If you have Jacob in your corner, you know you will have a vocal, intelligent champion watching your back. His research on causes is usually quite thorough and always passionate. You might be on your own when a smoothie place moves in, though. In season four of Quinta Brunson’s brilliant comedy series, Abbott Elementary, we see more of Chris Perfetti’s plucky character in the classroom, and we see how, more than ever, Jacob will not give up when it comes to education and bettering his community. I have to say Television Academy, it’s time to give Chris Perfetti his flowers.
At the start of season four, Jacob is thrilled for Janine and Gregory to take their relationship public even if that means he isn’t the only one who knows about them. I liken them to Joey knowing about Monica and Chandler on Friends, but this time, the one harboring the secret actually likes knowing. Is he distracting himself with work, because he is worried that his own life needs maintenance? Late in the season Sheryl Lee Ralph’s Barbara and Lisa Ann Walter’s Melissa tell him that there’s more to life than work.
It’s incredible to see how Perfetti, as Jacob, commands a classroom, because dedicated educators will do anything to make sure a student succeeds. He teaches his kids other languages through telenovelas, and is on the hunt to help a young man, RJ, discover what he’s passionate about. Perhaps, Jacob thinks, that if he can find out what RJ likes to do, he will become as determined as Jacob is. In the finale, Jacob says, ‘I don’t think we do enough to prepate them,’ and it marks how much he loves his job and how he strives to always want to do more. You never stop learning, and Jacob is a testament to the excitement of that.
As Jacob is tested this season, his biggest roadblock arrives in the charismatic form of his brother, Caleb. Even when his brother visits Abbott, the color drains from Jacob’s face, and we feel how he feels around the sibling that captures everyone’s attention. When Jacob learns that Caleb thinks the world of him, that bond relaxes and has the potential to grow even further. Perfetti is eager to see how that bond expands in the future.
Chris Perfetti has always been an actor who embraces his characters’ passions, but season four of Abbott proves that a good cheerleader will never let you down. We owe it to them to cheer back.
Abbott Elementary is streaming on Hulu and Disney+.
