S03.E05: Breakup

[DanaK]

Quote

WEDNESDAY, FEB. 28 9:00-9:32 p.m. EST 

When Barbara's church choir uses the gym for rehearsals, Ava notices tensions in the group. Jacob's eagerness for a full social calendar worries Gregory. Melissa and Janine investigate a new substitute.

 

[Annber03]

"If anyone can appreciate a few extra holes in their body, it's Jesus."

OMG...XD. That line and Mr. Johnson's comment about "throuples"...

Awwwwww, no, Jacob and Zack :(. I'm sad they broke up, I liked them together. Jacob definitely should've heeded Gregory's advice, but I really did enjoy their interaction this episode, and the way Gregory was there to support him throughout all of this. I liked the bit at the end when he reached up into the cabinet - the way he covered Jacob's stomach to shield him was sweet. 

But yeah, wow, first Melissa's relationship ends, now Jacob's... I'm thinking those two may need a singles' night out at some point :D. Curious to see how Jacob deals with this going forward, too. 

Also really enjoyed the interaction between Ava and Barbara. I appreciate Ava bringing up the choice of a religious song being sung in a public school setting at the end, 'cause I was thinking about that, too, but Ava's idea in and of itself to help cheer Barbara up and show her support was genuinely sweet. And Barbara sounded great, so...

I'm sadly not surprised at the reasons why the rest of the choir wouldn't like Barbara much, especially her mention of the fact she's friends with other teachers at the school that the choir wouldn't approve of. But that's part of what makes Barbara so likeable, and I'm glad she's not going to let their prejudices rattle her like that. 

Poor Janine, the awkwardness with that temp teacher :p. It was cute to see Melissa calling her to come help ,though. 

[Galileo908]

"What is a choir if not a sorority for The Lord?" Ava speaking true words once again. Also loved her naming the gym the Ava Coleman Memorial Coliseum.

"You think they can keep me away from a place that gives out free money on a free plate?" Oh my god, I'm dying.

The sub screaming was a hell of a mood. And I wasn't expecting the reveal of the sub to be that they were nonbinary and changing their name messed up the records.

I'm glad Barbara finally got her moment to shine. Not surprised that SHE was too modern for the church ladies. I have the feeling Ava related to Barbara so much was that she was in her position in her sorority. I know exactly how ruthless sorority mean girls can be (And Ava is definitely the type to have been in one that ONLY let in mean girls)

Loved Mr. Johnson in this. He just wants to be included, but he does NOT want to be part of a thruple. That he was listening in through a bucket against the wall was gold.

Jacob, woof, that was painful, trying to be so awful that Zach breaks up with him because he was too scared to do it himself.

7 minutes ago, Annber03 said:

Poor Janine, the awkwardness with that temp teacher :p. It was cute to see Melissa calling her to come help ,though. 

She's totally not bored because she misses their shenanigans together. She's just bored bored. ; )

[Blakeston]

I don't think the sub being non-binary had anything to do with Janine's mistake. Janine just assumed that Geoffries was spelled with a "J."

I'm glad they had a character who just happened to be non-binary, but I admit I was distracted by it. I kept expecting one of the teachers to make a faux pas related to it, and I was waiting to cringe.

I loved seeing a different side of Barbara, but I was practically screaming at the TV for her to just find a new church already!

[txhorns79]

1 hour ago, Galileo908 said:

And I wasn't expecting the reveal of the sub to be that they were nonbinary and changing their name messed up the records.

I thought Janine just misspelled the sub's last name when doing her search.  Was that not what happened?

The episode was okay.  I kind of want to tell the writers it's okay if not every character has something to do in a given episode.  Sometimes it feels like they are stretching to include everyone. 

[Galileo908]

58 minutes ago, txhorns79 said:

thought Janine just misspelled the sub's last name when doing her search.  Was that not what happened?

I need to watch it again, I'm pretty sure that's what happened.

[Harvey]

I really like how they are handling Ava's character growth this season. Her changes are meaningful and believable, still in-keeping with her original characterization.

[HyeChaps]

I would like them to mention Ava’s grandmother again. That’s an influence that can be explored. 

[BAForever]

Zach in the car seething since Jacob didn't say goodbye was golden.

Love Gregory and Jacob's slowly evolving friendship. Gregory is a good guy. 

[libgirl2]

11 hours ago, Annber03 said:

"If anyone can appreciate a few extra holes in their body, it's Jesus."

 

 

 

Best line of the night!!! lol! 

[Empress1]

12 hours ago, Galileo908 said:

Jacob, woof, that was painful, trying to be so awful that Zach breaks up with him because he was too scared to do it himself.

That’s a classic move. It’s also an asshole move. “I don’t want to be the bad guy so I’ll get you to dump me and that lets me off the hook.” Yuck!

10 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I don't think the sub being non-binary had anything to do with Janine's mistake. Janine just assumed that Geoffries was spelled with a "J."

Yeah, I think it was the spelling of the last name, not the gender identity, that mattered here. It was interesting to me that Janine mispronounced the name when she read it. I’ve come across the Geoffrey spelling many times, but I guess Janine hadn’t.

12 hours ago, Annber03 said:

“anyone can appreciate a few extra holes in their body, it's Jesus."

I howled. I also cracked up at the mention of Cruise Barbara.

[MicheleinPhilly]

12 hours ago, Annber03 said:

"If anyone can appreciate a few extra holes in their body, it's Jesus."

I screamed. I did at the end too when she asked Ms. Barbara if she knew a song about Moses because "Imma need you to let my people go." Overall though, I loved how invested Ava was in the whole choir drama. And not in her usual, messy way - she was genuinely interested in helping Mrs. Howard and making her happy. 

[joanne3482]

For some reason I thought she said Cassidy when she was talking to Mx. Geoffries.  So was Mx.Geoffries' first name originally Cassidy and they changed it? That could have been the source of confusion. 

I was sad about Jacob and Zach. I really liked them together. I wonder why the show decided to break them up. It isn't like we see Zach that often. I did appreciate Zach's vengeful spirit, though. Shrinking all Jacob's clothes is funny. 

Edited February 29 by joanne3482

[Seelouis]

19 minutes ago, joanne3482 said:

For some reason I thought she said Cassidy when she was talking to Mx. Geoffries.  So was Mx.Geoffries' first name originally Cassidy and they changed it? That could have been the source of confusion. 

I was sad about Jacob and Zach. I really liked them together. I wonder why the show decided to break them up. It isn't like we see Zach that often. I did appreciate Zach's vengeful spirit, though. Shrinking all Jacob's clothes is funny. 

Their name was Cassidy Geoffries. Janine was spelling it Cassidy Jeffreys

[shapeshifter]

45 minutes ago, Seelouis said:

Their name was Cassidy Geoffries. Janine was spelling it Cassidy Jeffreys

I kept assuming the reveal was going to be that Cassidy had a recent name change to fit their gender identity.
Maybe it was going to be a first name change from, say, Candace, but they decided that plot point couldn't be adequately addressed in the time allowed? Or maybe they nixed it for some other reason and replaced it with all the Gregory/Jacob bonding?

When it turned out to just be misspelling the last name, that seemed kind of stupid. Which it could be.

[DearEvette]

20 hours ago, Harvey said:

I really like how they are handling Ava's character growth this season. Her changes are meaningful and believable, still in-keeping with her original characterization.

Agreed. Even though this was more ostensibly a Barbara and Jacob centric episode, Ava, imo, is the one who shone.

I really like all the growth of the characters this episode kinda teased out.

We learned that Gregory and Jacob's relationship has really grown in a full on friendship with them hanging out.

Janine's rise in confidence is also a nice thing to see.  First the amount of positive affirmation she receives from the coworkers at the district, but also her little 'You know what, Emily..?' in that 'don't test me' tone was very not S1 or S2 Janine but feels right for S3 Janine.

I liked the 'no big thing' inclusion of the non-binary Cassidy.  And how Melissa just naturally referred to Cassidy as 'them' while talking to Janine so she didn't misgender them.

Really funny moments:

The cold open with Mr. Bow-tie.

Gregory getting the hell out of dodge during the breakup.  That was funny. I wonder if the almost trip on the desk was intentional or not?

Zach's gasps at the mayhem Jacob left in the kitchen

'You have released the Kraken!" claps hands, create claws "Ca... Caw!!"

The kid who had his eyes closed and was grooving in his seat while Barbara was singing.

Every line of Ava's.  She was on fire this episode.

Fun fact: The actor who plays Zach said that Abbott is very tightly scripted so I gather they very rarely ad lib.  But his 'Oh My Godd!' as he was leaving after his argument with Jacob was and they allowed it to stay.

Edited March 1 by DearEvette

[kathyk2]

Ava was the star of the show tonight. I don't know why Barbara didn't decide to find a new church. Why would you continue to go where you aren't appreciated? I didn't think Jacob's break up or the substitute were funny.

[DanaK]

12 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'm glad they had a character who just happened to be non-binary, but I admit I was distracted by it. I kept expecting one of the teachers to make a faux pas related to it, and I was waiting to cringe.

I didn't even realize the sub was non-binary until I saw the Mx. Geoffreys on the board and even then I'm not sure I became fully aware of it

[Boofish]

I'm such a sucker because even though Jacob was as wrong as two left shoes with a 3 dollar bill inside Gregory admitting he "has plenty of other pens" gave me the feels. I love a good male friendship and I also like to see the soft nurturing side of black men being portrayed.  

Barbara's church "friends." Jesus De'Vonte Christ if that portrayal wasn't spot on. I recognized my sister in every one of them. And no that is not a good thing.  

[libgirl2]

51 minutes ago, kathyk2 said:

Ava was the star of the show tonight. I don't know why Barbara didn't decide to find a new church. Why would you continue to go where you aren't appreciated? I didn't think Jacob's break up or the substitute were funny.

I kept thinking it would end with her finding one. She should, they don't deserve her. 

I thought the break up was funny, the sub not so much. I guess subs will be the running joke this season? 

[peeayebee]

I love how the writers have changed Ava. They found the right balance betw self-absorbed and helpful to others. 

Am I forgetting that Mr Johnson, Jacob, and Gregory all used to hang out together? Or is that just Mr Johnson's weird perspective on things. I hope it's the latter because it was funny how out-of-joint his nose was about this. Loved him eaves-dropping with his bucket. Oh, and thinking that "Fleabag with an F" meant Fleabaf." :D

 

[BAForever]

2 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I thought the break up was funny, the sub not so much. I guess subs will be the running joke this season? 

It's an IYKYK joke. Teachers, especially elementary will empathize. It also showed Gregory's optimism and Melissa's more realistic view. 

[libgirl2]

15 minutes ago, BAForever said:

It's an IYKYK joke. Teachers, especially elementary will empathize. It also showed Gregory's optimism and Melissa's more realistic view. 

I was reminded of the running gag of "secretary of the week" on Murphy Brown in the 80s

Edited February 29 by libgirl2

[Empress1]

4 hours ago, DearEvette said:

The cold open with Mr. Bow-tie.

That was gold. “Grand rising brother, sister … ma’am.” And the first thing I thought when I saw him was that he looked like he should be selling bean pies, so I fell out when Barbara said it.

4 hours ago, DearEvette said:

I liked the 'no big thing' inclusion of the non-binary Cassidy.  And how Melissa just naturally referred to Cassidy as 'them' while talking to Janine so she didn't misgender them.

The show took a similar approach with Jacob’s sexuality. I like the way she show has handled these issues - they’ve been non-issues. With Jacob, I think the thing was that Janine was the last to know, not that he was gay - she thought they were closer than they were and was upset about that, but she didn’t care about Jacob’s sexuality at all.

[peeayebee]

11 minutes ago, Empress1 said:

That was gold. “Grand rising brother, sister … ma’am.” And the first thing I thought when I saw him was that he looked like he should be selling bean pies, so I fell out when Barbara said it.

What's a bean pie?

[possibilities]

Putting Janine in the district role has meant more development of relationships between characters she used to overshadow, like the one between Gregory and Jacob. It's also given an outlet to develop relationships WITH Janine in a different way, like between her and Melissa, where Melissa called Janine for help instead of the other way around, and seeing Ava as not the only person with status in the admin role. It's an interesting dynamic. 

Janine's impossible decision being what to get for lunch was a sign of the old Janine, though, so she's still in character despite her growth. Heh.

The sub of the week not fitting in feels like a gag that can go on forever, even if it might get a little stale. But if they gave us a sub who DID fit in, it would make Janine's eventual return upsetting in a way I don't want to see. So I vote for keeping the weird subs as a running gag. 

 

[Crashcourse]

17 hours ago, txhorns79 said:

The episode was okay.  I kind of want to tell the writers it's okay if not every character has something to do in a given episode.  Sometimes it feels like they are stretching to include everyone. 

Yes, they try to include so much in a half hour episode.  Sometimes I miss what's being said because there are too many talking.   

[Empress1]

58 minutes ago, peeayebee said:

What's a bean pie?

A bean pie is a custard pie in which the filling is made from mashed beans - navy beans, I think. They’re commonly associated with Black Muslims' cuisine.

Members of the Nation of Islam commonly sell bean pies as part of their fundraising efforts, dressed in suits and bow ties (bow ties have been associated with the Nation of Islam since at least the 60s) like the one the sub wore. So the joke is that the sub was dressed to sell bean pies.

[DearEvette]

1 hour ago, Empress1 said:

That was gold. “Grand rising brother, sister … ma’am.” And the first thing I thought when I saw him was that he looked like he should be selling bean pies, so I fell out when Barbara said it.

Not just that, but Barbara threw in the 'Bamboozled' as a nod to Malcolm X's speech (the movie Malcolm x).  I also cackled!!

[ItCouldBeWorse]

6 hours ago, DanaK said:

I didn't even realize the sub was non-binary until I saw the Mx. Geoffreys on the board and even then I'm not sure I became fully aware of it

18 hours ago, Blakeston said:

Janine just assumed that Geoffries was spelled with a "J."

7 hours ago, joanne3482 said:

For some reason I thought she said Cassidy when she was talking to Mx. Geoffries.  So was Mx.Geoffries' first name originally Cassidy and they changed it?

7 hours ago, Seelouis said:

Their name was Cassidy Geoffries. Janine was spelling it Cassidy Jeffreys

The sub's name was Cassidy Geoffrey. Since Cassidy is non gender-specific, they might not have changed their first name.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

8 hours ago, Empress1 said:

I howled. I also cracked up at the mention of Cruise Barbara.

Does she tell them that she drinks on these cruises?  Why?

20 hours ago, Annber03 said:

I'm sadly not surprised at the reasons why the rest of the choir wouldn't like Barbara much, especially her mention of the fact she's friends with other teachers at the school that the choir wouldn't approve of.

I didn't see how the choir would know this before visiting the school, but then I remembered that at least one of the members ran into Barbara at the mall with Ava when the students were selling candy to fund their school trip.  So I guess Ava is the undesirable school friend.

5 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I thought the break up was funny, the sub not so much. I guess subs will be the running joke this season? 

I'm surprised that Janine doesn't feel guilty for the fact that her students have had 3 teachers in as many weeks.  That can't possibly be good for them.

[BAForever]

3 hours ago, libgirl2 said:

I was reminded of the running gag of "secretary of the week" on Murphy Brown in the 80s

Never watched Murphy Brown, but know that Kramer was on an epi of Seinfeld portraying a secretary on Murphy Brown. 

[ItCouldBeWorse]

5 hours ago, peeayebee said:

Oh, and thinking that "Fleabag with an F" meant Fleabaf."

"Fleafaf", actually.

[Annber03]

7 hours ago, DearEvette said:

Jeffery getting the hell out of dodge during the breakup.  That was funny. I wonder if the almost trip on the desk was intentional or not?

LOL, I liked that moment, too. The look on his face was perfect. 

Quote

'You have released the Kraken!" claps hands, create claws "Ca... Caw!!"

I don't know what was funnier, that line or Jacob trying to be like, "...that's not actualy what that means..." :p. 

[JenLily]

Y’all, I absolutely gasped when that choir lady made the disparaging comment about Barbara’s lipstick. Mere seconds before, I was swooning at how good she looked in that lipstick color and wondering if I’ll ever be able to figure out what brand/shade it is. She looked STUNNING!!!

[Annber03]

5 minutes ago, JenLily said:

Y’all, I absolutely gasped when that choir lady made the disparaging comment about Barbara’s lipstick. Mere seconds before, I was swooning at how good she looked in that lipstick color and wondering if I’ll ever be able to figure out what brand/shade it is. She looked STUNNING!!!

I think I actually muttered, "Ooooooh..." at that line. 

9 hours ago, MicheleinPhilly said:

I screamed. I did at the end too when she asked Ms. Barbara if she knew a song about Moses because "Imma need you to let my people go." 

LOL, that was a great line, too :D. 

[possibilities]

...and then later Barbara was wearing a lighter shade. I was sad.

[mrsbagnet]

9 hours ago, DearEvette said:

But his 'Oh My Godd!' as he was leaving after his argument with Jacob was and they allowed it to stay.

Zach's singing outro and the fleeing sub in the cold open were my two favorite scenes.

[kathyk2]

2 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

Does she tell them that she drinks on these cruises?  Why?

I didn't see how the choir would know this before visiting the school, but then I remembered that at least one of the members ran into Barbara at the mall with Ava when the students were selling candy to fund their school trip.  So I guess Ava is the undesirable school friend.

I'm surprised that Janine doesn't feel guilty for the fact that her students have had 3 teachers in as many weeks.  That can't possibly be good for them.

Why should Janine feel guilty? It's not her fault that the school can't find a decent substitute teacher. Did Cassidy say why the kids were screaming? I'm surprised more teachers weren't upset.

[Black Knight]

21 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'm glad they had a character who just happened to be non-binary, but I admit I was distracted by it. I kept expecting one of the teachers to make a faux pas related to it, and I was waiting to cringe.

I wasn't surprised. This is a large urban school that goes through 6th grade (which is what Jacob teaches). Multiple older kids will be identifying as nonbinary. The teachers would all be familiar by now.

I was aware of both Jeffrey and Geoffrey, but I have not seen the latter as a last name. As such I would have found it perfectly plausible that Janine just defaulted to Jeffrey, but I guess they thought the Gee-oh-free thing was funny.

I can understand why Barbara doesn't leave her church. Yes, the people in the choir are jerks, but they are only a few of the people at church. Barbara and her husband would have friends in the congregation at large, plus they may really like the minister. Going to another church just so she can have solos would be, to Barbara, missing the overall point of going to church to begin with. It's supposed to be about her relationship with the Lord, not about personal gratification.

I really liked this episode, largely because of Barbara and Ava, but I feel conflicted because the show has really shifted away from work storylines to personal storylines and I'm not crazy about that shift, even if some strong episodes come out of it. I preferred the balance of earlier seasons, where it was about a third personal and two-thirds work. Now it's the reverse. I hope they can course-correct a bit and at least get it to 50/50. I wonder if they're just finding it easier to use the kids less.

[ItCouldBeWorse]

2 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

Why should Janine feel guilty? It's not her fault that the school can't find a decent substitute teacher.

I didn't say she should feel guilty, just surprised that she doesn't. And it doesn't matter so much how decent any of the substitutes are if they keep leaving. The first one seemed competent, but she didn't stay. Gregory started out as a temporary teacher and that's what the class needs; a temp, not a series of subs. I thought they might be doing that when Mx. Geoffrey mistakenly called themself a temp, but then they referred to their driver's license instead of their teacher's license, and it became clear that they often misspoke. 

[BAForever]

9 hours ago, ItCouldBeWorse said:

I didn't say she should feel guilty, just surprised that she doesn't. 

I never feel "guilty" for having a sub. I can feel frustrated when my room is trashed, upset when my sub plans which I worked an hour making are not followed, or worried that if I need to be out longer than a day or 2, that kids will lose instruction time. Janine has to deal with these kids and their (lack of) progress when she returns to her class. 

Everyone who misses a work day deals with catching up. It's extra hard on teachers IMO.

[pasdetrois]

One of my favorite all-time episodes. What a fabulous ensemble, and the episodic extras shift in and out seamlessly.

Poor Miss Barbara! My mother stayed out of church-lady politics, and her treasured best friends were from her church. But I remember an incident where we watched wide-eyed and silent as several bossy ladies shrieked at each other about whether to put onions in the pot luck tuna salad. 

It's fun to see Janine's "corporate" fashions as opposed to her earlier baggy-dresses looks.

[possibilities]

Whether a real life person would feel guilty for having a sub, Janine is not a real life person. She has been shown to be neurotically attached and anxious to her role as a teacher. I think she is the type of character who would have emotional stuff going on about "abandoning her kids" to the situation. They showed that in the previous episode, when she was hanging around, and trying to intervene. 

In this episode, she seems more adjusted and comfortable with her admin position, but she's also conscious that she already acted inappropriate by hovering over the previous subs. So she's trying not to do that this time... but Melissa reels her back into that dynamic.

I am really interested in how this season is trying to show Janine's growth, but I'm curious also about what their plan is for when her 6 month stint in admin is over. 

I also wonder if they are setting her up to eventually take Ava's job. I never thought of her as being someone who would rather be principal than teacher. But now I'm not sure.

[peeayebee]

23 hours ago, kathyk2 said:

Did Cassidy say why the kids were screaming?

I think Cassidy initiated it, as a kind of primal scream thing or let your inhibitions go. 

[Black Knight]

8 hours ago, possibilities said:

I also wonder if they are setting her up to eventually take Ava's job. I never thought of her as being someone who would rather be principal than teacher. But now I'm not sure.

I theorized something similar in the previous episode's thread.

There'd be a certain irony if Gregory, who was focused on the principal track, ultimately decides he wants to stay a teacher for his entire career, while Janine decides she wants to be a principal. And in some ways, I feel like that would be exactly right for both of them.

[mojito]

Of COURSE Mr. Johnson is a Mormon.

[Blakeston]

I'm not crazy about them making Zach out to be a psycho. He had reason to be pissed, but ruining Jacob's clothes, and writing something about him called "Flea*ag?" That's troubling, to say the least.

[cinsays]

4 hours ago, Blakeston said:

I'm not crazy about them making Zach out to be a psycho. He had reason to be pissed, but ruining Jacob's clothes, and writing something about him called "Flea*ag?" That's troubling, to say the least.

is there some current meaning for fleabag or fleabaf or fleafag that some of us are unaware of?

[Joimiaroxeu]

Good Lord, those church ladies would make Satan think twice.

Jacob definitely knows how to take passive aggression to the next level.

Melissa ain't loyal. 

Quote

I'm not crazy about them making Zach out to be a psycho. He had reason to be pissed, but ruining Jacob's clothes, and writing something about him called "Flea*ag?" That's troubling, to say the least.

Okay, now I get the "Fleabag with an F" burn.

I didn't see Zach as turning psycho so much as simply not taking the breakup well because he's hypersensitive. Jacob was aware of it and was wrong to use that aspect of Zach's personality against him IMO.

Quote

Barbara threw in the 'Bamboozled' as a nod to Malcolm X's speech (the movie Malcolm x).

Huh, I connected "bamboozled" to the wrong Spike Lee movie, especially since comparisons have been made recently between Bamboozled and American Fiction.