Abbott Elementary Thankfully Avoids 1 Big Problem With Janine’s Season 3 Story

While Abbott Elementary season 3 gave Janine a new role, the mockumentary sitcom proved that it can still keep its old formula alive in episode 3. In Abbott Elementary’s season 3 premiere, the sitcom radically changed its familiar setup. Quinta Brunson’s Janine Teagues went from working as a teacher in the eponymous underfunded public school to working as a member of the school district. Admittedly, her new role was just a 12-week internship program, but this still took the show’s heroine away from her pupils and from her fellow teachers for a matter of months. Luckily, this twist worked.

While Abbott Elementary’s cast of characters continued to have misadventures without her around, Janine’s new job offered her a chance to make some real changes. Janine always wanted to implement ambitious plans to improve Abbott, but her role in the school district soon proved that this was harder than it seemed. However, while this was an interesting new path for Janine, it did limit her interactions with her colleagues. As a workplace sitcom, Abbott Elementary relies on the interplay between its characters and Janine was absent from much of the show’s school-set storylines in season 3’s first three episodes.

Janine’s New Job Doesn’t Keep Her From Abbott Elementary

Fortunately, season 3, episode 4, “Smoking,” changed this. Janine returned to Abbott throughout episode 4 to check on the students, resulting in an episode that felt like the show’s old formula. While Abbott Elementary season 4 will likely reinstate Janine in the titular school full-time, “Smoking” found a clever way to get her back in the building without ignoring her role in the school district. Janine was worried about the substitute who took over her class and their unusual teaching methods, so her fastidious nature meant she couldn’t help but intervene. The episode’s big crisis then compelled Janine to stay around.

When a student was caught smoking, the teachers at Abbott realized that their own vices meant they were in no position to lecture the kids. This resulted in a visit from the F.A.D.E. program, which Janine was able to set up thanks to her connection with Tariq. This development meant Janine’s presence felt justified and unforced, allowing her to interact with the rest of the staff without anyone questioning why she wasn’t in the district. Janine’s new job allows Abbott Elementary to explore issues the show hasn’t addressed before, but her return still felt believable.

Abbott Elementary Season 3’s Janine Plot Is The Best of Both Worlds

Not only did Janine set up the F.A.D.E. visit, but her position in the district let her effect meaningful changes in the episode’s ending. By reversing a suspension, Janine was able to do a favor to Greg and Melissa that could have had a significant impact on one student’s future. This is exactly the sort of work that Janine claimed she wanted to focus on in the district, although its incremental, slow progress could lead her to return to Abbott in frustration. Most importantly, Abbott Elementary reunited Janine with her old colleagues without removing her from her new job.