Abbott Elementary Fans Are Feeling All Kinds Of Ways After THAT Happened With Janine And Gregory

Spoilers below for the latest episode of Abbott Elementary, so be warned if you haven’t yet watched!

As endlessly hilarious as Abbott Elementary’s entire ensemble cast is, and as much as I will never tire of Barbara and Melissa’s wardrobe and personal lives, the core draw of the ABC comedy is arguably the cutesy more-than-a-friendship situation sprouting between fan-favorite characters Gregory and Janine. Partially due to the two characters’ interests aligning so strongly, and partially due to Quinta Brunson and Tyler James Williams’ palpable on-screen chemistry. Sure, it’s wild that these two attractive brainiacs are so dorky about making a romantic connection, but that’s part of the fun (and very much a purposeful element). And the latest episode, "Teacher Conference," took the fun up a notch thanks to a booze-fueled smooch inside a room made out of colorful plantlife.

I wouldn’t be surprised if the majority of Abbott Elementary’s viewership gasped hard enough to inhale their TV remotes during the scene in question, even though it was all expertly telegraphed to lead to that exact point. The garden-minded Gregory had just been dumped by Amber due to his disappointing LEGO flowers gift and over-planning an island vacation, and was clearly looking for a way to deal with those emotions. Meanwhile, Janine was pumped for the conference, even more so for the flower-filled room, and hasn’t been so fixated on her own relationship that she’d squashed all of her Gregory-centric desires. So the kiss was all but inevitable, even though it was followed by disappointment, with Janine blowing it off as an in-the-moment lapse instead of going with her true wants. 

As social media can attest, Abbott Elementary fans were all over the place during and after Wednesday night’s episode, with reactions spanning from pure bliss to mild disagreements to outrage that details were spoiled. (Not to mention those who were perfectly happy to read those specific spoilers.) Let’s go through some of the Twitter responses that tapped into abject elation, such as the one below, using an ear-piercing Raven clip to punctuate the excitement. 

The viewer below definitely appreciated all the story elements that came into focus for Gregory and Janine's first kiss. 

I think everyone would agree that flower room was a killer piece of set decoration that deserved to have an all-time memorable moment set inside of it. 

More than a few viewers commented on Janine's specific move to use Gregory's lanyard to pull him in for another smooch, making it one of the most romantic lanyard moves in TV history, if largely by default as much as genuine worth. 

Let's get another lanyard-related celebration in here just because we may never get this chance again. At least until Season 5 when Gregory and Janine fully hit that Leslie and Ben stage (or the Pam and Jim stage, whatever your tastes are) and they're getting married, and while they're standing in front of the priest, he presents her ring on the end of a PECSA lanyard, and everybody passes out from how cute it all is. 

And now one more purely positive reaction before tapping into a few reactions that strayed from the norm. 

As pumped as viewers were about seeing the kiss finally happen, Janine and Gregory's own reactions in the aftermath were beyond cringe-worthy, and bordered on purely psychotic. Nobody wants to have a passionate and romantic hallmark kneecapped by something as libido-depleting as "finger guns."

The above and below posts admittedly comprise the majority of slightly negative reactions about Janine and Gregory locking lips, in which the not-quite-complaints are more aimed at their awkward inability to just own their feelings for each other. And how each attempt to do so just ends up in a sitcom-familiar zone of miscommunication, such as Gregory turning around to nothing near the end of the ep.

To be sure, there were defintely some commenters who feel like this was too soon, and that the Abbott Elementary creative team should have waited longer to get Janine and Gregory together romantically. To that I say: I'm sure anyone in TV would adore the guarantee that their shows will stay on the air long enough to play for such extended plot arcs. Also, they're still not technically together in any capacity, seeing as how she still has a boyfriend. 

I think I align with the viewer below, who seems to be good with what happened, while also content to have their courtship go through plenty of other complications before it goes further down the line. 

Of course, the next episode of Abbott Elementary might end with Janine and Gregory in bed together for all we know, even if it would probably be for a school play or some kind of overnight field trip snafu, instead of something purely romantic. This show is indeed excellent at balancing the broad audience-grabbing laughs with authentic personal moments that ring true to those watching. Now time to start on some lanyard-heavy fan fiction while waiting for the next ep.