Abbott Elementary season 3 episode 2 preview: Tariq has a new love and Janine shows off her new work digs

Abbott Elementary season 3 surprised us all in its premiere, not just with the Eagles cameo, but also the reveal that Janine is working for the school district. Now that we know that we're five months into the school year, there's a lot we need to catch up on when it comes to how much the characters' lives have changed.

Episode 2 of the season, "Gregory's Garden Goofballs," continues this with an update on Tariq, Gregory being dubbed "cool" by the students, and a look at Janine's new work environment. Here's the synopsis:

"Gregory is hesitant when kids start hanging out in his classroom at lunch, looking to him for advice as the "cool teacher." Barbara is shocked to find Tariq is dating the mother of one of her students. Janine and Jacob try to hire an ASL interpreter."

The last we saw of Tariq, his music career had taken a hit. After he was found to have infringed on copyright for his jingle, he was fired from FADE. He did, however, get the party rocking at AVA Fest, so perhaps there's hope for him yet in the industry. When we meet up with Tariq again in season 3, his storyline will intertwine with Barbara's as she learns he's dating the mom of one of her students. This doesn't have to get messy but, since Barbara is Janine's work mom, we may get some insights on his and Janine's past relationship from his perspective.

Speaking of Janine, we'll be getting a look at her new work environment in the episode which is exciting! She's in an office space instead of a classroom with the school district representatives--Manny, Emily, and Simon--who she's been working closely with during her fellowship.

Janine's plot also crosses with Jacob's as the two work together to get an ASL interpreter hired. We expect it to be full of the pair's heart but for there to be things that go wrong. Abbott Elementary is known for storylines about well meaning efforts that go awry but still manage to work out somehow even if it's not how things were originally planned.

Finally, it'll be interesting to see how Gregory navigates his popularity. Over the course of the series, he's become a well respected and well liked member of the faculty, but he's never had a group of students wanting to hang out with him. It's a nice, familiar touch for those of us who were students that did like to spend time with our favorite teachers sometimes during lunch.

But, considering the episode's titled, "Gregory's Garden Goofballs," the students might start gardening under his tutelage. He's real particular about the produce he's growing, so working with beginners could lead to shenanigans.

New episode of Abbott Elementary air Wednesday at 9 p.m. ET on ABC. Next day streaming is available on Hulu. Stay tuned to Hidden Remote for news and coverage.