Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episode 3 Review: Gregory’s Garden Goofballs

Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episode 3, “Gregory’s Garden Goofballs,” is another solid entry in the Quinta Brunson-created comedy. While it contains plenty of jokes and laugh-out-loud moments, it also finds time for notable character moments. 

This outing, directed by Justin Tan, puts these beloved characters in new and exciting situations while staying true to their core personalities. 

After the supersized, two-part season opener, this episode of Abbott Elementary packs a lot into its lean, 22-minute runtime. 

Janine’s career has shifted, understandably affecting her and her Abbott colleagues. 

Fortunately, we get to see more of her new work environment, which gives us a change of scenery. Even though it’s great to spend so much time on the school grounds, it’s also exciting to see characters existing in other environments. 

According to Janine, her new fellowship with the school district is “going great.” However, knowing her tendency to avoid discussing any problems/issues, it’s easy to guess that she’s not necessarily telling the truth. 

To be sure, we see her ideas quickly approved and people taking her opinions seriously, which makes her happy. It’s a breath of fresh air for Janine and us to see her in the type of environment in which people are interested in what she has to say. 

It’s no surprise that Janine, who tries to remain positive and determined, perseveres in the face of numerous obstacles while getting an ASL interpreter for a student in Jacob’s class.

Brunson is adept at depicting Janine’s increasingly frustrated — yet still mostly cheery — emotions as she struggles to get things done.

By this point on Abbott Elementary, we know the character well enough to expect this behavior from her. 

We also spend time with other core characters, such as Melissa, whose emotional storyline on Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episodes 1 and 2, “Career Day Part 1/Career Day Part 2,” gave actress Lisa Ann Walter plenty of interesting moments to work with. However, she’s mostly relegated to funny side bits during this third outing. 

For example, Melissa makes a dig at Janine, which seems out of place and unnecessary. Most of the show’s zingers land, but this is the rare example of one that doesn’t.

Of course, Janelle James nails Ava’s typically snarky comments towards others. But Ava also shows remarkable growth when she not-so-obviously encourages Janine not to give up on finding the interpreter. 

As we’ve seen throughout Abbott Elementary, these characters continue to grow and learn more about themselves.

While Ava’s eccentric, hyper personality remains intact, it’s clear she does care about the teachers and students, even if she may not say so with words. 

Another plot involving Gregory and the boys in his class who spend lunchtime in his classroom gives Tyler James Williams plenty of goofy moments and expectedly great side-eyes. 

As a type-A person who has long struggled to connect with his students, it’s amusing to see Gregory unwilling to give advice to these boys. And then, it’s a delight to see him adjust to being a “cool teacher” and re-adjust to not being so cool. 

“Gregory’s Garden Goofballs” also brings back Janine’s ex, Tariq, who supposedly dates the mother of one of Barbara’s students.

He’s a very eccentric character, even compared to Abbott Elementary’s other characters. 

It’s amusing to see this child-like adult try to parent and connect with the son of the woman he’s dating, and his interactions with Barbara, Ava, etc., are entertaining.

However, his youthful personality can be exhausting sometimes, so hopefully, he doesn’t pop up on this season too often.

Josh Segarra returns as Manny, and he’s just as encouraging, positive, and hopeful as first advertised. And, while Ava’s pep talk gets Janine to think, Manny’s pick me up works much better on her. 

It’s still hard to know whether or not Manny is truly as good-intentioned as he appears or if he has some sort of ulterior motive. Thanks to Segarra’s charming presence, it could go either way. 

Additionally, this episode uses the mockumentary style to great effect, as several characters look directly at the camera. Of course, Williams’ side-eye is legendary, but Sheryl Lee Ralph also gets in a great side-eye moment while talking to Tariq. 

Stray Observations:

• There’s an ongoing bit about Janine not knowing the Liam Neeson Taken franchise. It’s an example of how difficult it sometimes is for her to relate to her peers, as she instead quotes Back to the Future. 
• After Janine attempted to curse on the previous two episodes, she now tries to come up with fun lingo like “The Big Teagues,” and is adorably funny. 
• We continue to learn juicier tidbits about Mr. Johnson, like when he supposedly hangs up on the “Nigerian prince” when entering Gregory’s classroom. 
• Another recurring joke is that Janine is supposedly a “mole” for Ava at the school district, and it’s fun to see people like Jacob believe that (it fits his personality).

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

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