Abbott Elementary – Class Pet

By starrymag | October 30, 2024

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

 

We open with Abbott Elementary receiving the computers they got from the golf course as a bribe, in a less-than-ideal way. The delivery truck drops them off on the sidewalk in front of the school much to Ava (Janelle James), Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph), Gregory (Tyler James Williams), Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Jacob’s (Chris Perfetti) chagrin. Ava says since they don’t have insurance they need to start taking the computers inside, but Barbara thinks the delivery man should come and make the delivery properly. The rest of the teachers point out the unlikelihood of that happening and while their backs are turned four computers are stolen. Jacob is happy it wasn’t violent, and Gregory says the thief is probably selling them as they speak. As they’re trying to hustle the computers inside, a man tries to sell the computers he just stole from them back to them. However, Barbara nixes the shakedown by telling Jaquan (Myles Anderson) she’ll call his mother if he doesn’t give back the computers.

 

Later in the day Janine tells the cameras that she asked the district for funding for afterschool programs, so they gave her $50 for classroom pets. With the district, you’ve gotta take your wins where you can get them, so now she’s distributing class pets in the library. Barbara got a goldfish, Gregory wanted a pet rock and Janine got two guinea pigs. The second guinea pig is for Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) who did not want a pet because they’re too much work. Although, Janine gets her to reluctantly accept the pet by pointing out how bummed out the kids will be if they see that every class has a pet except for them.

 

Regarding the new computers, they don’t have district software installed on them, so Jacob submitted a ticket to get the software. However, Ava points out that the district doesn’t know about the bribe and won’t install district software on computers they don’t own. Her plan is to take advantage of the district’s forgetfulness and pretend she submitted a ticket for computers the district gave them. Some may call that gaslighting, but Ava calls it making sure that the kids get to use the computers they need.

 

Janine gives Melissa her guinea pig who has been biting her fingers a lot. Funnily enough, the guinea pig doesn’t bite Melissa but keeps going after Janine.

 

Elsewhere, Ava tells Barbara and Jacob that an IT guy is swinging by to work on the computers. If they want to keep the new computers, she says, they’ve got to lie about the donated computers. Barbara says she doesn’t lie, but Ava pointed out she complimented Janine’s sweater. Jacob agrees to play dumb and then is flustered when a very handsome man named O’Shon (Matthew Law) shows up. Barbara agrees that he’s good-looking, but Ava refuses to call anyone who wears glasses attractive.

 

In the teacher’s lounge Gregory is gushing about Dwayne “The Pet” Rockson while Janine patiently listens. He playfully points out that a pet rock doesn’t bite, and she insists that biting is how guinea pigs show affection. After that, Melissa comes in with a ton of gear for the guinea pig she named Sweet Checks. From hay she’ll be meal prepping to the tiny house she built, she makes it sound like a major inconvenience but we see clips of her cuddling with Sweet Cheeks and it’s clear she just loves the guinea pig. Not clued in yet, Janine apologizes and offers to return the guinea pig since it’s making her life so hard but Melissa declines. Her reason is that the kids love Sweet Cheeks, so they’re stuck together until the end. Still, Janine points out that she’ll get a break on the weekend. Why? Because the kids take turns taking class pets home over the weekend. Janine explains that the goal is for the kids to learn responsibility and for the guinea pigs to see the world. Melissa pretends to be excited to have Sweet Cheeks out of her hair, but really she’s worried.

 

O’Shon goes around the school and notices that the computers look pretty new despite Ava’s claim that they’ve been at the school for three years. When he probes Barbara for info about why the computer’s features look so new she pretends not to know anything about computers. O’Shon also goes to Jacob’s class and is possibly too thrown off by Jacob’s crush to ask too many questions about the computers.

 

In Melissa’s class she’s giving her kids very detailed instructions about guinea pig care. Then, she gets very nervous when it turns out Aaron (Adam Lee), a little boy who likes stabbing at his fingers with a pencil, is the first kid to get a turn with Sweet Cheeks. Aaron doesn’t help his case by asking Melissa if guinea pigs can feel pain.

 

In Ava’s office O’Shon shares that he just has to go the computers in the library to go and then they’ll be good to go. When he notices the editing software Ava gushes about the 14th generation editing software and her plan to use it to make deepfakes of Janine. This sets off some alarm bells with O’Shon because the district’s equipment is usually old, therefore they don’t have 14th generation anything.

 

Back in the teacher’s lounge Janine and Gregory are planning a weekend trip to the batting cage and being cutesy. Barbara is a little grossed out over their flirting and then Melissa comes in and announces that Sweet Cheeks died. Melissa says she knew this would happen, but Janine explains taht the store promised the guinea pigs would live through the school year. Melissa responds that they’re not experts and now she has to give her kids the death talk. Janine feels guilty for forcing the class pet idea onto Melissa and apologizes.

 

Melissa is now telling her kids about the circle of life and some of the kids are taking it hard. Elsewhere, the computer updates continue and Jacob and Barbara drool over finding O’Shon attractive. Ava; however, is committed to not liking O’Shon. When the man in question comes over to talk to Ava about the computers, the staff and students start gushing about how great it is to have the new computers and he decides that their talk can wait.

 

At the end of the day Jacob asks Janine for a ride home. When she wonders why Melissa can’t drive him he states that it is because she has a date. Janine says Melissa told her that she was going to BBQ some ribs and clean her carpets. Jacob tells her that Melissa has a new man in her life because she has been talking about someone she calls Sweet Cheeks. We cut away and see Melissa driving off in her car with Sweet Cheeks the guinea pig in toe.

 

The next day Janine has a lot of questions for Melissa. How were the ribs? Are carpets clean? What did she do with Sweet Cheeks’ body? When Gregory points out how random her questions were, she blurts out that she knows Sweet Cheeks is alive. When Janine asks why Melissa faked his death, after a few wild theories Melissa admits she loves the guinea pig. Janine delivers an ultimatum to Melissa – either tell the kids that Sweet Cheeks lives and breathes or she will. The deadline Janine gives until after lunch and then the drama is interrupted by O’Shon wanting to speak to Ava.

 

O’Shon cuts to the chase and says he knows the computers aren’t from the district. At first Ava thinks Barbara gave them up, but O’Shon says it was her. When she mentioned the processor and software it confirmed his suspicions. He asks her to tell him where the computers came from, or he has to assume they’re stolen and report it. Very reluctantly Ava admits the folks backing the golf course bought them for the school as a bribe. O’Shon says the district won’t allow this and Ava replies it is fine and that she’ll find another way to get her kids computers. In response, O’Shon says he won’t report them because it’s obvious they needed the computers and got them the only way they could. Still, they need to do things on his terms because he doesn’t want to lose his job.

 

In Melissa’s classroom she is cuddling Sweet Cheeks and giving him a pep talk about some of the kids having cats. Gregory swings by and asks Melissa how she’s doing. Melissa never had a pet before and since she bonded with Sweet Cheeks she just panicked. Second graders can’t take care of themselves, so how can they be expected to take care of an animal? Gregory says he gets it as he had trouble giving the kids in the Goof Ball Program plant-related responsibilities. In fact, all the plants died during the programs growing pains, but he reminded Melissa that she once told him that being a good teacher can mean getting vulnerable and letting kids make mistakes.

 

Later in the library O’Shon tells the staff that if they don’t want to get caught and lose the computers that they’ve got to be careful. This means no more submitting tickets to the district – they’ve got to send any issues to O’Shon. Then, O’Shon gives Ava his cell number and when he takes off his glasses she seems to reconsider him.

 

Melissa resolves the Sweet Cheeks crisis by saying she got a new Sweet Cheeks that is really the same guinea pig. She dodges the kids’ questions and gets them to promise that they’re going to do their best to take good care of their pet. A little girl made a sign that says not to tap the cage like Melissa told her earlier and this gives Melissa a little more confidence that things could work out.

 

On the circle of life front, Dwayne “The Pet” Rockson has died, meaning the kids dropped the rock to the point that it broke into pieces. Gregory takes this pretty hard and doesn’t want a replacement rock that will be shattered as well. He tearfully breaks down and Janine comforts him about his beloved pet rock.