#You'reFrickingKIddingYourself

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The Marvel of Trelsi (Part VII)

I’m back for more Trelsi mania. Today, I want to expand on the disadvantages for the High School Musical franchise that Troy and Kelsi received so few scenes together throughout. We know why their friendship is so damn good, and so the natural question arises as to why they didn’t capitalize on this when showing the protagonist, Troy Bolton, headed on his journey to finding himself. 

Already, I’ve answered the following questions from my Introduction:

1- Who IS Troy Bolton?

2- Who IS Kelsi Nielsen?

3-  What makes the Trelsi friendship and dynamic so friggin’ special? Why does it make me want to weep and write poetry? (Part IV, Part V, Part VI)

After some consideration, I’ve added this question before I get to exploring the potential of their relationship:

Question- Why are there so few Trelsi scenes? What is the effect of this? Where could we have seen more Trelsi?

It’s necessary to recap the main value of Trelsi throughout the canonical franchise:

1- Movie Message: Be true to yourself. Troy learns that performing is a part of his identity and embraces this. Kelsi learns that she has a talent worth appreciating and shouldn’t allow people to change her music as though they know better than her. 

2- Character Development: Without taking the crime committed against Troy’s character development into account, the effect of hearing Kelsi’s words and lyrics spurs him to explore his new-found interest and apparent talent in performing. Once Troy shows Kelsi her worth, she becomes more confident, more assertive with her compositions and embraces the spotlight. 

3- Plot: Troy gets his chance to prove himself as a performer after hearing Kelsi’s music; Kelsi in turn gains the acumen to write for more musicals and eventually pursue a scholarship opportunity with Juilliard. Troy’s accumulated profile in the Performing Arts thanks to Kelsi’s songs inform his decision to pursue Theatre after graduating from high school.

4- Character Balance: There is a notable and enjoyable contrast between Troy and Kelsi as people. Even though they have complex shades of their individual characters, there are still some key differences. Troy is more outgoing than Kelsi, more willing to put himself forward. He’s the guy who’ll be joking with his buds at lunchtimes, whilst Kelsi is huddled over her manuscript paper, scribbling away. This is even after she becomes more popular. Kelsi appears more of a disciplinarian when it comes to composing, as you often see her frowning and crossing out notes when dissatisfied. Troy’s performing style appears more spontaneous; I tend to think that he would be the one suggesting ideas to develop his interpretation of Kelsi’s songs. This is evidenced by his practicing style in HSM I (running round the practice room whilst singing the chorus to “Breaking Free) and his routine during HSM III for “I Just Wanna Be With You”.** Kelsi is talkative and Troy is, interestingly, not talkative. Indeed, he gets alarmed when Kelsi babbles on and on about her ideas. When Kelsi becomes more confident, she can steam ahead with her beloved “ideas”, whereas Troy is more hesitant. Kelsi is more spur of the moment, whereas Troy is more analytical (although he clearly does give in to creative impulses). There are some overlaps here, particularly when considering Troy as a basketball player; neither Troy nor Kelsi are clear-cut. But they are distinct in some key areas. 

5- True Friendship: Troy and Kelsi rely upon each other as an unfailing source of support and never abandon each other when things get tough. They are completely loyal to each other. Remember, East High has a Drama Club. Kelsi is certainly not the only composer in the entirety of East High, and Troy has his pick of many other talented people who might write songs just as good as Kelsi’s or even better. Instead he sticks with Kelsi’s music even when initially unwilling to do another musical or show. When the future of each show is put into jeopardy thanks to Gabriella, Troy does everything he can to ensure the show will proceed after all because he cares about Kelsi’s hard work and understands the satisfaction she gets from creating music. It would be far easier for Troy to let Gabriella go her own way (as she tells us in HSM II); after all, he owes more to his girlfriend than to his friend. Insisting upon Gabriella’s performing in HSM III was significantly motivated by his loyalty and respect for Kelsi; hence the speech about how important his new-found friendships with less popular students in East High (and I’m sure he wasn’t just talking about Kelsi and Ryan, but probably other people he had befriended as well, whose names we don’t know). The respect is clear, as is comfort, unspoken understanding and affection. Thanks to the lack of concern shown to Troy’s other friends outside of Gabriella, no indication is given of whether Troy will remain in contact with Kelsi after graduating; obviously I think he would, but we can’t say for sure. 

So why don’t we get to see more of them? I’ve thought about this at considerable length, and although it’s far too easy to blame the screenwriters for not seeing the value of Trelsi right under their noses, I think there is probably a less biased explanation. 

Simply put; we don’t know very much about Kelsi Nielsen. Compare how much we know about her to Troy’s other important relationships: his “romance” with Gabriella and his friendship with Chad Danforth. We hear about Gabriella and Chad’s parents, their childhoods, their aspirations, their interests outside of their primary fields (science and basketball respectively), we know their flaws, we get to see day-to-day banter between these two and Troy on a regular basis. We know about their parents: Gabriella most probably lost her father, her mother has struggled between pursuing the demands of her job and giving her daughter a sense of stability. Mrs. Montez clearly earns a lot of money, and is an excellent cook. Mrs. Danforth loves Broadway, crushes on handsome actors and probably reads too many diet magazines. ([Chad] “One of her crazy diet ideas-- I don’t attempt to understand the female mind, Troy!”) Even other characters like Taylor get more depth even though she isn’t as close with Troy; we know about her older sister, her philosophy on life, her aspirations and interests outside of science. For example, it is notable that despite being scientifically-minded (Chem Club President), Taylor wishes to pursue a degree in Political Science. This is also the same for Gabriella, who wishes to study Law, although she is shown to excel in maths and science (particularly chemistry). 

Consider by contrast how much we DON’T know about Kelsi Nielsen. Who are her parents? Does she have any siblings? What is her wealth status? (She mentions having a piano at her house, so can we assume middle-class?) Given that she was the composer of the show, why didn’t we get to see her parents or other relatives in the audience? With regards to the plot, how did she become interested in music; I have theorized that her deep commitment to the art stems from a pathological shyness that probably lasted for most of her formative years. What does she like doing in her spare time, or what are her other interests outside of music? We know in HSM III that she is more than a competent dancer and may have taken ballet lessons as a child. But this seems contradictory when considering her clear clumsiness in HSM I. By HSM III, she is incredibly graceful. Did she take lessons at some point? What other creative interests does she have? We do know she likes classical literature, as her favourite book is the (extremely boring) “Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte. (Credit to BoltonEvans). Her obsession with romance says a LOT about her-- where did this come from? I’m fairly sure that Jason was Kelsi’s first boyfriend, but did she have any other crushes beforehand? We don’t know things about Kelsi that go beyond the surface, like her fears and her lifelong ambitions. Sure, we can assume she might want to be a composer, but it’s VERY difficult to get well-paid, consistent work in the Performance industry, and no amount of talent can change that. Hence why I discussed her single-mindedness to her career and the disadvantages thereof. 

Don’t get me wrong; we can infer a significant amount of things about Kelsi, as you can see from my hyperlink above. But so much remains unknown. Hence, Kelsi was simply not intended to be a very prominent or influential feature in Troy’s life. This is why Troy and Kelsi are never shown hanging out on a casual, day-to-day basis; almost all of their interaction is centred upon the titular musicals/shows and even though Kelsi eventually sits with the Cool Girls (Taylor, Gabriella and Martha) and the Cool Boys (Chad and Jason, with whom she eats breakfast during HSM II), she is never shown doing the same with Troy. In fact, this gulf between them when not near a piano or stage is so great that we don’t even get a final Trelsi scene after high school graduation, despite the fact that elements of Troy’s speech fit his friendship with Kelsi far better than his friendship with Zeke, Martha or his “relationship” with Gabriella. We get no indication as to whether they will keep in touch after graduation, and have to assume not from the canonical headline. It makes me weep and turn to drink, but my bias and wishful thinking only extend so far. In light of all this, it is simply astonishing that the film’s creators would go to all the trouble of 1)- linking Kelsi to the central character, Troy, 2)- creating a close and unique friendship between them, 3)- giving Kelsi roles and characteristics that should have been given to Gabriella, 4)- inserting Kelsi into the plot and character arcs to push things forward. They managed to be sloppy, careless and yet attentive at the same time. And though I lampoon them on a regular basis, I absolutely give them the credit for creating Trelsi. But their lack of concern for both characters is astounding, particularly since so many HSM fans love both Troy and Kelsi. 

As a result of this, the film suffers from the following disadvantages:

1- Little comfort for Troy: Although there are standout moments where Kelsi comforts Troy, the paucity of Trelsi scenes means that for most of each film, Troy is either left floundering in a sea of self-doubt, self-criticism and denial, or unsuccessfully seeking understanding, loyalty and support from the wrong people. Had he spent more time with Kelsi, he would have gained a steady source of support throughout. It would not have reduced the conflict, because Troy would still face obstacles caused by Gabriella and his friends as well as by himself. It would, however, have built up his character in a realistic and consistent fashion. This was supposed to be Gabriella’s role, and as I will discuss later, she fails abysmally. 

2- Promotion of unhealthy relationships: The less we see of the exemplary friendship between Troy and Kelsi, the more we see of the less exemplary friendships between Troy and the Wildcats, and the unhealthy relationship between Troy and Gabriella. Because Kelsi was not intended to have a significant influence in Troy’s life, there is plenty for room for Gabriella and the Wildcats to influence him in ways that inhibit his character growth and lead to a real decline in his ability to think autonomously. Kelsi reflects the complete antithesis of this, and thus her increased presence would provide an exemplary contrast to the drubbing Troy endures from those supposed to support him. 

3- Stunts character development: The dynamic between Troy and Kelsi is thoroughly egalitarian. They raise each other up both literally and emotionally, and they have a largely unspoken way of doing so. Without this source of support, Troy has to look elsewhere, most often to Gabriella. Troy’s sense of self diminishes at an alarming rate as a result of her influence, which will be discussed in later instalments. Performing onstage and seeing Kelsi there as a source of encouragement increases his confidence and sense of self. Furthermore, potential scenes between Troy and Kelsi that weren’t related to the musicals would help Troy learn more about himself, as they clearly share much in common, a passion for the Performing Arts being one of the main commonalities. 

4- Diminishes Kelsi’s value to plot: This is what annoys me the most. Even though Kelsi is the one who:

1- Composes ALL the music for said HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL,

2- Puts in HOURS getting the very best out of Troy and Gabriella,

3- Shows absolute devotion to her craft, 

4- Can work with any type of performer, even difficult ones like Sharpay, who trusts her enough to keep performing her songs, 

5- Arranged rehearsal times for everyone with recognition to their schedules in EVERY movie, which required excellent organizing skills,

6- Managed the entire school orchestra by herself, writing orchestrations and fixing charts, writing arrangements for different instruments,

7- Assessed the musical capabilities of characters who considered themselves non-musical or even uninterested in music so that she could include them in the musicals: (HSM II- ”...maybe Chad and Zeke can do backup and everyone can dance!”), 

8- Took the generic and predictable Lava Springs Talent Show at an exclusive country club and turned it into a show-stopper (HSM II- “Kelsi’s got some great new ideas to SPICE UP the Talent Show!”) 

9- Had a great understanding of each performer as an individual and could tailor her writing to suit their strengths, which is why she wrote differently for Sharpay as compared to Troy and Gabriella,

10- Made Chad forgive Troy in HSM II,

11- Provided constant loyalty and support to Troy throughout,

...she is considered a MINOR character by most accounts. This is inconceivable, unjust and patently ridiculous. Kelsi is the HEART AND SOUL of the movies. She brings everyone together***, and she is largely responsible for Troy’s magnificent transition on stage into a natural and engaging performer. To give her less scenes with Troy means that less attention goes to her and her incredible achievements and more attention to characters who have not even achieved one fifth of the above list by comparison. It sidelines a character in blatant contradiction to the whole aim of Kelsi’s character development, which was to give a shy and introverted character a VOICE. Recognition. What was the point in Troy reaching out to her in the first place if the script was just going to shove her back offstage despite everything she had done for Troy, Gabriella and the Wildcats? What was the point of Troy calling her and RECOGNIZING her as a Playmaker if she gets no credit for this either from the scriptwriters, Gabriella, the Wildcats or even Troy in his abysmal graduation speech? I reiterate: it was a crime for Troy to mention Zeke’s crême brûlée and Martha’s cheerleading, none of which had ANY effect on his character development whatsoever, but not make ONE mention of Kelsi’s music which propelled him to where he stood that day. Inexcusable. Since Kelsi was the ONLY other person described as a Playmaker, she should have received more attention. Thanks to the chronic inconsistency of both the screenwriters and Troy (too busy giving credit to Gabriella that she doesn’t deserve), the second Playmaker is routinely ignored where she should be getting the spotlight. 

Sorry folks, but this makes me mad.  

What kind of scenes could we have had between Troy and Kelsi that would add value to the franchise and lessen my inveterate anger?

1- Troy confiding his worries-- Although Troy and Gabriella’s first time on the rooftop is a better example of Gabriella being receptive to Troy’s concerns (”I’m sure it’s tricky being the coach’s son.../”Then they don’t know enough about you, Troy”), there’s no consistency in Gabriella’s concern. Throughout HSM II and HSM III, it almost vanishes on the spot. A scene where Troy confided his worries in Kelsi would result in Kelsi taking those worries seriously and providing solid, useful advice to help him progress. 

2- Kelsi confiding her worries-- I refuse to believe that the process of creating a musical or show went off without a hitch. Despite Kelsi’s claims that everything would be fine, she must have had worries about this, and I can only see her being comfortable enough to share these with Troy, who believes in her and calls her Playmaker. That would get her back on track. But what about Kelsi’s worries outside of music? We could have had some very interesting discussions here. 

3- Troy and Kelsi learning more about each other’s backgrounds-- When Troy shares some parts of his childhood with Gabriella, she just laughs in a condescending fashion and makes him feel like an awkward three year old. She doesn’t understand his dorkiness/nerdiness. Given that Kelsi shares a lot of Troy’s awkwardness, I can’t see her making fun of Troy for having a toy robot or a Batman cloak. In fact, in my headcanon, she’d quite like his treehouse. Why? Because Kelsi clearly values solitude to think and compose her songs. Troy values solitude to think as well, hence his love of trees. I can see Kelsi fitting in far better here as a companion in the treehouse. I think Kelsi probably valued her solitude as a child, and even though Troy mostly played with Chad when they were both boys, he clearly does use trees for thinking on his own. Also, because Troy always takes an interest in other people’s lives, and because he connects so well to Kelsi’s music, he would naturally want to know more about her background in this regard. (Assuming they got such a scene... *angry face*)

4- Troy and Kelsi banter-- Both Troy and Kelsi have a far more compatible sense of humour than Troy and Gabriella. Indeed, Gabriella is often incapable of taking a joke. Troy and Chad have a compatible sense of humour, but I don’t get the impression that Chad, who is more straight-forward and direct, would appreciate the value of Troy’s sarcasm, dry and self-deprecating wit. Kelsi definitely would, since she can poke fun of sensitive issues like her height: (HSM II, in response to Martha on what her summer plans are) “Grow, write music, grow.” Kelsi is quite good at making light of a serious situation with a comic understatement, as is Troy. There are some slight differences; it is Kelsi who is more prone to poking fun of others. With the exception of the hazing scene in HSM III, Troy rarely makes fun of anyone-- not even Sharpay. And we have already a little evidence that they find each other funny. Given that Troy becomes increasingly miserable in HSM III, he could have done with some of Kelsi’s light-hearted banter. So say I. :D

5- Deep conversations-- Kelsi’s songwriting reveals a maturity beyond her years. Troy already demonstrates himself as mature beyond his years, often bearing a lot on his shoulders. Gabriella, by contrast, is extremely immature despite her strong academic capabilities. Chad is too involved in either his own future, or trying to impose that upon Troy. He sees the world in black and white, with no nuanced shades of grey. Hence why Troy’s attempts to have serious conversations with Gabriella end with her pretending to listen/understand and then pulling the focus back to herself, and his serious conversations with Chad end in either mockery, sweeping generalizations and Chad once again insisting his views are correct. Therefore, it would be far more enlightening to see Troy having serious conversations with Kelsi. For example, they might discuss their futures; Kelsi is very ambitious, hence why she applied to Juilliard. What with her philosophy of pre-destination (it’s music all the way), and Troy’s philosophy of free will, they would have very mature conversations, discover more about each other and even learn from each other’s viewpoints. There’s a complementary contrast there, as both Troy and Kelsi showcase some of each philosophy in their future: Troy accepts pre-destination when he decides to keep basketball in his life, despite saying in HSM III, “Maybe I don’t see my life as a ball game anymore, man.” It would have been nice to see Kelsi being a little spontaneous when it came to her future too, given that it seems she was dead keen on attending Juilliard: “What? They got my letter?” Once again, we see Kelsi’s unmissable and scandalously underappreciated initiative. 

On that note, I’ll be looking into the potential of Trelsi’s relationship next, in particular the line between friendship and romance. 

TO BE CONTINUED

(*FOOTNOTE-- How tragic it is, that by the end of the film franchise, Kelsi is more confident, whereas Troy’s own confidence has withered to provide that truly horrendous ending we saw in HSM III. Read my fury about it here. Had Troy and Kelsi spent more time together she might have helped alleviate the effects of Gabriella’s negative influence upon him, and had she been Troy’s love interest, he definitely would have developed in a more linear fashion). 

(**FOOTNOTE-- Of course, Troy is a disciplinarian when it comes to basketball, which underpins his skill in this area. Say what you want about Coach Bolton, he really knows how to get the best out of his son, and instils in Troy a laser-like focus on his goals. Now this does not suit Troy when he discovers his interest in the Performing Arts right on the cusp of an important game, but it does give the implication that Troy is a hard worker and is generally successful when pursuing his goals. Or, when he fails, he can pick himself back up again and try harder). 

(***FOOTNOTE-- Once again, we see Troy’s astounding, though unintentional, blindness towards Kelsi and her achievements. How can he seriously claim that Gabriella is the one who “changed” East High, when it was KELSI who brought people to appreciate the beauty of music and performing through her excellent compositions?! Kelsi is the one he calls “Playmaker”-- “the one who makes everyone else look good”-- and not Gabriella, who simply has not achieved anything similar. All Gabriella did throughout the ENTIRE film series was simply be in the right place at the right time. She rarely ever took initiative, except to audition in HSM I, and to apply for Stanford’s Freshman Honors Program (which, whilst being commendable, has nothing to do with Theatre). Kelsi is the one who spent her time composing a song for Troy and Gabriella to sing in HSM II, most likely after she received her summer job from Sharpay. That’s real initiative. We will look at this in more detail later).