Abbott Elementary Midseason Premiere: Lisa Ann Walter on Melissa’s Vulnerability During the Read-A-Thon and Season 2’s “Romantic Moves”

SPOILER ALERT: This post contains plot details for Season 2 Episode 11 of Abbot Primary School on ABC.

During the midseason premiere, there is healthy competition between the second grade teachers Abbot Primary School On Wednesday.

Janine [Quinta Brunson] and Melissa [Lisa Ann Walter] compete in their annual reading athon to see which of their classes can read the most books. Janine is still desperately trying to prove herself as a newer teacher, but reigning reading champion Melissa isn’t going down without a fight.

But Melissa hits a bump when she discovers that one of her students may be struggling with reading more than she lets on. After a conversation with her student’s parents that proves unproductive, Melissa takes matters into her own hands and decides she would rather encourage her students’ love of learning than win the competition.

The episode culminates in a heartfelt moment when Melissa confesses 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 feels very connected to this little girl because she also had dyslexia growing up, so she understands her and wants to protect her,” Walter said. “So it’s a great place to see another side of her.”

And in a triumphant twist of fate, Melissa’s combined second and third classroom comes in handy as she can use both grade results to win the reading competition again. Walter spoke with Deadline about seeing a softer side of Melissa in this episode, her budding friendship with Janine, and what to expect for the rest of Season 2.

Reporter: I feel like editing this show makes such a big difference. How do you feel when you look back at those episodes and see how they structured a scene, especially the one between Melissa and Janine?

LISA ANN WALTER: I don’t know what they will necessarily choose. When e.g [Janine] comes up and she’s all bubbly and all in Melissa’s room… Only when we recorded it it was just like she just said something [simple] and then she leaves and I say something like that to Barbara. But at one point while we were filming, she made a joke and I was like, “What the—?” And Barbara said, “Did she just—?” I’m so glad they kept it. And the way she ran down the aisle just killed me. Then they returned to that shot as she kept running. It’s hilarious. So things happen that I don’t know what to use or I can’t remember exactly what I did. And then when I see it, I’m like, ‘Oh my god, that’s good. I’m glad they did.’

Reporter: So how much do you improvise in these scenes as opposed to going directly off the script?

Walter: The funny thing is that we always do what is in the script. We always do this several times. Sometimes we jump into something and have an idea or they come to us to try something new. But sometimes we just say something that might not be in the script, but it’s just a real answer. When I stand next to Cheryl and turn around and [point and nod in agreement], it’s obviously not in the script, but we might break it off spontaneously because you don’t have time for all this back and forth and it comes across somehow. So sometimes the game is not necessarily goal oriented. It’s just the actors’ instincts within the scene, but they’ll love it and they’ll be good at it.

Reporter: We saw a softer side of Melissa in this episode. What was it like for you to reveal both sides of your character and discover your more vulnerable side?

Walter: Well, first of all, I think it’s beautiful. I am very happy that Quinta is a fan of my serious work. She’s a fan of my work before she does the show, something like that The parent trap and Bruce Almighty and things that turn laughter into tears. The moments that are more nuanced and she likes to see me do things like that because she knows I can do it. So if she writes it. And since every character looks so tough, there’s a reason for that. Tough is a protection. So every time you protect something, there is a vulnerability because there is something to hide. In Melissa’s case, one of the things that is true is that she feels very connected to this little girl because she also had dyslexia when she was growing up, so she understands her and wants to protect her. So it’s a great place to see another side of her. But I personally never had a problem with reading. I was a fat kid at school. Because of this, I felt very vulnerable because I was teased by other kids and felt like I had to fix it somehow. In my personal case it was difficult and fun.

Reporter: She goes very soft on both Janine and Jacob. Why do you think that is?

Walter: Well, unlike Lisa, Melissa doesn’t immediately accept a new person. You are too suspicious. You are all suspicious. “I don’t know you, so you’re probably up to something. I’m just going to find out what it is.’ So she’s not really someone to be open with. Personally, I want to hug everyone, especially young people, because I want them to feel safe and happy and loved and everything. It’s also very motherly. I think Melissa is motherly with her children, but with someone else, she saw how you were probably going to leave. The other young teachers who have come along hold out for so long and then leave. So since she’s been with Barbara so long, I think they’re both looking at all these newcomers like, ‘Yeah, we’ll see.’ But now that they’ve stayed and are now committed, they’re really getting better, and they’re kind of listening to the older team. I think it is. I think part of it is a protection that comes with, ‘You are now part of our team, our tribe. So you are part of the pack and we will protect you.”

Reporter: Melissa and Barbara often come across as cynical, but they are never completely jaded by the education system. What do you think keeps them going, even though Abbott is so underfunded?

Walter: I honestly think that’s what you saw in this episode. It’s that one student. This little girl may have given up on school altogether because she couldn’t figure out what that river of words was blowing across the page – “I can’t understand it, I hate school.” Or someone sat me down and gave me the tools and now I can do anything.’ Getting a kid to maybe change the trajectory of their entire life can happen every other school year, but it keeps them going.

Reporter: I guess we should end with a sneak peek of the rest of Season 2.

Walter: Well, I mean, of course everyone wants to know about romance. I will say that before the end of the season some interesting romantic moves happened. I won’t say what, but I think the audience will be very happy. They will also be simply amazed. Last year when people said, ‘What needs to happen?’ and I gave a script…it’s going to happen and I can’t tell you what it is, but it’s coming and I loved the episode. It was a great episode. I think this might be my favorite episode of this season.

Reporter: So, Quinta is reading your interviews now?

Walter: none First, she plans ahead. If I were to ask her something, I would literally have to say, “Okay, do you think we can … next year?” But she has plans. My joke is that when she sat down, she planned for five years. But not every little thing. They sit in the writers room and they break down the story and they come up with different things. What’s interesting is that they come up with things based on, you know, we’re going to have a kid that’s awesome. We don’t know what we get to become a great actor that everyone loves, but they are. Then the writers say, “Oh, there’s a great dynamic between this boy and Mr. Johnson. Let’s bring it back in the middle of Season 3.” So you never know when it will come out. But little things with the different young actors or little things between the teachers will come back and we don’t know when that will happen. She could read the interviews, but I think this one I’m talking about was probably planned. It was a bit of a no-brainer. If you give me three scenarios, I’ll tell you if this is one of those scenarios.

Reporter: I’m not sure anything I can think of will be as good as what Quinta came up with.

Walter: That’s about how I feel. I mean I’m a creator. I wrote things and I make things. So I definitely have ideas, but I learned in this one to just let go and let Quinta do it. I’ll leave it up to Quinta because she’ll come up with great stuff. The writers and executive producers are pretty good.