Abbott Elementary – Sick Day

By starrymag | December 6, 2022

By: Atiya Irvin-Mitchell

 

 

At the start of the episode Janine (Quinta Brunson) is looking for her tuna sandwich. Everything that was previously in the refrigerator has been replaced by blue face masks. Not the COVID preventing kind, but the kind people put over their eyes for skin care purposes. They are Ava’s (Janelle James) latest money-making scheme, and she moved some super must refrigerate items (milk, eggs), including Janine’s sandwich, out on the windowsill. Janine decides she’s still going to eat her sandwich, but Jacob (Chris Perfetti) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) point out that eating tuna fish that’s been left out in the sun could end in tears. She doesn’t listen. Plus, for said scheme Ava used all the printer paper and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) is upset because she needed to print a test for her kids. Ava feels like all they do is complain even though she forgot to sign their paychecks and order supplies and the latest stunt with the refrigerator.

 

Janine should’ve listened as the next day she is Facetiming Ava (who doesn’t have her number saved in her phone) and is visibly ill. Janine at first says she’s going to be a little late. Then, she throws up and says she needs a substitute. In addition to the food poisoning Ava learns that there’s a problem: Philly’s dealing with a substitute shortage.

 

Melissa and Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) are confused because in the teacher’s lounge everything is so quiet. Jacob comes in and tells them that Janine is out sick, and they realize that food poisoning is why. Then, a fellow teacher named Tasha (Taylor Garron) comes in. She used to like the teacher’s lounge, but she didn’t like that Janine was so chatty so she stopped coming in. Tasha, Melissa and Barbara start mocking Janine’s chattiness, but Jacob sticks up for her.

 

In the meantime, Ava goes to Melissa’s class to tell her that she needs to borrow Ashley to substitute for Janine’s class. But Ashley is already covering someone else’s class. She can’t find anyone though. All the other teacher’s aids are spoken for and even Mr. Johnson’s (William Stanford Davis) “busy.”

 

Janine is trying to go to school, despite the body sweats and vomiting. She says that her kids have a spelling test and she’s never missed a day of work before. Therefore, a “bacteria sandwich,” won’t stop her. She then gets sick again. The sandwich might win this round.

 

Back at school Gregory is trying to explain how colors mix to his kids. Then, a little girl named Trinity (Bella-Rose Love) comes in and asks if some of Gregory’s kids can play. He’s confused that they’re saying its recess time because it’s only 8:30AM. So, he goes to knock on Janine’s door and finds Ava. He hadn’t gotten the memo that Janine was out sick and that Ava is subbing.

 

Next, we get a scene of Ava telling the kids that she’s happy that Janine is gone too, but they’ve got to stay in the classroom. And Janine left a binder in case of an emergency for substitutes, but Ava thinks it’s lame and won’t use it. She tells the kids to do whatever because if they don’t bug her then she won’t bother them. Janine calls and knows Ava is the substitute and she begs again to use the binder, it has everything they need to get through the day. She says Ava needs to give them a spelling test. But Ava’s not really taking it seriously.

 

Melissa and Barbara are enjoying Tasha’s laissez faire approach to doing everything. The coffee maker is broken and burns Melissa. Jacob says that if Janine wasn’t sick, she would fix the coffee maker and have aloe for Melissa’s burn. Barbara says that would happen only after Janine called a meeting about the coffee maker and found five new problems. Jacob says it’s great that Janine’s a problem solver, but the rest of the teachers opt to go out for lunch without him.

 

So, Ava the substitute isn’t going well. She skips storytime, doesn’t write the date on the board and plays loud music instead of giving the spelling test. It’s so loud, in fact, that it distracts Gregory’s class. As it turns out, not having a schedule is really throwing the kids off. Ava told the kids to take the spelling test, but she played music and when music is playing the kids are allowed to draw. Therefore, they thought it was time to draw rather than take their exam. The kids miss Janine and Ava is ready to quit. Unfortunately, Janine has taken some pretty strong medicine, several with some pretty questionable stuff that her friend brought back from Mexico.

 

Obviously in her sick and drugged state Janine can’t come in, but Ava still doesn’t want to stay. Gregory comes across her in the hallway trying not to deal with her disgruntled customers (never buy facemasks from Ava) and asks what she’s doing. Quitting, basically. So, if you walk into Janine’s class, you’ll find Mr. Johnson telling the kids about lizard people.

 

Gregory goes to Ava and tries to get through to her as a former sub. He didn’t get it at first but now as a teacher he knows that missing one day is a big deal for kids so young. They need to take the test to measure their progress or else they’ll fall behind. They need a routine and Janine worked hard to create one for them. That means as boring as it might be, Ava needs to follow the binder. Very reluctantly she acquiesces.

 

Barbara and Melissa come back and the dripping coffee maker in the teacher’s lounge has a consequence: ants. Jacob smiles knowingly and says that he bets they wish Janine was around to fix things.

 

Ava writes the date on the board and commits. She gets dangerously close to telling the kids an inappropriate story, then reads them a chapter from Eloise at the Plaza. After that it’s spelling test time, but Ava needs to make copies of their special test paper. Unfortunately, she used it all for her face mask flyers. So, she has to print the tests on the back of the fliers. It’s not easy at first, but she even manages to help the kids through the test.

 

The weekend comes and goes, and then on Monday Janine is back. Everyone is happy to see her. Barbara and Melissa admit that they missed her infectious energy. Tasha didn’t miss Janine and decides she’s over the teacher’s lounge again. Janine fixes the coffeemaker and thanks Ava. And, in a surprising turn of events, Ava ordered paper for the school and actually read the work memos. She tells the camera people not to look so surprised as she’s just making sure she’s never put in a position to have to be a substitute ever again.