#really wish ricky had a line for me to analyse too

[organic-guacamole]

second chances song (leak) analysis

we already knew the finale was gonna be really sad but this 1 minute long clip really had me bawling ✋

ok let's do this

I see this song as the full circle ending to the core four's storylines. Which is pretty obvious from the clip.

The way it shows where they were at the start of the series to make you realize just how far they've all come from then. We can't really make out much of the lyrics but what we can pull out from it just shows exactly what each character's plot was and maybe still is/will be in (the potential) season 3.

Nini:

"I'm finding who I want to be"

Ever since season 1, Nini's been trying to find her place in the world. Starting with "putting herself out there" after the initial breakup with Ricky, and being inspired to audition for the lead of the musical. She's always wanted to stand out and be someone rather than just someone to someone. After each of her breakups she's eventually gotten stronger in some way, but still she feels lost and sometimes forgotten. Her going to YAC at the beginning of this season and immediately trying to make a name for herself in a place where no one knew her shows us how badly she wants to feel known and loved.

Whatever happens in this episode, whether it be the music producing opportunity from Jamie or not, is giving her a second chance to find herself.

EJ:

"I thought I knew what I wanted"

This one is easy. Since season 1 we saw EJ being extremely sure of himself and confident on his future, everything went his way all the time and he felt he was set for life. Then he learned something, he's not always going to be number 1. Sometimes stepping back and making a re-evaluation of your life and choices is necessary to move forward, he discovers this during the musical, "I'm not the Troy you want" and "Some wonderstudies we are". In season 2 he finally realised that it's ok to not have extreme certainty for his future. For years it's been embedded in his mind that, no matter what, he's going to Duke and he is going to be just as successful as his dad. There was no question about it and he didn't know he could. With some help he found that things can change because people change. Maybe his dad accepted that he's not going to Duke, but is pressuring him to make a new decision immediately.

His second chance could be him finally accepting that it's okay to not know at any given point, and finally break free from his family's expectations and do what he wants to do.

Gina:

"I'm sick of when I'm on the run"

As we know, Gina is accustomed to her mom's job uprooting whatever life they've settled into, to start a new one elsewhere. This line could mean that she's moving again but this time doesn't have a choice to stay. She said at the beginning of the season that her mom is letting her stay with Ashlyn until the end of the semester. I'm not 100% sure how American schools work but I'm pretty sure the semester is ending very soon. East High was the first place Gina was fully accepted. The East High kids saw the best in her, even when she just came in planning on taking over and making her mark before the inevitable move. She's sick of having to move all the time but this one really matters because this is where she's found her home. She doesn't know what's coming in the future but she doubts that she may ever find another place like this.

Her second chance may be deeper than the others, maybe she wishes she had a second chance in another life where her mom doesn't have to move her around. That she can have a new start to her life where she is right now.

Ricky:

I don't think he had any unique lyrics in that clip so I'll just go over what I think the song in general means for him.

We all know that Ricky's been going through a lot. At the start of season 1 he made a big step in auditioning for the musical, except it wasn't for himself, but to show the girl he loved that he's willing to do anything for her. We've consistently seen where Ricky puts others' opinions, feelings, wants and desires ahead of his own because he doesn't think he deserves to to great things on his own. He wants the people around him to be their best, but stay with him. He's always been content to let the people have their thing and just watch from the sidelines. He doesn't see himself worthy of whatever his dreams were, maybe because everytime he's put himself out there, it's backfired on him. He hates change and just when he gets settled into a new rhythm, accepting new people close to him. Someone leaves. When he was finally getting into the musical in season 1, his parents announce their divorce. When he gets into the musical in season 2, he and Nini break up. When he makes a choice to put himself out there, it blows up in his face and pushes him further into himself.

He needs a second chance to get it all right this time. Start over. Learn to understand his self worth but understand that the people he loves can have their own issues, problems and moments that don't concern him. Understand that sometimes, things happen when you aren't expecting it and they may seem bad but at some point, you'll learn from it.