Abbott Elementary Season’s 3 Premiere Spoilers Ahead
And just like that, school is back in session. Abbott Elementary Season 3, Episodes 1 and 2, “Career Day,” catch viewers up with all the unwanted changes that occurred while we were away. As months passed for viewers while we watched writers and actors fight for their rights, the fictional teachers experienced a plethora of modifications, too.
There are moments throughout the combined episodes where the students experiencing bouts of boredom during career day visits matched my own inability to connect with the return. The pacing felt slightly off and a little forced, but that could also be due to the fact that this isn’t a show we’re used to watching in two parts. Still, it’s incredible and so very exciting to have the show back because where the heart matters, star and writer Quinta Brunson never misses.
Abbott Elementary’s Season 3 Premiere Focuses on Internal Changes
For a hot, uncomfortably confusing moment Ava is a reformed principal who’s actually doing her job correctly, and I’m not sure I ever want to see that side of her again. She rejected Gregory’s arms, which tells us plenty about how off the dynamics are. But a sabotaging moment at the school gymnasium brings her back while we also get the inside scoop that Janine has now joined the school district.
This is where Josh Segarra enters, proving that he’s perfectly cast to bring charm and new energy to the series. While we knew the road toward Gregory and Janine’s romantic relationship would be long, I wouldn’t be mad if the show did anything with Manny and Janine, only if they got to remain friends. Segarra’s character is a delight through and through, making it easy to want his presence on the show. There’s also something warm and genuinely wholesome about the friendship budding between the two, which is always a welcomed surprise in any narrative.
While we catch up with the characters in Abbott Elementary’s Season 3 premiere, there’s an odd sadness in the air. It’s almost as though the time passed made missing these characters feel much more palpable. At the same time, as Janine navigates through no longer being in the classroom (however temporarily), we watch much of her isolation translate off-screen as Brunson shows us how challenging yet significant the transformation has been for her. While it’s something she chose for herself, being let down by Gregory also says plenty.
It’s clear that there’s much we’ll need to unpack this season with all teachers, but Janine and Gregory, especially as they steer through the new beginnings set in their path. (Plus, Melissa publicly rejected a proposal, adding fantastic nuance to different relationships.) The show’s humor is still top-notch and refreshing (I loudly cackled at the “I ate—consumed” line). The characterizations still feel riveting in every form, and bringing in players from the Philadelphia Eagles feels appropriate to the honor show’s brand of excellently homaging pop culture. While the season will be shorter than its sophomore run, it’s clear that writers still have plenty of stories to tell, which they could undoubtedly pack in the short right time and still stick the landing.
Abbott Elementary’s Season 3 premiere might not be perfect, but it sets the stage for what’s to come with the right balance between all the emotions we’re used to from this show.
Now streaming on Hulu: What are your thoughts on Abbott Elementary’s Season 3 premiere? Let us know in the comments below.