Janine Being Away from Abbott Elementary Is an Important Plot Device, Here's Why

Summary

• Ms. Janine Teagues, played by Quinta Brunson, is the most popular character on AE.
• Her absence from the school allows another teacher friendship to develop.
• The characters have come a long way to become friends.

Since its debut in 2021, Abbott Elementary has been one of the most popular sitcoms on television. The ABC mockumentary follows the professional and everyday lives of the staff at the fictional school as they strive to give their students as much as they can with as little as they have.

While the show has an ensemble cast, it focuses primarily on Quinta Brunson's Ms. Janine Teagues, an overly enthusiastic young teacher with dreams and hopes of making the world a better place. Needless to say, the character grew on viewers over the course of the first two seasons. In the current third season, however, Janine is notably missing, and many viewers are not too fond of this But it seems that Ms. Teagues' absence serves a purpose this season.

A New Friendship

Throughout Seasons 1 and 2, Janine was the central character whose aspirations drove the plot of Abbott Elementary. Sure, the rest of the faculty found her positivity rather annoying. But there was another teacher who had a lot in common with Ms. Teagues. Jacob Hill, portrayed by Chris Perfetti, was just as enthusiastic and delusional as she was, which is why the two characters became friends.

Now that Janine is out of the picture, Jacob has the opportunity to bond with other members of the staff. And while his sibling-like back-and-forth with Melissa and speculated friendship with Ava are intriguing, it's Mr. Hill's bond with Gregory that the audience is most excited about. Also, since Mr. Eddie was romantically involved with Janine, it's useful for him to have her out of sight for a while, which allows him to connect with other teachers – especially Jacob.

Ice-Breaker

Gregory didn't really like Jacob at first. In fact, it's fair to say that Mr. Eddie found his colleague rather annoying. Now, however, Gregory seems to have warmed up to Jacob, and the two even share some inside jokes that suggest the characters spend a lot of time together off-screen. Their healthy, friendly dynamic was especially evident in the fifth episode of season 3, when Gregory took Jacob to a bar after school and helped him work through his relationship problems.

'Gregory slowly giving in to being friends with Jacob after blowing him off is one of the funniest arcs imo,' one Reddit user wrote.

Janine's absence may have caused Jacob and Gregory to grow closer. So while it's sad that the beloved Abbott Elementary character isn't always there, it's exciting to see Mr. Eddie and Mr. Hill's friendship blossom.

Episode 7 is scheduled to premiere on 13th March.

Source: Reddit.