It’s been a hot minute since I’ve written about Abbott Elementary, and I was recently reminded of Gregory and Janine’s first kiss in “Teacher Conference.” In my review of the episode, I had said, “If ‘Holiday Hookah‘ was Janine and Gregory’s ‘Snow On the Beach’ moment, then everything that we get in this episode is their ‘Labyrinth.’ Only, it’s not a labyrinth, but a room where flowers envelop them in a moment where it’s hard to deny how desperately they both want each other. Gregory is no longer with Amber, which is good because the term opposites attract wasn’t made for them. But Janine is still with Maurice, and there are ways to go before the two of them understand that their adoration is worth the risk.
The gorgeous thing about Gregory and Janine’s relationship isn’t that they’re alike, but it’s the detail that they complement each other in a way others around them have yet to manage. Like flowers, each with different scents, times when they’re at their peak, Gregory and Janine orbit around one another as whatever’s necessary for the other to grow while allowing themselves to be better by their own agency. They evolve, they grow, and because they’re both so multifaceted, all their colors blend intricately together to create the kind of bouquet we can marvel at from all sorts of angles.”
So much of the reason Gregory and Janine’s first kiss works is because it’s a culmination of the time they’ve spent together—the small things that have become big things. The growth that has happened from the moment they met to where they are now, in and out of the school. The physical attraction has always been there, but before they kiss, it’s the comfort they feel with each other that allows them to fully give in to their feelings.
Emotions are heightened; they’re alone in a room full of flowers, and there’s no use in holding back anymore. It’s impossible for Gregory to hold back because watching Janine geek out over something is among his favorite things. Her passion, her drive, and the way she gets lost in the moment. Plus, Janine being surrounded by flowers is his own personal brand of heaven as someone who values plants so much.
As both their “first” kisses go now, there’s something so beautiful about how they don’t hold anything back. After this specific kiss, Janine and Gregory don’t exactly do anything about their relationship, given the external forces around them, but still, the fact that they allow themselves a chance to try when they’re caught up in the moment shows us how real this kiss is for them. It might not be the kiss that brings them together, but it’s the kiss where it becomes abundantly clear the moment isn’t meant to be fleeting. It’s one they’re supposed to remember. It’s one that the show will follow up on (which it obviously does.)
More than anything, now that we’ve had some time to sit with Gregory and Janine as a couple, looking back at their first kiss is that much sweeter. It’s proof of the fact that their inability to hold back from one another is because of the intimate friendship they’ve built and solidified. With the way it’s shot and the location it’s set in, we have a substantial showcase of the fact that their love for one another can only grow brighter and lovelier.
In the same episode review of Abbott Elementary’s “Teacher Conference,” I also said, “The beautiful thing about how their relationship continues to develop is that, like flowers, they bloom naturally around each other. Gregory and Janine already like each other as they are; they care tremendously, and it’s how effortlessly synchronized they are with one another, even when they’re awkward, that works perfectly. The way she looks at him, and the way he only sees her beauty in a room overflowing with stunning flowers—it’s magic. Pure, unbridled magic.”
What are your thoughts on Gregory and Janine’s first kiss? Abbott Elementary is now streaming on Hulu.
First Featured Image Credit: ©ABC