On “Abbott Elementary,” “The Bear,” and “Will They?” Is not it ? storylines: NPR

The chemistry between Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) has been simmering for three long seasons on Abbott Elementary School.

Gilles Mingasson/Disney

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Gilles Mingasson/Disney

Last week, season 3 of Abbott Elementary School ended, and the one thing every viewer predicted would happen since the pilot episode premiered: nerdy, awkward teachers Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) got together. For real, for real. To get there, all it took was countless awkward flirtations resulting in embarrassed looks directly at the camera, a one-off drunken kiss (in season 2, at a work conference), and several spectacularly failed attempts. to go out with other people. while denying or downplaying their romantic interests in each other.

Many fans surely found joy in the resolution of this long-delayed real-life couple; If so, I’m really happy for you. But call me “will they, won’t they?” » grumpy – I’m mostly relieved that the convoluted storyline can finally (hopefully!) be put to rest. The writers’ insistence on making them the Jim and Pam of Abbott has long been the least interesting element of this smart, consistently funny series, and as charming as Brunson and Williams are, even they couldn’t stop the perpetually unresolved sexual tension between their characters from escalating from here season 3. (The episode where Jacob and Gregory try to go on a double date and Gregory is distracted by seeing Janine going out with the school district representative, Manny, might have been less tedious if not for hadn’t had such a similar iteration of several previous storylines.)

Of course, this is TV Writing 101, one of the oldest tropes in the textbook. Some shows have found clever ways to dabble in it, like with the deeply intimate but platonic working relationship between 30 RockLiz Lemon and Jack Donaghy from – everyone actively encouraging them to become A Thing plucked this desire out of nowhere, because there was zero romantic chemistry sparks between these two. (The writers made fun of this expectation all the time, like when the couple got married by mistake in Season 5.) Before being unceremoniously canceled, Happy endings began with Alex and Dave’s broken engagement, which provided plenty of fodder for “will-they-won’t-they-get-back-together” in the style of those classic Hollywood remarriage comedies like The horrible truth.

Living single actually managed to juggle two different versions of this trope satisfyingly: the antagonistic, flirtatious vibes of Beatrice and Benedick shared between corporate climbers Maxine and Kyle, and the goofy puppy love of the original awkward black couple from the television, the handyman Overton and the office manager Synclaire. In both cases, the series was confronted with latent tensions very early on; Max and Kyle sleep together in Season 2, making their love-hate dynamic even funnier throughout the rest of the series, and Overton and Synclaire make it official in Season 1, allowing them to explore other obstacles and silly milestones throughout their courtship.

It is quite easy to imagine a version of Abbott it took a page of 30 Rock, and gave us a fruitful platonic friendship with Janine and Gregory. But watching a lot of television makes us wince in disappointment, because it seems like we’re vastly outnumbered, or at least not as vocal in our annoyance as the champions are in their enthusiasm. Law & Order: SVU fans have been wanting Benson and Stabler to reunite for 25 years and recently almost got their wish. And I’m already exhausted by the corner of social media that insists on “shipping not only Carmy and Sydney on The bearbut also Jeremy Allen White and Ayo Edebiri, the real actors who play them.

What happens between Sydney (Ayo Ebebiri) and Carmy (Jeremy Allen White) in The bear? Dinner.

Chuck Hodes/FX

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Chuck Hodes/FX

But if Janine and Gregory must be more than just friends, Abbott has the opportunity to inject some inspiring couple obstacles into the next season. They are both richly drawn characters with distinct personalities and flaws, who find their way in the difficult and chaotic ecosystem of public schools. It’s been nice to see her learn to channel her do-gooder energy more effectively and him relax and accept that a directorship isn’t yet an option. Now that they’re both a little more confident, we hope they follow in the footsteps of their Awkward Black Couple predecessors, Overton and Synclaire, and that the series opens them up to less hackneyed storylines together.

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