Warning: This articles contains SPOILERS for Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 10, “Testing.”
As bizarre as it may sound,Abbott Elementaryseason 4 making Janine annoying again improves her character’s role in episode 10. WhileAbbott Elementary’s cast of charactersare all entertaining, this doesn’t mean that they are without their flaws. Melissa can be argumentative, Ava is hilariously self-centered, and Barbara can often be stuck in her ways when it comes to innovations in the art of pedagogy. Even Mr. Johnson acts absurdly paranoid at times and has been known to indulge in wild conspiracy theories.
However, asAbbott Elementary’sIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiacrossoverepisode proved, the educators are pretty well-adjusted as far as sitcom protagonists go. This is generally a good thing, but it can sometimes mean that the show’s subplots are less exciting and action-packed than other sitcoms. For example,Abbott Elementaryseason 4’s Janine and Gregory romancesaw the pair come to terms with the fact that they were a little boring now that they were both in a happy, stable relationship.
Janine Was Everyone’s Problem In Abbott Elementary Season 4 Episode 10
“Testing" Saw Janine Get On The Nerves Of Barbara, Melissa, Gregory, and Ava
While it was nice to see Janine and Gregory accept the fact that they were acting “Head ass,” as Principal Ava indelicately put it, this self acceptance did mean thatAbbott Elementary’s heroine hasn’t faced much internal conflict in season 4. Janine’s character growth mostly took place in seasons 2 and 3 and, in contrast, she spent the first half of season 4 in a far more stable, reliable place. As such, it was a welcome surprise whenseason 4, episode 10, “Testing,” took an unvarnished look at Janine’s character flaws.
In “Testing,” Janine was horrified to discover that her class under-performed in a practice version of the next year’s standardized test. Since this was only a practice test, the other faculty weren’t concerned. However, Janine’s ego wouldn’t let her accept the result and before long she was bothering Melissa, Ava, Gregory, and Barbara with her incessant obsession over how to change the results. She insisted the results were inaccurate and eventually even retested her students, but nothing changed the results despite her best efforts.
Janine has often struggled with accepting when she is wrong, and the determination that makes her a great teacher makes her a pain as a coworker.
Crucially, this was because Janine couldn’t admit that she might need to change her ways. While Janine’s kindness recently shone through inAbbott Elementary’sIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiacrossoverwhen she advocated for the gang to keep volunteering after their criminal background was uncovered, she is not without her flaws. Janine has often struggled with accepting when she is wrong, and the same dogged determination that often makes her a great teacher can make her a pain as a coworker. Moreover, Janine has inadvertently insulted her colleagues while refusing to acknowledge her faults.
Janine’s Perfectionism Is Central To Her Abbott Elementary Journey
Janine’s Inability To Accept Criticism Shaped Numerous Earlier Episodes
While she might seem relatively stable in comparison to Jacob or Melissa,Janine has always had a streak of deleterious perfectionism throughoutAbbott Elementary’s four seasons. Many of her best storylines center on her inability to accept anything less than what she expected, resulting in conflicts with Melissa, Gregory, and Barbara. This pattern recurred throughout season 1, episode 2, “Light Bulb,” season 1, episode 5, “Student Transfer,” season 1, episode 6, “Gifted Program,” season 3, episode 5, “Breakup,” all of which saw Janine cause trouble for others as she refused to accept that her ideas weren’t perfect.
Abbott Elementary Season 4’s Character Return Had An Unexpected Significance
Abbott Elementary season 4, episode 6 brought back a major supporting star from season 3, but they were playing a very different role this time.
As sitcoms continue, they can sometimes soften the flaws of their main characters. This occurred with both Leslie Knope inParks and Recreationand Jake Peralta inBrooklyn Nine-Nine, whose unlikable qualities were gradually worn down until they eventually became straightforward heroes. AlthoughAbbott Elementary’sIt’s Always Sunny In Philadelphiacrossoverproves the show’s teachers are a lot more heroic than most sitcom leads, it is still a relief that “Testing” proved season 4 is aware of and mocking Janine’s very real problems.
Janine’s Struggles With Humility Are Reflected In Her Relationship With Barbara
Barbara Shares Janine’s Tendency To Get Stuck In Her Ways
To be fair to Janine, it is easy to see where she got the idea that a good teacher is one who doesn’t change her methods.Barbara shares Janine’s inability to accept criticism, and her biggest fights with Janine have been based on this issue. In season 3, episode 7, “Librarian,” Barbara’s annoyance about Janine changing the library system led her to almost ruin Janine’s entire library program with negative feedback. In season 1, episode 4, “New Tech,” Barbara’s refusal to admit that she struggled with the school’s new technology eventually led to her giving a clueless presentation on it.
Chris Perfetti
Jacob Hill
However, Barbara’s resistance to change is a lot more understandable, since she has so much more experience than Janine. Furthermore,Abbott Elementaryseason 4’s Christmas episodeproved that Barbara was willing to change her ways when it mattered as she altered the winter pageant to make it more inclusive for non-Christian students. Season 4, episode 4, Costume Contest,” may have seen Barbara get stuck in her ways over Halloween traditions, but she is clearly trying to keep up with the times.
Why Abbott Elementary Season 4 Needs To Explore Janine’s Character Flaws
Abbott Elementary Seasons 3 and 4 Were Surprisingly Soft On Janine
It is vital thatAbbott Elementaryseason 4 explores Janine’s character flaws, as seasons 3 and 4 were a lot less critical of her than earlier outings. At the time, this made for a welcome change.Janine’s personal and professional lives were both running jokes throughoutAbbott Elementary’s first two seasons, so it was nice to see her excel at her school district fellowship and finally start dating Gregory. However, while it was a fun change of pace to see her doing well, this did meanAbbott Elementarywas overdue a few laughs at its heroine’s expense.
When the protagonists of sitcoms become too idealized, their antics can feel less funny. Shows likeAbbott Elementaryrun the risk of making their main characters too competent and forgetting the foibles that made them lovable in the first place, like Janine’s desperation to be perfect. This might be a major character flaw, but it’s a relatable one that makes Janine funny and human. As such,Abbott Elementaryseason 4 making Janine everyone’s problem in “Testing” served as a reminder of both how much her character has grown in recent years and how much growing she still has ahead of her.
