Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episode 5 Recap: Jacob faces a tough decision

Abbott Elementary premiered its third season on ABC on February 7, 2024, and it is safe to say the series has returned with its usual dose of humor. The fifth episode of Abbott Elementary aired on Wednesday, February 28, 2024.

The fifth episode was titled Breakup and was a wholesome episode that explored the interpersonal relationship between the teachers in the school.

The latest episode saw Jacob deal with a difficult decision and Gregory stepping up to help him as a friend. Surprisingly, Ava helps Barbara stand up to her church choir group. Meanwhile, Janine and Melissa dived into their suspicions about a new substitute teacher at Abbott.

---

Jacob breaks up with long time boyfriend Zach in Season 3, Episode 5 of Abbott Elementary

It seemed in past seasons that some of the Abbott Elementary teachers were only willing to put up with one another when necessary. However, recent episodes suggest that many of these connections transcend beyond those of your typical coworkers.

Jacob's Breakup

The fifth episode of the season was titled Breakup, and it was expected that some breakup was waiting to happen. Gregory picks up that something is wrong with Jacob when he insists on going out all the time and staying out till his boyfriend Zach sleeps off.

Gregory learns Jacob is considering breaking up with his boyfriend Zach since they have argued for over seven months. Jacob chooses a more convoluted path after being unimpressed by Gregory's advice on ending his relationship with Zach. He thinks that by doing things Zach despises, he can purposefully drive Zach insane and subtly persuade Zach to break up with him.

Here, too, we get to see the development of Gregory and Jacob's connection. Gregory has always intimidated Jacob since he rarely knows how to handle Jacob's intensity. When Jacob and Zach break up at the end of the episode, Gregory is there for Jacob.

---

Ava helping Barbara face her choir group

This episode of Abbott Elementary sees Ava rent out the school gymnasium to Barbara's choir group as they need a new place to practice. Barbara is passed down for the solo section of her favorite song, and the choir leader seems rather mean to her.

When Ava confronts Barabara about the same, she learns that the choir members dislike Barabara because she is too modern and not Christian enough for them. Ava asks Barbara to stand up for herself, which she does, but the church group still denies her the solo.

The episode concludes with a touching moment of friendship: Ava has planned a recital for Barbara, allowing her to sing the solo she was not allowed to sing in the choir group.

---

Janine and Melissa

Melissa and Janine used to teach the second grade when Janine was still a teacher. When Melissa sees a new substitute teacher take Janine's class, she is curious and finds the teacher unsuitable for teaching.

Melissa asks Janine to investigate Cassidy Jeffries, the new substitute, to see if they are qualified for the position. Janine is unable to locate any Cassidy records.

Throughout the school day, Cassidy leads their class in fits of screams that are reminiscent of a primitive nature, and he frequently speaks incoherently when Melissa speaks to them.

Janine and Melissa discovered that they could not locate records because they misspelled the substitute teacher's name when they saw "Mx. Cassidy Geoffries" written on the board in the classroom while looking for "Cassidy Jeffries."

It was clear that Melissa was pining for her former colleague and trying to find a way to spend the day working with her.

---

The latest episode of Abbott Elementary is available for streaming on Hulu.