"Panel" is the eighth episode of Season Three of Abbott Elementary.
Gregory is invited to speak in a panel about public schools but has to manage with Ava's longstanding rivalry with one of her sorority sisters. The rest of the Abbott gang head out for a mandatory lesson in CPR training. But Janine is forced to leave after Manny brings her some distressing news.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Achievements in Ignorance: Tariq managed to become president of the PTA (the real one) and was invited as an official moderator for the public school panel.
- Big "WHAT?!": Janine says this after learning that a police officer named Avi Anand locked lips with Jacob.
- Both Sides Have a Point: Ava and Gregory have valid criticisms about their performances during the panel. Ava states that Greg needs to step up his performance as his short and boring responses won't win him the crowd's attention. Greg tells Ava that she needs to cut down on answering everything since she's not giving correct or valid responses which in turn will lose the crowd.
- Cold Open: The school holds it's first Teachers vs Students basketball game and our favorite teachers participate with hilarious results. Even Tariq has returned as a referee.
- Continuity Nod:
- Tariq mentions that he's the president of the PTA.
- Janine brings up how her library program is awaiting judgement from the superintendent.
- Crystal identifies Gregory as Abbott's Educator of the Year.
- Competition Freak: Played With. Gregory takes the basketball game with the upmost seriousness. He even flips a water table after Barbara made a shot in the wrong basket. However, he doesn't treat the panel as that serious when it's turned into a game by Tariq.
- Double Meaning: Janine mentions how Gregory's explanation on how being a teacher who's always there for their students and supports them is a really great answer. This applies to both the panel question and her own feelings on balancing her administrator and teaching jobs.
- Foreshadowing: As a police chief and his partner walk into the CPR class, the young partner shares a sweet smile to Jacob who reciprocates. It's later revealed that they’re having a fling.
- Friends with Benefits: Melissa's new fling with the firefighter is mainly for sex.
- Hypocritical Humor: Melissa didn't bother to tell Barbara about her recent affair and thinks she's making a big deal out of it. But then the tables turn on her when she gets mad at Jacob for having a fling with Anand, a handsome police man, and how he didn't tell her about it.
- Innocently Insensitive: Believing that his romantic fling with Officer Anand was just a fling, Jacob unintentionally ghosted him and didn't assume they were going to have a serious relationship.
- Karmic Jackpot: Implied. Thanks to Gregory giving a humble speech about his garden club and how dedicated he is to teaching, an educator shows up with an opportunity for him to receive grant money for his afterschool program.
- Kick the Dog: As soon as the Superintendent learns that Janine's new library program will require funds, he shuts it down and tosses the folder into the trash.
- Lazy Alias: Mr. Johnson, or should I say Br. Bonson from Babbott Elementary shows up to ask questions at the panel.
- Lovable Sex Maniac: Ava proudly declares that all her teachers, including the women and Janine, are very sexy.
- The Reveal: Barbara confirms that she and Melissa have been friends for 15 years.
- The Rival: Crystal is regarded as Ava's rival from her sorority days. She claims that Crystal is either competing with Ava to one up her or copies her endeavors to make herself look better.
- Slapstick: The teachers end up hurting themselves in a comical manner during the basketball game.
- Skewed Priorities: The Abbott gang turn their attention to Melissa's new relationship with Captain Robinson that they forget to pay attention to the CPR class.
- So Proud of You: Crystal sarcastically says this to Ava at the end of their panel.
- The Stinger: Tariq holds another conference where school custodians, such as Br. Bonson, discuss how A.I. can never take their jobs.
- Take That!: The second panel is titled "The Future of A.I. is Trash and Bonson goes on a tirade of how ineffective A.I. is compared to humans.
