Summary
“Convention” is English Teacher at its best in terms of both hit rate and plotting. A Season 1 standout.
Just like the field trip earlier in the season, the aptly-titled “Convention” gets the teachers out of the classroom. But even though Evan thinks that attending the Dallas Teaching and Learning Conference amounts to an ego-stroking weekend off, English Teacher isn’t letting him off the hook. Episode 7 is arguably the season’s best, giving Evan an existential crisis and interrogating the idea and necessity of teaching in general, especially in a post-COVID world where the pension pot is almost empty and the students are prone to assault.
“Convention” is built on a funny reversal of expectations. For Evan and Gwen, the annual conference is an excuse for a free hotel, a continental breakfast, and speeches reiterating that teachers are the real heroes. Even for Rick, it’s an ideal marketing opportunity for his ludicrous side hustles.
But not this year. All the speeches are bleak. The inmates are running the asylum. There’s a genuine idea floating around that being a teacher simply isn’t worth it anymore. In his excitement, Evan invites Malcolm to stay in the hotel for a few days, but by the time he makes the trip to Dallas, Evan is morose. Evan and Malcolm are supposed to be having fun and not getting serious, but if you take the fun out of that arrangement, what’s left?
There are multiple subplots being deftly balanced in English Teacher Episode 7. Grant is scheduled to give a speech that everyone thinks is terrible but that he’s sure will kill; a new gym teacher, Mitch, interviews (presumably successfully) for Markie’s position, seemingly without Markie’s knowledge; and Evan runs into his old college friend Pasha (a guest-starring Ken Kirby), who tries to headhunt him for his hip but nebulous energy arbitrage company.
Pictured (L-R): Stephanie Koenig as Gwen Sanders, Carmen Christopher as Rick, Sean Patton as Markie Hillridge. CR: Steve Swisher/FX
Rather than keeping these subplots separate, “Convention” intertwines them expertly. Even minor scenes like an evening dip in the hotel pool are developing Evan’s job crisis, Markie’s potential dismissal, and Markie’s burgeoning crush on Gwen (not to mention the first open admission that she thinks her unemployed husband is acting a little weird), all at the same time.
It’s smart having this episode come later in the season since it’s so obviously built on themes and character arcs that have been developed throughout. Evan’s disenfranchisement with teaching works better because we’ve seen him struggle against students and their parents in the premiere and then again in Episode 6. We’ve seen how his relationship with Malcolm has evolved (or hasn’t) throughout the season. Markie’s fondness for Gwen, and her obliviousness to it, has been raised multiple times.
This all makes the happy ending to each thread feel a bit more earned. No, Evan doesn’t take a job with Pasha, in large part because he realizes Pasha is making fun of Rick. No, Markie isn’t going to be fired – every year, he pretends to have found a better job, and Grant pretends to hire his replacement. It’s a cozy little ritual of familiarity that helps them both appreciate the other.
And yes, Grant’s speech kills. He was right about knowing his audience. And he was also right that good people make good teachers. As long as that’s true, there will always be a need for more.
Read More: English Teacher Ending Explained
