After 3 Years, Abbott Elementary Finally Vindicates Janine From Her Earliest Mistake

After 3 Years, Abbott Elementary Finally Vindicates Janine From Her Earliest Mistake Image courtesy of Everett Collection By  Cathal Gunning Published 48 minutes ago Cathal Gunning has been writing about movies, television, culture, and politics online and in print since 2017. He worked as a Senior Editor in Adbusters Media Foundation from 2018-2019 and wrote for WhatCulture in early 2020. He has been a Senior Features Writer for ScreenRant since 2020. Sign in to your ScreenRant account Summary Generate a summary of this story follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

While Abbott Elementary season 5, episode 7 isn’t all about Janine and Ava, the outing does finally vindicate Janine’s earliest mistake through her and the principal’s shared storyline. Although Gregory and Janine’s Abbott Elementary love story remains the show’s through line, there are a handful of other vital relationships that are central to the sitcom’s success.

Janine has grown from an eager acolyte of Barbara Howard to a peer of hers, and a mentor to younger teachers in her own right. Similarly, as proven by Abbott Elementary season 4’s ending, Janine’s once acrimonious relationship with Principal Ava has changed completely. When the series began, Janine wanted the corrupt, incompetent administrator replaced.

However, Janine and Ava gradually warmed to each other as Janine accepted Ava’s eccentricities and even started to see the benefits of her bullish attitude when it came to dealing with the district. Similarly, Ava eventually admitted that Janine’s endless enthusiasm, organizational skills, and nerdy interests made her a great teacher and a supportive colleague.

Abbott Elementary’s “Goofgirl” Vindicates Janine After Three Years

Janine Teagues on Abbott Elementary, working at the school district.

However, the pair still never addressed their first big face-off until over three years after it happened. In season 5, episode 7, “Goofgirl,” Ava and Janine finally get past the events of season 1, episode 9, “Step Class,” when Ava effectively took over Janine’s step class. In that classic episode, Janine set up a step class, but the students were unenthused.

Ava soon took over and, to Janine’s dismay, her less rigid, more playful approach to dance resonated with the kids immediately. Ava effectively ended up running the class, but this led to a disaster on the day of a big performance when the principal failed to show up. Barbara and Melissa complained that this was typical of Ava.

However, Janine learned they were being unfairly judgmental when it turned out that Ava’s grandmother was unwell, as she was the only one available to take care of her. Her absence was more than justified, and the pair had a sweet moment of reconciliation after the performance. Taken by itself, it was a sweet moment of vulnerability for the duo.

Of course, it goes without saying that the incident can’t be viewed on its own. While Abbott Elementary season 4’s temporary Ava firing could have humbled the principal, the event instead seems to have instead bolstered her already sizable ego. As such, when Janine wants to set up a fashion club in “Goofgirl”, Ava shuts it down.

Abbott Elementary Season 5 Episode 7 Show How Much Ava and Janine Have Changed

Ava Coleman as Santa

Ava claims that she will be the one who ends up really running the club, “Just like with your step class,” which is a wildly unfair take on their shared story from three seasons earlier. For one thing, Janine never wanted Ava to step in and take over her step class, and, for another, Ava didn’t even make it to their big performance.

While her absence was completely justified, it is still pretty outrageous for her to claim she swooped in and saved the class at the eleventh hour when the opposite is true, and it was Janine who salvaged the performance. Luckily, “Goofgirl” vindicates Janine by highlighting just how much her contentious relationship with the principal has changed.

Janine initially approaches her idea for a Fashion Club with her typical ineffective combination of excessive enthusiasm and sheepish uncertainty. When Ava shuts down the idea, Janine then pours hours of work into a project with Mr. Johnson that is designed to prove its potential anyway. Of course, Ava dismisses her hard work without a second thought.

However, when a student who has been struggling with attendance says that the idea seems cool, and she would be more likely to attend school if the Fashion Club existed, Ava relents and backs Janine’s idea. It is proof that Janine’s Abbott Elementary character didn’t need to change so much as Ava needed to see the value in Janine's approach.

Abbott Elementary Season 5 Episode 7 Highlighted The Staff’s Commitment

The cast of Abbott Elementary hugging.

Not only does Janine get to set up a club after she never wanted Ava to take over her step class in the first place, but she even proves to Ava that she’s secretly very fashionable in the episode’s tag. Janine presents Ava with a personalized lookbook that she made for her as thanks for approving the club.

Much to Ava’s chagrin, Janine’s proposed outfits for the principal are fire. Not only does this highlight the benefits of Ava trusting Janine, but it also proves that Janine can impress Ava when she leaves her comfort zone and takes a chance. Moreover, the episode at large illustrated the commitment that the entire faculty has to their students.

Between them, Ava, Jacob, Gregory, and Janine all run an extracurricular club each in “Goofgirl,” and this extracurricular commitment figures into all three of the episode’s subplots. This highlights just how much the school’s very different educators go above and beyond in Abbott Elementary, proving that even characters like Principal Ava want the best for their kids.

98 8.5/10 9/10

Abbott Elementary

10 stars 9 stars 8 stars 7 stars 6 stars 5 stars 4 stars 3 stars 2 stars 1 star Like Follow Followed TV-PG Comedy Mockumentary Release Date December 7, 2021 Network ABC Showrunner Quinta Brunson Writers Quinta Brunson

Cast

See All

• Quinta Brunson Janine Teagues
• Tyler James Williams Gregory Eddie

Genres Comedy, Mockumentary Creator(s) Quinta Brunson Powered by Expand Collapse

• Network TV
• Abbott Elementary

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Do you think Janine's relationship with Ava has changed for the better over the course of the series?

Cathal Cathal Cathal #JD414179 Member since 2023-10-24 0 Reviews 0 Ratings Following 0 Topics 0 Users Follow Followed 0 Followers View 48 minutes ago Some viewers may feel that Janine and Ava's relationship has improved significantly, as they've gone from being at odds to supporting each other's ideas and even bonding over shared interests. Others might argue that their dynamic hasn't changed much, with Ava still dismissing Janine's hard work and taking credit for her successes. A third perspective could be that their relationship has evolved in a realistic way, with both positive and negative moments reflecting the complexities of workplace friendships. Reply / Post Images Attachment(s) Please respect our community guidelines. No links, inappropriate language, or spam.

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