the older sisters after they shoved Janine.  Was the little girl that yelled "fight" the adorable girl that backed up the toilets earlier this season?

The alliterative insults that Barbara gave to Gregory were hilarious.  I loved that Jacob had to fan Barbara to cool her down.

It's nice seeing that the relationship between Jacob and Mr. Johnson continued after the Christmas party they had earlier.

I just shook my head at Ava flirting with Gregory's dad.  I laughed at her repulsed look when she discovered his Hotmail account.

Edited January 12, 2023 by peridot

[kathyk24]

3 minutes ago, JeanJean said:

Good episode! And I love that Jeanine had a good talk with Barbara and that she realized her pattern.

I have this weird pattern with Abbott. A lot of times, I'm "meh" for the first half and by the end I realize it was a very good episode.

One thing -- doesn't Jeanine teach 1st grade? Because her kids seem kind of verbally advanced for that age, and I really don't want this show to go the precocious kids route. (I had a couple of students a year older and they were nowhere near as good at verbal sparring.) Maybe with all the internet, kids are more advanced, though.

I really appreciated that in the second half, the scenes were really allowed to breathe. I wonder if that's been a pattern all along, and that's why the episodes grow on me.

Janine teaches second grade Gregory teaches first grade. 

[possibilities]

I kept waiting for Janine to sit the girls down and find out what the conflict was. Maybe they just didn't like each other, but it sure looked like there might have been a specific incident that precipitated the hatred. There are often kids who don't particularly like each other but they don't HATE each other like that. I just don't think kids can be counted on to work things out by themselves, and often they need adults to talk them through it and teach them the skills.

 

[Ms Blue Jay]

[kathyk24]

3 hours ago, Annber03 said:

"Do you want to watch Toy Story tomorrow?"

"Which one? I can't do three again."

And those drawings... Oh, my god, those girls were ruthless! But aw, I like that they managed to sort things out in the end, and that their sisters befriended each other, too. Even if they bonded over things like beating people up :p. I'm hoping that call Janine made to her sister means that we'll get to meet her at some point soon. I think Barbara had a good point about Janine needing to learn to sit with conflict sometimes, though I totally sympathize and understand why she gets so anxious in those kinds of situations. 

I'm glad Gregory was able to make some peace with his dad, too. I smiled at his thing about how he likes gardening at the school (and LOL at Jacob and Barbara's reactions upon realizing that Gregory had been secretly tending to the garden all this time). 

Jordan eating the seed and the wet paper towel XD. The kids on this show are so great. 

The plot with Gregory and his dad was the best part of the episode. Barbara was more like herself in season one. I didn't like the fight subplot because Janine looked incompetent when she's been able to manage her classroom this year. She should have sent the girls to the principal.

[Ms Blue Jay]

Oh my goodness, Orlando Jones's Twitter bio.  The Orlando Bloom one is so funny because my brain definitely relates the two of them against my will.  

Edited January 12, 2023 by Ms Blue Jay

[Bookish Jen]

I laughed when Gregory told his student, "Jordan, peel that off your face." Jordan, peel-Jordan Peele? Or am I looking to deeply into it?

[JakeyJokes]

I’ve only seen clips of this Ep so far, but can’t resist in commenting that Janine saying “and we’re watching the FIRST Toy Story! Toy Story makes me cry” had me howling. I rented Toy Story 3 as an adult and watched it at home by myself, and I was crying so hard I was shaking. Sounds ridiculous, but IYKYK.

[Blakeston]

I thought this one was hilarious!

Barbara's outrage about Gregory's gardening subterfuge was great, as was her list of condemnations. ("HIdden hoing and whatnot!")

Also, Gregory commenting that confusing collard greens with spinach is not an easy mistake to make.

 

Edited January 14, 2023 by Blakeston

[chitowngirl]

1 hour ago, Bookish Jen said:

I laughed when Gregory told his student, "Jordan, peel that off your face." Jordan, peel-Jordan Peele? Or am I looking to deeply into it?

That was EXACTLY my thought process!

[Empress1]

This was a great one!

Barbara’s alliteration was gold. Nobody can match her diction. The kids thinking Janine was a kid and trying to fight her was fantastic - they were both taller than she is! 
 

“Did you swallow a wet paper towel?” “Yes.” I fell OUT. The kids on this show are so great.

“what are you doing?” “Looking for your team, ‘cause it’s trash.” This was a very quotable episode.

[Annber03]

2 hours ago, Bookish Jen said:

I laughed when Gregory told his student, "Jordan, peel that off your face." Jordan, peel-Jordan Peele? Or am I looking to deeply into it?

I thought the same thing, too :D. 

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, Bookish Jen said:

I laughed when Gregory told his student, "Jordan, peel that off your face." Jordan, peel-Jordan Peele? Or am I looking to deeply into it?

I thought that, too. I thought, since Jordan Peele writes horror movies, it was especially funny and that they definitely did it on purpose.

[Empress1]

27 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

I thought the same thing, too :D. 

So did I.

[MicheleinPhilly]

8 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Oh my goodness, Orlando Jones's Twitter bio.  The Orlando Bloom one is so funny because my brain definitely relates the two of them against my will.  

Hi, Ms. Barbara! 😉

[meep.meep]

So, who on the writing staff is a 49ers fan?  They name checked two football players and both are on the Niners.  Shouldn't they be going for Eagles players?  They're #1 after all.  And btw, McCaffrey has no backup.

I loved that Gregory's secret gardening backfired on him.

[Crashcourse]

I loved Barbara's reference to Earth, Wind & Fire!

Ava still talks too fast.

[xaxat]

10 hours ago, Ms Blue Jay said:

Oh my goodness, Orlando Jones's Twitter bio.  The Orlando Bloom one is so funny because my brain definitely relates the two of them against my will.  

Man, that takes me back to the days when he used Twitter to absolutely roast fools after he got wronged during the production of Sleepy Hollow and American Gods.

Janine gets a win!

[BusyOctober]

For the record, watching Toy Story 3 rung out more emotion from me than Steel Magnolias or Terms of Endearment. Watching it in the theater had me gulping and sobbing, in full tears with snot running down my face. My then 5 year old told me I was an embarrassment, and she would not be sitting near me when we go to movies together ( I am still not allowed to watch Up! in her presence either due to my weeping during the first 20 minutes).

Good episode, but Janine needs some therapy!  All her positivity is great on the surface for her students, but she will crash and burn trying to make everything sunshine and rainbows for everybody, every day!

 

[tennisgurl]

I can hardly think about Toy Story 3 without getting emotional, when I saw it in the theater I was an absolute mess, I deeply regretted my decision to wear extra mascara that night.

Another really good episode, I can totally get Janine hating when people don't get along and I am glad that Barbara recognized that she tends to obsess over trying to get people to like each other because of her family issues. Her talk with Barbara was really nice, I really want to hear more about Barbara's feud with the usher at her church. 

Ava's responses to Gregory's dad were great, especially when she saw that he was still using a hotmail address. I'm glad that Gregory made peace with his dad and realized how much being at Abbot has helped him grow as a person. I think its great that they have continued that thread of Jacob and Barbara gardening together while Gregory fixes their mistakes secretly. 

[Empress1]

“Hidden hoe-ing and whatnot.” That whole exchange was gold.

Edited January 12, 2023 by Empress1

[DearEvette]

“I’m a pacifist. You mess with me, imma pass a fist across yo face.” 

What a fantastic episode.  The quips were flying fast and furious.

Barb and Jacob's reaction to learning that their garden is actually Gregory's Secret Garden was everything.  Probably my favorite scene of the episode.  Between Barbara's alliterative outrage and the gasp/hurt faces Jacob was making, it was perfect.

I liked that both Eddie men sent a WTF look at the camera at one of Ava's lines.

LOL a Janine being shorter than 8th graders.

"Hate to see my Queens fight, but I thought Miss Teagues was gonna get molly-whopped."  Man.  I haven't heard that term in a minute.

Everyone can agree that Toy Story 3 is one you just can't handle the re-watch.

[Crashcourse]

17 hours ago, kathyk24 said:

I didn't like the fight subplot because Janine looked incompetent when she's been able to manage her classroom this year. She should have sent the girls to the principal.

Sure, the girls should have been sent to a normal, qualified principal.  But Ava?  She would have set up a fighting ring for those girls.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

23 hours ago, peridot said:

It's nice seeing that the relationship between Jacob and Mr. Johnson continued after the Christmas party they had earlier.

Discrepancy:

In this episode, Jacob says: "I don't hate anyone." (And then he remembers the grape-thrower from when he was in 6th grade).  However, in Egg Drop, it's made clear that Jacob intensely dislikes the science teacher, Mr. Morton (who admits in a talking head that he hates Jacob.)  Did Jacob (or the writers) forget so quickly about his co-worker arch-nemesis?
 

Edited January 13, 2023 by ItCouldBeWorse

[ItCouldBeWorse]

I was curious about the yellow sticky note that was on the back of Gregory's father's flyer; it says: "Share with your co workers that have lawn care needs."

I was also surprised that Gregory used Melissa's and Barbara's (especially Barbara's!) first names when he introduced them to his father.

[Empress1]

1 hour ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I was also surprised that Gregory used Melissa's and Barbara's (especially Barbara's!) first names when he introduced them to his father.

I think that’s because his father would call them by their first names because he’s closer in age to them. I think Gregory was just modeling that. I don’t call my mother Dr. Lastname, but I introduce her that way.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

1 minute ago, Empress1 said:

I think that’s because his father would call them by their first names because he’s closer in age to them. I think Gregory was just modeling that. I don’t call my mother Dr. Lastname, but I introduce her that way.

I feel that a person as formal as his father would call a lady he was just introduced to by her honorific and surname.

[JakeyJokes]

8 hours ago, BusyOctober said:

For the record, watching Toy Story 3 rung out more emotion from me than Steel Magnolias or Terms of Endearment. Watching it in the theater had me gulping and sobbing, in full tears with snot running down my face. My then 5 year old told me I was an embarrassment, and she would not be sitting near me when we go to movies together

Awww! She’ll remember when she’s older. I remember being sooooo embarrassed that my mom was crying during The Lion King, and then 20 years later I saw the remake in the theater and was crying.

[possibilities]

2 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Discrepancy:

In this episode, Jacob says: "I don't hate anyone." (And then he remembers the grape-thrower from when he was in 6th grade).  However, in Egg Drop, it's made clear that Jacob intensely dislikes the science teacher, Mr. Morton (who admits in a talking head that he hates Jacob.)  Did Jacob (or the writers) forget so quickly about his co-worker arch-nemesis?
 

 

Jacob will SAY he doesn't hate anyone, even if he does. It's perfectly in character, if you ask me.

[Diapason Untuned]

Gregory makes so much more sense now that we've seen his dad.

[Seelouis]

Gregory asking “Well let’s think about it. Did you also swallow a wet paper towel?” thinking he was teaching the lesson only to be told “yes” had me on the floor. Those kids steal the show!

[Pj3422]

On 1/12/2023 at 12:27 AM, Ms Blue Jay said:

Oh my goodness, Orlando Jones's Twitter bio.  The Orlando Bloom one is so funny because my brain definitely relates the two of them against my will.  

That was perfect casting! (Especially since he alludes to Tyler James Williams in his Twitter bio!)

[xaxat]

I should probably be a little embarrassed, but I laughed when i found out that kids still yell "Fight!" to incite schoolroom violence.

[P2C2E]

I have seen Toy Story 3 exactly one time because I am with the kid, I can't go through that again.

[SoMuchTV]

57 minutes ago, P2C2E said:

I have seen Toy Story 3 exactly one time because I am with the kid, I can't go through that again.

That was the one with the conveyer belt into the furnace, right?  How on god’s green earth was that rated G?

[P2C2E]

9 minutes ago, SoMuchTV said:

That was the one with the conveyer belt into the furnace, right?  How on god’s green earth was that rated G?

Yep, ripped my heart out and stomped on it.

Also a seriously evil purple stuffed bear.

[kickingnames]

What a gem of an episode. So many zingers. I was concerned for a minute that Gregory was going to bow to his father’s wishes for a family landscape business, but thankfully he’s recognized how much personal development he’s gone through with this teaching job.

I have a couple of teacher friends who are definitely shorter than a few 8th graders — they would NOT get pushed around though. (They are some fierce elementary teachers who also enjoy this show.)

Y’all are making me so grateful that I’ve never seen Toy Story 3. Sounds brutal emotionally.

[Annber03]

3 minutes ago, kickingnames said:

Y’all are making me so grateful that I’ve never seen Toy Story 3. Sounds brutal emotionally.

I think I've seen bits and pieces of that one before, when at my sister's place. 

But yeah, I'm hesitant to sit down and watch the whole thing, too. I can't rewatch the second Toy Story movie because of "When She Loved Me". Nope. Can't do it. 

[Black Knight]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:22 AM, Bookish Jen said:

I laughed when Gregory told his student, "Jordan, peel that off your face." Jordan, peel-Jordan Peele? Or am I looking to deeply into it?

The captions read "Jordan Peele" for that part. Definitely intentional.

On 1/12/2023 at 11:55 AM, meep.meep said:

So, who on the writing staff is a 49ers fan?  They name checked two football players and both are on the Niners.  Shouldn't they be going for Eagles players?  They're #1 after all.  And btw, McCaffrey has no backup.

To be successful at fantasy football, like Ava, Melissa and Mr. Johnson, you have to pick up players across the league, not just stock up on your own team's players. It's a reason some people don't like playing fantasy football, since it forces you to hope that opposing players on rival teams do well.

I wasn't surprised at how Ava broke up that fight. You can tell she's been in some scrums and knows what she's doing. Janine I'm sure has never been in a physical fight in her life.

Last episode Gregory said that his lack of money was still being an issue in his romantic life, and in this episode his dad mentioned that Gregory could take Amber out for a nice dinner if he went to work with his dad. Interesting that the show is making this a consistent theme. Gregory is obviously not leaving the school, but it feels like the show is setting up for something. We still have that loose end with that rich guy (Barbara's former student) who wants to take over and change the school.

[dmmetler]

8 hours ago, kickingnames said:

What a gem of an episode. So many zingers. I was concerned for a minute that Gregory was going to bow to his father’s wishes for a family landscape business, but thankfully he’s recognized how much personal development he’s gone through with this teaching job.

I have a couple of teacher friends who are definitely shorter than a few 8th graders — they would NOT get pushed around though. (They are some fierce elementary teachers who also enjoy this show.)

Y’all are making me so grateful that I’ve never seen Toy Story 3. Sounds brutal emotionally.

In my first year of teaching in a school much like Abbott, I was ready to step between two kids who were squaring off to break it uo when one of my 6th graders PICKED me up and said "Don't do it, Ms M-they like to kill you!!". Another went to get the campus security officer, who agreed with him after the fact-that those two kids, when they got into it, would have taken me down without even noticing who I was. 

I was regularly asked for my hall pass as a student teacher in a middle school. 

[xaxat]

On 1/12/2023 at 6:43 PM, Crashcourse said:

Sure, the girls should have been sent to a normal, qualified principal.  But Ava?  She would have set up a fighting ring for those girls.

As she is breaking up the fight, she exclaims "Only in America!" Which was a favorite phrase of the infamous boxing promoter Don King.

Edited January 14, 2023 by xaxat

[krankydoodle]

9 hours ago, Black Knight said:

Last episode Gregory said that his lack of money was still being an issue in his romantic life, and in this episode his dad mentioned that Gregory could take Amber out for a nice dinner if he went to work with his dad. Interesting that the show is making this a consistent theme. Gregory is obviously not leaving the school, but it feels like the show is setting up for something. We still have that loose end with that rich guy (Barbara's former student) who wants to take over and change the school.

I was surprised we didn't see a scene where Gregory told his father he wanted to stay at Abbott instead of joining him in the landscaping business. Maybe they're saving that conversation for a later episode, or did it happen here and I just missed it?

[Joimiaroxeu]

Yep, excellent casting on Greg's father. The actors really do resemble each other.

Jacob doesn't know how to write in cursive. That doesn't seem unusual for someone his age. But not recognizing the difference between spinach and collard greens? OMG, was he raised in a cave by wolves? 😱

Mollywapped. Is that a Philly word?

Butterflies and beating people up. Friendships have been forged from less. (And one of those 8th grade girls looked a lot like Serena Williams to me. Wonder if they're related?)

Jacob knows how to dap now. Oh boy.

Great episode!

[Constant Viewer]

11 hours ago, dmmetler said:

In my first year of teaching in a school much like Abbott, I was ready to step between two kids who were squaring off to break it uo when one of my 6th graders PICKED me up and said "Don't do it, Ms M-they like to kill you!!". Another went to get the campus security officer, who agreed with him after the fact-that those two kids, when they got into it, would have taken me down without even noticing who I was. 

Good for those kids, I doubt all students would help the teacher. When I was a student teacher, I saw my mentor teacher get thrown to the ground by two kids fighting down the hallway. I've seen assistant principals get injured or pushed during fights. 

[mansonlamps]

On 1/11/2023 at 9:48 PM, possibilities said:

I kept waiting for Janine to sit the girls down and find out what the conflict was. Maybe they just didn't like each other, but it sure looked like there might have been a specific incident that precipitated the hatred. There are often kids who don't particularly like each other but they don't HATE each other like that. I just don't think kids can be counted on to work things out by themselves, and often they need adults to talk them through it and teach them the skills.

 

Just seemed like normal Queen Bee conflict to me.