Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 22, “Please Touch Museum.”
In Abbott Elementary’s cast of characters are reliably hilarious, and viewers can always be sure that Melissa, Barbara, Jacob, Gregory, and the rest of the eponymous school's faculty will bring the laughs every week. However, while the staff are the mockumentary sitcom’s main characters, the kids attending Abbott are also pivotal players in the series.
Scene-stealing ing characters like Clarence, Courtney, and RJ frequently remind viewers that the school’s students can be just as funny and unpredictable as season 4, episode 21, “Rally,” it was the students organizing a walkout that ended up solving the issue.
Abbott Elementary Season 4’s Finale Is A Graduation Episode
Jacob’s Eighth Graders Put On A Play To Honor Their Teachers
As such, it is fitting that season 4, episode 22, “Please Touch Museum,” once again foregrounded the children and their contributions to the sitcom series. The episode took place at the real-life Philadelphia tourist attraction and was even filmed on location, according to Philadelphia Magazine. However, disaster struck for Jacob when he realized his eighth-grade students weren’t as well suited to the titular setting as the younger cohort. Luckily, a museum attendant saved the field trip for the older students by suggesting they use the museum’s theater to stage a play about their teachers.
Although the play got a lot of laughs from mocking the teachers, it proved the kids were the real stars of the “Please Touch Museum.”
The kids were inspired and, as Abbott Elementary season 4’s finale came to a close, they had the ingenious idea of asking the teachers to play each other. Thus, viewers were treated to Melissa parodying Jacob’s over-earnest worries, Barbara spoofing Melissa’s Italian-American mannerisms, and Jacob providing an over-the-top homage to Barbara’s outspoken Christianity. Ironically, although these scenes got a lot of laughs from mocking the teachers, they proved the kids were the real stars of the “Please Touch Museum.”
After four seasons, Abbott Elementary finally used graduation as the backdrop for a bittersweet finale in “Please Touch Museum.” In retrospect, this seems like an obvious choice for the series. Graduation is the perfect setting for a season finale since the event acknowledges that one class of kids is graduating and moving into the wider world, while another new group is starting all over again as the next year’s kindergarten class. There’s a satisfying sense of natural progression and resolution to graduation storylines, which made the teacher's acknowledgment of the event touching.
Why Abbott Elementary Season 4's Graduation Episode Is Bittersweet
Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 22 Reminded Viewers The School Changes Every Year
After Ava’s triumphant storyline in ”Rally,” “Please Touch Museum” was always guaranteed to be a more low-key finale. Abbott Elementary season 4’s main villains were all redeemed in “Rally,” Ava was restored to her rightful role as the school’s principal, and the golf course developer story arc that began back in the premiere was tidily wrapped up. “Please Touch Museum” needed a self-contained story and, although the field trip seemed to be its focus, graduation was gradually revealed to be the real theme of the outing.
Abbott Elementary Actor |
Character Name |
|---|---|
Quinta Brunson |
Janine Teagues |
Tyler James Williams |
Gregory Eddie |
Lisa Ann Walter |
Melissa Schemmenti |
Sheryl Lee Ralph |
Barbara Howard |
Janelle James |
Principal Ava |
William Stanford Davis |
Mr. Johnson |
Chris Perfetti |
Jacob Hill |
“Please Touch Museum” was surprisingly poignant as it reminded viewers that the lovable students won’t be around forever, and some of the show’s best recurring young characters are now bound for high school already. Although characters like Clarence and Courtney spent three years playing a part in the storylines of Janine, Jacob, and Melissa, they were always going to leave eventually. While most workplace sitcoms like The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Superstore can get away with minimal recasting, Abbott Elementary’s setting requires the show to introduce new young heroes every few years.
Abbott Elementary's Storytelling Premise Ensures Its Long-Term Success
The Finale Reminded Viewers Of The Sitcom’s Real Focus
With the teachers playing each other hilariously, it was easy to miss the true heart of “Please Touch Museum.” However, while Abbott Elementary season 4 guaranteed Ava will still be the school’s principal in future outings, the finale also reminded viewers that Jacob’s students who played a major role in season 4 won’t be around next season.
Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 20’s Genius Gregory Callback Complicates Ava's Future
Abbott Elementary season 4 episode 20 brought back an unexpected character, improving Gregory's arc and complicating Ava's story as a result.
Changing the kids allows the show to keep things fresh, but it is also hard to say goodbye to characters that viewers have grown to love. Thus, Abbott Elementary’s field trip ended season 4’s story perfectly. After the preceding episode wrapped up all the drama with the district and the developers, the finale inevitably had to be about the show’s real stars, namely, Abbott Elementary's iconic kids and their teachers.
Source: Philadelphia Magazine
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Abbott Elementary
- Release Date
- December 7, 2021
- Network
- ABC
- Showrunner
- Quinta Brunson
Cast
Quinta BrunsonJanine Teagues
Tyler James WilliamsGregory Eddie
WHERE TO WATCH
- Writers
- Quinta Brunson
- Creator(s)
- Quinta Brunson
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