Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 22, “Please Touch Museum.”
TheAbbott Elementaryseason 4 finale’s ending is surprisingly low-stakes, but this made for a welcome change after the tension of the preceding episodes. There is no doubt thatAbbott Elementary’s lovable cast of charactersis what makes the show such a success, but that did not stop season 4 from delivering when it came to fast-paced plotting. Although the workplace mockumentary sitcom isn’t typically known for its twisty storytelling, season 4’s latter half raised the stakes significantly when the golf course developer story came to a close.
Throughout the entire season, the staff of the eponymous school took bribes from a shady golf course developer in exchange for overlooking their building code violations.Abbott Elementary’s Principal Avatook the blame for these bribes when the school district found out about them and, to everyone’s shock, she was fired on the spot. Fortunately,Abbott Elementaryseason 4 episode 21 brought Ava backwhen everyone from the PTA to the students, to the teachers, to local business owners, and even the developers rallied around her.
Abbott Elementary’s Season 4 Finale Sees A Fun Field Trip
The “Please Touch Museum” Initially Proved A Flop With Jacob’s Eighth Graders
This plot ended with the closing scenes of season 4, episode 21, “Rally,” as Ava was reinstated in her old role. Most ofAbbott Elementaryseason 4’s villains were redeemedin the process, with the developer’s lawyer Miles, Ava’s sorority sister Crystal, and her estranged father Frank all showing up to defend her. However, this means that season 4, episode 22, “Please Touch Museum,” was a comparatively subdued end to the season.
According toPhiladelphia Magazine,“Please Touch Museum” was filmed entirely on location at the iconic Philadelphia landmark. The entire school is excited about the field trip, save for Jacob’s cynical older eighth graders, who feel like their cohort isn’t well suited to the event. Although the real-life Please Touch Museum’s COO, Tracy Curran, toldPhiladelphia Magazinethat the “Please Touch Museum holds special childhood memories for Quinta Brunson,” the sitcom’s creator and star, it still took Jacob’s class a while to get on board with the field trip.
In a hilariously inventive gag, the teachers played each other in a play, which reimagined Ava’s feud with the district in uniquely absurd terms.
Luckily, one tour guide suggested that the older kids should put on a play about the teachers and Jacob’s class wisely took his advice. In a hilariously inventive gag, the teachers played each other in this play, which reimagined Ava’s feud with the district in uniquely absurd terms. WhileAbbott Elementaryseason 4 proved Gregorywould someday make for a great principal, the kids characterizing him as an emotionless robot made even his typically stiff, stoic father crease up with laughter.
Ava Gets The Perfect Ending In The Abbott Elementary Season 4 Finale After A Difficult Year
Abbott’s Principal Returned To Her Usual Role
Not only was Ava given her job back, but she was also reunited with her season 4 love interest O’Shon in “Please Touch Museum.” Early on in the outing, O’Shon made up for missing her rally by buying Ava an exorbitantly expensive pair of earrings. Unfortunately,Ava hated the earrings O’Shon bought herand, in a first for the outspoken supporting star, she couldn’t bring herself to tell him. Ava wanted to avoid hurting her love interest’s feelings, but the pair eventually talked it through and O’Shon proved typically unbothered by the mix-up.
Abbott Elementary’s Janine & Gregory Replacement Will Continue Their Romance
O’Shon and Ava’s Romance Is Still Going Strong
A season after Janine and Gregory finally hooked up in the season 3 finale,Ava and O’Shon are still going strong entering intoAbbott Elementaryseason 5. Although the newer couple admittedly hit a snag with O’Shon’s hideous taste in earrings, they rebounded when he agreed to return the unwanted gift and impressed Ava with a less expensive, but more tasteful option that he preferred in the first place. Meanwhile,Abbott Elementary’sAva and O’Shonweren’t the only happy couple heading into season 5.
Chris Perfetti
Jacob Hill
Janine managed to impress Gregory’s father and improve their father/son relationship when she got the older Mr. Eddie to let his guard down and lighten up around the kids. Gregory was initially shocked to see his humorless father cracking jokes with the kids, but his dad explained that Janine brought out the samw warmth in him that she did in Gregory. He even told Gregory that Janine reminded him of Gregory’s late mother in the finale’s most poignant moment.
What Happened To Gregory After Ava’s Return In Abbott Elementary
Gregory Proved Himself As A Principal But Returned To Teaching
Thus,Abbott Elementary’s season 4 finale improved both its major romancesas O’Shon and Ava proved they had a future and Gregory and Janine continued going strong into their second year together. However, whileAva’sAbbott Elementarycomebackwas effectively inevitable given her popularity, it is fair for viewers to wonder what happened to Gregory in “Please Touch Museum.” When Ava was fired, Gregory became the interim principal for a short period.
Gregory originally wanted to become Abbott’s principal when he first began working there, and he proved great in the role during his time as the interim principal. However, “Please Touch Museum” saw him back in the role of teacher and seemingly content with this position. Although he was annoyed to hear that Ava would be undoing any changes he made in the episode’s cold open, Gregory seemed satisfied with his job for the time being.
How Abbott Elementary’s Season 4 Finale Set Up Season 5
“Please Touch Museum” Proves The Golf Course Developer Story Is Finally Finished
AsAbbott Elementary’s Jacob played Barbaraand Melissa roasted Jacob as part of the play the students wrote, it was tough to tell what lay in store for season 5.Abbott Elementarywent from strength to strength in season 4, with the golf course developer storyline providing a backbone for several great standalone episodes.
Abbott Elementaryseason 4 tackled real-life issues like the epidemic of book bans in US schools and underpaid teachers taking on second jobs to make ends meet. However, the sitcom also had a lot of fun with some unexpected guest stars like Eric Andre and the stars of It’sAlways Sunny in Philadelphia, as well as comebacks from Josh Segarra’s Manny and Mike O’Malley’s Captain Robinson.
It was a bittersweet ending that proved the more things change at the titular school, the more they stay the same.
“Please Touch Museum” ended with the teachers saying goodbye to the graduating class, but looking forward to next year’s new arrivals. It was a bittersweet ending that proved the more things change at the titular school, the more they stay the same. Thus, although viewers can’t guess what subjects the series will tackle next time around from “Please Touch Museum,”Abbott Elementaryseason 4’s finale was a fitting, sweet sendoff for the sitcom’s fourth outing.
