I'm convinced this supporting star in Abbott Elementary definitely deserves better screen time in Season 5

One of the best things about Abbott Elementary is that the show is full of brilliant characters. Besides the key ones, the characters who are in supporting roles are also well written and capable of having their own arcs.

However, this also causes a problem because the scope of the show does not allow all the characters to be treated equally and thus there are times when promising side characters are sidelined a little too much as the main characters enjoy all the limelight.

Something similar happened to Melissa’s character in Abbott Elementary Season 4, as despite having a lot of potential, she was given very little screen time as most of the season focused on Ava’s redemption arc and Janine and Gregory’s love story.

While Melissa went through a major breakup and Jacob moved in with her in Season 3, neither she nor Jacob received the treatment they should have in Abbott Elementary Season 4 and this is something that the show can definitely take care of in the next season.

Melissa’s character was majorly overlooked in Abbott Elementary Season 4

Since Melissa and Jacob’s lives were not going through something particularly dramatic in Abbott Elementary Season 4, both of these characters’ arcs receded to the background. Melissa’s character suffered the most as she had very less screen time, even less than Jacob who had certain shining moments to himself.

Within her very little screen time in Season 4, Melissa did manage to carve out some sweet moments, however. While she was going through her breakup after she turned down Gary in Season 3, her relationship with Sweetcheeks, her emotional support guinea pig, added layers of humor to the show.

Melissa also romanced Captain Robinson, a fireman and a guest star on Season 4, which further added some significant development to her storyline. Despite sidelining both Melissa and Jacob, one episode in Season 4 proved how much potential the duo has and why they should be focused on in the next season.

In Episode 8 of Season 4, as Melissa hosted her family dinner on Christmas Eve, things took an unexpected turn when her uncle seemingly passed away upstairs. Jacob was with her there, helping her with everything and even when this absurd death happened on a day of celebration, the duo managed to save the situation by sticking together.

This episode highlighted how Melissa and Jacob have evolved as friends over the years and the festive yet dark theme of this episode especially focused on their camaraderie as it would have been impossible to manage the situation if they did not have the understanding that they do now.

With the kind of promise that Melissa’s character shows, it can only be hoped that the makers will give her the screen time she deserves in the next season.

Abbott Elementary can be streamed on Hulu.

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