‘Abbott Elementary’ Strikes Comedy Gold with Sheryl Lee Ralph vs. Janelle James

Throughout awards season, Abbott Elementary co-stars Sheryl Lee Ralph and Janelle James have been duking it out in the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series categories. It’s impossible to root for one over the other. While Ralph has won most of the awards for her portrayal of earnest and determined Barbara Howard, James has become the underdog—a title her standoffish Principal Ava Coleman would never accept.

In the most recent episode of Abbott Elementary, “The Fundraiser,” we get to witness Ralph and James throwing down over chocolate bars. Rarely do these two have an episode plot together—almost every storyline involving Barbara features her teaching a younger teacher (Janine, Gregory, Jacob) an important lesson in teaching, a task that’s nearly impossible when it comes to Ava.

Sheryl Lee Ralph’s ‘Abbott Elementary’ Emmy Speech Gave Us All Chills

But these two are really the comedic powerhouses of the show, for very different reasons. Barbara strikes unapproving glares at every mishap in the school. Ava creates the situations deserving of unapproving glares. Barbara has made her stance on Principal Coleman very clear—she doesn’t respect her or see her as a boss—but in this most recent episode, we get a new side of their dynamic.

Barbara grinds away on a fundraiser with the Abbott students, in an attempt to raise enough money to take them all on a big science field trip, but $1 candy bars aren’t cutting it. The students struggle to convince buyers on the street; under the caring guidance of Barbara Howard, they bore potential investors to sleep before getting any dough. When has “Do you have a minute to spare?” worked on any passerby?

All hope is lost after the students can’t sell more than a couple thousand dollars worth of chocolate, not nearly enough to make it to the science museum. Luckily, Ava swoops in with a quick fix: She’s an entrepreneur (so we’ve learned from her Instagram Live vintage sales), so she’ll train the kids to sell more candy bars and get them to the museum. Barbara hesitates. She doesn’t trust Ava.

And she’s right not to, because within minutes of her training, Ava is already teaching the kids questionable business practices. The first rule of business: Ask how many candy bars the buyer will be purchasing, not if they want to purchase. The second rule: Don’t give any change. The third rule: Overcharge. The kids start selling $2 bars instead of $1, taking the extra buck for themselves.

The banter between Barbara and Ava works perfectly. We’ve seen Ava swindle her way through an Abbott Elementary version of Shark Tank, but we’ve also seen Barbara advocate for her students’ well being every step of the way—what happens when a master business woman and a dedicated schoolteacher team up for the kids, even though they hate each other? Pandemonium, that’s what.

The Abbott fanbase was equally excited about these two pairing up, also shouting out the return of Courtney, Ava’s mini-me. Hopefully, she sold the most candy bars.

At the end of the day, though, there’s a lesson to be learned. But Abbott changed the game in “The Fundraiser,” with Ava offering up some guidance to Barbara, of all people. How wild! Oh, how the tables have turned! No spoilers here, but we will say it’s shocking to see Ava take Barbara to task. It’s equal parts funny and touching—exactly what Abbott does best, thanks to these two comedic forces.

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