Abbott Elementary‘s Janine and Gregory are the main romantic attraction of the elementary school-set mockumentary, and their story has already faced the same challenges as every major sitcom couple. The will-they/won’t-they phase, a trope that has become less suspenseful and more tiresome after dominating the ’90s sitcom space, was mercifully short-lived on Abbott.
Janine and Gregory got together at the end of season 3, a refreshingly fast pace compared to the seven years Niles pined for Daphne on Frasier, or the way Ross and Rachel barely figured out their relationship before Friends concluded its ten-year run. Being together, though, is only the beginning for Janine and Gregory, as they have already begun to learn.
A sitcom couple’s first fight is almost as much of a staple as their first kiss, and Janine and Gregory’s first major conflict did not inspire confidence in the couple’s long-term viability. Abbott Elementary season 5 saw Janine and Gregory excitedly planning a trip to the Outer Banks, their first getaway as a couple. The trouble arose when Janine preferred to fly, but Gregory insisted on driving to save money.
The two ultimately found their way back to their happy status quo, but the root of the conflict still feels largely unresolved, making the fight feel less like a blip in their happily ever after and more like an omen of even bigger problems to come.
Janine And Gregory’s Season 5 Fight Isn’t Over
Already, Janine and Gregory’s relationship has been full of surprises. Before either of them acted on their mutual crush, Gregory seemed, to both Janine and the viewers, like the ultimate catch. He’s a bit uptight and has his share of quirks, but he came across as responsible, clean, and confident in who he is as a person.
Seeing him in a relationship has revealed that his neuroses go beyond quirky and instead pose genuine challenges for both him and Janine. The get-together he hosted in “Game Night” was painfully uncomfortable, even after the rather extreme lengths Janine took to prepare Gregory and his apartment for the everyday activity of having a few friends over.
Similarly, their clash over plane tickets that led to their first real fight saw Janine doing the vast majority of the legwork to repair the conflict. While Gregory was largely uncompromising, Janine racked her brain to find a solution that would genuinely make them both happy. She even went so far as to offer to pay for both of their plane tickets herself, sparing Gregory the expense entirely.
Still, Gregory refused on the principle that it was an unnecessary cost no matter who paid for it. This veered dangerously close to controlling territory, as the situation escalated to Gregory policing what Janine could and couldn’t spend her own money on.
Janine rightly took his description of the situation as “irresponsible” personally, and though the couple repeatedly tried to reconvene, apologize, and find a reasonable solution, Janine was the only one who approached the situation with genuine understanding of Gregory’s perspective and a willingness to compromise.
In the end, the two wound up taking a trip to the Bahamas, using their school-sponsored trip to Miami as a departure destination with surprisingly affordable airfare. Both seem happy, and the situation was posited as resolved, though the question remains as to what would have happened if this solution hadn’t presented itself.
The fight revealed a fundamental disagreement between Janine and Gregory over their financial priorities, as well as a problematic stubbornness on Gregory’s part, neither of which was addressed in full. The Bahamas solution seems like a temporary fix for a bigger problem that will continue to plague the couple in Abbott Elementary season 6 and beyond.
Abbott Elementary Would Benefit From More Conflict
Some unresolved conflict between Janine and Gregory would actually be an asset to Abbott Elementary as the show moves into its later seasons. Earlier iterations of the show were rife with conflict, like Janine’s need for Barbara’s approval, Gregory’s desire for the principal job, and everyone’s adjustment to changes and challenges in their jobs.
With the teachers now both seasoned and getting along with one another, Abbott Elementary has begun running the risk of being wholesome and heartwarming without having a real story to tell. It makes sense that the characters would have overcome the obstacles they were facing in season 1, but their challenges should evolve and grow alongside them rather than ceasing to exist.
Tension between Janine and Gregory would be an excellent and natural progression for their characters, especially as season 5 has already shown that their trouble in paradise also creates problems for everyone around them.
Their first fight may be behind them, but it put on display all the problems that Janine and Gregory have yet to resolve. Tackling them head-on would give Abbott Elementary its purpose back.
- Release Date
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2021 – 2026-00-00
- Showrunner
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Quinta Brunson
- Writers
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Quinta Brunson
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Quinta Brunson
Janine Teagues
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Tyler James Williams
Gregory Eddie