#hsmtmts: meta

[hushhushplzzz]

An Underrated Rina Moment II

(and an exploration on Terri’s shifting perspective on Gina and Ricky and Gina&Ricky and how that is largely due to the Ricky Effect)

(aaaand a slight defence of Terri Porter; don’t kill me lol)

Ricky’s super power is 100% the ability to charm the pants off the most prickly, scary, take no ish, rough around the edges, I-wear-the-pants divas and it’s hilarious. All three of the girlboss characters in the show, Gina, Lily, and Dani, became romantically interested in him, and it’s because he exudes trophy boyfriend, malewife, earnest puppy dog vibes and their instinct tells them he’s their compatible opposite.

Ricky has a habit of melting the hearts of the most prickly of women, and Terri Porter is no exception. She was definitely charmed by his care for her daughter, both when he sassed her and when he professed his love in front of the press conference.

But joking aside, Ricky managed to change Terri’s mind about him in only half a day, 1.5 conversations, and a declaration of love. And that’s because, much like he did for Gina, Ricky was the connecting point—a bridge, a catalyst—that allowed Terri Porter to finally reconcile the old Gina she knew with the current Gina who’d grown and become a stronger version of her former self.

And this is why this moment hits so juicy to me:

Will come back to this in a bit!

Incredibly long post ahoy :3

I’ve watched s4 about 8 times now, and I’ve come to the conclusion I actually kind of like Terri Porter as a character.

(Yes, controversial, I know. Please put down the pitchforks 😅).

Don’t get me wrong, she could definitely learn a thing or twenty from Michelle Greene (who wins Best Mom Award™, no contest), but Terri is a well-written archetype of the Overbearing Mother. And having grown up with a similar type of mom, it was pretty refreshing to see a storyline of someone navigating that type of relationship with their own mother and how it affected their upbringing. And above that, it was even more refreshing to see Terri’s mentality start to transform.

With Terri, undoubtedly, her motivations and her love for daughter inspire her actions, however questionable those actions may be. But she clearly wants nothing more than her daughter to be successful and become a star as she was always meant to be. As Michelle and Lynne stated during the HSM 3 performance, kids don’t know how much their parents worry about them. And Terri, no matter how misguided, I truly believe that is how she translates her uncontested love and worry for Gina, through pushing her to be the best and extremely successful. Terri just has a homogenous view of what constitutes success and primarily attributes success to the amount of tangible ambitions and subsequent accomplishments fulfilled.

Is this the best way to approach raising children? No; too much and this is how kids develop anxiety and imposter syndrome, among other issues.

Should Terri let Gina make decisions about what’s best for her in her own time? Absolutely.

But do I understand where Terri is coming from by pushing about New Zealand? Very much, yes.

Terri Porter has tunnel vision and singleminded focus on the future. A mentality of eyes on the prize and a focus on securing future goals. She views each action taken in life as yet another step up the stairwell leading one to their ultimate goal/success. It’s an admirable quality to have—the ability to plan so substantially every step you take to reach the top of your goals—but that tunnel vision often prevents one from living in the moment, or in Terri’s case, from seeing the importance of Gina’s journey to growth and balance and not just the final destination.

She raised Gina with this mentality and this is the root of where overly ambitious Gina 1.0 comes from: the desperate pursuit for lead through sabotage and manipulation, only for her to realise it wasn’t what she’d been looking for at the time. (Now confirmed to have been purpose and acceptance that she was actually seeking.)

But don’t get me wrong about Gina: she wanted a stable community and people who saw her and understood her, but she herself is also a naturally ambitious, driven girl who has the chops and desire to go after her dreams with no hesitation. She gets straight As, has no problem stepping into the spotlight, and is an insanely talented triple threat. Could you argue that this is potentially nurture over nature because Gina has been conditioned by her mom to be as ambitious as possible through her upbringing? Perhaps, but s2 and s3 we saw a Gina not under the influence of her mother’s overbearing nature, and we were explicitly shown how much her confidence was negatively affected by not pursuing the lead in s2 versus how well-balanced and satisfied she was in s3.

Gina is meant to be a star, and she loves the limelight and pampering of stardom. Her mother is also overbearing and pushes her to be in the limelight. They are not mutually exclusive, but undoubtedly, Gina’s motivations are still her own in a large capacity. Of all of Miss Jenn’s students, Gina is the one who acclimates to the changes with the film and navigates this new world with ease while also managing her growing fame and school with relative ease. We see Kourtney struggle with college apps and the filming, even almost dropping out of HSM 3; Carlos quits being Miss Jenn’s assistant; Ricky is trying hard to accommodate change, but it makes him uncomfortable.

(And Ashlyn is just a hot mess overall because of Maddox 😂).

Gina is on top of everything, though, and is in her element and doing amazing to boot, but the caveat to that is she’s found balance and has a loving and supportive community courtesy of her golden retriever boyfriend and the theatre crew family with which she’s strengthened bonds.

But Terri was not there for that journey in s2 and s3, a roughly 7 to 8 month interval of time during which Gina pushed aside her drive and was at her lowest in confidence only to figure it all out and bounce back stronger than ever. And she was not there for the fall and stronger rise again of Gina’s relationship with Ricky. So from Terri’s perspective, the last time she lived with her daughter, Gina was 1.0 and had no desires for anything but her ambitions to be the best.

I give Terri some grace, because though it really is up to her to try to learn and understand her daughter and who she is and who she is becoming—something Terri failed to do more than once—to be fair, Gina kept all these things from her. And I give Gina a lot of grace for not being able to express her truth in all this time because it can be very hard to stand up to overbearing moms who are inflexibly focused on one plan. But for someone who isn’t very observant about what is happening in the now, there was no way Terri would have ever known about all these changes and balance Gina found. And the biggest problem is that this season, Terri refused to open her eyes to see the growth Gina has exhibited to become 2.0 and therefore failed to understand her daughter.

Therefore, I can only imagine Terri’s sheer confusion and discomfort when Gina finally revealed the truth about the journey she’s been on and what has been the most influential in making her this happy every day. There’s no way it didn’t feel like it was coming out of left field for Terri—and she doesn’t get it at first—and for an overbearing, relatively inflexible mother, this type of confession would definitely inspire pushback.

Which we end up seeing.

The way I see it, Terri emphasises no boys in her lecture because she doesn’t want Gina’s success derailed by a relationship. She’s an adult who’s had two kids; I’m sure Terri knows what being in love is like, how unhinged it can make you, and the types of choices you make and types of distractions you have when you’re in love. And in one evening, her daughter, who had likely been telling her everything in the past and has always been under her thumb, tells her she’s been lying to her for months, is in a secret relationship with another boy, has been sneaking him into her room at night, and then rushes out of the house in the middle of dinner with a guest to make out with said boy in the rain.

But above that, the biggest thing is this secret boyfriend is the one person responsible for making Gina the happiest Terri has ever seen, something monumental, and Terri has never even conversed with him, let alone had a substantial, proper first introduction.

She knows nothing about him besides what Gina has likely told her—which is not a tangible thing Terri can confirm—but in her view he probably doesn’t seem driven, doesn’t seem particularly ambitious the way Gina is, hasn’t particularly made a mark on the world, and if we are to go by the implication of her “Gina has been waiting for you to step up for a long time” line, then she also has knowledge of how much pain Ricky inadvertently caused Gina in s2.

We all have seen Gina’s journey throughout the show and know this is the true Gina, but Terri was not there for those events. So from Terri’s perspective, everything she’s learned in one dinner has to have made her think these are all bad choices and decisions she incorrectly believes to be out of character for Gina. All she sees is a Gina who is hesitating and slow to sign a contract for a leading role in a big-budget movie in a way the daughter she remembers never would have. And I have no doubt that she believes that if Gina can make bad decisions like this about a boy without much thought, then she could just as easily make rash decisions that could negatively affect her future.

Like, for example: giving up a once-in-a-lifetime leading role as a brand new actress for a boy who can easily sway her to lie to her mother and sneak around behind her back.

I can only imagine the disapproving panic that started setting in because—beyond the potential implications of sneaking a boyfriend into your room at night—the optics do look pretty bad.

And that’s why I think she told Ricky about New Zealand. I really don’t think she has anything against him personally as she said. Her issues stem from his presence in her life and what that means for Gina’s future compared to Mack, which I’ll get back to a little later.

Again: Terri has tunnel vision and believes Gina has to pick either the movie or SLC. The only right choice in her mind is the movie, and she doesn’t want Ricky to be in the way of that decision because in her eyes, he will impede Gina’s success. But I still didn’t sense strong malicious intent so much as I sensed an inflexible mother trying her hardest to grasp onto the last vestiges of control over her daughter’s life however means necessary. Gina gave her heart to Ricky, and her clear love for him is enough to make Gina hesitate about the direction her career is taking her. Terri overheard Ricky preparing to tell Gina he loves her, and in my opinion was close to “panicking” over the fact that Ricky confessing could very well have been the final nail in the coffin in Gina giving up the acting gig to stay in SLC instead. This is the same mom who encouraged Gina to stay in SLC in s2 and not make any big decisions because she doesn’t know what the universe has in store for her. In Terri’s view, Gina was never attached to SLC, and now she’s having trouble leaving it because of Ricky, so the Ricky panic and pushing Gina to sign the contract faster kind of checks out.

I do believe mentioning Mack was a bit of a malicious dig though, but in the sense that she was trying to tell Ricky that he’s not on the same level as Mack and Gina in drive, ambition, and success. But I interpret her overall behaviour in that scene as a last ditch Hail Mary to try to make Ricky recognise what’s at stake for Gina and how influential his decisions could be in impacting how Gina makes her choice. Ricky, to her, is an obstacle and the biggest barrier at the moment to Gina jumping right into doing the movie so instead of approaching Gina, she opts to target Ricky to reconsider his attachment to Gina.

I truly believed her when she said she doesn’t have anything against Ricky, because it really isn’t about Ricky. It’s always about Gina—and who Terri thinks would best match Gina—and she just doesn’t get Ricky’s impact in Gina’s life because she probably never asked.

Terri, though overbearing, clearly does want what’s best for Gina’s success, but she doesn’t know what is best for Gina because she hasn’t been there enough to recognise Gina’s needs in the first place. And she tends to bulldoze over Gina, sometimes not even listening to what she has to say.

That’s why the confrontation with Ricky in Gina’s room is so, so important, because it’s the first pivotal moment where Terri is confronted for the first time on how important the theatre community is to Gina, no matter how small and non-famous. The moment she first realises why this idiot boy has such a strong impact on her daughter in the first place. The first moment she starts to see how Gina started to and had a safe, comfortable space to change. And the first moment she is met with the very real threat that Gina is no longer as tethered to Terri’s idea of success and stardom because Gina has people in her corner who she has placed at a higher ranking in importance than her mark-making goals.

Even when Ricky was being denigrated for not stepping up, his mind was still razor focused on Gina and being her biggest supporter and cheerleader. His response is very much a “you can say whatever you want about me, but I won’t tolerate you hurting Gina again” kind of thing. And however small, he did get through to Terri in some capacity. In some ways, I think he also gained a little bit of her respect with his Caucasity audacity.

This is the face she makes when he calls her out on her hypocrisy:

That’s a face of guilt with bits of shame. Maybe a bit of understanding that she deserves that one.

And these are the faces she makes when he asks her to turn around while he tries to get out:

Terri Porter is not a warm woman. She is driven, she is ambitious, and she pushes her daughter so hard because, to some extent, she likely views Gina’s success as her own too. And she wants nothing to get in that way, come hell or high water.

And yet, nothing about those expressions indicate a dislike of Ricky. If anything, I’d say she kind of looks fond, amused, or even impressed during a lot of that interaction. And there is no way Terri did not recognise at least a bit of the aspects of Ricky we viewers have watched him develop. His admirable complete devotion and protection of Gina. His drive to grow and improve so he can be a better partner to Gina. His desire to fully support her ambitions so she can become the star he knows she was always meant to be.

There’s no way that at that moment, Terri didn’t see an inkling of exactly why Gina has been so happy. There’s no way she didn’t recognise that Ricky is not just some random dude her daughter is dating for fun. This is not a similar relationship like the one she had with EJ over the summer. Ricky is the real deal. And he has potential to really damage the choices Gina can make about her life. She’s wrong, of course. Ricky is no longer the type to try to make everything else go away so he can have control and stability over his own life and relationship. But I think from that brief moment in Gina’s room, she at the very least now has the tangible evidence to back up what makes Ricky so important to Gina. And that informs her subsequent “panic” and the New Zealand reveal.

But again, she doesn’t know him. Just sees that her daughter is in love with a boy who doesn’t fit her own idea of strong future ambitions for success and thinks him unworthy and a possible deterrent to Gina becoming a star.

The thing is though, as I mentioned earlier, it’s not Ricky personally who she has a problem with: it’s what Ricky represents versus what Mack does.

Ricky is the theatre community—dinky, small school club, nondescript, can’t acquire fame through it—while Mack is the world of Hollywood—big-budget movie and fame, potential for successful stardom, glitz and glam and glory.

Until the end, she doesn’t care for the theatre community, because like most of her approach regarding success, a small school club is unlikely to match Gina’s drive and allow her to reach her fullest potential in a more public sphere.

(I’m gonna get over-analysy and philosophical for just a second).

The show, whether intentional or not, makes it a point to reflect this idea of the theatre community versus Mack/Hollywood as it pertains to Gina’s home and life. All moments with the theatre group and anyone having to do with it were relegated to scenes in Gina’s attic bedroom only. The cast reveal is in the attic, and they only got in because Emmy stole the garage code and they snuck in while no one was home. The Halloween party is not in the house proper, but confined to Gina’s attic, and Terri’s interaction with them is to remind them to keep it down. Ricky sneaks into the windows at night to see Gina and all his visits are also confined to the attic.

Compared to that, we have Mack, the representation of fame and stardom, gets full-blown concierge service of a dinner and is treated like royalty in the main part of the house. His presence is not only invited, it’s also encouraged and unhidden.

(Quick aside: after Ricky takes off during the Halloween party, we see Gina melancholic and at war with herself on the stairs, a middle ground/point between the main house and the attic. One foot in each world and a reflection of the start of the conflict she has to resolve in the second half of the season).

Following this metaphor, it reflects the view Terri has of Gina’s communities. How she disregards the theatre group and kind of ignores them, pushes them to the side in her mind. How much importance she places on Gina’s Hollywood gig, even going as far as not attending any stage performances but showing up to the movie set. I don’t think she even would have tried to watch most of the HSM 3 production had Ricky not called her out.

Terri prioritises success in a larger scheme of the world, choosing to ignore how much Gina’s community means to her and how much Gina means to the community too until the press conference. Until the moment when Gina talks about SLC being her support network and home. When Gina spontaneously changes the film location to stay in SLC so she can have both her found family and her future fame. When Ricky shows up and with no hesitation boldly declares his love for Gina. When her friends and castmates and found family (the bridesmaids and groomsmen 😜) come to the front to share in this moment and protect their moment and their moment alone from the prying eyes of the press.

It's not hard to see Gina’s sheer joy and bliss at all her dream's realised with Ricky and her community through her smile and tears, and the room is quite literally brightened up.

And Terri gets it: what Ricky was sassing her about, that Ricky wants nothing more than Gina’s happiness, and that Gina’s happiness is not just success in her ambitions but more so the people who have been there for her when Terri wasn’t there. She finally reconciles the words Gina likely told her at dinner and what Ricky alluded to with Terri’s absence from the opening nights with what she sees as tangible evidence right in front of her eyes.

So this is why this:

Is such an underrated moment for me, not just because her personal invitation is a seal of approval for their relationship and her acknowledgement that Ricky is worthy of her daughter. It’s also because Ricky is the reason why Gina found and joined this theatre community in the first place, and in many ways, represents exactly what this community means to Gina: finally being seen, known, understand, and accepted for who she is.

Terri telling Ricky he’s welcome in her home without having to sneak anymore represents to me that understanding and approval of this community to Gina, and in turn, a desire for Gina to continue to have this group present in her life. It’s Terri finally making an effort to listen to what Gina needs and wants and making the effort to accept Gina’s decisions and what makes Gina happiest with open arms.

Gina showed her that beautiful balance Gina 2.0 achieved without her mother’s influence by figuring out a way to have her cake with the movie and eating it too in SLC with her family. Something Terri would never have thought of as an option, given her tunnel vision. And this was definitely a strong factor in Terri recognising the influence and importance and benefit of Gina’s theatre community. And now that she is taking active steps to get to know Ricky and the community, I can only imagine her relationship with Gina, her relationship with Ricky, and her understanding of Gina’s relationship with Ricky will improve.

Within 12 hours, only two short prior conversations, one of which was Terri talking at Ricky, and Ricky publicly declaring his love for—and proposing to 🤭🤭🤭—her daughter, she’d changed her mind about him. Which is pretty insane to think about considering the type of mother Terri is: a bit controlling and not very flexible. And I attribute Terri’s change of heart mostly to Ricky, who put into action the words she’d heard from Gina and Ricky and showed her so easily that he has every quality she values and rewards:

Single minded focus and pursuit of a task when it counts.

Guts and gumption.

Ambition and drive to go after what he wants.

Never gives up.

Her machinations (twice!) did not deter him from expressing his utterly romantic, swoonworthy love song for Gina, and she definitely respects that. And it helped her see that Ricky’s drive is to make sure Gina is always happy and that Gina knows she’s loved and cared for.

Despite the fact that he is not a traditional “successful” by her definition, Terri still thinks and understands he’s worth the wait Gina went through since Thanksgiving s1 to finally be with the love of her life.

All this to say a woman like Terri Porter does not change her mind for any old reason—it has to be significant—and Ricky gaining her approval was such an excellent way to emphasise just how truly perfect Rina is for each other. How worthy Ricky is of Gina, not based on some arbitrary definition of success, but because of how significant he is in Gina’s journey of growth and happiness. I could go on and on about Rina being perfect soulmates, haha, but I digress. I foresee a great friendship between Ricky and Terri in the future because above all else, the both of them are driven by a staunch desire to see Gina successful and happy.

I originally was going to name this post “Ricky’s Effect on the Porter Women” because he truly does play a significant role in changing both of their perspectives. He was the first to allow Gina to find a home, a place where she can finally be known, something which kicked off her growth which ultimately gave her the strength and courage to make her choice at the end of the season. And he was the first to transform Terri’s mentality on success and the ultimate reason she finally saw the real Gina and the importance of this whole community that has impacted her life the most.

Ricky is an instrumental catalyst in both of their lives. He’s the reason why Gina stood up to her mother and stood her ground on her own desires and what is important to her. He’s the reason why Terri Porter will likely continue to learn who her daughter is from now on, step back, and trust Gina to make her own choices knowing she is safe with the friends she loves. He’s the reason Gina and Terri will be able to have a more equal, open and honest relationship where Gina’s desires are understood, listened to, and met because he won’t ever let anyone hurt Gina again. He’s the reason that Terri is starting to understand and reconcile who her daughter has been and who her daughter is now.

Terri is a complex character, but I feel it is doing her a disservice dismissing her choices as her being a terrible person. Her priorities are far more intense than current Gina necessarily needs, and she is a flawed human being who has definitely made mistakes in motherhood, but she’s also been an amazing mom in other ways:

She understood how much pain Gina would be in when they had to move on Thanksgiving and tried pre-emptively to keep it from happening. She gives her a bear every Valentine’s day. She let her 16 year old daughter stay in SLC by herself upon request because it was the first time in 5 schools in 7 years that Gina wanted to stay somewhere. She encouraged Gina to stay in SLC in s2 and keep making new experiences when Gina was about to give up. She moved her whole life back to SLC and decided to stick there for her daughter so Gina could have a stable home this school year. Even if too strong a push at times, she is an unwavering supporter of Gina’s talent and rise to fame and does not hide from her daughter how incredibly talented she views her. And though an incorrect assumption on Gina’s happiness, she immediately waived her no boys rule in case Gina wanted to pursue Mack. And once she accepted Ricky, she did the same again, allowing their relationship and telling him he’s welcome in their home and welcome in her and Gina’s life.

She’s a bit of a messy mom, kind of clueless, misguided in the direction she was taking parenting Gina, and has a lot to learn about a more hands-off and trusting parenting style, but she is very much there for her daughter.

And when Ricky and Gina get married in ten years, I can guarantee you Terri Porter will be right in the front, proud as hell that her daughter is marrying the perfect person for her, who cares for her beyond himself and makes her the happiest she’s ever been.

[blues-valentine]

I've always loved how when Ricky sees that Gina is back in 1x09 it directly followed the status quo chorus that might as well be s2 Ricky's theme song "stick to the stuff you know, it is better by far to keep things as they are , don't mess with the flow"

You know, while I was doing the analysis for Season 1 (x) and the song analysis for Ricky (x) I did take notice on this but I didn't want to make the post even longer so I skip it but I dont think the placement on this is random. We know they are very meticulous with Rina. The fact 108 is the episode where in Gina's absents he is able to connect with Nini over memories together as kids and go back to how things were and then, the first time he sees Gina again after is when she is singing "Stick To The Status Quo". It feels like a remainder of what he’s been trying to do with his life. And it also reminded me how one of the only featured Gina and Ricky posters that they promoted for Season 1 had them with the catchphrase "don't stick to the status quo".

Thats not random at all. In fact, it tells their arc.

Because all Ricky has been trying to do is stick to the status quo, not allowing change to enter his life because he wants to mantain things the way things are. He wants to keep his status quo (due to his fears) and Gina represented at that moment the opposite of that. Nini was Ricky’s status quo, what he knew. Gina pushes Ricky to move forward and walk outside of it. The reason he connected with theater in the first place was because of Gina, not Nini. He thought he was just a skate rat until he was not that anymore.

[thousand-page-dreams]

I wish "This Is Me" would've been given to Kourtney instead of Emmy.

Kourtney in the first season who wasn't even in the musical, despite being a talented singer. She supports Nini a lot, but rarely gets that in return. In the second season, she has a small role in Beauty and the Beast.

The lyrics also work well with Kourtney's struggle with anxiety, and could've have been a triumphant moment as she gets ready to go on stage.

Finally, Camp Rock is said to be her comfort movie.

[27emailsicantsend]

did anyone else notice the secret notes in gina’s locker were written on camp shallow lake paper?

also did anyone remember that troyella did a secret note before they met up in the rooftop garden? (they also passed some other secret notes in all of the movies)

I’m not ok rn 😭😭

[sparklyseblos]

ej caswell is so sour coded. i said what i said.

happy 2nd birthday to sour! 💜🦋

[judasisgayriot]

finally watching hsmtmts s4 lol, and these kids are so alien to me it’s so funny how I do not relate to the world these teenagers live in any more with their… tik toks and whatnot… like they’re sweet kids but honestly we’re miss jenn stans first and everything else second

[aroundthewaygirlao3]

So I saw @hattathehattxr answer an anon about would they want Portwell to get back together on the show, with some really great points about the only ways it would really make sense, given the narrative they’ve painted themselves into. I’ve actually had a sort of blue print of how *I* would do it kicking around in my head, so... here’s my thought.

- End the ‘flagship’ show with S4. It feels like Josh wants to be done, Julia is poised to be in another Broadway show if The Secret Garden transfers as expected, and both Joe and Frankie have been booking live theater gigs as well. It just feels like they’d be better off calling it on the original cast after this year. Not to mention the original concept has gotten SO meta, I can’t even figure out where you go from there.

- SO the storyline for S4... Ricky is super anxious about being a senior and what comes next, and repeats some of his clingy stuff with Gina. But this time he figures out that’s what he’s doing, and genuinely learns to embrace change. After Miss Jenn and Mike break up, they both make the decision that they want to move to Chicago so Ricky can be closer to his mom. Gina is proud of him for embracing change, but can’t do long distance. Ricky understands, they break up amicably. 

- In the finale, EJ has returned to Salt Lake from his stint in “success school”, newly determined not to let his father rule his life. He tells Ashlyn that he’s been accepted into a film making competition in LA. The winner gets admission to film school, and he’s determined to get that spot.

- With nothing with Ricky tying her to Salt Lake, and inspired by getting to know Mack (Matt Sato’s character who’s an actor), Gina decides to make the leap to move to LA and seriously pursue an acting career. Which leads to...

HSMTMTS: The Spinoff: Gina’s Fabulous Adventure! 

- Following the blueprint from the original HSM franchise that follows Sharpay moving to NYC, Gina moves to LA to live with her brother (because we NEED more Jordan Fisher, people!) 

- Gina and Mack spend most of S1 of the spin off in a sweet little relationship, but Gina can’t help but feel like something is missing. Mack is great, but doesn’t get her the way her other partners both have, leading her to re-evaluate what happened with EJ a bit.

- Gina doesn’t find success immediately, and is feeling discouraged. In a deeply stereotypical LA moment, her car breaks down in the rain. Jamie’s not answering and Mack is on set. Desperate, Gina calls the one other person she knows in LA... EJ. Who of course, shows up for her.

- Mack gets a gig shooting on location in London for six months. They agree they’re not the kind of thing that lasts, and have a mutual breakup. Gina says she’s fine, but is actually still wondering why nothing stays in her life. 

- Meanwhile, she and EJ are rebuilding their friendship, and EJ invites her to the final screening for the film competition he’s entered. When Gina goes, she’s shocked that his short film is the story of the last summer. She’s initially angry and goes to leave, but then she starts to see what it was really like from EJ’s perspective, the intense anxiety that he was feeling and how hard he WAS trying to be there for her... that she never was a maybe.

- At the end of the screening, EJ is announced as the winner. Gina is so happy and proud of him... and then sees him celebrating by kissing the girl who played ‘her’ in the movie... and there’s our S1 cliffhanger!!

Obviously S2 (and maybe even a S3) gets Gina and EJ back together. But I think there’s so much more story that they COULD tell for these two! Tim said in an interview that EJ will be “an important factor” in future seasons, but I don’t trust him with these characters at this point. This is how I’d love to see EJ get the storyline he deserves, and help Gina really become the main girl SHE deserves to be. 

Disney Plus, call me! (ETA: You know, call me after you decide to pay writers a fair wage for their work, without which you would HAVE NO CONTENT. Sorry, had to get a WGA plug in there.)

[hsmtmtsnet]

High School Musical: The Musical: The Series season 4 is shaping up to be the show’s most nostalgic season yet, and PEOPLE has the exclusive First Look at the stars in character, including Joshua Bassett (Ricky), Sofia Wylie (Gina), Julia Lester (Ashlyn), Dara Reneé (Kourtney), Frankie Rodriguez (Carlos), Joe Serafini (Seb), Liamani Segura (Emmy) and more. 

Following a transformative summer away at camp, the new season follows the East High students as they enter their senior year — and it doesn’t take long before the drama picks up, both on and off stage. As the students prepare to put on a stage production of High School Musical 3: Senior Year, their plans are quickly derailed when it’s announced that Disney is making the long-awaited High School Musical 4: The Reunion movie at their high school, and they'll all be playing featured extras. 

When PEOPLE visited the HSMTMTS set last year, many of the stars teased that this season feels like a “full-circle” moment as many OG High School Musical stars make cameos, including Corbin Bleu, Monique Coleman, Lucas Grabeel, Bart Johnson, Alyson Reed and Kaycee Stroh. 

“We've been manifesting it since day one and here we are four seasons later and we finally get to be with the OG Wildcat Group,” explains Lester, 23. “They embody the OG Wildcat spirit, we embody this new Wildcat spirit, and two groups blended together has been so wonderful.” 

Bassett, 22, adds that it was especially moving to witness the OG HSM cast’s emotional response to returning to East High nearly 15 years after the final film wrapped. “It was really special to share that,” he says. “It was truly a beautiful thing and beyond what we were hoping for to have so many original people back.”

This season will also feature two new recurring cast members who stir things up for the East High students.

Descendants: The Rise of Red’s Kylie Cantrall plays social media star Dani, who sounds like an HSMTMTS take on Ashley Tisdale's Sharpay. “She likes the spotlight and when she wants something, she goes and gets it, even if it means stepping on people's toes a little bit,” teases Cantrall, 17.

Meanwhile, Doogie Kameāloha, M.D. star Matthew Sato joins the cast as a sitcom actor named Mack, who he says “develops a really interesting relationship” with Gina as the season progresses. 

Naturally, this season will feature countless nods to the original HSM franchise with the music, storylines and even costumes. “It is so meta,” showrunner Tim Federle says of season 4. “It's like Inception with jazz hands at this point. I think there are Easter eggs in every episode.” 

The major storylines in this season also draw inspiration from the third High School Musical movie, as many of the characters go on journeys of self-discovery in their final year at East High. 

“We chose High School Musical 3 because they're literally graduating,” Federle says of the significance behind the students’ musical for this year. “Troy and Gabriela have these stories about being potentially pulled apart by circumstance and by growing up and that's exactly what Ricky and Gina are going through,” he adds of Bassett and Sofia Wylie’s characters, who share a passionate kiss at the end of season 3. 

As for that season 3 cliffhanger, Bassett teases that fans will continue to see the “aftermath” of that relationship in the upcoming season. “They're both really nervous about getting it right,” he says of Ricky and Gina. “It’s fun to see [them] in this light and actually see them in a healthy relationship because I think both of them have had pretty not great relationships.” 

Relationship drama and big decisions are key themes in season 4 as the characters prepare to graduate high school. “Kourtney is going through these massive decisions about wanting it all as a college student,” teases Federle, 43. “Ashlyn goes on a journey where she discovers her own queerdom in the series.” 

“Those are all things we're able to address in a way that I think celebrates the original franchise but puts a stamp on it in our own way,” Federle adds.  

As for what Federle hopes the show’s final stamp will be? The importance of community. “In the streaming era, there's something real about the phrase ‘It's now or never,’” he explains. “[To] still be on the air after four seasons is a blessing alone.” 

“I hope what people take away [from the series] is that in a mean, mean world, it's really important to find your people who have your back,” he adds. “The world is mean enough, and there are certain pockets of the world that you can find your people and soar and not apologize for who you are.” 

He continues, “That goes for our audience, and that goes for these characters and ultimately, it goes for the real-life cast, hoping from me that they carry this with them for the rest of their lives. That they had a place to go that was safe and where they were celebrated for all of their colors.”

“This was my first TV show,” he adds. “And what I promised Disney was that if they let me hire real theater kids, they wouldn't let me down. I'm so proud of them because when the world beats them up, they still show up for me and for each other.”

[chemical-irwin]

oohhhhh i need to spill some thoughts about hsmtmts because the brainrot is real. as a lover of Gina Porter and a day 1 Rina warrior, i LOVED watching Gina getting everything she every wanted, and watching Rina be so amazingly disgustingly in love all season was more amazing than i could’ve imagined

but i also feel like most of the conflict i actually wanted to see maybe be addressed was just… sidestepped?

Rini had a lot of faults as a couple, but i think the bottom line for why they wouldn’t work was because their life goals and levels of ambition made them not compatible.

their communication with each other got bad because they were afraid to tell each other the truth. Ricky tried the long distance relationship and came to the conclusion that he found it difficult. and i think Nini came to the conclusion that she wouldn’t be able to fly and fully be herself while being by his side. (also ricky had feelings for another girl, sooo)

okay but Rina are literally soulmates. the difference is that they love and understand each other so much they are willing to fight through all the hardships and insecurities. they were going to find a way to have it all (and i believe they can)

that’s why i wish that they went through with Gina not being able to be Gabriella. it actually does seem like an alright sacrifice to make when she got the role in the film. just like it wasn’t important for her to be Gabriella in s1, Ricky and Gina making time for each other even though she was on set all day would’ve been a nice thing to see. (but also what is more meta than Gina coming in halfway through the show to sing a Gabriella hsm3 song?)

it would’ve been good to show that Ricky wasn’t worried about their limited time together like he was Nini. and he didn’t need to feel intimidated by Mack, whose ‘at the same level’ as Gina and wouldn’t hold her back. it’s one of Ricky’s biggest insecurities, and he still feels like that in the final.

i also think it would’ve been awesome to see Ricky help Dani. having Ricky’s plot be so Gina focused the last two seasons is fine for showing his character growth with relationships- but i also feel sad a a Ricky fan that he still feels somewhat lost by the end.

i wish somebody would turn and say to him that he’s a leader, and he has this super power to see through peoples hard exteriors and gets them to come out of their shells and connect with others (i loved his and Jets friendship in s3). Dani is supposed to be ambitious and business savvy, she couldve been a good foil for Ricky, instead we got a half baked story with Kourtney that was dropped. Ricky is talented! he should monetise it! (also it would’ve been good to see gina work through jealousy)

the fact Ricky’s conclusion was ‘as long as Gina can help me study, i’ll be able to get A’s go to college’ is definitely a conclusion. Gina getting to film the film in SLC is cool but what about the next film where she won’t have a clever plan for her conflicts? i feel like the show presents these situations to say ‘would this be tough for them? well Gina Porter can move mountains so you won’t have to know!’

sometimes love isn’t always enough for a couple. they actually might be Romeo and Juliet, where they are star-crossed, or they might not be, i feel like we never really got to put them to the test. (the fact that their rain kiss is about a miscommunication about her moms house rules, rather than the actual angst in their relationship was interesting!)

but also this is an 8 episode Disney Plus show soooo y’know

[yellowlaboratory]

Gimme all your thoughts on the last season of hsmtmts when you compose yourself! I’m still crying it was so perfect! Us Rinas won so hard!!! They are the most perfectly executed slowburn soulmates ever and the payoff was so sweet!

ricky bowen basically sums up the entirety of my feelings towards the hsmtmts finale. i have absolutely not composed myself and there's so much to say but I'm not sure I have the words. Seeing as I just finished watching it through for a second time and my tears are still drying .... I'm gonna ramble cause this show means a stupid amount to me

First of all, this was my favorite season. I always say 3rd seasons are the best but... damn. hsmtmts is breaking my streak.

I think it brought back a lot of what made season 1 so so so special to me but it also allowed the show to grow. it was funny and outlandish and ridiculous and surprisingly heartfelt and it made me sob, all like season 1. the meta was metaing, the character development was charater developmenting (4x06??? insanity on every level). almost every single character made me cry at some point - both characters I have loved so dearly from the beginning and some characters I have truly hated at one point or another. genuinely, i think I ended this season more fond of the original main cast than I ever have been - which is saying something!!! i have loved them a lot from the start. I also think the humor and the pacing and the self-awareness were otherworldly.

this show just has a stupid ability to make me feel the full spectrum of human emotions in a 5 minute timespan - I go from laughing my ass off to crying my eyes out to falling in love to hating something so viscerally and it's just akdhsflkjasdhlfkj. it's hard to explain to people who haven't watched it because like ??? what do you mean the stupid littel alphabet show made you feel all that???? and i can't really explain it like you just gotta experience it. I'm a full ass adult and I audibly sobbed at Gina's speech - and i'm pretty sure I'll never be able to watch that scene without crying.

speaking of gina... I've known for a long time that she was one of my girls, but this season has absolutely forever cemented her as one of my favorite characters of all time. she is my girl my queen the love of my life an angel all the good things in the world (i sound like ricky bowen). but very seriously, there's a very short list of my favorite characters of all time and she will always, always, always be there.

I want to speak more about rina but i just.... i'm literally not sure i can find the words. the season was amazing, I loved seeing them grow out of situations that mirrored obstacles they had in the past, I loved the clear lines that showed how perfect Gina and Ricky are for each other as opposed to their previous partners, I think the rain kiss genuinely took my breath away and I'm so so so so happy that they are happy. I leapt out of my seat at the callbacks and the reveals and lost my mind at how invisible string and mastermind coded their entire relationship is. they are literally soulmates like gina took one look at "skater boy" and she was like "wow i guess this is the love of my life". like?????? that's so genuinely insane???? unhinged television.

i'm also heartbroken that i don't get more of them. i know we just saw a whole season of them kissing but like - I want more. I want to see them graduate. i want to see them take on more challenges. i want to see them fall even further in love. i'm sure i'll have more eloquent, well-rounded thoughts once my brain is working, but right now, i'm just so happy with what we got and also a little bit mourning the things we'll never see.

all in all, that's kind of how i feel about the show in general. i don't know that it feels finished. like - it was an ending. it had so much closure. this wasn't cancelled or cut off, it was brought to a close. but i still have so much i want to see from these characters. I want to see more of ricky and gina always. I want Kourtney taking on college and a Jetney duet (I'm gonna sue someone over the fact that i didn't get one). I want to see so so so much more of maddox and ashlyn!!! i literally just got them. and miss jenn and mazarra????? they literally just. dropped that in my lap and ran!!!!

i think the problem isn't actually the ending, though. I think it's just me, lol. I'm not sure I'd ever be ready to say goodbye to these characters. and i know it's good to go out on a high note but damn can't we ride this high for just a little bit longer?

also - terri porter is gunning for one of my least favorite tv parents ever and like. if you know me you know that's saying something.

also also - they swore more in this season of hsmtmts than in s3 of the boat show so. do with that what you will.

[curtsies-from-princess-ashlyn]

Season 2 in review....

Surprisingly, there was a lot that was improved from s1 when this season started, but unfortunately those improvements weren't consistent through the whole season. The character work for the leads was much better than the first season, and I do think how the story was being told (i.e. literary devices, visual and musical cues, etc.) was stepped up (shoutout to Ilana Wolpert for 2x06, which I think is the best written episode this season). I also really liked how the music from BATB was incorporated into this season, which I think was used more effectively to tell the stories of the wildcats than the music from HSM in s1. I also thought the season was better paced in the first half than s1 (up until 2x07 or so), but then it started spinning wheels in the 2nd half a bit before coming to a screeching halt in the finale. The finale doesn't even really have a narrative, technically. For that alone, this is the weakest season as a whole.

The season's tone is noticeably darker than either s1 or s3 (and presumably s4), which I think really makes it stick out. I don't necessarily think the darker tone is a bad thing, since many of the characters are experiencing some really painful things this season, and it matches the gravity of the pain and trials they face. However, it's not tonally consistent with the rest of the show, and I think the inclusion of the North High crew makes this even worse. For the most part, the North High students were the ones who provided comedic relief this season, and the rivalry plotline simply did not work. The plot did nothing to further the arcs of the main characters, so as a framework for the overall season, it just felt superfluous. At least Nini's YAC arc had relevance and moved along her and Ricky's storylines, but the rivalry helped no character move from point A to point B in their growth. I think it could've been used to challenge Ashlyn's insecurities about being a leading lady, with Lily being her foil in fitting the "ideal" (I think maybe this was the original idea?), but there was almost no conclusion to Ashlyn's storyline as Belle. In the end, I think the North High rivalry felt much more like the Vocal Adrenaline rivalry in Glee than fitting in the very meta world of HSM or HSMTMTS.

If Ashlyn's storyline was so unfinished, then how can I possibly say the character work was improved from s1? Well, the storylines of Ricky, Nini, and Gina were done very well this season. I think there was a lot more intention and vision of how these characters needed to grow this season than in s1, and the writers do honor each one of them in their storylines. Ricky is continuing to be challenged to confront changes, and the more this happens, the tighter he clings to his past with Nini. Nini is discovering her own voice for the first time in a long time, and YAC and her relationship with Ricky are showing her that she needs more freedom and space to be her true self than they both provide. Ultimately, Ricky and Nini's breakup arc is the best written storyline of the season (even if its dragged out an episode too long). Ricky's arc still can't move forward until he confronts his mom (who it all leads back to), and overall the writers hit the perfect balance with his story. He was held accountable for his mistakes, but we the audience know exactly why he's making them and can empathize with his painful struggle.

Gina is figuring out where she actually fits in at EHS, and her growing insecurity and doubting of her instincts all ties back to her uncertainty in her relationship with Ricky. This all makes sense, given he's the first friend she ever made in SLC, effectively being the tether to the rest of her relationships there. S2a focuses on her struggling to navigate these new relationships and emotionally separate herself from everyone. The performance of "Home" is her turning point, but even after choosing to stay, she still continues to question her worth to others. Her conversation with Nini in 2x12 reveals that she still has insecurities about her true self, calling herself "off-putting". The one character I can't figure out if his storyline is written with intention or ultimately fumbled is EJ's. It's clear this season is supposed to start him on his journey of finding his own story, but rather than continue down this path, his storyline shifts to focus on his relationship with Gina. It could be intentional that the writers wanted EJ to think that his relationship with Gina was his new story, allowing him to learn in s3 that his story can't be defined by his father or a girl, but maybe that's a generous interpretation. I have more thoughts on his s3 storyline later.

I really appreciated the attempt to expand the scope of storytelling to be more ensemble-focused than s1, but I don't think enough attention was given to the rest of the characters. I loved that Kourtney had a significantly larger role this season, and her stories meshed better with the rest of the cast this season than Nini's, tbh. I actually loved seeing her work with Big Red and them as scene partners. Save for Kourtney's storyline, I don't think there was enough payoff or conclusion for the rest of the characters' individual arcs this season (Ashlyn, Big Red, Carlos, Seb).

Last comment: I was incredibly impressed by Joshua Bassett's performance this season. He gave a good performance in s1, but he reached a whole new level in s2 as Ricky. I think the clarity of Ricky's character and arc this season really helps, but I was blown away at how he was able to portray all these complex emotions so sensitively and believably. Sofia's undoubtedly the best actor, but he also really held his own this season.

[blues-valentine]

I already know what’s going to happpen with that “love triangle” between Mack, Gina and Ricky that won’t be much of a love triangle.

Mack and Gina will share the same theater background and so the same ideas about their future. I have a feeling Mack will parallel Sharpay. Sabotage to win if necessary. I can guess he'll be a dancer just like Gina and this will make Ricky feel like he isn’t on her level and holding her back from reaching her potential. All this amplified by the fact Mack will get a major role with Gina in the movie (and they’ll be playing love interests as I previously theorized). Plus, the fact Ricky can’t publicly be Gina’s boyfriend so he will have to see Mack flirting with her but trying to keep it cool because he wants to respect Gina’s wish on being private while also supporting her future career.

I have a feeling that kiss between Mack and Gina while they’re filming the movie will be Mack kissing her unscripted because he has a crush on her (or it’s trying to sabotage them) which is why Ashlyn and Carlos seem shocked and Ricky seems annoyed. It seems like no one in theater likes the guy. This will result in an argument because Ricky wants to be able to love and be Gina’s boyfriend publicly but because they are keeping it a secret he can’t and it upsets him. It’s not because he doesn’t trust Gina but because he is feeling like he isn’t enough to bond with her in that level and Gina is going to try to stay professional and focused on the movie that she will miss the signals. This will cause a temporary blow up that ends with Ricky and Gina’s love confession. And if I want to be more specific, in that rain scene that we know it’s happening in front of the orange car.

It’s not a love triangle about Gina being confused about two guys but about Ricky feeling overcome by the idea of someone being better for Gina’s future than he is. I think he will be trying to approach it in a mature way and being supportive of Gina, putting her first and willing to step aside if it is the best for her. Tim loves his full circle moments that’s for sure.

[multimetaverse]

thoughts on the hsmtmts final season trailer?

Well anon, I think the trailer and the just released synopsis and photos for the first 6 eps look pretty good and I'm cautiously optimistic that the show will maintain the quality of S3 and if we're very lucky it may have some moments that come close to the excellence of S1.

I wish Disney would stick to the status quo and release the final eps weekly but it seems that their MO is now to burn off seasons of shows they've cancelled or have given up on (I wonder if they regret their decision with it likely that the actors and directors strike will last for many months). I'll be away from Meta Manor for a while so I don't know when I'll have time to watch S4; I won't do ep by ep reviews but I may do a season review in a few weeks. That being said, here are the main points I'll be grading S4 on, in no particular order:

Rina: I've never been a Rina shipper but I've long said that Rina's fate is inextricably tied with the show. So I want a great season for them, no pointless breakups, no pointless drama. Now in real life with Ricky graduating they wouldn't last but Tim needs to drop the realism and have a nice unambiguous Rina endgame. I'm hopeful that Gina's acting career plot will allow her to be with Ricky even after he graduates.

Big 3 Cameos: At least one of Zac, Vanessa, or Ashley must appear on screen for at least one scene or else the OG cast plot will be pointless. Especially since in universe they're doing a HSM 4 which Disney would not have green lit without at least one of the Big 3 starring. And I won't accept some too clever by half bullshit like Drew Seely shows up as Troy.

LGBTQ Rep: HSMTMTS has made huge strides with lgbtq rep on disney and I hope they can continue to make history in this final season.

Series Coherence: I think looking back that S2 will be the breaking point for a lot of future viewers who will give up after what turned out to be the longest and the worst season. The show isn't very coherent and I hope that S4 can meaningfully connect with S1 and we have more focus on the epic highs and lows of high school musical theatre. Enjoy the final season everyone. We're in the endgame now, wildcats.

[shelbbswrites]

Wildcats, what time is it?!

It's — almost — time for HSMTMTS Season 4.

From an HSM reunion and Easter eggs to Seblos and Rina, the season’s new photos tease A LOT.

[rinaisloved]

The HSMTMTS team really needs to start taking their promo a bit seriously. Do they even have a social media manager that doesn’t go MIA? Promo is barely existent before the release of a season that you might as well forget anything during hiatus. Maybe start promoting the actors of your tv show when they do different magazines/ interviews and release BTS/bloopers/photoshoots/fun interviews. And are we ever getting s3 bloopers? The cast has such amazing chemistry all for it to be wasted on just solo character shots. Plus this next season is going to be so meta and include the OGs like why don’t you utilize that? If the season is coming out in the summer there’s plenty of time for a lot of promo to be done. It’s so frustrating watching other TV shows have amazing promo.

[livvyofthelake]

i don’t really have anything to say about hsmtmts season 4 or the idea of getting the og hsm cast in it for a “reunion” other than if there isn’t a joke about ryan and chad being gay i’ll kill somebody for real. because why would you ignore the funniest meta joke you could possibly make in this situation