Why We're Rooting Against Janine and Gregory on Abbott Elementary

Every now and then, a “will they, won’t they” storyline comes round that will get followers riled up in all the precise methods.

It’s one in every of TV’s favourite tropes. Jim and Pam from The Office, Ross and Rachel from Friends, Nick and Jess from New Girl. We’re suckers for it, even when we nearly all the time know the way it should finish.

But typically, we’re asking the fallacious questions. Maybe “Will they” or “won’t they” is much less necessary, and what we should always actually be asking is “Should they?”

Janine and Gregory from Abbott Elementary are two of the present’s most cherished characters, and followers adore their flirtatious friendship.

Their chemistry is simple. We’ve even seen a touch of motion right here and there, and throughout Abbot Elementary Season 2, the colleagues lastly admitted to having emotions for each other.

Way again on Abbott Elementary Season 1 Episode 1, once we first met Janine Teague, she was in a less-than-ideal relationship along with her boyfriend of ten years, Tariq Temple.

Tariq is a rapper whose dream is to get his music off the bottom, and Janine is nothing however supportive.

We sense pressure just about straight away when it turns into clear that Janine is doing the entire emotional labor within the relationship.

Tariq is not a foul man, however he is not very mature, and Janine has began to understand that she might have outgrown him.

Janine and Tariq break up within the Abbott Elementary Season 1 finale when he strikes to New York to pursue his music profession, and Janine decides to not go together with him.

Of course, Tariq is not Janine’s solely love curiosity. Season 2 introduced us Maurice, who’s (yikes) Gregory’s greatest pal. On Abbott Elementary Season 2 Episode 10, the blokes meet Janine and her pal at a hookah lounge.

Gregory asks Maurice to not make strikes on any of his coworkers, however that does not cease Janine from connecting with Maurice exterior the bar. The two hit it off, and a quick relationship ensues.

If you ask us, Maurice and Janine by no means actually had a lot chemistry.

It’s clear that the 2 of them are supposed to be a little bit of a detour on the best way to an eventual Janine/Gregory second. The huge kiss on Abbott Elementary Season 2 Episode 16 solely confirms that it is coming.

Once Janine breaks up with Maurice (in entrance of Gregory, no much less), all of us maintain our collective breath, ready for the inevitable hookup within the Season 2 finale.

But it would not come.

And if we’re being completely sincere, we could not be happier.

That’s to not say we do not love Janine and Gregory individually. How may we not? Gregory is sensible and type and every part Janine deserves in a companion.

Janine is regular, optimistic, and the type of individual anybody can be fortunate to like. Of course, she deserves a partnership the place she’s handled just like the goddess she is.

But with a view to determine the place she’s going, Janine has to look again at the place she got here from.

At the tip of the day, Janine remains to be fairly not too long ago out of a decade-long relationship with a man-child (a well-intentioned one, however a man-child nonetheless).

She has little or no thought what it is prefer to be on her personal or who she even is as an grownup with out Tariq. Not lengthy after she ended issues with Tariq, she and Maurice began relationship.

Janine is a serial monogamist — and there’s nothing fallacious with that, however it might be a pleasant change of tempo if we may see our “strong female lead” stand on her personal two toes for some time.

She says on the finish of Abbott Elementary Season 2 Episode 22 that she’s not prepared for Gregory as a result of she is aware of that if she lets it occur, she and Gregory will turn out to be critical in a short time.

I believe I did the precise factor. I need to proceed the trail I’m on. I really assume egocentric is nice for me, for now. Gregory is nice. He’s the best, really. I suppose I’m not prepared for him, however that’s okay. I’m okay.

Janine

After all, he is not precisely a one-night-stand type of man, at the least not the place Janine is worried.

But in truth, Janine deserves time to find out about who she is with out a man bringing his personal baggage into her life. She has hundreds to find as a result of a lot of her life to date has been wrapped right into a relationship.

There are different issues at play, after all, like points with work and household, that she’s going to want to focus on in Season 3. And look, we’re not naive.

We know followers need an explosive, romantic reunion between Janine and Gregory.

Ultimately, we’re not against the 2 of them residing fortunately ever after…sometime. But for now, Janine deserves to get to know herself first. A girl who will get to shine on her personal on tv is a uncommon factor.

We need to see the viewers root for Janine for all of the attributes that make her distinctive. No man, not even one as nice as Gregory, ought to affect how the viewer sees Janine.