"Holiday Hookah" is the tenth episode of Abbott Elementary's second season.
After finishing their last school day for the year, the Abbott staff heads out to celebrate their holiday break. Janine goes out with Erika to a hookah party in the hopes of making new friends. Things take a turn for the "worst" when she discovers Gregory and Ava are also attending. Elsewhere, Barbara and Melissa hold their yearly Christmas lounge dinner but the peace is ruined courtesy of holiday Grinch Jacob.
Tropes
- Betty and Veronica: Gregory's friend Maurice considers Janine and Ava as potential hookups. Greg advises him saying that Janine is looking for a steady and serious relationship while Ava is the type of woman he'd have fun with at first but would regret hooking up with in the long run.
- The Bore: Jacob ruins the Christmas lounge dinner with historical trivia about Christmas along with his soapbox views on each topic.
- Call-Back:
- Ava points out how Janine's dancing isn't the same like during step practice.
- Maurice mentions the time Janine did her egg drop experiment.
- Celeb Crush: Ava reveals that she's in a relationship with NBA player Andre Iguodala.
- Christmas Episode: Abbott Elementary holds it's last school day before everyone leaves for their holiday break.
- Cold Open: Janine starts the episode finding out that Zach is volunteering as a choir teacher and is doing a spectacular job at it.
- Cringe Comedy: Alot of Janine and Gregory's story plot involves them being super awkward interacting with each other in a night club.
- Cue The Snow: Snow begins to fall on Janine and Gregory after they go outside of the club.
- Fixing the Game: Ava put her name in the Secret Santa Gift Exchange three times knowing that three of her coworkers' mediocre gifts will result in one decent gift.
- Freudian Excuse: Although he doesn't get into details, Jacob mentions that every Christmas he lived through has been filled with nothing but fighting and discord that tarnished his feelings for the holiday.
- Freudian Excuse Is No Excuse: Jacob's rants come from the fact that he never had good memory with Christmas. But as Mr. Johnson points out, his negative ramblings kept him from making a good memory with the dinner.
- Green-Eyed Monster: Ava is not amused to see her "work husband" getting together with her "work nemesis".
- The Grinch: Jacob unintentionally becomes this as he ruins the Christmas lounge dinner with nonstop ramblings about everything wrong with Christmas along with the corporate manipulations behind every element of it. Mr. Johnson even calls him a grinch for ruining the festivities of the two queens.
- Hollywood Tone-Deaf: Contrary to his boyfriend who has the voice of an angel, Jacob can't sing to save his life.
- Life of the Party: Ava proves to be the belle of the ball as she eagerly throws herself into the dance floor and is surrounded by multiple men who are attracted to her.
- Mood Killer:
- Ava barges in to stop the smooth dancing going on between Greg and Janine.
- Janine and Gregory's silent but beautiful moment in the snow is interrupted by Amber who texts her boyfriend to reveal that she's available to hangout.
- Must Make Amends: Realizing the errors of his ways, Jacob rushes to the convenience store to pick out a variety of treats and lottery tickets to apologize to his senpais for ruining their Christmas dinner.
- Noodle Incident: Mr. Johnson laments on how he used to have a thing with Dorothy Hamill, and now he only has her skating shoe.
- Oblivious to His Own Description: After he brings up Charles Dickens during dinner, Melissa points out how he [Jacob] sounds super annoying along with how he breaks tradition. Jacob agrees with the sentiment.
- Oh, Crap!: Janine and Gregory share this sentiment when they see each other in line for the hookah club. They do it again when they see Ava and her crew appear.
- Pet the Dog: After seeing Janine alone without Greg or her friend, Ava invites her to come join her along with her boyfriend.
- Serious Business: Zach treats Christmas caroling with the upmost seriousness.
- Screw This, I'm Outta Here: Having had enough of Jacob's toxic negativity, Melissa decides to step outside of the school to wait it out. Barbara follows suit having regretted her decision to invite Jacob.
- Spit Take: Invoked. Ava orders the bar hostess to pour her something cheap so she can spit it out after seeing Janine and Greg together.
- The Stinger: Janine is genuinely suprised to learn that Ava is actually in a committed relationship. And it turns into a greater surprise when he's revealed to be famous basketball player Andre Iguodala (or Iggy as he prefers to be called).
- Touché: After Gregory points out about the rule being a 25 dollar maximum instead of a minimum, Ava chews him out saying that small thinking like that is what got him stuck in a dead-end job in a poorly run school.Gregory: Can't argue with that...
- What the Hell, Hero?: Mr. Johnson puts an end to Jacob's anti-holiday ramblings by pointing out how he drove Melissa and Barbara to go outside in the snow just to get away from listening to him.
