Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 19, “Music Class.”
While Janine’s Abbot Elementary love interest Gregory.
The ambitious young teacher arrived in Abbott hoping to become its principal within the years, but he was soon disabused of this notion. Janelle James’s hilariously petty principal Ava, who was openly corrupt and wildly unqualified for the role, had blackmail material that ensured she couldn’t be fired by the district. Gregory stuck around since he was slowly falling for the school and, more pertinently, one of its teachers, Quinta Brunson’s series heroine, Janine Teagues. His persistence paid off when Abbott Elementary season 4 episode 18 ended with Ava getting fired, but it was a Pyrrhic victory.
Abbott Elementary Season 1 Teased Gregory's Future As A Principal
Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 19 Proves Gregory Would Be A Good Principal
The cold open of the following outing, episode 19, “Music Class,” reveals that Gregory became Abbott’s interim principal after Ava was dismissed. However, although this seems like great news for the show’s hero, season 4’s new principal is unexpectedly tragic. Ava’s Abbott Elementary season 4 character improvement made her dismissal feel profoundly unfair, so it became impossible to celebrate Gregory’s success. Even Gregory himself conceded this as, although he wasn't as eager to get Ava her job back as Janine was, he was still enthusiastic about getting the old principal back to school.
Although she did take a lot of bribes from shady golf course developers to fund the school’s many expenses, Ava might be the best potential principal out of the entire Abbott faculty.
Back in season 1, it seemed like Ava was a terrible boss and an incompetent , and the best possible outcome would be her losing her job and Gregory replacing her. However, although Gregory has continually proven himself to be a superb educator in the years since, Ava has uncovered secret depths as a principal. By season 4, viewers could reasonably argue that, although she did take a lot of bribes from shady golf course developers to fund the school’s many expenses, Ava might be the best potential principal out of the entire Abbott faculty.
Ava’s Firing Makes Gregory The School’s Principal In Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 19
Gregory Takes A Very Different Approach From His Predecessor
Although Gregory becomes principal in “Music Class,” the changeover doesn’t happen the way anyone involved would have wanted. Gregory seems to be a great replacement for Ava, adapting fast and learning on the job while also reinstating traditions she disregarded, such as reading the daily announcements for the first time in years. However, while Abbott Elementary season 4’s Gregory story might provide him with a pay raise that he badly needs to keep paying his rent, there is little else to celebrate in his professional promotion.
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 |
Gregory doesn’t hide the fact that he is as disappointed by Ava’s dismissal as everyone else, and he was also just as involved in taking bribes from the golf course developers as the rest of the staff. Ava claimed she set up up and received all the bribes alone, but Barbara, Melissa, and Jacob were the first ones to consider the ethically dubious option and Janine was the most recent recipient when the scheme was uncovered. The fact that Ava was unfairly blamed makes Gregory’s win seem even more hollow.
Gregory didn’t get the job based on his own merits, but rather because Ava’s sudden dismissal left the district in a tight spot.
Although Abbott Elementary’s karaoke episode proved Gregory really does need the money that the principal position provides, the general sense of achievement and vindication he expected to get from becoming principal evaporated. For one thing, Gregory didn’t get the job based on his own merits, but rather because Ava’s sudden dismissal left the district in a tight spot. For another, Gregory is aware that he was also implicated in the bribery by the golf course developers, so he can’t even tell himself he wouldn’t have done the same in Ava’s shoes.
Gregory's Run As Principal Ironically Foreshadows Ava's Return
Gregory and Melissa Marvel At Ava’s Efficient Organizing
Not only does “Music Class” prove that Gregory doesn’t necessarily want to replace Ava as the eponymous school’s principal yet, but the episode also shows that Ava is a surprisingly great principal despite her obvious flaws. Melissa and Gregory learn this when they spend hours trying to decode Ava’s labyrinthine filing system, only to eventually praise its genius when they do make sense of it. Like many fun moments throughout season 4, this gag once again subtly proves that Ava is more gifted as an than she seems despite her eccentricities.
Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 16's Shock Return Moves Melissa's Forgotten Romance Forward
Abbott Elementary season 4 episode 16 brings back two ing stars, using one unlikely character to change Melissa's relationship with the other.
Although ’s ing star Manny can’t quite get Ava her job back in “Music Class,” he does at least manage to get Janine and Ava a hearing to plead the former principal’s case. While Ava might not be optimistic about their prospects, the fact that the next episode in the season is titled “Ava Fest: Tokyo Drift” seems to promise a comeback for the dismissed educator. Abbott has not seen the last of James’s charismatic principal, even though Ava’s unexpected success on the motivational talking circuit allowed “Music Class” to prove that she has a future outside the school.
Ava Will Return To Abbott Elementary, But That Doesn't Mean That Gregory Can Never Be Principal
Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 19 Foreshadows Ava’s Return
Since Gregory isn't ready to take over the school just yet, Principal Ava is almost certain to return to Abbott before season 4 ends. This will be a welcome change since her dismissal was already an unjust firing. Ava losing her job just for trying to improve her school's facilities by any means necessary was season 4’s biggest tragedy, so seeing her regain the role would be a positive outcome.
“Music Class” predicated Abbot Elementary’s eventual future by proving that Gregory will someday be a great principal.
That said, “Music Class” still served a purpose in the sitcom's larger story. Gregory wasn’t ready to be the titular school’s principal yet, and he learned as much when he stood in for Ava in her absence. However, he is a solid principal already and would be a great one with a few more years of experience under his belt. As such, “Music Class” predicated Abbot Elementary’s eventual future by proving that Gregory will someday be a great principal and, not coincidentally, Ava’s success as a motivational speaker means she will someday need a replacement in the future.
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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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