Abbott Elementary Season 6 Episode 6 Recap: Stepgate and a Disney Surprise

11 hours ago

5 min read

Red-haired woman and man holding pamphlets chat in a bright lobby as people mingle by an elevator.

On their way into Abbott, Jacob starts reminiscing about how much fun it was to jump into a pile of leaves. Gregory and the older teachers warn him that he could get hurt, but Jacob decides to ignore their advice and dives in anyway. Janine, who apparently thinks this is a great idea, jumps in right after him. They both quickly regret their decision, especially when a skunk shows up.

It's a hilarious way to start the episode, and honestly, what did they expect? Sometimes there's a reason the older teachers aren't interested in participating in these little adventures. Jacob and Janine learned that lesson the hard way.

Needed Me

Ava's step team is preparing for the big competition, and she's been pulling the girls out of class to practice. Unfortunately, all that extra rehearsal time is causing them to miss tests, and the girls aren't exactly looking enthusiastic about the competition anymore. My guess is they're overworked, which wouldn't be surprising considering how seriously Ava takes winning.

Barbara chalks it up to pre-show jitters and suggests bringing in Janine to give the girls a little positivity. Janine is practically a walking motivational speech, so it makes sense that Barbara thinks she can help lift everyone's spirits. Of course, Ava isn't exactly known for asking Janine for help, which makes what happens next even funnier.

Meanwhile, Gregory and Melissa talk about his proposal plans, and somehow Jacob convinces himself that he's invited to dinner. How he managed to insert himself into somebody else's romantic evening is beyond me, but this is Jacob we're talking about. He has a special talent for turning things that have absolutely nothing to do with him into his business.

Ava eventually tells Janine that she needs her at the competition, and Janine couldn't be happier. Hearing Ava actually admit that she needs her is practically a dream come true, so naturally, Janine starts gushing over the moment. Ava is immediately repulsed by all that affection, which is exactly the reaction you'd expect from her.

With Janine now attending the competition, Gregory has to reschedule his dinner reservation. He's trying to put together the perfect proposal, but the universe apparently has other plans. Every time it seems like he's getting closer to popping the question, something else gets in the way.

Stepgate

Once everyone arrives at the competition, Janine gives the girls one of her signature pep talks. Unfortunately, things take a turn when Nivea gets hurt, leaving the team worried about how they'll perform without their best dancer. Considering how much time and effort they've put into preparing, it's understandable that the girls are discouraged.

Janine tries to keep everybody positive, but encouragement can only do so much when the team feels like its chances of winning have disappeared. They're dealing with the pressure of performing, the disappointment of losing a teammate, and the possibility that all their hard work might not pay off.

Meanwhile, Jacob and his podcast crew arrive looking for interviews, only to get turned away. Naturally, Jacob decides there's something suspicious going on and becomes convinced that he's stumbled onto a conspiracy. He's calling it Stepgate, because apparently a school step competition now needs its own investigative podcast. Things aren't going much better in the audience. Abbott's supporters are nowhere to be found, and it turns out Tariq sent the competition information to the wrong group chat. He eventually realizes his mistake and sends the details to the PTA, but there's a chance the message is coming a little too late.

And then there's Barbara, who somehow forgets the words to the national anthem and starts singing "Proud Mary" instead. I don't know what's funnier, the fact that she forgot the lyrics or that "Proud Mary" was apparently the next song her brain decided to pull up. Either way, it's one of those ridiculous Abbott moments that makes you laugh because you absolutely weren't expecting it. Back with the step team, Janine's pep talk still hasn't done much to restore the girls' confidence. That's when they decide to let Ava take over, and suddenly things start looking a whole lot better.

Ava might not be the person you call when you need a warm hug and some encouraging words, but when it comes to competition, she's definitely the one you want in your corner. Her competitive streak is exactly what the girls need, and she knows how to get them fired up without treating them like they can't handle the pressure.

The girls eventually take the stage and absolutely kill their performance. After everything that went wrong leading up to the competition, watching them pull it together makes their victory even sweeter. All that hard work finally pays off, and Abbott takes home the win. Of course, we can't forget Tariq trying to kiss Barbara in the middle of all this madness. Because apparently a step competition isn't chaotic enough without Tariq finding another way to make things awkward. And the prize for winning? A trip to Disneyland!

Now that's a reward worth celebrating, especially after everything the girls went through to get there. Ava's determination to win might have seemed a little excessive earlier in the episode, but it's hard to argue with the results when the team ends up with a trip to Disney.

Gregory's Proposal Plans Hit Another Snag

While everyone is celebrating Abbott's victory, Gregory is dealing with a completely different problem. He's managed to get his dinner reservation moved, which should mean his proposal plans are finally back on track. Except there's one tiny problem: the Disneyland trip falls on the same weekend.

At this point, Gregory might want to stop making reservations altogether because something keeps getting in the way. He's clearly putting a lot of thought into how he wants to propose to Janine, but every carefully arranged plan seems to come with another unexpected obstacle.

Still, the Disney trip might actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise. Janine loves a big, exciting moment, and proposing at Disneyland would certainly qualify. Of course, knowing how things usually go at Abbott, I wouldn't be surprised if something else went wrong before Gregory finally gets the chance to ask. Either way, I'm looking forward to seeing how this plays out because they've already made us wait long enough.

Final Thoughts

Another 10/10 for me! This episode was funny, fast-paced, and kept me engaged the whole way through. Between Jacob's Stepgate investigation, Barbara unexpectedly breaking into "Proud Mary," Tariq sending the competition information to the wrong people, and Ava showing everyone why she's the perfect person to lead a competitive step team, there was never a dull moment.

I especially enjoyed seeing Ava and Janine contribute to the team's success in completely different ways. Janine wanted to encourage the girls and help them believe in themselves, while Ava knew they needed someone to bring out their competitive side. Both wanted the team to succeed, even if they had very different ideas about how to make that happen.

And can we talk about how excited Janine was when Ava admitted she needed her? Their relationship has always been entertaining because Janine wants that validation so badly, while Ava would rather do just about anything than give it to her. Seeing Ava actually ask for help was a nice moment, even if she immediately regretted how emotional Janine got about it.

The episode also gave us another reason to get excited about Gregory's upcoming proposal. He keeps trying to plan the perfect moment, but maybe the best proposal will be the one he doesn't plan down to the last detail.

At this rate, maybe we'll get a Disneyland proposal. And honestly, after all these interruptions, I wouldn't mind seeing Gregory finally get down on one knee in front of Sleeping Beauty Castle.

What did you think?