Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episode 9 Review: Alex

Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episode 9, “Alex,” is at its best when it focuses on our core characters and their relationships. However, it is far from the funniest episode of the season. 

This episode, written by Justin Tan, contains fewer laugh-out-loud moments than normal. This is a bit disappointing, especially after Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episode 8, “Panel,” was incredibly hilarious and amusing. 

Yet, “Alex” balances heartfelt, grounded material with the sillier aspects of the ambitious outing, which can often appear farfetched. 

This episode begins with another silly opening that’s seemingly unrelated to the rest of the episode, but that’s partly what makes Abbott Elementary what it is as a sitcom.

It’s delightful to watch Melissa and Barbara’s shocked faces when the kids show them an updated version of the clapping game — one that makes them extremely uncomfortable.  

The words to the clap are quite clever and inventive, especially if you can keep up with them. 

We also see a lot of “Old Ava.” Even though she has acted more maturely on previous episodes, here, she engages in some of her most ridiculous behavior yet. 

As soon as Ava learns that Janine is leaving Abbott, the principal works on finding a replacement. It’s easy to be as annoyed as Ava’s secretary/assistant when watching the principal quickly dismiss candidates who are under 5’5, are punctual, or wearing a “Jellybean belt.” 

While it makes sense that Ava would be picky about who she chose — and it’s no surprise that her pick ends up being very similar to her in personality — it seems farfetched that she would (seemingly) go through 500+ candidates that quickly. 

Even though Abbott Elementary is often a show you can watch while only being a casual fan, this episode makes references to past episodes that wouldn’t make sense if you hadn’t seen them. 

For example, Gregory is clearly in a good mood after gaining interest in his “Garden Goofballs” program.

However, knowing the show’s penchant for giving Gregory (and other) characters obstacles, he soon becomes invested in determining why one of his former students, Alex, has been skipping school. 

To no one’s surprise, Gregory cares about the child, even though he’s no longer in his class (he’s in Janine’s). It’s as heartening as ever to see him do everything he can to bring Alex back to school, even enlisting Janine’s help. 

Ultimately, though, the heart of this episode is Quinta Brunson’s Janine.

When we see her struggle to accept a compliment from the superintendent, we fully buy into that reaction. 

After all, despite Janine’s eagerness and work ethic, she had never really felt valued before the fellowship. And, as always, Brunson’s facial expressions and body language are spot-on. 

As the installment continues, Janine becomes more confident, such as when she admits to her Abbott colleagues that she is leaving the school to work full-time for the district. 

There’s also a somewhat surprising moment when Janine firmly tells Ava to “stop” when she makes a snarky remark. If it wasn’t already evident that Janine has changed, it certainly is now. 

A.I. plays a decent role in the plot, too, throwing a wrench in Jacob’s relationship with Barbara and Melissa (and his relationship with Mr. Johnson).

A.I. is presented in a fairly negative manner here, as it causes Jacob to become angry with his fellow teachers, whom he considers to be his friends.

It makes sense that Jacob would hold a grudge, as we’ve seen him as a highly emotional person. However, it also makes sense that he would just as easily get over it, especially once he realizes he’s being hypocritical. 

However, it’s hard to believe that both women were that willing to learn A.I. — Barbara especially, considering how old-fashioned she is and how opposed she has been to modern technology. 

Even though the three (reliably) resolve their differences by the end of the episode, a relationship that is still on thin ice is the one between Janine and Gregory. 

He’s taken aback and unable to fully process when Janine confesses her plans moving forward.

Janine and Gregory shippers will undoubtedly be disappointed that, even though (as Gregory admits) they “make a great team,” their relationship isn’t moving in the direction they’d like. Brunson will most likely make viewers wait and watch the will-they-or-won’t-they interactions play out. 

Stray Observations:

• Chris Perfetti’s snarky delivery of “well, well, well, if it isn’t the Autobots” is yet another example of why he’s just as worthy of awards consideration as his castmates. 
• Among the few pop culture references is Jacob shouting out “WALL-E” about the A.I. debacle, and it’s a reference that most viewers should understand. 
• It’s easy to wonder if Janine has truly “hemmed and hawed,” as she said, about accepting the new job offer, as it seems to happen all too quickly. 
• One of the funniest moments is when Gregory attempts to talk to Alex’s grandmother, and they clearly don’t understand each other. Tyler James Williams’ exasperation is deeply felt (and relatable) here. 
• Even though the principal cast members all get to shine on this episode, “Alex” also benefits from guest stars like returning performer Keegan Michael-Key as Superintendent Reynolds, who makes the most of his limited screen time. 

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Abbott Elementary airs Wednesdays at 9/8c on ABC.

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