S03.E01/E02: Career Day Part 1/Career Day Part 2

[Harvey]

17 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I am so not trusting Manny and the other two. 

 

14 hours ago, DanaK said:

Yeah, the 3 district visitors, especially their leader, were giving me major negative vibes. The leader says all the right things but I just don't trust any of them.

 

12 hours ago, possibilities said:

So far the district people haven't done anything bad, but I agree there is something that makes them hard to trust.

I'd like to talk about this because so many people are pointing out that the 3 district administrators must be secretly evil / seem too good to be true. But when Manny and Jeanine were talking it turned out that they visit the same teaching-related discussion forum and have very similar ideologies. These are things that people do in their down-time. If Manny spends his own time there and Jeanine even recognized him in a positive way from his online posts, that means he is genuine. There is no faking that sort of background, it wouldn't make sense.

If things go wrong with the administrators it will be because higher powers prevent them from helping, they become jaded / burnt out / or tempted by financial prospects, not because they are secretly evil and are lying to everyone.

However, this show wants to be optimistic and show a positive example of what could be possible in an ideal world so I don't think anything hugely bad is going to happen. This is a sitcom but also the show's goal is to have positive real world impact and that is achieved by modelling ideal behavior. It takes after Schitt's Creek in that way.

So I don't think we need to be so suspicious about those 3.

[lovinbob]

I would like to see Manny and Janine be attracted to each other and Janine choosing Gregory over him.

Barbara teaching K kids cursive was highly unrealistic. Kids who haven't really learned to read wouldn't be learning cursive, not to mention that their fine motor skills aren't well developed. I have always seen second or third grade be the year to start cursive.

Having them in desks/rows also seemed less likely in a K classroom, although it's in character for Barbara. 

I really hated that the district people moved around as a trio -- what a waste of resources. 

Jacob is such a delight, as is Mr. Johnson. 

Not surprised Gregory rejected Janine in that hidden camera moment. He is not one to make quick decisions or take risks, and based on their previous conversation, he decided to be just friends. Changing his mind would be like turning around an ocean liner -- it's going to take a while. 

But I love that Janine went after what she wanted, both with Gregory and with the district job.

[MicheleinPhilly]

17 hours ago, Crashcourse said:

Also, I loved Janine dressed in her grey suit.  She looked great and it was a nice change from those dorky outfits she used to wear. 

"Hey, little girl dressed up for Career Day." 

I HOWLED.

[Snapdragon]

I really liked this episode but found myself annoyed with all the couples.  With Melissa and her boyfriend, they're in their freakin' 50/60s, stop making jokey comments about marriage and have an actual, serious conversation.  That entire, awkward situation could have been avoided.  As for Gregory and Janine, I am so over them.  Just have them be together or move on.  I feel that they got them together way too soon so now they're having to come up with BS reasons for them not to be a couple.  

[mizhines]

On 2/8/2024 at 11:26 AM, MicheleinPhilly said:

“Princeton is the Temple of the Ivies!" I flipping CACKLED. 🤣

I went to Princeton, and although Ava’s delivery of the line cracked me up, can someone explain what that actually means? I asked my friends from college, and nobody knew. Guess we’re not that smart after all 🤷🏽‍♀️.

 

 

 

[peeayebee]

17 hours ago, DanaK said:

Janine’s sweater dress was weird

I didn't like it. 

3 hours ago, lovinbob said:

I would like to see Manny and Janine be attracted to each other and Janine choosing Gregory over him.

I get the sense that that's where the show is going.

[Bookish Jen]

1 hour ago, mizhines said:

I went to Princeton, and although Ava’s delivery of the line cracked me up, can someone explain what that actually means? I asked my friends from college, and nobody knew. Guess we’re not that smart after all 🤷🏽‍♀️.

 

 

 

I think it means that Princeton is the best of the Ivies. 

[lovinbob]

4 minutes ago, Bookish Jen said:

I think it means that Princeton is the best of the Ivies. 

Yes, because Temple University is a Philly school. Pretty average school, that's the joke. 

Edited February 9 by lovinbob

[DearEvette]

My favorite parts:

The kids' reaction to the proposal.  Especially the one kid who had his hands clutched on his head with an expression like "OMG, what is happening?"

The entire scene of them pumping up Gregory to "seduce" Ava with his guns.  And his look of utter shame, clutching his sweater to his chest as he walked away.

Also when Barbara laughed diabolically when she came up with her plan, Melissa and Jacob looked legit terrified.

Jacob being so excited to get Mr Johnson as his career day guy.  Also Mr. Johnson getting as much respect as Jalen Hurts.

I love the fact that the cosmetologist brought the styling heads (I had one of those when I was a kid) so that all the kids could practice along with her.

Ava dancing to Back That Azz Up (which is such a GREAT song! also the NPR Tiny desk version is fantastic!)

And finally... damn Jalen Hurts is F-O-I-N  foine! And yes, love the reminder/shoutout that he has an all female management/rep team.

 

Edited February 9 by DearEvette

[Kip Hackman]

I thought the overt references to the film crew were funny.

Hopefully the Jeanine/Greg thing can die for a while.  We all know where it's going, but the show works just fine without it.

[MicheleinPhilly]

16 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

And finally... damn Jalen Hurts is F-O-I-N  foine! And yes, love the reminder/shoutout that he has an all female management/rep team.

Obviously I'm familiar with Jalen but even I was like, "Damn, you are hot!" 

And I'm gay! 🤣

[Crashcourse]

I think Jalen Hurts looks ok (not fine, just my opinion) but it was nice to see him without all that eye black on his face.  

[Boofish]

I know she love those Town Women - *City Girls* Gave me a good 10 minute chuckle

I was so hoping Gregory telling Janine he was okay with where things were between them was because they knew the cameras were on and that they were secretly dating. One can dream.

Oh Ava. Never change. 

Interviewer - It says here you went to Harvard.

Me - Yes.  For my cousin's graduation.

[luna1122again]

On 2/8/2024 at 12:15 PM, Phishbulb said:

I'm mostly familiar with him from "The Other Two", where he played the dopey ex-boyfriend of the lead actress on the show. It's one of those roles where it has kind of defined how I think of him, to the point where it's hard for me to take him seriously in any other role. He just has that particular delivery that makes him suited to playing dumb-but-sweet characters. 

Lance! See, I adore Lance, so I absolutely am prepared to love Manny as well. He's like a big sunbeam, a golden retriever puppy. Well, Lance was, anyway, and that's how I'm reading Manny. So I really hope he doesn't turn out to be a creep. 

He was in the latest Scream flick, where, if I remember correctly, we might have thought he was a bad guy for a minute. 

[tennisgurl]

Great to see this show back, it continues to be one of my favorite things on television. I first saw Josh Segarra on Arrow playing one of my favorite bad guys, but I have also seen him play several "nice but a bit dim" sorts of characters, so I am not sure where Manny will end up. I think its likely that he and the other people from the district are nice, well meaning, and energetic, but will end up causing more problems than they solve due to not really knowing how to make things work practically. 

Look at Janine, looking like a whole ass adult! She looks so good when she isn't dressed like she's skinned a Muppet and is now wearing its pelt. I like her working part time with the District, it seems like a good use of her energy, at least for now. 

Mr. Johnson really is the best person to invite to your class for career day, he's had so many careers he can basically take over the whole day!

Edited February 9 by tennisgurl

[quirkygal]

Josh Sagerra (Manny) is also on The Big Door Prize as Giorgio the super star. It's a cute show and season 2 is starting soon. Lots of talent including Sagerra showing what's happening underneath the stereotypes.

 

But I enjoyed his character. His tag alongs seem like the failing up type. Manny is outta of his depth but he seems to know this by working with people like Janine and trying to build bridges with the Barbaras. I don't want to hope too much that he turns out to be a good guy because I'm usually wrong about these things but .... Hopeful.

 

[DearEvette]

I actually am liking the Manny character.  I think the show's M.O. thus far has been to  pretty quickly give you the personality of the people when they introduce them.  We quickly knew what kind of person Ashley (Melissa's room aide) and Draemond (Leslie Odom's charter school guy)  and Mr. Morton (Jacob's nemesis) and even Tariq. 

All in all I think he is just another "Janine" who happened into the job in administration where he wanted to make  a difference, whereas Janine went into teaching. As someone upthread mentioned, the discovery that they read the same online message board and like each other's comments would shore up that idea.  I am thinking he was given the job because the District has that job but it is rather thankless, but like Janine he has the optimism and the energy to do it as a young person who hasn't yet let bitterness grind him down.

I also like how the Janine/Gregory thing played out.  The awkwardness followed by the admission they are each other's person.  It is a pretty refreshing approach to addressing this stage in the relationship and it allows the writers room to breathe on them.  They are close and value the relationship but we have put the romance on pause in a very healthy way.

[peachmangosteen]

6 hours ago, Snapdragon said:

As for Gregory and Janine, I am so over them.  Just have them be together or move on.  I feel that they got them together way too soon so now they're having to come up with BS reasons for them not to be a couple.  

I'm kinda here, too. I'm so annoyed with how they've handled it that it really overrides the positive things in the show for me tbh.

[Crashcourse]

There was a lot to unpack in this one-hour episode, so I'll be glad to go back to the half hour episodes.  

I'd never heard of Josh Segarra, so it'll be interesting to see what he brings to the show.

3 minutes ago, peachmangosteen said:

I'm kinda here, too. I'm so annoyed with how they've handled it that it really overrides the positive things in the show for me tbh.

I agree.  There are so many other good things about this show, so Janine/Gregory is not that big of a deal.  To me, they aren't that important as a possible couple.  

[peachmangosteen]

I loved Janine/Gregory, but the show is obviously afraid to put them together too soon (have some courage lol) so they keep going there then pulling back and it's already very tedious to me and will just get worse. I wish I could just focus on the stuff I do like but the Janine/Gregory of it all is too present.

[possibilities]

Do we think Mr Johnson is lying about his life. or do we think he is supposed to really have done all  the things he claims?

[mrsbagnet]

7 hours ago, DearEvette said:

The kids' reaction to the proposal.  Especially the one kid who had his hands clutched on his head with an expression like "OMG, what is happening?"

Yes, that kid was my favorite shot of the episode. He looked exactly how I felt watching the proposal.

Edited February 10 by mrsbagnet

[EtheltoTillie]

I still love this show but I’m becoming more and more irritated by Jacob. He’s over the top I wish he would gain some insight. 

[Galileo908]

I also realized I never commented in the Abbot Elementary section of this site until this episode.

On 2/7/2024 at 11:42 PM, Blakeston said:

His students are significantly older than the other main characters' students. If I recall correctly, they're young teenagers.

Oops, yeah, completely forgot what grade Jacob taught.

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

Do we think Mr Johnson is lying about his life. or do we think he is supposed to really have done all  the things he claims?

One day we're gonna find out his first name is Mister.

8 hours ago, Boofish said:

I know she love those Town Women - *City Girls* Gave me a good 10 minute chuckle

"Pull out your Walkman. Open up Napster."

Please never change, Barbara.

Edited February 10 by Galileo908

[mrsbagnet]

On 2/9/2024 at 9:14 PM, possibilities said:

Do we think Mr Johnson is lying about his life. or do we think he is supposed to really have done all  the things he claims?

I think he's lying about some things and embellishing others. I think there's little to no chance he was ever in the mob in Sicily. State Senate seems doubtful, but a lot more plausible.

Edited February 13 by mrsbagnet

[Featherhat]

Yay, they're back! 

I loved that they explained the missing months by the camera crew getting robbed in West Philly (an area synonymous with the Fresh Prince of Bel Air theme song for me) and having to save up for new equipment. 

Janine's new job is interesting...I can definitely see why she took it and I'm glad she did. I enjoyed Jacob being alternately supportive and jealous, pretty realistic. In no way do I trust that everything is going to go great with the other three district admins though, they were way too nice and this show never gives Janine so many wins in a row or any kind of easy ride. JS has played a couple of very convincing serial killers and other bad guys so that's not helping either. I did like Manny talking to Barbara and saying he knows how he comes across but he can't help it though. The charter school guy also seemed nice and earnest for a while (at least to Barbara) before becoming something of a moustache twirler, so we'll see. I really don't think they have to be evil but *something* is going to go pear shaped. 

Ava! That was alternately funny and gross. I did feel sorry for Gregory after that scene. It makes sense that the staff has come up with coping strategies for Ava after so long and that they like the "freedom" to teach how they want and that nu!Ava was freaking everyone out. 

The Janine/Gregory conversation did leave me slightly confused. It seems as though it would only have been at most a couple of months after their talk at the Franklin Museum right? Is that enough time to have emotionally moved on so much that you don't feel the same way and don't want to revisit it, even though it's been a slow burn for a couple of years when you were dating other people? Obviously I don't expect anyone to wait around but Janine never shut the door. It may have made more sense if she'd tried to start something up in the present day because May to February is a long time. 

I realise this is a way of stalling them for a while or potentially even putting it on a backburner for a season or two but it did frustrate me. I guess it depends on how they handle it going forward. If there's nothing then fine but if they keep playing up the awkwardness and the looks and the longing (ie stalling for stalling's sake rather than a complete pause to focus on other things/pairings for them) then I will probably get annoyed. I wish more shows (especially workplace sitcoms) would follow the B99 pattern of getting them together S3 ish and then integrating that into the story or not as the plot demands. 

Speaking of...I liked Gary and Melissa but I'm glad she stood her ground and turned down the proposal. She flat out told Gary several times that she did not want to get married again and he thought he could manufacture "the perfect sign" or whatever and didn't just flat out tell her before that he wasn't joking. Which Melissa must have known deep down but was ignoring it. OTOH Melissa is also right that if Gary really wants to get married then he should find someone who really wants to get married to him and therefore it is better if they go their separate ways. Sad but realistic, especially with baggage from a shitty marriage and divorce. 

All in all so incredibly glad this show is back! 

Edited February 10 by Featherhat

[possibilities]

FWIW, I think they said it's been 5 months since the Franklin Institute. I don't think that changes anything substantively, but it is a bit longer than 2 months.

[peeayebee]

12 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

One day we're gonna find out his first name is Mister.

😆

I don't think we'll ever find out with absolute truth. I think the show will just use this as a funny and effective running gag.

1 hour ago, Featherhat said:

I realise this is a way of stalling them for a while or potentially even putting it on a backburner for a season or two but it did frustrate me. I guess it depends on how they handle it going forward. If there's nothing then fine but if they keep playing up the awkwardness and the looks and the longing (ie stalling for stalling's sake rather than a complete pause to focus on other things/pairings for them) then I will probably get annoyed.

I'm with you. Their getting together seems to be the endgame, but I really don't want this dragged out with miscommunications or one is ready to commit but the other is dating someone else, and then that switches back and forth. 

Quote

Speaking of...I liked Gary and Melissa but I'm glad she stood her ground and turned down the proposal. She flat out told Gary several times that she did not want to get married again and he thought he could manufacture "the perfect sign" or whatever and didn't just flat out tell her before that he wasn't joking. Which Melissa must have known deep down but was ignoring it.

I think Melissa said something about unless a miracle happened, she wouldn't want to get married again. Then during the Eagles zoom thing, she said this is a miracle, so Gary was like, "A miracle! She said it!" Of course he was wrong. Like others, I'm glad the show didn't have her suddenly change her mind and give him a Yes, but I also didn't like that she just ended their relationship. It seemed so sudden, but obviously, like she said, she had told him many times she didn't want to get married, so... :shrug:

[Joimiaroxeu]

Pt 1
I liked Ava's glasses with the eyeballs painted on them.

Melissa and Gary the new vending machine guy getting hella spicy!

Was Manny from the school district hitting on Janine or just being overly friendly?

Cursive writing no longer on the curriculum. Huh. I recently saw news stories that kids were starting to study cursive again because they wanted to have better signatures.

Janine was wearing a Nike shirt. Timely product placement.

Two dollars? That's like a million dollars!

Jeremy Allen Black. Sorry, Ava, that comparison won't work even on Greg's best day. Calvin Klein sends his regards.

Princeton is the Temple University of the Ivies. Ouch. (I would've said Dartmouth or Brown but that's just me. 😏)

Juvenile FTW. Ava couldn't help but back that thang up.

Pt 2
Ava's hidden cameras to spy on the teachers. No way is that legal, right?

I think Gary could be a slightly bulkier body double for Christopher Meloni.

Janine's substitute was ready to throw hands over the date placement on the whiteboard.

Mr. Johnson pulled some state election shenanigans and won the Cold War.

Janine said Jalen Hurt's face is incredible. Where is the lie tho?

Barbara did look great with the updated makeup.

Marriage proposal denied! Poor Gary.

Mr. Johnson was a made guy in the mafia. In Sicily. Wonders never cease with him!

Quote

I lived on army bases when I was in elementary school.  We did not have Career Day!

I also went to elementary schools on military bases. The only career day I recall was when each kid had to do a report to the class on what job their parent did on the base. It got interesting when kids sorted out whose parents reported to whose parents.

Edited February 10 by Joimiaroxeu

[possibilities]

I think Ava would say those are security cameras, not spy cameras. 

[Galileo908]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

FWIW, I think they said it's been 5 months since the Franklin Institute. I don't think that changes anything substantively, but it is a bit longer than 2 months.

Yep, five month timeskip. It was a good way to address the long wait because of the strikes.

 

1 hour ago, possibilities said:

I think Ava would say those are security cameras, not spy cameras. 

And I bet we'll see more "security cam" footage as flashbacks to fill in those five months the documentary crew weren't there for.

Edited February 11 by Galileo908

[Featherhat]

15 hours ago, possibilities said:

FWIW, I think they said it's been 5 months since the Franklin Institute. I don't think that changes anything substantively, but it is a bit longer than 2 months.

Yeah I know that the "documentary" hasn't been filming for 5 months so it's 5 months later in the present day but when Janine and Gregory had their talk and he said that he had moved on it was much earlier (Ava was showing them via her spy cameras and it was the day after the camera crew got robbed) so it must have been fairly soon after right? 

Or since it was development week August/September? That's only 2-3 months between Gregory asking her out to Janine asking him out. From then to Feb is 5 months so that works. 

I'm way, way over thinking this because the scene's only purpose was to stall/pause them but it kind of bugged that they showed him carrying this torch for years whilst he was dating two other people and she was dating two other people and then he claims he's moved on fairly quickly after she said she needed to work on herself first. Not that anyone has to wait or always be open but, eh. This was the first time that obvious stalling on this show has really bugged me. 

[shapeshifter]

1 hour ago, Featherhat said:

…From then to Feb is 5 months so that works. 

I'm way, way over thinking this because the scene's only purpose was to stall/pause them but it kind of bugged that they showed him carrying this torch for years whilst he was dating two other people and she was dating two other people and then he claims he's moved on fairly quickly after she said she needed to work on herself first. Not that anyone has to wait or always be open but, eh. This was the first time that obvious stalling on this show has really bugged me. 

I guess I’m glad I skipped season 2 (because season 1 reminded me too much of old stressful job).

This season 3 premiere was better for me.

I especially appreciated the writing of the relationships being healthy modeling rather than just maximum drama. Even the football guys were smart about it.

But I loathe love triangles, and that’s what the new guy Manny (Josh Segarra) is about, right? 
IMDb says he was on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which I f’loved, but I don’t remember him. And I had already quit Arrow before he showed up.

The sweater dress was perfect on Quinta Brunson in the surveillance camera — which would be legal if it’s not hidden, but I don’t think they are ever inside classrooms, just hallways, right? Maybe it was in the hallway and the door was open? Still not legally positioned, right?

So maybe end of series is Ava gets axed for her many irregularities, and Gregory finally gets his principal job (in how many seasons total?) and Janine takes a permanent position at the District which just coincidentally means she and Gregory can have a Thing Going On without any inappropriate work role dynamics or unbalance — which is a much better (IMO) manufactured relationship obstacle than any f’in’ love triangle.

Edited February 11 by shapeshifter

[Blakeston]

My assumption was that Gregory turning down Janine happened when the school year started back up, around September. So a few months after the Franklin Institute. It seemed like Janine took the position after Gregory rejected her, and that she took it at the beginning of the school year.

I agree that Gregory's reaction wasn't realistic. Janine basically told him "I want to be with you so badly, but I need a little time," and then Gregory tells her, just a few months later, "I've moved on because when you turned me down, you put a period on it." Yeah, sure, writers.

They didn't even need to show us that conversation in the first place. Janine could have just taken the district position, preventing things from moving further between them.

Re: Gary and Melissa, he absolutely should not have proposed publicly - especially in front of her students! - when he wasn't sure of the answer. But it was foolish of her to tell him that it would "take a miracle" when she really meant that it wasn't going to happen. He was so googly-eyed that of course he would take that as a challenge.

[Sakura12]

I love that this show is back. I also love that it was Barbara that reset Ava. She may not know celebrity names or the names of anything modern but she knows what song could bring out old Ava. 

I know Manny when he played Pug on She-Hulk where he played the good guy and from Arrow where he played the bad guy. So I'm 50/50 on him being legit or not. 

I'm okay with Janine getting some wins this year, since she was mostly rejected, laughed at and not taken seriously in the previous seasons. Getting a pro quarterback on career day is a huge win. 

I don't know why Janine thought her new second graders would be excited to see her. She probably would've had better luck going into the 3rd grade class. 

[hiisa]

I have no idea if the district people are going to turn out to be sketchy.  I hope not. Burn out is real but it was sad to see the formerly super enthusiastic Janine just over it so for that reason alone I loved the district people there. Janine has Jacob and Gregory but it must be nice to have validation paired with the authority to try some things.  I had actually forgotten how awful Ava treats Janine. It was almost enough to make me turn the episode off. 

[Sailorgirl26]

I rewatched seasons 1 and 2 recently and a couple thoughts --

I think Sea Barbara is sneaking through . . . in Season 1, Janine's kids were dancing to some song and Barbara came in and told them to keep it down, that the song Janine was playing "was like 'Back that Azz Up' for kids" and then she knew that's the song to bring old Ava back -- Barbara seems pretty familiar with the effects of that song on people!!  And of course . . . "walkman/phone" "napster/spotify" -- how can you not love a show that effortlessly throws in a Napster reference? 

There have been little hints across seasons 1 and 2 that Ava has cameras in the classrooms -- I can't recall the specific episode but Ava says something to Janine over the intercom about what's happening in her classroom and Janine says to the camera "can she see me?" I think the same happened with Gregory. 

I loved the sweater dress on Janine -- it seemed like a pricepoint dress a teacher could afford but was also very flattering. 

For those saying Gregory's response of "putting a period" on him and Janine despite it being left open-ended, its not unrealistic at all -- I know a few guys who have done just that. Men process and deal with their emotions and move along -- women tend to wonder, and ponder, and go back and forth. The whole "if a man is interested, you'll know" kind of thing -- men are pretty simple creatures. 

I love that they're showing Janine maturing into herself and the job but slowly, as would happen in the real world -- notably, when Barbara said about her considering the district fellowship -- "sweetheart, you always have Abbott to come home to" -- her face lit up and she smiled but she didn't go into her Barbara-as-replacement-mother response we've seen previously. 

Ava's glasses and the bedazzled AVA in Harvard .  . . never change Ava.

I love this show. 

[mrsbagnet]

22 minutes ago, Sailorgirl26 said:

There have been little hints across seasons 1 and 2 that Ava has cameras in the classrooms -- I can't recall the specific episode but Ava says something to Janine over the intercom about what's happening in her classroom and Janine says to the camera "can she see me?" I think the same happened with Gregory. 

Oh, right! There was one scene, I think in the teachers lounge, where Janine asks the others if they've seen a certain movie, and over the intercom, Ava says, "Janine, that movie was crazy."

[MicheleinPhilly]

I don't think the district folks have nefarious intentions. I just think they're overly earnest and will inevitably be ineffectual. I may be slightly biased though because our school district is a cluster**** of legendary proportions. 

I don't think the show has any intention of making them evil, mustache twirlers. Overall, I just think the actor playing Manny has been mis-cast. That perpetual wide grin 24/7 just comes across to me as creepy. 

[daisybumble]

Veteran high school teacher here - I am so glad that this show is back.  But there's one thing that annoyed me.  Near the start of part 1, we see teachers prepping for the start of the new school year, as well as the first day of school.  Yet everyone was wearing long sleeves, darker colors - Manny was wearing a heavy turtleneck sweater!  Do the California-based production people think that it's that cold in Philly in early September?  Also, there's no way that an old building like Abbott has central a/c, and I don't recall seeing window units as part of the classroom sets. 

I have to wonder if Manny was honest with Barbara, that his mom really is a teacher and he grew up hearing her stories...or is that not the case at all, and he just knows how to play to his audience and say the right things. 

The district trio could be truly eager, invested, and supportive.  But chances are they are not going to be around for the long term to really build change.  They will move on to other opportunities, or they will leave in frustration because others at the district level don't support them, or district initiatives will change and there will no longer be funding for their positions. 

My husband suggested that Mr. Johnson is a character like Creed Bratton on The Office or Kenneth on 30 Rock - a character that started out fairly simple, but the writers have fun adding more and more quirks, details, and possibilities. 

I would not want to work for Ava, but I also would not want to work for Serious Principal Ava.  But I love her as a character on this show.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 2/9/2024 at 12:15 PM, mizhines said:

I went to Princeton, and although Ava’s delivery of the line cracked me up, can someone explain what that actually means? I asked my friends from college, and nobody knew. Guess we’re not that smart after all 🤷🏽‍♀️.

 

 

 

I did too, and this is my head canon: Ava is inordinately proud of having obtained her degree on Harvard's campus (or thereabouts), so she is going to disparage Princeton (or Yale, etc.) when they come up.  In Abbott, Janine attended U Penn, but in real life, Quinta attended near-by Temple.  I imagine that she may have heard comments comparing the 2 schools that did not favor Temple.  So this is her in-joke.

Edited February 13 by ItCouldBeWorse

[ItCouldBeWorse]

On 2/9/2024 at 9:14 PM, possibilities said:

Do we think Mr Johnson is lying about his life. or do we think he is supposed to really have done all  the things he claims?

On 2/9/2024 at 11:08 PM, mrsbagnet said:

I like he's lying about some things and embellishing others. I think there's little to no chance he was ever in the mob in Sicily. State Senate seems doubtful, but a lot more plausible.

Alan Sepinwall recently wrote about these episodes: A strong return overall (including Mr. Johnson shamelessly stealing the plots of movies like The Godfather and The Distinguished Gentleman for his career day speeches), so I'm going to say he is not always completely truthful!

On 2/11/2024 at 4:02 AM, shapeshifter said:

IMDb says he was on She-Hulk: Attorney at Law, which I f’loved, but I don’t remember him.

On 2/11/2024 at 1:44 PM, Sakura12 said:

I know Manny when he played Pug on She-Hulk where he played the good guy

Yes, he played  Augustus "Pug" Pugliese, an attorney at the same firm as Jennifer and Nikki.  Definitely a good guy.

[Ilovepie]

On 2/8/2024 at 4:50 PM, JeanJean said:

Line of the night for me: "Jeremy Allen Black."

100%. And his initial awkwardness and then getting into it. My favorite scene of the episode(s), but probably not funny if you don't watch The Bear. But my husband and I howled when she said it!

I wish they had let Ava be a blend of her "real" self and the competent principal. You can be good at your job and still be a fun person! I did laugh when she did the little bounce when she heard the music but was trying to resist. 🤣

And count me as one of the people perplexed by the cursive poster in a kindergarten room - it would make more sense in literally any of the other main characters rooms! I often feel like this show is kind of wonky with what each grade is doing when they focus on the kids - it never seems quite right and always takes me out a bit. Funny enough, here in California they are adding cursive back after about a 20 year break. My kids are SOL because they are in  this in between and watching them try to read anything cursive is sad and shows why it should never have been stopped in the first place. Plus, their signatures look like they were done by five year olds, and they are teenagers!

[Black Knight]

I don't think the district people are evil either. They'll just run up against the same things the teachers do, of not being able to change things enough fast enough, and maybe become the victim of budget cuts at the district.

If there's a longterm purpose in mind, I suspect it's about getting Janine to become interested in pursuing the administration track. This show reminds me in some ways of Superstore, and on that show the Janine counterpart eventually became upper management.

[mrsbagnet]

1 hour ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Alan Sepinwall recently wrote about these episodes: A strong return overall (including Mr. Johnson shamelessly stealing the plots of movies like The Godfather and The Distinguished Gentleman for his career day speeches), so I'm going to say he is not always completely truthful!

Which makes it all the more funny that Jacob hangs on to every word and believes him!

 

10 minutes ago, Ilovepie said:

I did laugh when she did the little bounce when she heard the music but was trying to resist. 🤣

That bounce was the best.

I worked briefly in archives, and the thing that bothers me most about the lack of teaching cursive is that future adults won't be able to read old letters and documents. Not a huge deal, but it will be a lost art.

[Ilovepie]

14 minutes ago, mrsbagnet said:

I worked briefly in archives, and the thing that bothers me most about the lack of teaching cursive is that future adults won't be able to read old letters and documents. Not a huge deal, but it will be a lost art.

My kids can't even read birthday cards and such when relatives send them something because of this! But these kids also live in the era of all information at your fingertips - if they really wanted to learn cursive all they have to do is Google it. I don't think anything is truly lost in this day and age. Still, it would be a lot easier for them to just learn it in school like all prior generations, and thankfully, it is getting put back in!

[benteen]

I'm so glad this show is back. It's a favorite of mine and one of my fun shows, on top of being great.

Some changes to Abbott that don't feel like it's taking away from the show which I appreciate. I laughed when Jalen Hurts said "Look at you, little girl, dressed up for Career Day" to Janine. I definitely don't trust the School Board people either.

On the subject of Manny, I was a fan of Josh Segarra's work on Arrow. To answer an earlier question, he was one of the lawyer's at Jennifer’s law firm in She-Hulk that she worked on cases with. I finally got around to watching Orange is the New Black and Josh also had a recurring role as one of the guards in the later seasons. He always seems to get himself at least on recurring role on a high-profile show.

[Badsamaritan]

I am so glad this show is back, my goodness I've missed all these characters!

And what a beautiful, chaotic return. So many great lines that have already been mentioned but, I really did especially love Janine's delivery of 'Your face is incredible' to Jalen Hurts (because GOOD LORD IT IS A WORK OF ART) and Ava's involuntary bounce when the music started. I felt that, when that one song come on that is so deep, it's muscle memory now lol. She gave a good try but that azz remembers. 😉

I really hate they're stalling Janine and Gregory. There's so much comedy and conflict they could mine from two young people with their own biological family issues and their circus village of a workplace family. Like, I would love to see Gregory being a gentleman and trying to take things slow romantically and Janine being the one wanting to move things along and into the bedroom but being her awkward self about it and the others get involved but because they're around kids, they're using some kind of euphemism for Janine wanting to have sex that's both ridiculous and a little spicy. And, let's bring Janine's mom and Gregory's dad back for introductions to the significant other with varying levels of cringe and growth. It doesn't even have to be a thing for a good portion of the time, or just a quick hand hold and smile in the hallway or something. Come on writers, y'all are better than this, I know it. 

Did I mention I'm so glad this show is back? 

[Zaffy]

The whole Janine and Gregory thing it is so frustrating that its almost a dealbreaker for me.. 

[mojito]

On 2/8/2024 at 3:05 PM, MicheleinPhilly said:

Unless you went to Catholic school and were taught cursive by nuns. Then your handwriting matches the poster on Ms. Barbara's wall. I'm not speaking from experience. 

Did you learn the Palmer Method? You had to write moving your entire arm, not just with your fingers as normal people do. Such a stupid waste of time.