'Abbott Elementary' Just Did the Last Thing We Expected It To With Ava

Editor's note: The below contains spoilers for Abbott Elementary Season 4.

Ever since its return, Abbott Elementary’s fourth season has been one heck of a ride. From an entirely new dynamic for Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) to Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) quietly pondering retirement, Season 4 is still finding ways to subvert viewer expectations — but its latest episode makes one of the show's boldest choices yet. After a few weeks of exploring other goings-on at Abbott, the season finally circled back to Ava’s (Janelle James) troubled relationship with her father, Frank (Keith David). However, instead of approaching their dynamic with the typical sitcom schmaltz, Abbott Elementary didn't take the easy way out — and the show is already better for it.

As the Abbott science fair approaches, Gregory reveals to Ava that Frank has made a donation on behalf of his barber shop for the school event. In true Ava fashion, she willingly accepts the money for the fair, but dreads the idea of seeing her father, adding that it’s not only a bad relationship; she has no relationship with him whatsoever. From facing off with the school board to even recently pulling off a heist with Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter), there isn’t much that scares Ava, so her complete unwillingness to face her father is certainly surprising.

Anyone who’s watched any long-running sitcom is likely to suspect that the episode is out to set up some sort of beautiful reconciliation between the two. Instead, the episode leaves things on a more open-ended note, with Ava only granting her father tolerance for the day rather than true forgiveness despite his efforts and financial generosity. It’s a bold move for the show, to say the least. After all, Abbott Elementary has always been focused on creative problem-solving. Whether it be trouble for a student, one of the educators, or the school itself, the series always finds a creative and complete solution, usually within the span of the episode — but Ava and her father's relationship isn't going to be resolved that easily, and it's a better decision for Abbott Elementary in the long run.

'Abbott Elementary' Doesn't Try To Fix Ava's Relationship With Her Father

Money has historically been the way to Ava’s heart, but in this case, it certainly doesn’t make up for the damage her father's actions have caused. While Frank’s past transgressions, including the existence of another family, are only briefly alluded to, due to Ava’s reluctance to talk about them, it doesn’t matter. Ava is clearly suffering from years of trauma, and she doesn’t owe her father immediate forgiveness. Sure, he’s making an effort, and the latest episode sets up an ongoing storyline for the two characters, but rather than trying to tie up their story with reconciliation shoehorned in, a more open ending also feels more true to real life.

Besides, if Abbott Elementary had attempted to incorporate some sort of stereotypical sitcom fix, it would have been a hollow addition to Ava's overall arc, given that she has no reason to forgive her father over the course of a half-hour episode. The show has never shied away from its social responsibility, and opting for a hard reality approach with its latest episode really solidifies an important message. Not all relationships are easy to fix, and some may never be repaired at all. While this may not have been Abbott Elementary's cleanest resolution, it's certainly one of the show's best and boldest so far. Avoiding an unearned sitcom stereotype not only makes for a better story for one of the show's fan-favorite characters but also highlights a bigger, more important message. In time, things could change for Frank and Ava, but these two are clearly going to need more than a single episode to work through all of their issues.

Abbott Elementary is available to stream on Hulu.