Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 5 Mocked Its Strangest Quirk With A Hilarious Consequence

Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 4, “Dad Fight”

Although Abbott Elementary rarely draws attention to its mockumentary setup, the sitcom did mock this framing device and use it to facilitate a plot point in season 4. Only a few years ago, mockumentary sitcoms were commonplace on network television. After forerunners like Arrested Development and 30 Rock experimented with handheld cameras and fourth-wall breaking, the US version of The Office, Parks and Recreation, and Modern Family made mockumentary sitcoms some of the most commercially and critically acclaimed comedy shows on television. Recently, Abbott Elementary’s hilarious cast of characters reignited interest in this dormant sitcom sub-genre.

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By the mid-2010s, a string of high-profile flops like the muppets., The Comedians, and Zach Stone Is Gonna Be Famous had dampened audience interest in mockumentary sitcoms. However, Abbott Elementary reversed this trend when the show debuted to rave reviews and ratings success in 2021. Admittedly, Abbott Elementary’s cute Gregory and Janine romance was a big factor in its success, but bringing back the nostalgic style familiar from ‘00s comedy shows also helped the workplace sitcom. Abbott Elementary is now one of the only mockumentary sitcoms left, and this works in part because the show often mocks its own setup.

Darnell Made Fun Of Gregory Addressing The Camera In Abbott Elementary Season 4, Episode 5

In season 4, episode 5, “Dad Fight,” Gregory got into an unexpected altercation with a student’s father. The student, Jabari, looked up to Gregory as a father figure and his mother thanked Gregory for providing Jabari with a stable, mature male role model in his life. Jabari’s confrontational father, Darnell, took this as an insult and visited Gregory in school, telling him not to give his son any spare penclls going forward. Gregory muttered that he would need to switch to pens in the future as an aside to the camera, but Darnell didn’t miss the sly comment.

This prompted a hilariously self-aware jibe as Darnell broke the fourth wall by pointing out that Gregory was whispering to the camera crew and hoping he wouldn’t hear. Darnell sarcastically said Gregory thought he was Marvel’s famously snarky superhero Deadpool, leading to an unexpected escalation in the conflict. While Abbott Elementary’s Gregory and Janine romance has been central to most of the character’s subplots so far in season 4, this episode saw Gregory unexpectedly finding himself facing down a fistfight with a fellow grown man. Ingeniously, the fight was caused by Gregory’s in-universe fourth wall breaking.

Abbott Elementary Season 4’s Mockumentary Gag Had A Surprising Consequence

Gregory Talking To The Camera Led Darnell To Start A Fight

Gregory denied that he said anything to the camera, resulting in Darnell getting even angrier and swiftly setting up a fight between them after school the next day. Thus, however, indirectly, the presence of Abbott Elementary’s in-universe camera crew contributed to the episode’s main conflict. This was just the latest of several episodes that incorporated the show’s camera crew into its reality, a subtle but vital distinction that separates the series from The Office or Modern Family. In both of those earlier hits, the camera crew were rarely acknowledged, and they had absurdly liberal access to their subjects.

In contrast, Abbott Elementary constantly points out how weird and unnatural it would be for ordinary teachers to constantly be followed by a camera crew. When Abbott Elementary’s Jacob got ringworm earlier in season 4, the camera didn’t follow him into a room full of infected students. When season 3 began, Abbott Elementary’s characters explained the release date delays caused by real-life entertainment industry strikes by revealing that the in-universe documentary crew’s cameras and equipment were stolen. In season 3, episode 8, “Panel,” Ava even won an argument with her old sorority sister by noting she had her own personal camera crew.

How Abbott Elementary’s Mockumentary Self-Awareness Can Make It Better

The Office’s Fourth-Wall Breaks Was Infamously Messy

What makes these gags so effective is that they mean Abbott Elementary can incorporate its camera crew without their presence defining the story. This seems like it would be an easy task for any mockumentary, but it has historically proven difficult throughout the sub-genre. The deservedly infamous “Brian the cameraman” storyline from The Office’s final season was way too dramatic, veering into maudlin melodrama in its attempts to break the fourth wall.

In contrast, Abbott Elementary season 4’s plot acknowledged the camera crew and how strange their presence is without this point completely taking over the entire episode. “Dad Fight” would most likely have featured Darnell challenging Gregory to a fight even if there was no camera crew present, but his acknowledgment of the show’s mockumentary setup allowed the sitcom to poke fun at itself. Thus, this episode of Abbott Elementary highlighted how the series has been able to utilize the mockumentary setup without turning this element into the show’s defining characteristic.

Cast

Quinta Brunson , Tyler James Williams , Sheryl Lee Ralph , Lisa Ann Walter , Chris Perfetti , Janelle James , William Stanford Davis , Zack Fox , Courtney Taylor , Nikea Gamby-Turner , Josh Segarra , Mason Renfro , Jerry Minor , Larry Owens , Nate’ Jones , Lela Hoffmeister , Vince Staples , Kimia Behpoornia , Dillion Blake Allen , Reggie Conquest , Kate Peterman , Keyla Monterroso Mejia , Benjamin Norris , Aayden William , Ben Onyx Dowdy

Release Date

December 7, 2021

Seasons

4

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