Yahoo Lifestyle How Did the ‘Abbott Elementary’ and ‘It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia’ Crossover Work?
The moment we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived. Wednesday night’s midseason premiere episode of Abbott Elementary, aptly titled “Volunteers,” finally delivered its highly anticipated crossover encounter with the cast of FXX’s It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. For months, fans have been eagerly awaiting the merging of these two comedy giants, leaving many to wonder how in the world the sweet, caring teachers of Abbott could ever find themselves face to face with the lovable deviants of Paddy’s Pub. Well, now at long last, that question can finally be answered. Here’s everything you need to know about how and why your favorite Philly sitcom worlds collided.
How did Abbott Elementary and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia crossover?
At the start of the episode, Ava announces some good news to the Abbott teachers — the school district has kicked off a new community initiative that involves sending volunteers to help out at all the schools throughout the city. And you can probably guess who Abbott’s group of “helpful” volunteers turn out to be. (And yes, those air quotes around “helpful” is very intentional.) Enter the finest that Paddy’s Pub has to offer (which, albeit, isn’t saying much): Charlie, Frank, Dee, Dennis, and Mac.
Each of them gets paired up with members of the Abbott crew, but it doesn’t take long for the truth behind their visit to come out. After Melissa recognizes them as the owners of the “skeevy” bar, Paddy’s Pub, they admit that their volunteer work is actually court mandated community service, which they were given after they dumped 100 gallons of baby oil, 50 Paddy’s Pub T-shirts, and a cybertruck into the Schuylkill River. Because of course they did all of those things.
But given how desperate the school is for extra help, the Abbott teachers agree to let the criminals stay and assist them with various tasks. So let’s tackle this one delinquent at a time.
Charlie
Charlie offers to fix the broken vent in Jacob’s classroom (mostly due to a miscommunication about duct work vs. duck work). However, it soon becomes clear to Jacob that Charlie is illiterate — watching him read “The Industrial War” as “Innovative Wear” was an immediate give away. So he tells Barbara and Melissa and they do what teachers do best: they teach Charlie to read with the help of a children’s book about birds. He won’t be quoting Shakespeare anytime soon, but they definitely gave him the tools to help him spread his literary wings, so to speak. It even earned him his very own Moving Up ceremony.
Frank
Due to his previous experience of living outside, Frank volunteers to help Gregory and Mr. Johnson with their raccoon problem out in the garden. But, as you can imagine, his methods prove to be an acquired taste. From trying to use old batteries as compost to insisting that the best way to catch a raccoon is by covering pelts in “alpha predator urine,” Frank soon makes an enemy out of Mr. Johnson. Frank ultimately gets himself trapped in one of the raccoon cages that Mr. Johnson set up out in the garden, all while wrapped in one of his urine-soaked pelts. (Though he claims he didn’t spot one raccoon during his time in the cage, so uh… mission accomplished?) Just kidding — Raccoons: 1, Frank: 0.
Dee
Dee helps out in Janine’s classroom and an unlikely friendship blooms due to the fact that they both went to Penn. However, that relationship quickly takes a turn for the worse once Dee sets her sights on Gregory. Janine informs her that she is actually dating Gregory, making him off-limits, but in true Dee fashion, that only makes her want him more. But just as Janine is ready to throw down for her man, Gregory reminds her that she has nothing to worry about. He’s with her and has zero interest in any other woman. Swoon.
Dennis
Truth be told, Dennis barely makes an appearance in the episode. As soon as he sees the camera crew, he opts to be off-screen and remains out of sight almost the entire time. Classic.
Mac
Mac’s main mission is to be so helpful to Ava that she no longer has need for him and agrees to sign the paperwork to get them out of their volunteer duties early. However, Mac underestimates just how coveted free (and actually helpful) labor is around there, which only makes Ava want him around longer. This proves to be even more true after he helps her blackmail the golf course into buying them a new scoreboard for the gym. (She has him plant endangered bird eggs on the golf course property and threatens to call the Bird and Game Commission if they don't comply with her demands.) And it works! Honestly, I think these two could solve world for peace and hunger if they wanted to.
The episode ends with both groups parting ways. Always the optimist, Jacob muses about how much he loves the city he lives in, stating that it’s always sunny in… well, you get it.
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