To celebrate Mother’s Day, Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episode 12 puts Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) in charge of the school’s celebration. She decides to have each classroom make drawings for the hallway. She is also putting together a special celebration on Sunday at her home and trying to take care of everything.
Jacob (Chris Perfetti) also invites them to join them for bottomless mimosas and a drag queen show afterward. While Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) says no because she is going to her mom’s house after Barbara’s, Janine (Quinta Brunson) mentions she will be there because her mom doesn’t like celebrating. She explains her sister will be at her dad’s with her stepmom, and Ava (Janelle James) jokes about Kevin Hart being her father because of his height.
RELATED: Read our recap of the previous Abbott Elementary episode, “Double Date”
No Money, No Field Trip
Jacob asks Ava if she has reviewed the options for the field trip, but she tells him they have no money for it, so now he has to find a way to make money. His first thought is to come to Janine to discuss what could possibly be done about it. However, as he says things aloud, he creates a GoFundMe to gather the necessary money.
Later that day, he discovers his fundraiser was taken down because several fraudulent accounts were created in Abbott Elementary’s name. They immediately discover that Ava created all those accounts.
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Melissa suggests Jacob attend the PTA meeting that afternoon and ask for help raising the funds. When he meets with Tariq (Zack Fox) that evening, he mentions the PTA has no money. His plan is to attract people with better food, so they choose to join the PTA and later deliver higher donations.
During brunch, a drag queen gives Jacob the idea to take the kids to the Smith Playground, as entry is free. When he shares the idea with Janine and Ava, they say it’s good but that they must hurry to make the reservations. That is when Jacob gets on stage and asks for everyone to start making reservations for the kids. Only when one of the drag queens says they won’t continue a show until everyone makes a reservation does the public decide to help.
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Barbara’s Tradition Isn’t Gregory’s
Barbara and Melissa approach Gregory (Tyler James Williams) about his students’ drawings for Mother’s Day. He explains he gave them the choice to participate, and that is when they ask if his mom wouldn’t have liked him to draw for her. Gregory then tells them his mother passed away when he was nine.
Gregory is out in the garden talking to the plants when Barbara joins him and invites him to her gathering on Sunday. Even though he has plans to go to Top Golf, he shows up as Barbara is going crazy for everything to be perfect. At the same time, Taylor introduces Gregory to her new boyfriend while Melissa observes from the sidelines and laughs.
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When they sit at the table, Barbara asks everyone gathered there to pray for Gregory. He begins to get uncomfortable and decides it’s time to leave. However, Barbara follows him to the door, insisting he stays because he needs community on a day like that. But Gregory is quick to point out that he prefers to be alone. Gathering and talking about her mother is Barbara’s tradition, but not his.
Taking a Moment
Melissa and Taylor notice something is wrong with Barbara, so they follow her to the kitchen to ask about it. Taylor reminds her that the day is about her, too, and she can take a moment if needed. Away from the other two women, Barbara talks about the pressure she puts on herself for everything to be perfect and how overwhelming it can get.
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Later that day, she shows up at Top Golf and apologizes to Gregory for her behavior. He explains he understands where she is coming from because his mother used to be the same way. They talk about the hardships of losing your mom and dealing with the loss before getting back to playing top golf.
Who Is Janine’s Dad?
After hearing Ava’s comments about Kevin Hart being her father, Janine toys with the idea for the entire “Mother’s Day” episode. Jacob first suggests she calls her mom and asks about it, but all she gets from her mother is that she once slept with Kevin Hart.
Janine’s master plan is to contact Hart on different social media apps to find out the truth. Melissa mentions she knows a guy who knows Hart’s barber and they could steal some hair and run his DNA. The older teacher suggests this because she knows it drove her brother insane not to know who his father was, and she doesn’t want the same for Janine.
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While at their bottomless mimosas brunch, Janine keeps talking about the possibility of Kevin Hart being her dad and that she could be considered a nepo baby. That is when she receives the email with the DNA results and discovers that he is not her father.
Standing On Your Own
Janine is clearly upset because it would have been nice to know who her father is. Ava helps cheer her up by mentioning it’s better not to have a father than to have a neglectful one. In the end, Janine accepts it’s not your parents who define you, and she can stand on her own.
RELATED: Read our recaps of Abbott Elementary here!
The next day, Mr. Johnson (William Stanford Davis) asks to be part of their brunch squad when Kevin Hart Facetimes Janine. He wonders why she has been harassing him on social media, but when she mentions her mom and the possibility of him being her dad, he immediately shuts that idea down. However, he surprises everyone by saying hello to Mr. Johnson, as the two already know each other.
Abbott Elementary airs on Wednesdays at 9 PM on your ABC affiliate.
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