The penultimate episode of Abbott Elementary’s sophomore season begins on a high: Jacob (Chris Perfetti) performing magic tricks. There’s that, but more importantly, there’s also the fact that Janine (Quinta Brunson) earns a rare chorus of support from her coworkers. Are these not the same people who pick her apart and roast her at every turn? Yet, when Janine is talking about her upcoming travel plans and admits that her solo weekend trip is a little lame, Ava (Janelle James) cuts her off.
“Hey Janine, don’t make fun of yourself,” Ava says. “It makes it less fun when I do it!”
Still, everyone—Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), Gregory (Tyler James Williams), even Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter)—advocates for this “Girl Trip” (not to be confused with a “Girls Trip”) with unwavering support. Janine could use a little rest and relaxation. She’s been busy with the charter school crisis, her (ongoing?) fling with Gregory, and spiteful parents. A little Swedish massage at a 3-star hotel could soothe all wounds.
Poor Janine is really going to need it after the crisis she faces in this episode, titled “Mom.” The mom in question is, of course, Janine’s mom Vanetta, played by a vivacious Taraji P. Henson. Vanetta crashes Janine’s classroom in the middle of the school day, completely unannounced, claiming she “just wanted to visit” her daughter at her job. Fat chance.
We’ve heard bits and pieces about Janine’s personal life, like her slight estrangement from her family, her previous relationship with Tariq (Zack Fox), and the struggles she has with her sister Ayesha (Ayo Edibiri). But this is the real deal: Here’s Janine’s mom who, plain and simple, is terrible at being a parent. Over the season, we’ve been given glimpses of backstory, and now, we’re getting to see the full picture.
Naturally, she hasn’t come to the school to see Janine. Vanetta hints that she needs money to pay off her phone bill, which peeves Janine. If the whole ploy was simply to come get a couple hundred bucks from her daughter, why would Vanetta even pretend to visit? Low on funds, Janine realizes she’ll need to cancel her trip if she wants to help her mother out with this phone bill.
A nosy Barbara takes issue with this. One of the loudest advocates of Janine’s weekend getaway, the veteran teacher takes it upon herself to start a battle with Vanetta. Barbara is so pressed, in fact, that she offers Vanetta hush money to leave Janine alone. Too bad Janine overhears this argument and pulls Vanetta aside to solve the issue herself.
Abbott Elementary may have fallen into a bit of a cliché with the “bad parent needs money” storyline, but the show quickly works its way out of it. Barbara offering to help pay the funds was certainly unexpected. Even more of a twist is how Janine handles the matter. Thankfully, she doesn’t call off the excursion—she only cancels a single massage, and opts to use the money to pay for one installment of her mother’s phone payment plan.
Usually, a goody two shoes character like Janine would allow a lousy parent to take advantage. But Abbott Elementary takes the unexpected path, thankfully, leading us to a satisfying end to this season-long arc with Janine’s family.
With its second season, Abbott Elementary has proven the worth of taking its main teachers out of their classrooms. Beginning with Melissa’s Parent Trap-esque backstory and ending on Janine and Vanetta, Season 2 has been an opportunity to explore the upbringing and personal lives of these characters in more depth. Though these storylines bring more drama to the usually upbeat comedy show, Abbott Elementary is never without witty flair.
So, the only question remaining: Whose backstory should we see more of in Season 3? I, for one, am voting for Ava. A deep dive into Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) and all his wacky conspiracy theories would be equally welcome. Or maybe it’s time to tear into Gregory’s background with his father, juxtaposed against Janine’s relationship with her mom. Who knows! Entrusted with the brilliant Abbott team, these characters have so much room to grow.
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