‘Abbott Elementary’ Finally Gave Fans The Moment They’ve Been Waiting For

After two seasons spent flirting, sharing hallway heart-to-hearts, and trying their best to deny an obvious attraction to one another, Abbott Elementary‘s Janine (Quinta Brunson) and Gregory (Tyler James Williams) finally, at long last — hold up. If you haven’t seen Season 2, Episode 16 “Teacher Conference” and don’t want to be spoiled, this is your chance to stop reading.

If you have seen what will inevitably go down in TV history as one of the series’ best episodes — or you’re simply dying to know what happened at that teacher conference — then get ready to squeal. Why? Because after 28 episodes, Janine Teagues and Gregory Eddie’s simmering slow-burn finally ignited into a full-blown flame when they shared A PASSIONATE KISS.

That’s right, folks. What happens at the teacher conference doesn’t stay at the teacher conference. I’m here to scream it from the rooftops, or in this case, the WordPress backend.

The episode opens with Janine and Jacob (Chris Perfetti) hyping Barbara (Sheryl Lee Ralph) and Melissa (Lisa Ann Walter) up about a weekend-long Pennsylvania Educational Conference for the Southeast Area (PECSA) Teacher’s Conference held in Allentown. Immediately, the thought of Janine and Gregory connecting in a fresh setting sounds the Potential Kiss Alarm Bells. But all hope seems lost when he reveals he’s skipping PECSA weekend to take Amber (Nate’ Jones) to the Poconos and make up for the Lego flower Valentine’s Day gift debacle. Once Amber learns Gregory scheduled back-to-back activities during her relaxing getaway, however, she dumps his ass, conveniently freeing up his weekend. 😏

At the conference, Janine — high on kombucha and a love of education — tells her colleagues she’s ditching the big PECSA party at night to see the Philadelphia Flower Show’s living classroom exhibit. When the group breaks, Barbara and Melissa bask in poolside bliss, Jacob makes a questionable new friend, and Janine bumps into Gregory (!) at the front desk. He tells her that Amber called it quits, so she vows to distract him with exciting events.

Barbara and Melissa are preoccupied with Melissa’s sister (Lauren Weedman) at the PECSA party, so Gregory and Janine are left alone…at a bar…in regular clothes…several days after Janine learned Gregory had a crush on her…and one day after Gregory’s girlfriend dumped him. YOU DO THE MATH. “Why am I always the one who gets dumped? Like, based on the evidence it’s gotta be me, right?” a tipsy Gregory asks. Janie assures him it’s not, and he admits he “always felt like a weirdo” around Amber. Janine, giggly and drunk (but also not wrong) snorts,”You are a weirdo,” then clarifies, “I mean that in a good way. I think that everyone deserves to be with someone who likes them exactly as is. Especially you. Seriously. Look at that sweater right now. Look at that mustache. Not many people could do that.” SWOON!

Gregory says, “don’t sleep on Janine either,” and the two head to the photo booth for a painfully basic, albeit adorable, shoot. When he hands Janine a prop sunflower she remembers she missed the living classroom exhibit. With his mischievous prop mustache in place, Gregory says they’ll sneak in even though it’s closed, and the next time we see them they’re bursting into a room so gorgeous that tears will well in your eyes. Colorful bouquets of yellow, orange, and pink flowers mixed with moss cover the walls of the living classroom. A strip of green grass lays on the floor, white and pink petals hang from the ceiling, tree stump chairs accompany desks hidden by greenery and blossoms, and shelves are stocked with succulents. String lights and illuminated terrarium backpacks give the room — which looks straight out of a fairytale — a warm glow. As far as first kiss settings go, it’s incredibly romantic. Think the Severance plant room‘s glammed up cousin.

Janine and Gregory walk in with wide eyes and dropped jaws. “Oh my goodness,” Janine says, grabbing Gregory’s arm as he reaches to admire a hanging plant. “OH MY GOODNESS! This is even better than I imagined.” Unique camera angles, zooms, and spy shots taken through leaves give the scene added intimacy, and as Janine admires the unexpected beauty the camera focuses on Gregory taking her in. “I don’t want to sound cheesy or whatever, but this — it shows like exactly how I feel about teaching,” Janine says. “The growth and everything. It’s just. It’s corny but…”

Read Related Also: Democrats Worry Biden Documents Scandal Could Become a Clinton Emails Repeat

“Yeah I get it,” Gregory replies. “The plants and teaching. It’s like how I grew up and who I am now.” After a silent moment of acknowledgement, Janine walks over to smell a flower, accidentally knocking over a vase of blocks. The two hear voices outside, panic, and crouch down in the otherworldly exhibit. Inches away from Gregory’s face, Janine urges him to smell the flower again. Instead, he leans forward, kisses her with all the repressed passion of 28 long episodes, and all feels right with the world. The two part for a moment before Janine yanks the lanyard around his neck and pulls him in for an encore. They caress each other’s heads, indulge in the moment, and part lips again. After a few seconds of peace, their faces fall and they mentally move from the living classroom to the Abbott classroom. Gregory covers his mouth, and Janine utters two words: “Oh no.”

In frantic talking heads, the two separately unpack their briefly magical make-out session. “That? That? That?’ The kiss?’ That was a whoops!” Janine says. “We got caught up in the moment…Like when I hang up with my internet provider after they help me reset my internet and I say, ‘OK I love you, bye!’ Do I really love my internet provider? No. Cause their networks aren’t reliable and I’m dating Maurice (Vince Staples), so…”

“Who can really say what things are or what they aren’t at the end of the day?” Gregory muses. “That’s what she said about it? Just two friends getting caught up in the moment? Good because that’s precisely what it was. Just two friends getting caught up in the moment.”

Abbott cuts back to living classroom post-kiss to show Janine repeating the words, “IT’S OK” out loud, shooting finger guns, and awkwardly high-fiving Gregory. Back at school on Monday, they bump into each other in the hallway and agree that what happened was “a nothing thing” to be blamed on the Philly flower show, the drinks, and sexy Allentown, Pennsylvania. “So we’re just throwing it out?” Gregory asks. “Throwin in out. Nothing but net,” Janine assures him. The two turn their backs and the camera catches Janine flashing an unsure smile and Gregory turning around as though he wants to protest. “Yeah, we’ll just throw it out. It was nothing,” Janine unconvincingly says in a talking head.

From start to finish, Abbott Elementary‘s “Teacher Conference” is an emotional roller coaster that ends on a less-than-ideal, but incredibly exciting note. For obvious reasons, fans were expecting fireworks between Janine and Gregory in the previous episode, “Valentine’s Day.” But in daring to defy expectations, the show successfully exceeded them.

From a natural setup fueled by Gregory’s breakup, too many drinks, and a wild teachers’ weekend, to the undeniably romantic backdrop, the kiss was logically placed and sensical, but still incredibly special. Brunson’s Emmy-winning comedy carefully built Janine and Gregory’s foundation and gradually deepened their connection and respect for one another. So while the choice to fuel the fire before partially extinguishing the flame may frustrate some fans, the leap isn’t something they take lightly. They have Maurice, their professional relationship, and their friendship to consider. So the slow-burn may be back, but at least we know their chemistry is A+.

New episodes of Abbott Elementary air on ABC Wednesdays at 9:00 p.m. ET. Episodes are available for next-day streaming on Hulu.