Abbott Elementary Season 3’s Romance Twist Is Perfectly Timed

Warning! This article contains SPOILERS for Abbott Elementary season 3, episode 11.

Summary Janine and Gregory's slow-burn romance in season 3 of Abbott Elementary is setting up for a big payoff.

The show has cleverly avoided the "will they, won't they" sitcom pitfall by keeping the couple apart.

With only three episodes left in the season, fans can expect a suspenseful finale for Janine and Gregory.

After almost an entire season of hinting at a comeback for the show’s best couple, Abbott Elementary season 3, episode 11 finally promised to reunite Gregory and Janine. Since Abbott Elementary’s pilot, it has been clear that Tyler William James’s Gregory Eddie and Quinta Brunson’s Janine Teagues were destined to end up together. This has not stopped the mockumentary sitcom from throwing plenty of roadblocks in their way, and, at this rate, it seems like the couple won’t pair up until Abbott Elementary season 4. However, this is arguably a good thing for the series as a whole.

Slowly building on Janine and Gregory’s chemistry has allowed the show to focus on Abbott Elementary’s supporting cast of characters, and the show has avoided a major sitcom pitfall in the process. Shows that center on a “Will they, won’t they” romance between their leads tend to struggle when the couple ends up together around season 3. This happened to New Girl, The Office, The Mindy Project, and Brooklyn Nine-Nine, all of which had a hard time recapturing their initial spark after pairing up their central heroes. In contrast, Janine’s Abbott Elementary season 3 job made sure the show avoided this.

Abbott Elementary Waited To Reunite Gregory and Janine

Janine Spent The First Ten Episodes Working In The District

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A twelve-week fellowship in the school district ensured Gregory and Janine were separated for the first ten episodes of Abbott Elementary season 3, and absence did make the heart grow fonder for the sitcom’s stars. Gregory and Janine’s relationship finally started heating up again in season 3, episode 11, “Double Date,” when Gregory ruined a double date with Jacob, Avi, and Avi’s co-worker Olivia by obsessively watching Janine and Manny a few tables over. It turned out that Janine wasn’t even on a date with her former district co-worker, but Gregory was forced to acknowledge his feelings for her the next day.

The pair took their sweet time admitting that they were attracted to each other despite a lot of sweet workplace banter, with Janine dating Tariq in season 1 and Gregory dating Ms. Howard’s daughter.

This was great news since, for a while there, Abbott Elementary almost ruined Gregory and Janine’s romance. The pair took their sweet time admitting that they were attracted to each other despite a lot of sweet workplace banter, with Janine dating Tariq in season 1 and Gregory dating Ms. Howard’s daughter. After those relationships ended, Janine and Gregory dated other people throughout season 2 while secretly harboring a mutual crush. The pair said that they liked each other in the season 2 finale, but Janine’s job at the district kept them apart for ten long episodes after this confrontation.

Abbott Elementary Season 3 Changed One Vital Element Of This Subplot

Gregory Finally Realized His Feelings For Janine

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Although Gregory and Janine have always been attracted to each other, season 3’s premiere made their potential romance a lot harder. Gregory misinterpreted Janine’s desire to put their feelings on “Pause” as a “Period,” and a hurt Janine opted to take the district fellowship since she couldn’t see any future for herself and Gregory. Although Abbott Elementary season 3’s big Janine change saw her learn a lot in the district, it was also good for Gregory. The pair both liked each other, but Gregory was the one who inadvertently turned down Janine at the start of season 3.

As such, Gregory needed to be the one to pursue her later in the season. This puts them on a more even footing, and his embarrassing display in “Double Date” provides plenty of evidence that Gregory is crazy about his co-worker. Gregory finally realized how much he liked Janine in this episode, although this came at the cost of him ignoring his charming date, Olivia. This was a shame, but the revelation means that Gregory and Janine are now finally both single and interested in each other at the same time.

Abbott Elementary Season 3 Is Setting Up Another Cliffhanger Finale

Gregory and Janine Have Only Three Episodes To Work Out Their Relationship

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Almost inevitably, Abbott Elementary only hinted at Gregory and Janine ending up together a few episodes before season 3’s ending. There are only three episodes left in season 3, so it seems like the show will keep the pair apart until the last second, just like season 2’s cliffhanger saw them admit their feelings but leave their future undecided. Since Abbott Elementary’s supporting characters will get more focus in the coming episodes, it might be a week or two before Gregory even confesses his feelings to Janine. This could make the finale all the more exciting.

That said, Abbott Elementary shouldn’t drag this out for too long. Janine and Gregory’s romance has been teased for a long time now and, while the district fellowship was a solid excuse for separating the duo, it could become irritating and repetitive if the show finds another reason to keep them apart. After both characters pursued multiple relationships while they were interested in each other, it was clear to all of their co-workers that they were meant for each other. As such, Janine and Gregory’s big romantic reunion should happen before Abbott Elementary season 3 ends.

Episode # Episode Title Release Date 1 "Career Day, Part 1" February 7 2 "Career Day, Part 2" February 7 3 "Gregory's Garden Goofballs" February 14 4 "Smoking" February 21 5 "Breakup" February 28 6 "Willard R. Abbott" March 10 7 "Librarian" March 13 8 "Panel" March 20 9 "Alex" April 10 10 "2 Ava 2 Fest" April 17 11 "Double Date" April 24 12 "Mother's Day" May 8 13 Unknown Unknown 14 Unknown Unknown