Abbott Elementary fans are itching for two characters to end their slow, slow burn and finally begin a romance. Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) have been flirting for weeks—scratch that, a full year—and it’s time for them to seal the deal. Last night’s episode, “Attack Ad,” hammered home the fact that the two lovably awkward teachers belong together. So how much longer must we wait?!
While the rest of the school deals with a slanderous ad about Abbott generated by a local charter school (we also got to meet Leslie Odom Jr. 's villainous charter CEO), Janine faces a reunion with her ex, Tariq (Zack Fox). That’s bad news. Still, it’s good news for any of us hoping for Janine and Gregory to get together (which is basically every Abbott Elementary viewer), because we get to see the latter squirm over Tariq’s return.
Gregory is visibly upset when Janine tells him about her dinner plans with her ex—just ask her out already, man! Instead, he slides some jealousy into the conversation, advising Janine not to go out with Tariq. Furious, Janine demands that Gregory stay out of her business. No one can deny the supreme sexual tension in this scene. It’s palpable!
Then, to really egg us on, Abbott proves how much Gregory loves Janine. In a tense scene between him and Tariq, Gregory shows he cares about his co-worker—because he actually remembers her favorite movie. Tariq, however, can’t figure it out: Is it Up? Or Us? Gregory is appalled by the fact that Tariq doesn’t know.
By the end of the episode, Janine reveals she’s going home to watch a movie instead of going on a date with Tariq. Brilliantly, Gregory recommends Jumanji—Janine’s favorite movie. (Is it the old one or the recent reboot? Because both are fantastic.) Abbott Elementary continues to knock it out of the park with these two, adding tender details to their slowly-but-surely developing romantic arc.
But how much longer must we wait for these two lovebirds to finally admit their feelings and get things going? Now, I’m not one to rush things—the slow burn is delectable—but after last night’s episode, it does feel like we’re inching closer and closer to the pair locking lips. Or something. Anything! Going out on a date would be nice too.
Abbott viewers agree: This episode was one of the best, when it came to the Gregory/Janine romance. And yet, they’re tired of waiting! The fact that Gregory isn’t even bashful about his crush anymore when he catches the cameras on him…WEDDING! NOW!
Surely, Abbott Elementary will cut the tension in the most perfect way possible. We’re talking Nick and Jess from New Girl-levels of excellence, people. We’ve been waiting for weeks, and lord knows Quinta Brunson isn’t going to let us down now. Hopefully, we’ll get to see Janine and Gregory together by the end of Season 2—at the very least.
Looking ahead to the next episodes, we can do a little sleuthing and take a guess at possible romantic subplots, based on their titles alone. “Holiday Hookah,” the last episode before the show’s off for the holidays, looks promising. Perhaps they go out on a date for…well, holiday hookah. But there’s also an episode called “Fight.” Uh oh.
Just two episodes away, however, is a Nov. 30 episode titled “Sick Day.” That sounds promising. Picture this: A la Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks in You’ve Got Mail, Janine is sick at home. Who comes to visit her? It’s Gregory, sporting one bouquet of daisies and one bouquet of freshly sharpened pencils.
We can only hope. Abbott Elementary will be on hiatus for a week, but will return to its usual Wednesday 9 p.m. ET time slot on ABC on Nov. 16.
