The Promising Evolution of Janine & Gregory

 

Love can still be a splendored thing between friends/coworkers Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams).

Be patient and set aside your clever portmanteaus.  

A few weeks ago, Janine Teagues launched our summer hiatus by surprisingly choosing herself over an immediate relationship with coworker Gregory Eddie in Abbott Elementary’s second season finale, Franklin Institute. Although obviously “in like” with each other, Janine and Gregory simply are not ready to embark on their potential togetherness. It also may be unhealthy for Janine and Gregory to waste other people’s time whilst on the journey to finding themselves as well. They both should refrain from dating anyone and focus on teaching the youngsters. Most importantly, they need to come to terms with their respective childhood traumas. With therapy. Lots of therapy. 

Gregory couldn’t tell Barbara’s daughter Taylor, he didn’t like clam chowder. However, he did tell Janine.

Infectious, optimistic, and extremely upbeat Janine has issues separating her personal life from her teaching. Often, it shows up to school anyway. From the light bulb situation of the first season’s second episode all the way to second season, episode twenty-one’s Mom, Janine carries a heavy emotional load. 

Janine is a good teacher, but it is not surprising that people confuse her as a “big kid.”

Throughout Janine’s high school, college, and early teaching career, she has only been in one relationship. Imagine the significant moments in Janine’s life: a teenager’s first intimacies, homecoming and prom, several graduations, apartments— all experiences shared with Tariq. Janine’s mother Vanetta checks out and sister Ayesha skipped town as a healing mechanism. Thus, leaving a boyfriend who does not always prioritize Janine. In turn, delaying and hindering her improvement possibilities. For the longest time, Janine has been attached, her identity slumped to another man, a man who did not deserve her loyalty, let alone devout longevity. Tariq may be talented and good with children, but he was not good for Janine. 

Next to seeing her kids, Gregory is another good part of Janine’s work day. It’s only right that she continues to savor her joy.

Janine has various immature tendencies: toxic positivity, interfering in situations that are none of her business, not understanding that you can simultaneously like people, and entering into a messy situation with her coworker’s friend while obviously infatuated with said coworker. She should have more time to adapt to single hood, to learn her potential as a young Black woman in Philadelphia hoping to make a change in the corrupt educational system. When Barbara, Melissa, and Ava applauded Janine instead of condemning or making jokes on her single girl trip, that was a step in the right direction. After what has happened in her third teaching year, Janine could build on a stronger relationship with herself, with Ayesha. She’s already gradually setting boundaries with Vanetta.  

Erika (Courtney Taylor) has been a sweet, much-needed addition to Janine’s extremely small circle. 

Moreover, Black love is a form of activism, especially in television and film. The phenomenon is either sparsely sprinkled or tokenism remains alive. Black characters caring about each other and also valuing the self— that takes tremendous effort. It doesn’t always have to imply romance. Abbott Elementary has Barbara bonding further with her work daughter, willing to sacrifice for Janine. Those moments in Mom were beautifully rendered. Unafraid to tell Janine she’s messy, Erika is a blunt and honest encouragement outside of elementary school children and coworkers. Even Ava occasionally seems to give a little heart to Janine (sometimes against Ava’s iron will). At the same time, however, we do appreciate Melissa and Jacob as well because they demonstrate support and respect to Barbara, Janine, Gregory, and Ava (sometimes). 

That leads to Gregory— carving his own path towards Black Boy Joy.

Gregory may be Teacher of the Year, but he has ways to go before truly earning that title. Perhaps by then, he will either stay teaching or become principal with a proud Janine cheering him on. 

Militant Gregory finds comfort in his shell, closed off to people who are not Janine. Sure, Gregory asks Barbara and Melissa for advice on occasion, but he still retains a reserved persona. He lies about small things hating pizza and liking donuts, clandestine gardening, staying in relationships that do not serve him (Taylor and Amber), and reluctant to pursue friendly rapports beyond his circle (important if you want to become principal). Also, Gregory nearly kissing Janine in Holiday Hookah and actually initiating that move two episodes later (a day after his breakup) while she was dating his friend Maurice hints at his more selfish flaws. Let’s not even address the awkward, secondhand embarrassment of Gregory and Janine dumping Maurice together— too much to unpack there. 

Yet, Gregory moves on the cusp of change— declining his father Martin’s offer to join the family gardening business, to continue building on becoming a better teacher (despite that lingering principal desire as seen in Fire), and finally seeing Jacob as a genuine friend, a confidante. Gregory giving into Jacob’s hug at the Franklin Institute after Janine’s rejection (a year after not receiving the principal job) was a tender step in the right direction for his personal developmental growth. Gregory is shedding vulnerability, letting down his guard, and owning his journey to happiness. When he was proudly digging in the garden, acknowledging that the time came to “plant new seeds,” it symbolized perhaps a significant step towards change. 

Janine slowly but surely steps back from parenting her mother Vanetta (Taraji P. Henson).

In his last visit, Martin (Orlando Jones) tells Gregory that he’s proud of his secret progress attending to the school garden.

Martin and Vanetta have both visited Abbott, but have yet to respectively run into Janine and Gregory. Perhaps when the stern Martin meets Janine and kleptomaniac Vanetta meets Gregory, the offspring defends both their friend/co-worker and themselves. You can already imagine Martin believing Janine unworthy of his son or Vanetta just being uninterested altogether in Gregory (she didn’t even know Janine and Tariq broke up). Still, the united front a matured Janine and Gregory could put together against their problematic parents (and the triggers of their harm)… incredible. Moving. Cycle ending. 

Without the convincing chemistry between Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams’s portrayals, Janine and Gregory surely would not be this dynamic. We’ve seen them on A Black Lady Sketch Show and heard their voices in the Harley Quinn episode A Very Problematic Valentine’s Day. Hopefully, Brunson and Williams continue building a solidified partnership on Abbott Elementary and afterwards shift into making films together. If Gabrielle Union and Morris Chestnut can keep at it, why not Brunson and Williams too? 

Abbott Elementary’s writing has been consistently top notch— and a primary reason to support the WGA strike. We deserve quality television on all fronts and that starts with the writers. Thank the writers for giving us this strong development between Janine and Gregory. May their pens never run dry— especially on this terrific show, on this beautifully rendered slow burning pairing. Whether good friends till the end or the next smolderingly hot couple— either way the blossoming love between Janine and Gregory has sweet possibilities once the characters come to terms with who they truly are.