Abbott Elementary fans are always quick to notice a small detail. The show is great at throwing in Easter eggs: For example, the framed photo of Ava (Janelle James) and Gritty with Janine photoshopped out that harkened back to the season premiere. But Wednesday’s episode threw us in the time machine for one big, glorious callback.
Before she entered the Abbott Elementary hall of fame, Lisa Ann Walter (who plays wise-cracking, tough teacher Melissa Schemmenti in the series) was beloved for her role as Chessy in Nancy Meyers’ adaptation of The Parent Trap. Not only did we get to see Walter back in her Chessy gear in this week’s episode, “The Principal’s Office,” but we got a whole Parent Trap-themed half hour.
We got to peek behind the curtain at Melissa’s house, with furniture wrapped in plastic covering and brimming with family photos—exactly what you’d expect from the no-nonsense Philly native. In a risky move, she invites Janine and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) over to cook, teaching them the Schemmenti family classics: gnocchi, spaghetti with tomato sauce, all the good Italian staples.
As Melissa walks through her family’s deep connection to food, she briefly mentions a rift between her and her sister Kristin Marie (Lauren Weedman). This takes us back to the second episode of this Abbott Elementary season, in which Kristin and Melissa face off at a neighboring elementary school. There’s bad blood there. And it all traces back to gnocchi made with instant potatoes. Gross!
Though Janine doesn’t have a twin sister to scheme with (in fact, she mentions being somewhat estranged from her own sister as well), she plots a “parent trap” with Kristin Marie and Melissa. She drops off a Tupperware full of Melissa’s gnocchi with a note from “Melissa” at Kristin Marie’s school, hoping the pair will reunite and mend their relationship once and for all.
Doesn’t this sound a little like a prank Hallie and Annie (Lindsay Lohan and Lindsay Lohan) played in The Parent Trap? It’s awfully similar. Fans loved the reference, chiming in on social media to celebrate Melissa’s Chessy-themed wardrobe as well. She’s sporting the whole chambray button-up/army green tank ensemble, the perfect fall-fashion inspo as the weather gets chillier.
“The parent trap themed episode was so genius,” one Twitter user raved. “Like the plot and the outfit melissa wore earlier in the ep they knew what they were doing.”
In actuality, Chessy didn’t play a major part in the actual parent trap of it all in the film. She was a nanny for Hallie (who later, was replaced by Annie), and a big fan favorite of the movie after it was released in 1998.
Melissa and Kristin don’t exactly heal old wounds—we’re straying from the plot of The Parent Trap here—but here’s hoping Kristin makes another appearance in future episodes. Near the end of this week’s outing, Melissa excitedly recalls old fights they shared, enjoying some of their banter. They’re not like most sisters, but neither were Hallie and Annie, right?
