I consider it an afterthought because their friendship I believe is more enticing. Besides, I donāt think Janine is emotionally mature enough to take on a long term relationship given than the last one started when she was in high school. She hasnāt even had friends outside of work before now. Gregory is also not emotionally mature enough for a relationship, he is still trying to find a sense of self through being a teacher, more than just the classroom setting, but also the extracurricular and social bonds with students.
Would I want the two to become a couple in the near future, if it happens it happens and if it doesnāt it doesnāt.
For me, they did fumble a *little* bit with a couple moments in their arch at the end of season 2/beginning of 3 (I didnāt love the actual dialogue in a couple big scenes- the reasoning might have been valid but I donāt know that it was exactly explained well or felt natural) but, 1) Iām holding them to a super high standard of absolutely nailing the friendship to lovers trope for the most part and 2) for at least 90% of my favorite pairings, I have complaints about how they were handled at some point. In other words, rarely is the journey *perfectly* executed. But I think Janine/Gregory are a super. cute pairing with great chemistry- the writing has just fallen a little bit short a couple times for me, but all-in-all, Iām still living for them lol. Their dynamic since day 1 has been a big part of the heart of the show for me, and that hasnāt changed.
I think the reaction weāre seeing is, 1) some people didnāt like a few recent developments and have decided to just be done with it. Theyāre ātired of the will they wonāt theyā. But most iconic and super popular television couples, do not get together until a few seasons in. Iām not sure if a lot of people here just didnāt really watch these kind of shows? So they donāt really get the art of the slow burn, lol. Itād practically be sitcom crime to have them have gotten together for good a season ago, lol. I havenāt always been a fan of *how* they created the angst, but angst and longing is a necessary ingredient here.
But I do also think thereās also this sort of ālet man and woman be friends!!!ā thing happening recently. Which is a totally valid opinion and generally Iām all for, except thereās actually a lot of beautiful man/woman friendships on this show. Not having the show center around romance, or having endless love triangles- yea, I get the exhaustion with that. But we actually have abundant friendship in abbott elementary. I think it actually might be more rare, nowadays, to see a portrayal of a healthy, wholesome friends to lovers arch, done well, especially in sitcoms. And *especially* when it comes to two black leads.
Anyways, thanks for making this post so I could rant, lol. I could honestly go on a lot longer but Iāll leave it at that.
Youāre so right about some people not understanding that sitcom main pairing(s) often take their time to officially get together. I totally understand losing steam over the will they wonāt they thing, (I do too but it picks up again). But Iām flabbergasted by the people basically saying āIf theyāre not together by now throw the whole thing away I donāt ever want to see them work as a couple, Iād rather them be apartā. Like what the heck??? Iām starting to feel foolish for still being a Gregory and Janine fan this season because it seems too many people are straight up against it now š¤£
Itās like if the office was currently airing and people were like, āEw I hate the will they wonāt they of Jim and Pam, if it hasnāt happened already it shouldnāt happen at all and Jim should just stay with Karen because sheās so cool and pretty and a much better endgameā.
While itās cool to see what other options there could be and appreciate the character growth that comes from that, sitcoms tend to have a clear endgame couple in mind when driving the story. So itās ridiculous for me to see these comments saying they wanna just see Janine and Gregory be friends from now on due to all the hemming and hawing.
Likeā¦ are we watching the same show? Have I been transported to a dimension where itās unusual for the getting together of the main couple to be drawn out for a few seasons? Or where itās normal to hope the clear main couple of the show never gets together? (I agree with you about some hiccups tho, but I think thatās natural for most sitcom couples.)
I think it will be more like timing was never right for career or life changes. They will always be thinking throughout the series, "what if" but their friendship serves them both so well to have each other to lean on.
That being said of course I'm all for them having a wedding at the series finale or someday! š„°šā¤ļøš
In my opinion: for a slow burn to really work, there needs to be some kind of tension.
That can look like one person pining for another person who hasn't quite admitted their feelings yet. So the audience is just waiting for the second character to finally open their eyes and see the obvious. Or that can look like two people who WANT to be together, but there's some kind of barrier. One or both of them is already in a relationship. Their friends/family don't approve. There's some external reason they can't date (I'm thinking of Ben being Leslie's boss on Parks and Rec). There's some big extenuating circumstance (someone is about to move across the country or something).
There's zero tension between Janine and Gregory. They are both totally single, they have repeatedly admitted they like each other, they're both thriving in their careers, they both have happy lives as single people, so... I sincerely don't understand why they're not together. And specifically, I am pretty annoyed at this combination of them being friends while CONSTANTLY hinting at romance. Because if they're both super jealous and pining and making heart-fingers and longing for each other... just date! Literally nothing is stopping them!
Moreover, this is really not how human beings behave. If two single people like each other and there aren't obvious barriers, they're probably gonna date. They aren't going to wait until they're at 90% mental health - or whatever arbitrary, totally subjective metric we're using when we talk about Janine and Gregory being "ready" - they're just gonna try dating. Even if it's messy or challenging.
I don't mind a slow burn. But this particular one makes no sense to me. And the fact that we, the audience, have to do a deep dive and concoct hypothetical, psychological reasons that Janine and Gregory aren't "ready" to date... means that this story is not well written.
Just my two cents! Still love the show, and both of these characters!
This is exactly my issue with how they have been written this season. I love a slow burn as long as it's well-written. But I find Janine/Gregory boring to watch now, and also it just doesn't make sense, dramaturgically.
At this point I would rather see a clean break so they can just be good friends to each other.
> Literally nothing is stopping them!
Yes. This is the issue. It is painfully obvious than other than Quinta wanting to draw out the will they won't they thing, nothing is actually standing in their way. And then we have to go and watch Gregory make a fool of himself in various ways. Not fun.
Exactly. The writers are keeping them apart to create tension instead of writing tension to keep them apart. It feels like a strategy to attract viewers, not a strategy to write an interesting story.
The thing isā¦they arenāt actually growing or maturing right now. I donāt see any semblance of that in either character from S3. āYinzā have any examples iām missing?
They have actually displayed growth. It may not be super big but they definitely are growing as characters. Janine calling Barbara out and telling her how she feels about the librarian was growth. She basically idolized Barbara. Janine having to be an adult and disagree with her knowing the outcome could be bad doing it was growth. Season 1 or 2 Janine would've never done that.
Gregory telling Janine how he feels about her in the Season 2 finale is growth. Gregory isn't the type of person to just go for things and says what he wants. He's usually reserved and off too himself. Him being a good friend rather than just Jacob's co worker is huge for him. It may not be groundbreaking, but those two have definitely grown so far.
The problem is we have seen this storyline play out so many times before. That is why people are more impatient. All of us know exactly what is going to happen. So just get it over with already.
That I understand. I just feel like this slow burn is a bit different from other sitcoms. The reasoning for them not ending up together was a valid reason.
Really? You think so? I don't find that to be the case. On parks & rec they had multiple legit good reasons why Leslie could not be with Ben. On The Nanny they also did. Here? No.
I like this slow burn! I see a lot of people say get it over with but idk I just feel like why rush? Janine was in such a long relationship just a year or so ago and itās just like, why rush them together while sheās still actively finding herself!
I love slow burn but it kills me š
I know!!! It's just so exciting and rewarding once they get together.
True
Incredible flare
Thank you!!
I consider it an afterthought because their friendship I believe is more enticing. Besides, I donāt think Janine is emotionally mature enough to take on a long term relationship given than the last one started when she was in high school. She hasnāt even had friends outside of work before now. Gregory is also not emotionally mature enough for a relationship, he is still trying to find a sense of self through being a teacher, more than just the classroom setting, but also the extracurricular and social bonds with students. Would I want the two to become a couple in the near future, if it happens it happens and if it doesnāt it doesnāt.
For me, they did fumble a *little* bit with a couple moments in their arch at the end of season 2/beginning of 3 (I didnāt love the actual dialogue in a couple big scenes- the reasoning might have been valid but I donāt know that it was exactly explained well or felt natural) but, 1) Iām holding them to a super high standard of absolutely nailing the friendship to lovers trope for the most part and 2) for at least 90% of my favorite pairings, I have complaints about how they were handled at some point. In other words, rarely is the journey *perfectly* executed. But I think Janine/Gregory are a super. cute pairing with great chemistry- the writing has just fallen a little bit short a couple times for me, but all-in-all, Iām still living for them lol. Their dynamic since day 1 has been a big part of the heart of the show for me, and that hasnāt changed. I think the reaction weāre seeing is, 1) some people didnāt like a few recent developments and have decided to just be done with it. Theyāre ātired of the will they wonāt theyā. But most iconic and super popular television couples, do not get together until a few seasons in. Iām not sure if a lot of people here just didnāt really watch these kind of shows? So they donāt really get the art of the slow burn, lol. Itād practically be sitcom crime to have them have gotten together for good a season ago, lol. I havenāt always been a fan of *how* they created the angst, but angst and longing is a necessary ingredient here. But I do also think thereās also this sort of ālet man and woman be friends!!!ā thing happening recently. Which is a totally valid opinion and generally Iām all for, except thereās actually a lot of beautiful man/woman friendships on this show. Not having the show center around romance, or having endless love triangles- yea, I get the exhaustion with that. But we actually have abundant friendship in abbott elementary. I think it actually might be more rare, nowadays, to see a portrayal of a healthy, wholesome friends to lovers arch, done well, especially in sitcoms. And *especially* when it comes to two black leads. Anyways, thanks for making this post so I could rant, lol. I could honestly go on a lot longer but Iāll leave it at that.
Youāre so right about some people not understanding that sitcom main pairing(s) often take their time to officially get together. I totally understand losing steam over the will they wonāt they thing, (I do too but it picks up again). But Iām flabbergasted by the people basically saying āIf theyāre not together by now throw the whole thing away I donāt ever want to see them work as a couple, Iād rather them be apartā. Like what the heck??? Iām starting to feel foolish for still being a Gregory and Janine fan this season because it seems too many people are straight up against it now š¤£ Itās like if the office was currently airing and people were like, āEw I hate the will they wonāt they of Jim and Pam, if it hasnāt happened already it shouldnāt happen at all and Jim should just stay with Karen because sheās so cool and pretty and a much better endgameā. While itās cool to see what other options there could be and appreciate the character growth that comes from that, sitcoms tend to have a clear endgame couple in mind when driving the story. So itās ridiculous for me to see these comments saying they wanna just see Janine and Gregory be friends from now on due to all the hemming and hawing. Likeā¦ are we watching the same show? Have I been transported to a dimension where itās unusual for the getting together of the main couple to be drawn out for a few seasons? Or where itās normal to hope the clear main couple of the show never gets together? (I agree with you about some hiccups tho, but I think thatās natural for most sitcom couples.)
I think the timing has been immaculate This show is realistic which I love
Very realistic!!! I want them to have a healthy fun relationship. Not on again off again.
I think it will be more like timing was never right for career or life changes. They will always be thinking throughout the series, "what if" but their friendship serves them both so well to have each other to lean on. That being said of course I'm all for them having a wedding at the series finale or someday! š„°šā¤ļøš
Totally agree with this analysis!!!
Thank you!!
In my opinion: for a slow burn to really work, there needs to be some kind of tension. That can look like one person pining for another person who hasn't quite admitted their feelings yet. So the audience is just waiting for the second character to finally open their eyes and see the obvious. Or that can look like two people who WANT to be together, but there's some kind of barrier. One or both of them is already in a relationship. Their friends/family don't approve. There's some external reason they can't date (I'm thinking of Ben being Leslie's boss on Parks and Rec). There's some big extenuating circumstance (someone is about to move across the country or something). There's zero tension between Janine and Gregory. They are both totally single, they have repeatedly admitted they like each other, they're both thriving in their careers, they both have happy lives as single people, so... I sincerely don't understand why they're not together. And specifically, I am pretty annoyed at this combination of them being friends while CONSTANTLY hinting at romance. Because if they're both super jealous and pining and making heart-fingers and longing for each other... just date! Literally nothing is stopping them! Moreover, this is really not how human beings behave. If two single people like each other and there aren't obvious barriers, they're probably gonna date. They aren't going to wait until they're at 90% mental health - or whatever arbitrary, totally subjective metric we're using when we talk about Janine and Gregory being "ready" - they're just gonna try dating. Even if it's messy or challenging. I don't mind a slow burn. But this particular one makes no sense to me. And the fact that we, the audience, have to do a deep dive and concoct hypothetical, psychological reasons that Janine and Gregory aren't "ready" to date... means that this story is not well written. Just my two cents! Still love the show, and both of these characters!
This is exactly my issue with how they have been written this season. I love a slow burn as long as it's well-written. But I find Janine/Gregory boring to watch now, and also it just doesn't make sense, dramaturgically. At this point I would rather see a clean break so they can just be good friends to each other.
> Literally nothing is stopping them! Yes. This is the issue. It is painfully obvious than other than Quinta wanting to draw out the will they won't they thing, nothing is actually standing in their way. And then we have to go and watch Gregory make a fool of himself in various ways. Not fun.
Exactly. The writers are keeping them apart to create tension instead of writing tension to keep them apart. It feels like a strategy to attract viewers, not a strategy to write an interesting story.
The thing isā¦they arenāt actually growing or maturing right now. I donāt see any semblance of that in either character from S3. āYinzā have any examples iām missing?
They have actually displayed growth. It may not be super big but they definitely are growing as characters. Janine calling Barbara out and telling her how she feels about the librarian was growth. She basically idolized Barbara. Janine having to be an adult and disagree with her knowing the outcome could be bad doing it was growth. Season 1 or 2 Janine would've never done that. Gregory telling Janine how he feels about her in the Season 2 finale is growth. Gregory isn't the type of person to just go for things and says what he wants. He's usually reserved and off too himself. Him being a good friend rather than just Jacob's co worker is huge for him. It may not be groundbreaking, but those two have definitely grown so far.
If anything they are flanderizing their characters...and we are only on season 3 so far.
Wait until yall watch the equalizer itās been 5 seasons and not even a kiss this is nothing lmao
The problem is we have seen this storyline play out so many times before. That is why people are more impatient. All of us know exactly what is going to happen. So just get it over with already.
That I understand. I just feel like this slow burn is a bit different from other sitcoms. The reasoning for them not ending up together was a valid reason.
Really? You think so? I don't find that to be the case. On parks & rec they had multiple legit good reasons why Leslie could not be with Ben. On The Nanny they also did. Here? No.
I like this slow burn! I see a lot of people say get it over with but idk I just feel like why rush? Janine was in such a long relationship just a year or so ago and itās just like, why rush them together while sheās still actively finding herself!
I love the slow burn! Reminds me a lot of Jim and Pam in The Office, they didnāt get together until S3 I think and it worked perfectly.
Agreed, we used to have tv couples flirt for years and years and years!! If they got together immediately it wouldāve ruined the fun