‘Abbott Elementary’ Midseason Premiere: Lisa Ann Walter On Melissa’s Vulnerability During The Read-A-Thon & The ‘Romantic Moves’ In Store For Season 2
05.01.2023 - 08:39
/ deadline.com
SPOILER ALERT: This post contains plot details for Season 2 Episode 11 of Abbott Elementary on ABC.
There’s a bit of healthy competition between the second grade teachers during the midseason premiere of Abbott Elementary on Wednesday.
Janine [Quinta Brunson] and Melissa [Lisa Ann Walter] are going head-to-head to see which of their classes can read the most books during their annual read-a-thon. Janine is still desperate to prove herself as a newer teacher, but reigning read-a-thon champ Melissa isn’t going down without a fight.
But Melissa encounters a bump in the road when she discovers one of her students might be struggling more with reading than she is letting on. After a discussion with her student’s parents that proves to be unproductive, Melissa takes matters into her own hands, deciding that she’d rather foster her students’ love of learning than win the competition.
The episode culminates in a heartfelt moment where Melissa admits to her student that she, too, struggled to learn to read.
“In Melissa’s case, one of the things that is true is that she’s feels very connected to this little girl because she also had a reading disability growing up, so she understands it and wants to protect her,” Walter said. “So that’s a beautiful place to see a different side of her.”
And, in a victorious twist of fate, Melissa’s combined second and third-grade classroom comes in handy, as she’s able to leverage both classes’ totals to win the read-a-thon once again. Walter spoke with Deadline about seeing a softer side of Melissa during this episode, her budding friendship with Janine, and what’s in store for the rest of Season 2.
DEADLINE: I feel like editing makes such a huge difference with this show. How do you feel