Abbott Elementary Season 3's Finale Paid Off Its Oldest Story Perfectly After 3 Years

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Abbott Elementary season 3, episode 14.

Summary Gregory and Janine finally get together in a perfect romantic conclusion in the Abbott Elementary season 3 finale.

Caution delays Janine and Gregory's relationship, but their growth pays off in a well-timed hook-up.

Season 4 of Abbott Elementary may face conflict as Principal Ava's disapproval threatens Janine and Gregory's romance.

While the duo truly took their time, Abbott Elementary’s season 3 finale saw Gregory and Janine end their longstanding subplot perfectly. Abbott Elementary might be a workplace sitcom, but the mockumentary isn’t short on romance. Like The Office before it, Abbott Elementary made sure to stick a slow-burn romance in the titular setting to ensure that there was some drama to accompany the show’s many laughs. Abbott Elementary’s entire cast of characters is hilarious, but Gregory and Janine are particularly compelling thanks to their “Will they, won’t they” love story. This finally paid off in season 3’s finale.

The upcoming Abbott Elementary season 4 will have its work cut out when it comes to following up season 3, episode 14, “Party,” which provided a perfect conclusion to numerous subplots. After their tragic breakup earlier in season 3, Zach and Jacob finally buried their feud at Janine’s end-of-year party. Abbott Elementary season 3’s wasted guest star, Lana Condor, returned as Olivia and the series gave her a better role as she once again accidentally came between Gregory and Janine. That central pairing also got their happy ending with a scene that proved worth the wait.

Gregory and Janine Finally Got Together In Abbott Elementary Season 3’s Finale

Abbott Elementary’s Season 3 Finale Set Up The Couple’s Romance Perfectly

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In a subversion of viewer expectations, Abbott Elementary’s season 2 finale didn’t pair off Janine and Gregory.

Janine’s perfect party succeeded, fell apart, and was brought back together in rapid succession, but it was her last-second hook-up with Gregory that ended Abbott Elementary season 3’s finale on the right note. Abbott Elementary set up Gregory and Janine’s long-awaited hookup perfectly, first hinting at their mutual attraction as far back as the pilot episode. Janine spent season 1 dating her long-time boyfriend Tariq, while Gregory briefly started seeing Barbara Howard’s daughter. Throughout season 2, the pair came closer to admitting their attraction to each other, finally sharing a kiss in the season’s latter half.

However, in a subversion of viewer expectations, Abbott Elementary’s season 2 finale didn’t pair off Janine and Gregory. The duo discussed their feelings and, being the cautious characters they are, decided to give each other time and space. Abbott Elementary season 3’s romance then spent months on the back burner as Janine left the eponymous school to work in the district. When her fellowship ended and she returned, Gregory realized he was crazy about her. Even after this revelation, it was not until everyone had left Janine’s apartment at the end of “Party” that the pair finally hooked up.

Abbott Elementary Season 3 Episode 13 Set Up Gregory and Janine’s Romance

Gregory and Janine Almost Hooked Up An Episode Earlier

Custom image by Yeider Chacon

Gregory and Janine came increasingly close to Gregory admitting his feelings for Janine in season 3, episode 13, “Smith Playground,” but Principal Ava’s stern speech about the dangers of workplace relationships led him to reconsider, thus killing the mood. Ava’s intervention alone probably wouldn’t have been enough to stop Janine and Gregory, but she enlisted Mr. Morton to tell the hopelessly sad story of his failed marriage to a former co-worker. Meanwhile, Gregory glimpsed a text from the school district employee Manny asking Janine on a date and assumed this meant that she wouldn’t be interested in dating him instead.

This preceding outing set up the story of “Party” perfectly, proving that Abbott Elementary season 3’s new supporting characters had a secret purpose all along. Manny’s role as Gregory’s romantic rival was all in Gregory’s head, with Janine’s friend revealing at the end of “Party” that she turned him down since she had feelings for “Someone else.” Meanwhile, Mr. Morton’s frequent misogynistic rants about his ex-wife proved the only thing that could keep Gregory and Janine apart until the season 3 finale, rather than just a bleak running gag. This made Gregory’s return to Janine’s apartment even better.

Gregory and Janine Hooking Up Pays Off Their Abbott Elementary Character Arcs

Their Shared Caution Has Held Them Back Before

Gregory and Janine told each other that they had gotten braver and more daring in the last year during Janine’s party, but an ill-timed visit from Mr. Johnson stopped them from taking this observation to its logical conclusion.

Caution is the character flaw that both Janine and Gregory have struggled with throughout Abbott Elementary’s three seasons. On occasion, their composure is a blessing, especially when contrasted with the reckless antics of Principal Ava and Mr. Johnson. That said, it was caution that stopped Gregory from asking Janine out in “Smith Playground,” and it was this same impulse that stopped the two from dating at the end of season 2. Janine’s inexplicable aversion to breaking up with the familiar but comically ill-suited Tariq was what caused her courtship with Gregory to be so drawn out in the first place.

Although Kevin Hart’s Abbott Elementary season 3 storyline proved that Janine could be positively delusional at times, her character is mostly reserved and prudent. Gregory and Janine even acknowledged their growth in a conversation that leaned on the fourth wall in “Party,” as both characters discussed their season 3 arcs. Gregory and Janine told each other that they had gotten braver and more daring in the last year during Janine’s party, but an ill-timed visit from Mr. Johnson stopped them from taking this observation to its logical conclusion. Luckily, the pair rectified this after the party ended.

Abbott Elementary’s Season 3 Romance Already Avoided A Major Sitcom Pitfall

The Workplace Comedy Didn’t Pair Up Janine and Gregory Too Soon

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Like The Office, Abbott Elementary managed to wait another season before finally paying off this plot.

Although the show borrows from many classic sitcoms, Abbott Elementary avoided a classic pitfall of the genre in season 3. New Girl, The Mindy Project, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine all struggled to regain momentum after pairing up their central couples in their respective season 2 finales. Like The Office, Abbott Elementary managed to wait another season before finally paying off this plot. In doing so, the show squeezed every bit of tension from the plot without waiting until the story got frustrating or boring for viewers. It was a tricky balance to maintain, displaying the strength of the show’s writing.

Gregory And Janine’s Romance Makes Abbott Elementary Season 4 More Exciting

Principal Ava Keeps This Plot Interesting

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After Janine’s Abbott Elementary season 3 story sent her to the district for weeks, viewers could be forgiven for assuming that she and Gregory might have an easier time of it in season 4. Unfortunately, good comedy needs conflict and both “Smith Playground” and “Party” already foreshadowed what will become the biggest battle of the next outing. Although she overlooks every other workplace rule violation, Ava has made it clear that she takes HR regulations around workplace relationships seriously.

This could make life hard for the couple since Ava had a pretty shameless crush on Gregory for years and has never hidden her dislike of Janine. Ava could sabotage Gregory and Janine’s relationship after the pair spent years winning each other over, and this could test the couple’s potential when they return to school in season 4. Since Ava is a hilarious fan-favorite, it is tough to see her playing this villainous role. However, Abbott Elementary’s central couple have proven it doesn’t take much to shake them, so even a stray comment may cause Janine and Gregory untold grief.