The cast of Derry Girls promised big things from season three – and if last night’s episode was anything to go by, they definitely weren’t lying.

Ever since *that* prom moment in season two, some fans have been pushing for James and Erin to get together. And in last night’s episode, their wishes finally came true.

The moment arose thanks to good ol’ Sister Michael, who asked the gang to head out to her aunt’s house in Donegal to tidy things up after her death. After jumping in the school’s minivan and driving across the border, the girls (and James) end up in a tiny village without any clue of where they’re actually headed.  

Things get worse, however, when one of the minivan’s tyres goes flat and James is forced to try and push it up the hill, only to be knocked flat out when the van begins to roll back. 

Left with an unconscious James and a useless van, the girls are forced to carry James up the hill to Sister Michael’s aunt’s house – only to be met with a place that’s less than ideal.

In short, it’s pretty ropey – and it doesn’t take long for the girls to become convinced that the place is haunted. After James eventually comes round and tells the group about the ‘light’ he saw at the end of the tunnel, the gang find themselves in all kinds of creepy situations, and end their night curled up in bed together scared to death.  

It’s when they wake up in the morning that things get interesting, however. When Erin wakes and climbs out of bed, James follows her downstairs – only to reveal that his near-death experience made him realise there were things he regretted not saying out loud.

As you might expect, the main thing James is referring to is the feelings he has towards Erin, which he quickly goes on to reveal. In classic James style, his admission is a little bit awkward, but Erin takes the initiative and leans in for a kiss.

It doesn’t last long though, as Michelle walks in on the impromptu hook up and tells the pair it can never happen again – a rule that Erin later puts in place when she tells James she thinks getting together would be a “bad idea”.  

While some fans have been waiting ages for Erin and James together, it’s safe to say not everyone was keen on the idea – with some viewers wishing it had never happened at all.

Ironically, this is a viewpoint also shared by the show’s creator Lisa McGee, who has spoken about why she (reluctantly) had to make sure Erin and James had their moment.

“I was sort of with the fans that didn’t want it [the kiss] because I mean, I always worry that it just gets less interesting the minute it happens,” she told Digital Spy. 

McGee continued: “Then I kind of started thinking, ‘Is there a way I could have my cake and eat it?’ So, we just had Michelle call time on it immediately. So it never develops beyond that at this point.

“It might in the future, but I just started thinking it would be quite nice if we saw their first kiss because this is the last series.”

Despite McGee’s feelings about the moment, however, the memes and reactions being shared on Twitter after the episode aired were a sign that the majority of people were happy about what went down.

No matter how you felt about *that* moment, it’s safe to say last night’s episode was an absolute banger.

At this point, it seems like Derry Girl’s third season may be shaping up to be the best one yet – and we can’t wait to see what everyone gets up to in next week’s episode. 

The next episode of Derry Girls season 3 will air on Channel 4 next Tuesday at 9pm

Images: Channel 4