Abbott Elementary’s ‘No Phones’ Puts So Much Into Perspective

There’s a big discussion to be had on how we rely on our phones way too much, and how it can someday be so detrimental to our mental and physical health. (She says this while literally writing this article on Google Docs on her phone as she paces around her yard to get steps in.) But in reality, I recognize how important an episode like Abbott Elementary’s “No Phones” is, and it’s stressing me out even more than the DMV mishaps in “Game Night.” 

Last week’s “Camping” took us through everyone’s exhaustion, and this week, the teachers have an even harder time going one whole workday without phones. But also, the very thing that holds so much information, that it’s likely a huge part of the reason why we’re all so exhausted? Oh, I love it when shows get deep.

And while Abbott Elementary’s “No Phones” doesn’t exactly touch on any of this too deeply or without humor in a way that puts the teachers in a tough spot, it does make it abundantly clear just how much we rely on technology in a way that’s actually unhealthy. And maybe, more than anything, the worst part is that this could’ve happened on any day. Sure, maybe Janine has to pay her rent today, and Gregory’s car is in the shop, or Barbara’s daughter is moments away from going into labor, but a bigger problem is that we exist in a world where there’s something happening every single day. No day would’ve been easier.

As an entertainment journalist, news can drop at any moment. The state of the world is so dire that something drastic can change within seconds. School computers and WiFi are too slow, and a ton of social media platforms are blocked off. It’s strange to think that we went to school or work at some point without phones, because how did we become so wildly codependent? How is it that at some point, we had no problems getting through the day without knowing all of this information at the palm of our hands? Ah, ignorance. I miss thee.

There are so many benefits to social media, working remote, and being able to text our friends happy birthday or whatnot, but it’s so strange to think about how it’s also caused us a myriad of problems with how we compare ourselves, how exhausted we are, and how incapable we are of detaching ourselves from all this knowledge at our fingertips. Don’t even get me started on the fact that people have forgotten how to do proper research.

And the fact that the students can do it in Abbott Elementary’s “No Phones” is so incredible because I legitimately thought they’d be the ones to struggle more than the adults. I thought their inability to stay disconnected would be an even bigger problem, but it makes even more sense that it’d be the teachers. It’s giving us a lot to think about, to be quite honest. And it’s always fun when an episode can really make us question our own flaws in moments like this. Still, it’s an all-around aces episode in every way.

Now streaming on Hulu or ABC: What are your thoughts on Abbott Elementary’s “No Phones?” Let us know in the comments below.
First Featured Image Credit: (Disney/Gilles Mingasson)