Abbott Elementary season 5 episode 'Mall' relocates classes to an abandoned mall

Collider reports that Abbott Elementary’s season 5 episode “Mall” temporarily shuts down the titular school and has staff and students operate classes out of an abandoned mall.

The review describes Janine remaining optimistic while Ava scouts a store for an office, Gregory helps new teacher Dominic find his footing, and Melissa recalls running the mall years ago. Once students arrive the situation unravels: they flood the space, cafeteria food is described as disgusting, and limited facilities — including a single working toilet — create chaos that highlights the teachers’ efforts to give students the best education they can with meager means. The episode also gives Luke Tennie’s Dominic more to do, showing him struggling under Gregory’s guidance and risking becoming overly stern but not quitting.

The critic places “Mall” in the context of a season that has repeatedly taken characters out of the classroom — citing episodes like “Ballgame,” “Game Night,” “Camping” and “Birthday” — and says the mall move both returns focus to school-centered problems and raises questions about the show’s longer-term direction. The review suggests the mall solution will likely be short-term, notes that the titles of the next two episodes seem to imply the characters will remain there for at least two more weeks, and reminds readers that new episodes air Wednesday nights on ABC and Hulu.

Key Topics

Culture, Abbott Elementary, Mall, Janine Teagues, Gregory Eddie, Dominic