Review: Abbott Elementary, “Mom” | Season 2, Episode 21
Another family member pays Janine an uncomfortable visit
I have to admit, despite the bits and pieces of info we’ve gotten over these past two seasons of Abbott Elementary about Janine’s mom, I don’t think I imagined her quite like Taraji P. Henson’s performance. Because even acknowledging the fact that she clearly left the parenting to a young Janine, there was always something to her brief descriptions that made me expect a far less lively interpretation. (And to be fair, Henson manages to bring the sadness I’d actually expected in unexpected moments during this episode.) But to see her in action, suddenly all the pieces of the puzzle fit together—even more, after first seeing Janine’s sister Ayesha (Ayo Edebiri) enter the picture. Vanetta Teagues (Henson) is “cool” and probably a great hang, but there’s a reason Janine has so very much idealized her “work mom” Barbara; and “Mom” encapsulates that perfectly.
Not to get all “the duality of man” on this episode, but Ava Coleman’s (as always, the writer, not the principal) script fo…