Bonnie Osborne
Throughout awards season, Abbott Elementary co-stars Sheryl Lee Ralph and Janelle James have been duking it out in the Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series categories. It’s impossible to root for one over the other. While Ralph has won most of the awards for her portrayal of earnest and determined Barbara Howard, James has become the underdog—a title her standoffish Principal Ava Coleman would never accept.
In the most recent episode of Abbott Elementary, “The Fundraiser,” we get to witness Ralph and James throwing down over chocolate bars. Rarely do these two have an episode plot together—almost every storyline involving Barbara features her teaching a younger teacher (Janine, Gregory, Jacob) an important lesson in teaching, a task that’s nearly impossible when it comes to Ava.
But these two are really the comedic powerhouses of the show, for very different reasons. Barbara strikes unapproving glares at every mishap in the school. Ava creates the situations deserving of unapproving glares. Barbara has made her stance on Principal Coleman very clear—she doesn’t respect her or see her as a boss—but in this most recent episode, we get a new side of their dynamic.