Abbott Elementary Season 4: Binge, Fringe, or Singe?
Written by Andreas Babiolakis
Binge, Fringe, or Singe? is our television series that will cover the latest seasons, miniseries, and more. Binge is our recommendation to marathon the reviewed season. Fringe means it won’t be everyone’s favourite show, but is worth a try (maybe there are issues with it). Singe means to avoid the reviewed series at all costs.
Warning: This review has spoilers for Abbott Elementary, particularly its fourth season. Reader discretion is advised.
Even though it was on for twenty two weeks this year, it feels like the cherished network comedy series, Abbott Elementary, has come and gone once again; school’s out for summer (or, rather, spring, and considering this atrocious weather, it may as well be called prolonged-winter). Quinta Brunson’s brainchild remains a constant source of joy and escapism against a particularly alarming political climate mainly because it sticks to its formula and doesn’t get too involved with the problems of the world outside of what affects its elementary school teacher characters. These include students who struggle in class and at home, teachers who are stretched thin, and community-related concerns. Given Abbott Elementary’s propensity to quickly resolve whatever is causing tribulation, we can never expect to be too upset while watching this feel-good series. However, it is clear by season 4 that — while there aren’t many high stakes here — the characters and their growth have really started to take shape. Remember when Principal Ava Coleman suddenly became a by-the-book leader, only to factory reset herself to being the free-spirited Ava once again in past episodes? Now, Ava can be both an effective principal while operating in her own high-life-casual sort of way. The changes in characters seem to be sticking more than ever this time around, and it makes a comfort show (by definition a series that a viewer loves returning to as if they’re hanging out with friends or family) truly feel like a safe space with our favourite educators on television.
Having said all of the above, season 4 of Abbott Elementary is noteworthy because the series takes some of its biggest risks to date. Granted, the show will always return to its comfort zones, as it knows who its audience is, but at least the ongoing storylines feel a little bit more effective than, say, teacher Janine Teagues’ stint with the School District Fellowship in season 3 (which, while an interesting angle of the other sectors of the education system, similar to Jim Halpert’s transfer to the Stamford branch of Dunder Mifflin in The Office, just felt like a writing exercise and not a journey, unlike what transpired with The Office). Of course, Season 3 was bogged down by the writers’ strike, reducing the season to a mere fourteen episodes with little room to play around with (it is a good season nonetheless, but I’m happy that there are more opportunities for the series to experiment now). Season 4 begins with the nearby construction of a golf course which hints at gentrification but goes in a different direction instead. See, when the Abbott Elementary staff are bribed with newer equipment (particularly computers) to let the golf course’s construction disturbances slide, the season becomes a question of ethics as opposed to the now-frequently-discussed topic of shifting communities. Are Ava and company bad people for wanting better tools, resources, and lives for their students? For themselves, as underpaid educators?
The season continues, and it spends enough time between any mention of that blasted golf course and the bribery to allow us viewers to even forget that it has taken place. That is until we get the slap-on-the-wrist known as “Audit”: episode 18, where Abbott Elementary now has to answer for its contraband. With the brief-but-bold decision to have Ava maturely take the fall for everyone else and ultimately be fired and expelled from the school system, Abbott Elementary uses this character’s fate and the relief of a well-funded school to remind us that we don’t know what we’ve got until it’s gone. Of course, this is Abbott Elementary, so Ava eventually returns as principal in the penultimate episode, “Rally,” where the school and community fight for her to get her job back. Now, unlike the School District Fellowship storyline last season, I believe Ava’s short termination has opened some new doors. Gregory Eddie fills in as the temporary principal during Ava’s absence, and he feels reinvigorated: he finds that purpose he has been searching for since he first joined Abbott as a substitute teacher. Of course, Gregory has also become more in tune with his relationships with students as a teacher (in fact, his bonding with particular groups and students is a major theme of this season), so I wonder if Gregory will face a crossroad in a future episode: does he wish to remain a teacher, or become a principal elsewhere?
Abbott Elementary remains consistent while gunning for some faintly bold choices (risks that aren’t too big to shake up what the series has going for it).
On the topic of Gregory, it’s no secret that he and Janine are in a relationship which kicked off in the previous season’s finale. At first, they try to keep it hush-hush, and it’s clear that everyone already knows that they are dating. They become open with their relationship rather quickly, and the rest of the season is devoted to allowing their pairing to blossom. The will-they-won’t-they teasing of old is now long gone, and, thankfully, it hasn’t been replaced by relationship drama (not yet, anyway, and it hopefully never will). They aren’t ridiculously in love either to the point of silliness. Instead, we — like Janine and Gregory with each other — learn more about what makes each individual person tick via this relationship, like Janine trying to be understanding — yet justifiably frustrated — with Gregory missing out on a karaoke night because he is so devoted to his side hustle as an Uber driver (meanwhile, we get Gregory’s position, since this is a fierce economy that we all live in, and it’s only getting worse); when Gregory forgoes a high-paying ride to finally join Janine at karaoke, the crisis is averted. If anything, their relationship is so well handled this season that it kind of slinks into the background at times, just like any healthy and normal relationship would: we don’t need to be reminded all the time that Janine and Gregory are dating. We can see by the little details and interactions. We don’t need primary storylines every time, and Abbott Elementary knows this.
There are other noteworthy moments and ideas throughout season 4 of Abbott Elementary which cement this season as maybe the best of the series so far. Now, I abhor the notion of the crossover episode. I love being fully immersed in whatever series I am watching. To have characters and settings of another property seep into my current program is a reminder that this series is an illusion and it is instantly broken. Furthermore, these kinds of episodes are usually promotional materials, and the stench of capitalism permeates through them. Having said that, the first part of this crossover event between Disney properties Abbott Elementary (ABC) and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia (FX) was quite a success, as the latter series’ Paddy’s Pub crew (mainly sans Dennis, who doesn’t want to be seen on camera) volunteer at the elementary school; it is revealed that the “gang” are there as part of a court order due to past misdemeanors. The one-off event is handled well enough that the crossover feels genuine and like an actual effort to align both worlds (the second part will be the premiere for the newest season of It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia). Then there is teacher Melissa Schemmenti’s new friendship with class guinea pig Sweet Cheeks, which shows a giddy side of the tough-as-nails educator that we never usually see. Even Jacob Hill has a bit of an opportunity to shine whereas I feel like he was kind of the series punching bag in the past. His devotion to helping struggling kids feels like he is trying to tend to himself vicariously through other aimless souls, and it’s a wonderful form of healing to see.
Ava has some run-ins with her father, barber Frank, and their tense relationship appears to slowly mend throughout this season; perhaps it was this reminder of a negligent role model that allowed Ava to see that she loves being a figurehead at Abbott. As for Barbara Howard who has had the least amount of growth this season (but she remains one of the most magnetic forces of the series, thanks to the forever great acting of Sheryl Lee Ralph), she still has some depth applied. Her main conflict is with the technology brought on by the golf course bribery, and her slow acceptance of the new generation’s affinity for devices, music, and concepts that are outside of her grasp (her allowance of a TikTok remix of her music class is a tender moment); this could be Barbara’s effort to not just be a figure of guidance, as she proverbially passes the torch to new generations.
Again, Abbott Elementary is a safe space for audiences to have fun for thirty minutes, and it knows its role. With all of the plot threads and character development this season (the finest so far), it also knows how to just exist for bitesized chunks at a time. Case in point: it isn’t lost on me that each finale so far has been an excursion or event so far. “Please Touch Museum” continues this sentiment, seeing as the true finale (in a plot-wise sense) was the previous episode, “Rally.” Instead, the class goes to the titular facility for a final outing before we break for the summer and wait for next season. Even though there is still much juice to extract here (like Gregory’s confused relationship with his father, who comes by to volunteer on the trip while also getting to meet Janine properly for the first time), Abbott Elementary wants to send us off with a high: not a lesson. Like teaching in general, the series understands that fostering minds of all ages isn’t just about lecturing. It’s about understanding, listening, and consoling as well. We don’t need to be told that times are scary. We’re living this reality. Abbott Elementary is now a weekly staple of laughs and hugs that feel endangered in the age of prestigious television (with most of the best examples of the latter having concluded). Just like the most devoted teachers, Abbott Elementary marches on for network television. Instead of telling us that the world is burning, Abbott Elementary offers hope of a better world, whether it is the now via its wholesome storytelling and comedy, or the future (via the children who we must never allow to become as jaded as we are); for half an hour, Abbott Elementary reminds me to keep going and have faith. We need to if we want our children to.
Andreas Babiolakis has a Masters degree in Film and Photography Preservation and Collections Management from Toronto Metropolitan University, as well as a Bachelors degree in Cinema Studies from York University. His favourite times of year are the Criterion Collection flash sales and the annual Toronto International Film Festival.