In an unsurprising turn of events, Abbott Elementary’s Season 5 premiere, “Team Building,” delivers the kind of wholesome message we could all use right now. Career-based woes are something we all go through from time to time, and it’s oddly comforting when our favorite characters go through them, too. At the same time, it’s always lovely to remember that it’s never too late to try something new when we have people cheering us on, and that’s exactly what the episode brings to the forefront as it sets the stage for another glorious season.
Abbott Elementary Season 5, Episode 1, “Team Building,” might not be the show’s strongest premiere, but it’s undoubtedly the most wholesome one. And, more importantly, it’s timely. It’s the one that feels especially necessary in the fall of 2025 when so much is at stake for so many of us, and it often feels like Quinta Brunson knows exactly what we need, when we need it, and how. It’s what makes the show so relatable, even though most of us left elementary school a long, long time ago.
Mr. Johnson Learns How to Write a Bike in Abbott Elementary’s Season 5 Premiere
Anytime the series gives William Stanford Davis’ Mr. Johnson the necessary screentime to shine, we get something special—peculiar, at times, sure, but special, nevertheless. There’s undoubtedly a lot that Mr. Johnson can do, but he simply chooses not to because he doesn’t want to. Still, Davis does such a lovely and preciously subtle job of showing viewers that Mr. Johnson does actually want to learn how to ride a bike.
The older we get, the harder it becomes to learn something most people did when they were kids. And I can only speak for myself when I say it becomes a little embarrassing, too. The fear that people might mock you? The silly, overwhelming feeling that you’re a failure just because you don’t get it right the first time? No one wants to feel any of those things. But here’s the thing: if I had a Gregory and the entire team at Abbott cheering me on the way that they do for Mr. Johnson as he learned how to ride a bike, then I’d push through my fear of water and try to learn how to swim.
The Abbott Elementary Season 5 premiere is so wholesome in its approach that I’m at least not ashamed to tell all our readers this small thing that only a few of my close friends know. It’s moments like this that the series does such an incredible job of showcasing how much goodness exists in these characters. They mock each other incessantly, yes. They get annoyed and frustrated, too, but at the end of the day, they show up for each other without judgements, and that’s the kind of easy warmth that makes the show such a comfort watch for so many people.
Janine Continues to be the Most Relatable Millennial
I’m not sure if Janine is the most relatable millennial or if she just represents so much of my own woes. But the fear of not being important or not being the kind of mentor whose job is still valuable? Me. Shrinking’s Luke Tenne enters the show as Dominic Clark, a former student of Barbara’s who then gets closer to Barbara in a way Janine continuously wishes she could. She doesn’t get the chance to be the mentor that she wants until the very end of the Season 5 premiere, when she takes up the opportunity to help answer questions, making her realize what her calling actually is.
Interestingly, though, that’s not what makes Janine so relatable, but rather her desire to constantly reach her goals. The determination she has to continue being seen is something so many of us can understand, and in the same way, we can relate to how frustrating it is when it feels like the opposite happens. It’s always easy to think we’re the problem when there are setbacks, only as the episode proves that’s not always the case. And really, there’s no way of sugarcoating that it sucks sometimes. We’re not always going to succeed, and it can make us feel like failures. It can be debilitating to continue to try only to feel like something is always missing, and this feeling doesn’t always go away even when we do succeed. But as the episode ultimately showcases, it’s never too late for something to change for the better. It’s a lesson that maybe we can all try to believe in as we go about our daily lives, trying to prove ourselves. And maybe someday, we won’t have to.
Now streaming on Hulu or ABC: What are your thoughts on Abbott Elementary‘s Season 5 premiere? Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: (Disney/Gilles Mingasson)