Quinta Brunson on Abbott Elementary Finale, Trump, AI, Season 5 ...
SPOILER ALERT: This interview contains spoilers for the Season 4 finale of “Abbott Elementary.”
Four years in, the “Abbott Elementary” field trip episode is a time-honored tradition. Except for Season 3, when the field trip was the penultimate episode, each of the ABC sitcom’s season finales has taken place off-campus, where the teachers and students run into problems and feelings that don’t normally come up in the classroom.
Magical Visit to Philadelphia’s Please Touch Museum
This year, the group ventured to Philadelphia’s Please Touch Museum, a collection of interactive exhibits that allow kids to get their hands dirty, safe from most museum’s “please don’t touch” ethos. But it’s an anxiety-inducing trip for Gregory (Tyler James Williams), whose father, Martin (returning guest star Orlando Jones) is in town to volunteer as a chaperone. Though Janine (series creator Quinta Brunson) is excited to meet her boyfriend’s dad for the first time, Gregory worries that Martin’s no-nonsense sensibilities will inevitably keep him from liking her. So she puts on a suit jacket and pretends to be strict and by-the-book — until she realizes that being goofy and playful is what keeps her connected to her second grade students. When she sheds her square persona and starts to play pretend and get sentimental with the kids, Martin is thrown off at first. But soon, he puts on a funny voice of his own and pretends to be a squirrel to get the seven-year-olds laughing. For the rest of the trip, Janine and Martin are partners in crime.
Emotional Moments and Character Growth
It’s a weird feeling for Gregory, who was more or less not allowed to have fun as a child due to Martin’s military style. Janine is confused by his discomfort at first, but encourages Gregory to talk it out with Martin. Hearing his father admit that he could have gone easier on him back then seems to heal something in Gregory, especially when Martin says that Janine reminds him of his wife, Faith, who died when Gregory was only nine. Knowing that Janine has also taught him to enjoy life in a way he struggled to before, Gregory leaves the conversation with new empathy for his father and new appreciation for Janine.
Future of Gregory and Janine, and Season 5 Teasers
Brunson spoke to Variety about her goals for Gregory and Janine, why Janelle James deserves an Emmy and what’s percolating for Season 5.
Building Healthy Relationships and Exploring New Storylines
It’s something we’ll definitely talk more about in the future, but it was nice to learn about Gregory’s mom without having to see her or know her place in his father’s life, and how possibly affected him and Gregory. We found it charming, but weighted. Loaded. Which is always the balance of doing a sitcom: How do we get this information out quickly? How does not weigh down our entire story? We still want people to be having a good time and enjoying the show, but how we learn a massive thing about our characters and in one or two lines? I feel like it told you a lot about Janine and Gregory’s dynamic without having to have a mouthful about what they do for each other.
Looking Ahead to Season 5
And as far as Ava, not only was it incredible to like build out her love life, but her career. To actually see some motion with what happens if she’s not here. Not just for the show, but for the audience. I feel like, over three years, we really earned the ability to say, “You appreciate her, don’t you?” Because it didn’t start out that way. To me, that’s a testament to character development.
