Image courtesy of Everett Collection
By
Cathal Gunning
Published 41 minutes ago
Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020.
Sign in to your ScreenRant account
Add Us On
Summary
Generate a summary of this story
follow
Follow
followed
Followed
Like
Like
Thread
Log in
Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents:
Try something different:
Show me the facts
Explain it like I’m 5
Give me a lighthearted recap
When Abbott Elementary season 5, episode 10 brought back two of the show’s most important recurring antagonists, this illustrated an unexpected truth about the ABC sitcom’s premise. Abbott Elementary’s cast of characters might be reliably hilarious, but that doesn’t mean that things are always upbeat and cheerful in the show’s titular Philadelphia public school setting.
Conflict is the heart of comedy and drama alike, and thanks to underfunding, the district, and the show’s contentious characters, Abbott Elementary is never short on battles. Abbott Elementary season 5, episode 9, “Mall,” saw Luke Tennie’s new teacher, Dominic, almost quit due to the pressure of turning a disused mall into a makeshift temporary school.
Meanwhile, the next episode brought back two separate villains who have caused trouble for the show’s put-upon faculty numerous times before. In the process, this outing proved that the sitcom’s heroes face problems from within the faculty and from the well-meaning, but often misguided, parents of their pupils in equal measure.
Mr Morton Almost Ruined Barbara and Melissa’s Friendship In Abbott Elementary Season 5
Melissa and Barbara sitting next to each other on Abbott Elementary
In “Mall 2: Questions and Concerns,” Jacob became worried when Melissa and Barbara disagreed about the public spectacle of Sister Sloss getting slapped at a school event. Melissa thought this was hilarious and well earned, considering how much trouble Sloss had caused her, Barbara, and their school, while Barbara found any violence objectionable regardless of its context.
Jerry Minor’s supporting character, Mr. Morton, swooped in to take advantage of the discord between the two old friends, telling Melissa that the slap was a good thing and Barbara was wrong. Morton soon began helping Melissa with some complex grading software she couldn’t work out, and started insinuating that they were friends in the process.
Morton first appeared in season 2, episode 8, “Egg Drop,” and he has been nothing but trouble since. Mopey and self-pitying, he is also misogynistic and mean-spirited. However, since Abbott Elementary's Gregory and Janine were busy elsewhere, he almost managed to sink his claws into Barbara and Melissa’s longstanding friendship before taking things too far.
When Morton directly insulted Barbara to Melissa’s face at a trivia night, Melissa stood up for her friend and told Morton she wanted nothing to do with him. This prompted the other teachers present to do the same, ending Morton’s brief reign of terror. However, the episode still saw the teacher make himself more of a nuisance than he’s been since season 3.
Tariq & Krystal Got The PTA Furious At Gregory & Janine In Abbott Elementary S4
Zack Fox as Tariq Temple in Abbott Elementary
Meanwhile, “Mall 2: Questions and Concerns” also brought back another, separate Abbott Elementary villain in the form of Krystal and Tariq’s PTA. Although the faculty get along passably well with the PTA in general, under Krystal and Tariq’s leadership, the chaotic organisation has only become more paranoid and antagonistic toward the school’s staff.
In a mirror of season 4, episode 16, “Books,” wherein Krystal led a book-banning campaign, Tariq and Krystal drummed up anger at the school’s faculty throughout “Mall 2: Questions and Concerns.” To be fair to the PTA representatives, Principal Ava was genuinely shirking her duty by refusing to directly handle their concerns and answer their questions.
However, Tariq and Krystal didn’t help matters by encouraging the parents to yell angrily and harass the teachers relentlessly. Although Abbott Elementary’s heroine Janine has gained a lot of self-belief in recent seasons, she could hardly handle this onslaught on her own. Fortunately, Ava finally emerged from hiding to address the parents near the end of the episode.
Abbott Elementary Season 5’s Villains Highlight A Surprising Truth
Mr. Morton (Jerry Minor) In Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 1, "Back To School"
The biggest takeaway from “Mall 2: Questions and Concerns” was the surprising revelation that the show’s villains come from all walks of life. Both parents and fellow teachers can be a problem for the faculty, depending on the storyline, and a teacher who is determined to upset the balance of the staff room can be as damaging as a misinformed parent.
Subscribe to our newsletter for Abbott Elementary insights
Get more from the show: subscribe to the newsletter for deeper Abbott Elementary analysis, episode breakdowns, and character-focused takes that unpack the show's conflicts and what they reveal about school dynamics. Subscribe By subscribing, you agree to receive newsletter and marketing emails, and accept Valnet’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe anytime.In both “Books” and “Mall 2: Questions and Concerns,” Krystal whipped the PTA into a frenzy, making a minor issue into a major problem for the staff. Although the concerns of the PTA were more legitimate in “Mall 2: Questions and Concerns,” this didn’t make Tariq’s encouragement of their anger any more defensible.
However, it was Abbott’s own Mr. Morton who proved the episode’s true villain, as he almost ruined a friendship and working relationship that Barbara and Melissa spent decades building together. While Abbott Elementary relocating to a mall obviously isn’t ideal, this did at least mean the parents had valid concerns under their anger this time.
In contrast, Morton’s meddling in this friendship was nothing but destructive. The lonely teacher might have hoped to win over Melissa and make a friend, but his obvious social manipulation made it hard to find this motivation sympathetic. Thus, Abbott Elementary’s real villain didn’t come from without in this episode, but rather from within the school’s own staff.
98
8.5/10
9/10
Abbott Elementary
10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-PG Comedy Mockumentary Release Date December 7, 2021 Network ABC Showrunner Quinta Brunson Writers Quinta BrunsonCast
See All-
Quinta Brunson
Janine Teagues
-
Tyler James Williams
Gregory Eddie
Expand
Collapse
-
Abbott Elementary
7 Most Burning Questions The Stranger Things Series Finale Must Answer
Stranger Things’ Natalia Dyer Insisted On One Condition For Nancy’s Ending
Eleven’s Official Return After Stranger Things Season 5 Fixes A Major Issue