Game Night with ‘Abbott Elementary’
Gregory brings his friends over. What could go wrong?
Abbott Elementary season 5 Episode 4 titled “Game Night” gives us a perfectly chaotic episode in both the A and B stories. In the A story, Janine’s “water breaks” in her apartment which causes her to cancel the scheduled game night at her apartment. Shockingly, Gregory offers (rather enthusiastically) to host at his apartment. While Janine loves and accepts his quirks—describing his apartment as something out of Architectural Digest based solely on the sterility and rigidity of his domicile—their friends find his idea of “fun” a little peculiar as Abbott takes us into Gregory’s world.
In the B story, Mr. Johnson, Ava, Barbara, and Melissa all must go to the DMV in order to be compliant with the rules of the road. This story is directly juxtaposed against the backdrop of Gregory’s apartment as the DMV location is dull, cold, and impatient rather than warm, intimate, and personal. However, at the DMV, we learn a little bit more about Mr. Johnson (except his name), leaning into the season going deeper into the back story of the elusive character.
It’s Better to be Kind than Nice
When Gregory offers to host game night, Janine goes into her usual state of wanting to be hands on, which resembles an inability to relinquish control. Gregory assures her he has everything under control as he sends an e-vite to the regular game night attendees. We immediately find that Janine is worried that Gregory will be judged by their friends by how he lives and what he considers to be comfortable. This all comes to a head when her friend Erica plays an impromptu game of “Two Truths and a Lie” and reveals three truths, one of which is a confession that game night sucks.
Gregory is shocked considering he’s been having a good time and Janine ran interference to the subtle looks and shady comments all night. However, when Gregory pulls her aside, she finally admits that she tried to spare his feelings by being nice, rather than be kind and tell him what she felt—that he could stand to make his place more homey, a place where she sees a future with the man she loves. This scene is punctuated perfectly with Jacob, Erica, and Simon trying to capture a pigeon that flew into the apartment. This comedic and dramatic dance is the reason Abbott continues to steal the hearts of all who tune in.
A New Feel
If season 5 of Abbott Elementary feels different, it’s because it is. It keeps the same mockumentary formula and comedic beats that we love but, it now aggressively pulls in the ensemble—paying more attention to their character arcs, growth, and backgrounds in a new filming style. The focus shifts to grounding all the characters in the Abbott identity by continuing to show the lives of the educators outside of school while highlighting their motivations to show up day in and day out for each other and their students.
“Game Night” made a dent in a major character’s storyline through Gregory, showcasing the balance of personal life vs professional, vulnerability, community, and navigating change (which can be good) within relationships. Our favorite “will-they won’t-they” turned steady couple showed us how to balance individuality with the identity of your relationship.
Abbott Elementary airs every Wednesday on ABC Network at 8:30/7:30c. Check out the season 5 trailer below and stream on Hulu.