Abbott Elementary Season 5 Episode 2 Review: Cheating

Abbott Elementary Season 5 Episode 2, “Cheating,” sees Tariq inject an extra dose of chaos into the episodic narrative as a new school counselor enters the scene. Zack Fox really is this show’s ace up the sleeve. You know you’re in for a good time when PTA President Tariq Temple stops by for a spell to shake things up. 

A New Face at Abbott Elementary 

Ms. Elimar, played by Marcella Arguello, joins the fray as the school’s no-nonsense, kind school counselor. In “Cheating,” she becomes the grounded lens through which we view these characters, although perhaps with more of an outsider’s perspective. Elimar feels that her fellow staff members aren’t as professional as she’d like them to be.

Hilariously, she views Ava as a “consummate professional,” a bona fide leader who steers the Abbott ship to victory. This reversal of opinions for Ava versus the teachers is a hysterical way of upending the formula. While Ava’s methods are unorthodox, to be sure, her love for our titular school is indisputable, and more than once she’s found a way to pull Abbott back from the brink of the abyss. If anything, Elimar’s belief in the staff’s unprofessional conduct is a stark reminder of how lovably eccentric they truly are. 

Arguello plays the “straight man” well here, making our core crew’s antics seem unhinged by comparison. Like most sitcoms, over the course of Abbott Elementary‘s tenure, these characters have slowly — ever so slowly — unraveled in the best way. Barbara Howard is a prime example of this.

As per usual, Sheryl Lee Ralph’s comedic chops are on full display in “Cheating.” This pivot for Barbara in Season 5 sees her attempting to be more “loosey-goosey,” as it were. However, as is evidenced in her brief feud over the dishwasher with Jacob, she’s still the Barb we know and love: a woman of God who tries to be prim and proper. 

Chaos Reigns 

“Cheating” is an even stronger outing than the Season 5 premiere. It’s chaos personified, with three storylines that weave and intersect in ways expected of a well-oiled sitcom machine. Episode two is zany, multiple-jokes-a-minute fare. This reviewer found herself laughing out loud more than usual. 

Gregory’s line about O’Shon being a lucky man after Ava admits to making her boyfriend empty his cloud is pitch-perfect comedy. Tyler James Williams is the king of breaking the fourth wall. While Elimar reacts to these characters in a way that indicates her position as our lens, Gregory is our dependable entryway into this universe. 

“Cheating” is also a rarity in that every plotline is pretty solid on its own. Sure, Barbara and Jacob’s dishwasher story probably wouldn’t make for a great A-plot, but it’s still funny. Melissa’s attempts to one-up her middle school students are laughter-inducing, and it’s nice to see her find competitors on her playing field. It’s even better that she teaches them so well that they don’t need to cheat, but she still feels the need to “compete” with them. 

A TV Show Within a TV Show 

Ava emphasizes a nonexistent Janine/Gregory/Tariq love triangle and teases its potential. However, Janine and Gregory are two peas in a pod. Snug as bugs in a rug. This subverts your stereotypical storytelling format by making a big deal of something that just isn’t there. It’s proof positive that Quinta Brunson might have ideas for incorporating some turbulence into the Granine relationship, but a love triangle, thankfully, isn’t one of them. 

“Cheating” plays with intriguing character pairings, putting two vastly contrasting personalities side-by-side and letting the actors run wild with hilarious results. There’s Barbara versus Jacob. Janine versus Tariq. Melissa versus Gregory. Then, there’s Elimar versus everyone else. This show always nails its character dynamics and has fun with its execution of said dynamics. 

If “Cheating” is anything to go by, we’re in for another delightful season in the classrooms and hallways of our eponymous elementary school. 

Stray Observations: 

• Spicy Barbara is my idol. I hope she’s always drinking from that #1 Diva mug whenever she’s on screen. 
• I would 100 percent listen and subscribe to Mr. Johnson’s podcast, even if it’s just to learn how to cook salmon in the dishwasher. Sometimes, you gotta make do with what you have in the kitchen. 
• That’s Harvard-trained, immensely patient, and consummate professional Ava Coleman to you. 
• Tariq not knowing that autumn and fall are the same thing is so funny to me. 
• Janine gifting Gregory a gardening hat, which is near and dear to him — my heart. These two are too cute. 
• I wonder if Ava finding monogamy “boring” and her need to cause drama by living vicariously through Janine’s love life (which is actually drama-free) are portents of what’s to come in her relationship with O’Shon. I can’t picture anything breaking them up, but perhaps this struggle for Ava will provide narrative conflict for them. 

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Abbott Elementary airs every Wednesday at 8:30/7:30c on ABC, with next-day streaming on Hulu. 

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