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"Zoo Balloon" is the thirteenth and final episode of the first season of ABC's hit mockumentary-sitcom Abbott Elementary. It was directed by Randall Einhorn and written by Jordan Temple. The episode first aired on ABC on April 12, 2022, with 2.78 million viewers and received positive reviews from critics.
Description[]
While on Abbott's annual zoo field trip, Tariq reveals that he has been offered a job in New York; Janine struggles with a big choice; Barbara starts questioning her future after finding out her favorite tuatara has been retired.
Plot[]
Students are lined up outside their classrooms, ready to go on a school field trip to the zoo. Ava collects their permission slips and sends the students without the said slips to Mr. Johnson for him to watch.
The chaperones for the field trip are introduced, starting with Taylor (Barbara's daughter), Zach (Jacob's boyfriend), and Tariq (Janine's boyfriend). Ava then informs Janine that she didn't fill out the paperwork for the fieldtrip, but they are still going because she wanted to go, so she has to keep Tariq in check.
Mr. Johnson returns Kenny to the bus after finding him inside a trash bag.
The students all board the buses, and Gregory performs a headcount. He is one kid short. Luckily, Mr. Johnson finds Kenny, the missing kid, hiding inside a trash bag. Janine asks if Kenny is okay, and Gregory answers that the kid is just a little nervous about going into second grade. Since she was probably going to be Kenny’s second grade teacher, Janine offers to talk to Kenny so he can get a head start with her.
Barbara, Jacob, and Melissa's classes have also boarded their buses, with their students excited for their field trip. The buses then leave for the zoo. As Tariq receives some reminders for his chaperoning duties from Janine, he receives an email from F.A.D.E. to do a whole tour to every elementary school in New York and record an album of anti-meth songs. Janine expresses how happy and proud she is of Tariq. Barbara overhears and asks Tariq if this means that he will be working full-time in New York. He answers that it does, at least for the next year. Tariq calls F.A.D.E. to accept their offer and tells Janine he can't wait for the both of them to move to New York. Janine is caught off guard by this remark.
The students arrive at the zoo, and the teachers and chaperones usher them out of the buses. Janine shares her concerns about moving to New York with Melissa. Meanwhile, Barbara excitedly leads her students towards her favorite zoo exhibit, a tuatara lizard. However, she finds out that the zoo has retired the lizard and sent it to a reserve. She gets upset by this, as the tuatara has been in the zoo for as long as she has been teaching, and she cannot accept its retirement.
Janine talks to Kenny about entering the second grade.
At the Migration Theater, Janine reaches out to Kenny and tries to assure him that he will be just fine moving to the second grade. She accidentally dumps her worries about moving to New York on the kid. She realizes this and leaves to gather herself. She updates Gregory on how Kenny is feeling. Gregory then shares with her that he just became a full-time teacher at Abbott, and he thanks her for making him see how special a place Abbott is. She gets emotional by this and the two share a long silence. This moment is interrupted by Taylor when she gives Gregory some clam chowder. Gregory and Taylor then leave when Ava abruptly finishes the presentation at the Migration Theater.
Jacob hears about Tariq's contract with F.A.D.E and tells Janine that he can't imagine Abbott without her. She replies that she can't imagine not being at Abbott either. Jacob gets emotional and leaves with his class towards the hippos. Janine goes to Barbara and asks how she is doing. Barbara reflects on the tuatara's retirement and opens up about how she is stuck in the same place with everyone else around her moving on. She doubts if she still has the energy to continue teaching. Janine is surprised by this confession. They get interrupted as they hear Tariq rapping to some students.
Janine uses this as an opportunity to talk to Tariq about New York. She tells him how much she loves her job and how much she loves Philly. However, she cannot bring herself to continue with the conversation. Just then, Tariq notices that one of her students is missing and she discovers that said student is Kenny.
Janine is frantic and seeks help from the other teachers in finding Kenny. Barbara directs the teachers and chaperones to search for the child in specific areas of the zoo. She tells Janine and Gregory to check the zoo balloon in case he goes airborne.
Janine realizes the balloon is about to fly.
Janine and Gregory search for Kenny and they find him on the balloon. Janine goes to him to make sure he's okay. She hears the balloon gate click and realizes that the balloon is about to fly with her and Kenny on it. Being afraid of heights, Janine sits down beside Kenny as the balloon is flying over the zoo.
Below, Melissa commends Barbara for being able to handle the situation and snapping into "Super Barbara Mode." She adds that it reminded her of when they both started working at Abbott. Melissa then tells Barbara that she isn’t a tuatara; that unlike the lizard, no one was going to retire her, unless she wants to. Barbara regains her confidence and declares that today was not the day she was "packing it in."
A frightened Janine sits down inside the zoo balloon.
Back on the balloon, Janine gently scolds Kenny for suddenly disappearing and causing everyone to worry. She also assures him that being in second grade is going to be incredible and that sometimes the best things you can ever do are the scary things that will help you grow. The two eventually get off the balloon. Janine is exhilarated after the rush of being up in the air. This gives her the confidence to make changes in her life.
She and Tariq finally talk about New York. She tells Tariq that she is so proud of him for finally getting his break. However, their lives are going down different paths and they should take a break for the time he is in New York. Tariq is in disbelief with the suggestion since they have been together for so long. She explains that this is their opportunity to figure out who they are without each other. Tariq tears up and the two hug. They share their last secret handshake.
They all board their respective buses and return to school. Gregory tells the camera how excited he is for next year. Barbara tells Janine that she’s happy Janine decided to stay at Abbott, where she belongs. Janine gets emotional as she tells the camera how Abbott is a special place and that being a teacher is what she is meant to do.
Meanwhile, at Abbott, the students with Mr. Johnson leave him an essay about who they consider their heroes—the teachers of Abbott Elementary.
Starring[]
- Quinta Brunson as Janine Teagues
- Tyler James Williams as Gregory Eddie
- Janelle James as Ava Coleman
- Lisa Ann Walter as Melissa Schemmenti
- Chris Perfetti as Jacob Hill
- Sheryl Lee Ralph as Barbara Howard
Guest Starring[]
- William Stanford Davis as Mr. Johnson
- Leon Cassimere III as Kenny
- Zack Fox as Tariq
- Iyana Halley as Taylor
- Larry Owens as Zach
Co-Starring[]
- Tommy Bechtold as Zoo Balloon Guy
- Camden Brooks as Barbara's Student 2
- Stephanie Burke as Sheila - Zoo Docent
- Zoe Afia Holmes as Lana
- Etta Hughes as Shania
- Nathan Hurd as Stranger
- Scott Manuel Johnson as Bird Trainer
- Paris Turner as Shahrzad
- Aayden William as Barbara's Student 1
- Marvin L. Winans III as Chad
Ratings[]
"Zoo Balloon" was watched by 2.783 million viewers, earning a 0.57 in the 18-49 rating demographics on the Nielson ratings scale.[1]
Media[]
Episode stills[]
References[]
- ↑ Metcalf, Mitch (April 13, 2022). SHOWBUZZDAILY'S Tuesday 4.12.2022 Top 150 Cable Originals & Network Finals UPDATED. ShowBuzzDaily. Retrieved on December 12, 2022.