#because if kelsi was the lead and sharpay the composer

[transgendertroybolton]

okay so. i saw this post a couple days ago and i have been BRAINSTORMING.

some roles i have swapped more than others, some swap personalities more than roles, and the story itself would be swapped too - instead of coming together over musical theatre, troy and gabriella learn to follow their own passions and hearts despite pressure wanting them to both perform. thats not to say they don't enjoy singing, they just want it to be a casual hobby.

as for swaps: TROY <--> GABRIELLA, CHAD <--> TAYLOR, SHARPAY <--> KELSI, RYAN <--> MARTHA, ZEKE <--> JASON

i also changed the sport from basketball to football (soccer not american football) just so it wouldnt be exactly the same.

all my ideas for every character (in the first movie at least) is under the cutoff. i have no idea how this would work for the second movie especially but its fine its an au for a reason

troy: the shy, nerdy new kid who just transferred schools. rather than parents transferring companies, his father got hired at east high to be a drama teacher (more on that later) and he thought it would make sense to transfer troy too, as he's always had trouble socialising and fitting in at school and perhaps a bit of parental support at school could help. (yes, i know in high school this would be absolutely MORTIFYING but we all know mr bolton isn't the greatest at these things.)

his dad's always pressured him to pursue singing and/or acting as he missed his chance to debut big on broadway, and while troy does enjoy singing, he much prefers to sing to himself quietly in his room and has absolutely no desire or will to perform, and desperately wants to let his dad know that. his true passion lies in academia, he's an absolute brainiac and he's trying to work his way into the decathlon team.

also yes, he does have glasses.

gabriella: part of east high's football team, very popular, absolutely beloved by everyone and a genuinely really sweet girl, coached by darbus. however, when she entered high school, she went in focusing on performing arts rather than sports. she'd always been told she had an amazing voice, she wasn't afraid of crowds, so naturally she should be a performer, right... but after signing up for football on a whim in sophomore year, she found she's far more passionate about playing sports in front of a crowd, not singing!

she longs to be the captain in senior year, but drama responsibilities can sometimes keep her away from her true passion. at this point she feels its too late to quit, she's already come this far, but with a new drama teacher arriving, could this be her chance to escape? not if a certain diva has anything to say about it, and not the one you'd expect...

sharpay: a meek, shy performer who's completely at the whims of the composer/choreographer duo, kelsi and martha. (more about them a bit later.) sharpay has star power on her own, and everyone knows it... except her. she's content sitting on the sidelines, playing small roles and being overshadowed by everyone else, despite a clear talent for acting and a powerful voice.

ryan: a talented, more open performer than his twin sister, but that's just the thing - thats not what he wants to do. he wants to choreograph and work behind the scenes, he doesn't want to act! but much like sharpay, he's completely at the whims of kelsi and martha, and this new drama teacher seems to adore them... is he stuck right where he is? martha rarely listens to suggestions, but she also seems to be at the beck and call of kelsi...

chad: captain of the decathlon team, and a bit of a snob about it. he's the type to come into school every day wearing a perfectly styled suit and tie, hair tied back (think izzy daniels in the training scenes of 'jump in' specifically, but if you haven't seen that, chad's hairstyle in 'i dont dance').

he's immediately intrigued by troy, as he seems to be an absolute whizz. he finishes work in class before anyone else, asks for extra worksheets, reads academic books in his spare time... but with troy also being a part of the drama club, chad fears there won't be a place for him on the team.

taylor: gabriella's best friend for their whole lives and another member of the football team. she wants the best for gabriella, and is under the impression she enjoys drama as much as football, encouraging her to keep going. she's loved being in front of a crowd her entire life, and as her best friend, it's her duty to encourage her to follow her passion! ignore the fact drama and singing is no longer her passion, but gabriella feels it's gone on too long to tell her best friend...

kelsi: the cut-throat composer and president of the drama club. she may not have much stage acting talent, which she's very aware of, but what she does have is a talent for music creation and bossing people around. she is the drama club's diva, taking charge of every production, every actor following her directions to the letter, even if they don't want to, and expecting that to happen in general school life too.

the only issue with that is the average student doesn't really care who composed the songs, only who's performing them, even if in this case the composer also acts as the unofficial director. she's got something to learn about taking a back seat and letting her music speak for itself, but seems unwilling to learn that at the moment...

zeke: zeke and jason not having big roles in the movies is CRIMINAL i want more zeke. as such their swaps are pretty surface level. zeke is school smart but not street smart, a member of the decathlon team but not known for his smarts other than that. also he likes to bake i could not strip the away from him. i havent thought about where he would fit into the major story yet.

jason: another member of the decathlon team, but his ultimate passion is movie making. chad is a fierce leader though, and he's gotta follow his lead, right?

martha: much like kelsi, she knows she doesn't have star power... or so she thinks. so, she's the choreographer for kelsi's shows, making sure everyone follows her directions to the letter. if she took a second to step back, she'd realise she has plenty of star power and could be a kind and fun director instead of a choreographer, but being under kelsi's rule for so long makes that hard to see...

coach bolton: becoming a dad at a young age meant he lost out on his chance to make it big on broadway, so now he's a single dad and living vicariously through his only child. he gets hired at east high to be the new drama teacher after winter break and troy is moved there too. perfect chance for him to become the star at one of the top schools in the state, right?

darbus: previously playing women's football, as she gets older she's turned her focus to the newest generation. she's the absolute life of the team and is always there to support them, especially gabriella, who seems to be going through a lot...

I was thinking role reversal au?

The obvious swap would be Troy and Gabriella. So Troy, the new shy kid, a bit of a nerd and Gabriella, super cool sports girl. This would lead to Chad being on the scholastic decathlon team and Taylor playing basketball with Gabriella, but then what about Sharpay and Ryan? It doesn't make much sense to swap them with eachother. Other people could be fitted in anywhere. Jason and Zeke follow the boys and Martha the girls. Again, that leaves Kelsi in the drama club without any change.

So could this be swapped even FURTHER? The thing is, the roles of Gabriella and Troy are someone who falls in love, so it depends what pairings are to happen. Also, with Sharpay and Ryan being siblings, it would be weird for one of them to meet someone at karaoke and then keeping it a secret?

[variousqueerthings]

high school musical 3 is a fascinating journey to go on, because it's not coherent as such, but it hits some very interesting beats before sharpishly walking them back or does some bland needs-to-be-there stuff that it then promptly forgets about (mainly around pairing the spares), because you'd never be allowed to outright depict the highschool romance not lasting into college, or that the father is emotionally overbearing if not abusive in the ways he pressures his son (and ofc there are some queer overtones in the "don't do theatre, do sports!" thing), and you absolutely can't explain why the male best friend who's sleepwalking through a non-romance plot is obsessed with the male lead spending his entire life with him/choosing him over the girlfriend, whom he definitely never really liked

RIP sharpay and ryan are pretty sidelined in this plot (esp considering the growth in the second movie), although at least ryan continues to be an mvp in terms of performance and clothing style, and kelsi brings us more non-binary Fits so there's that

you have tensions that feel like they exist outside the film, hurriedly correcting like it's a slapstick "the show goes wrong" type of deal --

two seconds of kelsi and ryan paying lip-service to pairing the spares, before it's never relevant again, but it's been written now, don't worry, they are Straight, see they composed/sang 1min of a duet that wasn't actually for or about them in the story

another mini-arc that lasts all of 5ish minutes of chad asking out taylor, before both of them phone it in and have separate conversations with their besties about how your boyfriend/girlfriend in highschool isn't that important (and chad of course from then on is only interested in whether troy will go to college with him, like they'd always dreamed of)

gabriella going away early to college some thousands of miles away and calling troy right before prom to say she's not coming back for it, or for graduation, because she's decided not to see him again in order to move forwards with her life, which is a pretty clear boundary to set (if done in a somewhat terrible way), only for him to... get to where she is somehow? and his presence simply convinces her to not care about any of her previous decision-making

troy's dad once again being the worst character while he guilts his son over having an interest in theatre (same as in the last 2 movies), instead of following in his exact footsteps, only for the story to shrug it off at the end, because there was never going to be follow-through on something like that

and I know it's not that deep, don't get me wrong here. I'm just interested as someone who's seeing the bits where the structure it's been building (someone Chose To Write This) get dropped in favour of it not being that deep when... it could be a better, more complex movie, possibly if it weren't disney channel I'm guessing. but then, it didn't have to have these arcs to begin with, it could have been a much lighter story, it chose not to be --

and some of the corners it wrote itself into due to law of sequel character-growth stagnancy, because it's about writing the same story three times with slightly different covers, so chad has to be annoyed with troy for choosing gabriella over hi- uh, basketball? sharpay has to try to steal the show/troy, troy's dad has to guilt him before supporting him, gabriella and troy have to have a moment of Sad before working it out (quickly, the Sad cannot last for too long), etc. but because the structure simply changes when you write a different story (they are going to college after this, they won't be seeing each other every day again), these storylines feel different/get written differently

it's kind of a sad movie overall, with its whole idea of this'll never be forgotten best years of our lives type rhetoric ("Who says we have to let it go? // It's the best part we've ever known // Step into the future... but hold on to High School Musical"), and it brings that sadness into the plot -- it could have gone way harder on "we're so excited for the future and what's to come" but it didn't

I am so into movies like this. poking at them to see all the limitations that exist outside of them that work against telling a good story, but the good story is in there, somewhere. when for some reason production has decided that stagnation is more important. people don't want to see stories about people who change, they want them to stay the same forever (and ideally go back and watch the first movie again afterwards I guess)

anyway troy's "anxiety nightmare in the school" song was actually great + encapsulates 90% of the tension the movie has that it never actually manages to work out, but just brushes under the carpet, it's perfect:

"I don't know where to go // What's the right team? // I want my own thing // So bad I'm gonna scream // I can't choose, so confused // What's it all mean?"

you wrote this song hsm3: senior year team! c'mon!

[queen-erika-the-songful]

LOL "Theatre kid Regina George"??? Did you even watch HSM?! She's totally the victim!! She actually likes to sing and dance and these two randos come in and just get to star in the musical despite being late and not officially auditioning?? Miss me with that bullshit.

Okay, so maybe that was an exaggeration, but Sharpay was a manipulative brat in the HSM series. Yes, the thing with Troy and Gabriella getting callbacks without properly auditioning was stupid, but that's Ms. Darbus's (the drama teacher) fault. You wanna know what Sharpay HAS done? 

 --HSM 1-- 

Just expects everyone to part the seas for her to walk through in her first appearance 

Signs her name super big on the musical sign-up sheet because she just expects no one else to compete with her, and perhaps so no one will have room for their names. 

Googles Gabriella's name to find dirt on her because she shows just a HINT of being interested in the musical (not the lead, just the musical) 

Right after her audition, shoots a glare at the composer, Kelsi, when she doesn't immediately get applause 

When Kelsi confronts Sharpay about how the song is supposed to go, Sharpay calls her a "Sawed-Off Sondheim" and proceeds to belittle her about how she should be "grateful" that Sharpay and Ryan will star in their musical and how it will "lift her out of obscurity", all while backing her up against the stage edge and onto her piano bench. 

Encourages keeping everyone in their little boxes (though, to be fair, so do the other cliques at first). 

Tries to get Gabriella in trouble for something that was clearly an accident (food was spilled on her) and then says that Troy and Gabriella and the basketball team are just conspiring against her and Ms. Darbus 

Makes Ms. Darbus change the callback date to the same day and time as the basketball game and Scholastic Decathalon so that Try and Gabriella have no chance of making it. 

Tries to intimidate Kelsi into not playing for Troy and Gabriella. 

 Sidenote: "Evaporate, tall person!" is the best line in the movie. 

 --HSM 2--

The entire plot of the film happpens because Sharpay is a selfish witch. She gets Troy a job at her parents' country club just as a ploy to steal him from Gabriella, even though he is clearly very happy with his girlfriend. 

When it turns out Gabriella and the others ALSO got hired, complains to her mom that the East High kids will "steal her talent show" so they don't deserve jobs (not verbatim but close enough) 

Calls her own mom a "backstabbing yuppie" and demands the head worker to make everyone miserable so they'll want to quit. 

Spies on Troy and Gabriella on their date 

Showers Troy in attention from her parents and from high-up basketball people so that she can get time with him and try to flirt with him. This also causes strains between him and his friends, especially Gabriella. 

After the very cringy "Humhumuunukunukuapua'a" number, Troy is practically begging Sharpay to not make him sing, because it's not his thing. But then she's all "It could be OUR thing", and Troy immediately shuts her down, saying he's with Gabriella. Sharpay rolls her eyes and keeps trying to convince him until he distracts her and runs away. 

AGAIN tries to convince Troy to sing at her golf lesson when he repeats that he doesn't want to, then openly flirts with him despite him saying earlier that his “only thing” is with Gabriella

Forces Kelsi give up the song she wrote EXCLUSIVELY for Troy and Gabriella (that, in canon of the movie, is called "TROY AND GABRIELLA's SONG") and re-work it so Sharpay will sing it with him instead. 

Going along with the last point, she never told Ryan about wanting to do the talent show with Troy, so Ryan is shocked and disappointed that they aren't doing "Humuhumu..." and asks what to do with his costume. Sharpay scoffs and says to just watch the other Wildcats for her.

Sharpay's new arrangement becomes a big, bombastic number that is fast-paced and plastic (seriously, the lyrics completely lose their meaning in this version). Troy is clearly uncomfortable with this, since he's still not entirely comfortable with the stage yet. In addition, he said earlier after the "Humuhumu..." song that he likes to just sing with his friends, not doing this whole lights/dancers/special effects thing, so this means Sharpay took nothing he said into consideration. 

After the song, Sharpay holds his hand and says "they were meant to sing together". Troy is so uncomfortable that at this point he actually imagines her as a crazy bridezilla because of how clingy she's being. 

Calls her brother a traitor when he decides he wants to perform with the other Wildcats. 

When Gabriella confronts Sharpay, she says that at the very least she should let up because Ryan worked so hard for the show, and to that Sharpay just says "Boo-hoo he can do his celebrity impressions or whatever". 

Won't take "no" for an answer when Troy quits the talent show 

Expects Ryan to drop everything and do their original number with her after Troy quits, despite everything before that. 

Sidenote: She did give Ryan the Star Dazzle award at the end to make up for her treating him bad, so there's your one good thing she did. 

 --HSM 3-- 

Again, does the whole "parting the Red Seas" thing in her first appearance

Tries to make their final musical a one-man performance to boost her ego before Kelsi signs everyone up.

Spies on Gabriella (again) and finds out about her early acceptance into college. She then tricks Troy into thinking Gabriella told everyone except him, prompting him to confront his girlfriend and eventually convince her to leave because he doesn’t want to hold her back. This not only shakes Troy up, but it also means that Sharpay will get to perform with him as the leading woman and get more attention from the Julliard people

Tells Ryan to convince Kelsi to give them the best songs in the musical instead of Troy and Gabriella. When Ryan later reveals he asked Kelsi to prom, Sharpay is convinced it’s a clever ploy and laughs when he says he just wanted to take her.

I mean, it wouldn't be so bad if Sharpay had, you know, been allowed to grow as a person throughout these movies, instead of being put on reset every time. I think the very end of HSM 3 is when she finally gets to change, because when Tiara reveals she was just acting nice, she finally understands what it's like to be used and manipulated. 

In Sharpay's Fabulous Adventure, she appears to have finally grown up a bit. She's still a bit spoiled and conceited, but she's not the same entitled little bitch she was during HSM. The worst she does is try to live vicariously through her dog, but even then she realizes it's not right. She even admits to everything she's done wrong and apologizes for it, something she never did in the other movies. 

So, you wanna say "Sharpay was the victim?" No, she wasn't. Miss me with THAT bullshit.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

The Marvel of Trelsi (Part XIII)

Man, I’m beat at the end of THIS week. So much stuff to do, and so little of it based on writing. A rich husband would be much appreciated. 

Anyway, let’s return to Trelsi. In the last instalment, I did an analysis of three Kelsi Nielsen songs in order to demonstrate the kind of person that would interest Kelsi romantically in an ideal situation. I alluded to the fact that Kelsi’s expectations are idealistic, because the reality of her situation doesn’t bear much resemblance to those poetic lyrics and catchy melodies. Like I’ve said, I’m adding questions as they occur to me; I’m not just interested in examining Trelsi, but understanding Troy Bolton and Kelsi Nielsen as people, and that means discussing their interactions with others. My next question is as follows:

Question-- What can we learn about Kelsi Nielsen from her canonical relationships?

Disclaimer: No “Ryelsi” will be discussed.

This is fascinating to me. First of all, let’s get to the bottom of Kelsi’s canonical relationship with Jason Cross and the implications thereof. 

I’ve just been rewatching some of HSM I in Google Play, just to see whether there is any avenue for Jason Cross to have known about Kelsi prior to meeting her in the gym. I’ve scrolled as slowly as I can, but was unable to find such a place. It might have made sense for Jason to notice her during the performance of “Breaking Free”, but that would be impossible, given that Kelsi’s back was to the audience, and she only seemed interested in either the music or in Troy blossoming onstage. I’ve rewatched the scene where Jason formally and silently introduces himself, and it looks, for all intents and purposes, to be a spur on the moment decision to help her sink a shot. I like this scene. Even before shipping Trelsi, I considered it sweet, even though heavily in line with every other character being paired off for pairing’s sake. Even at this stage, Kelsi is still so often overlooked in favour of other girls (the gym is full of cheerleaders) that the decision to get to know her better often comes on a whim. I still can’t decide whether Troy intended to make friends with Kelsi earlier in HSM I, but if he only did so after she tripped over, then that would be a mirror to how Jason is later introduced to Kelsi. And once again, Kelsi’s surprise is a sign of how she is not yet used to being noticed by others, let alone boys (and a jock like Jason!). However, since being introduced to Troy, she has grown in confidence and thus she most notably does not react with the dumbfounded astonishment of before. In fact, her smile is more confident as Jason helps her shoot a hoop, which she appears to enjoy. 

Contrary to what the movie wishes for us to believe, I do not think that Jason and Kelsi instantly hit it off after this encounter. I am making assumptions here, but given what we know of Kelsi’s serious attitude towards love and relationships, I cannot see her deciding to put her trust in Jason before they had spent more time together. Fortunately, they had the rest of the school year to do so, and by the summer (HSM II), they are established as an item. By the beginning of HSM III, however, we are to infer that they have broken up and this raises a number of important questions and issues. First of all, what made Jason choose Kelsi out of all the other girls he could have easily had? Remember that Jason is a jock, and therefore from the Supreme Class, according to the Philosophy of Danforth. I assume that he saw something in her that other people didn’t, or maybe he was intrigued by her shyly and awkwardly clutching a basketball, and decided to help her out. I don’t pretend to know the answers here, because we’re just not given that information. What does seem apparent is that Kelsi was still shy around boys-- notice her somewhat hunched shoulders when the basketball team cheered around her. Of course, we didn’t see that kind of shyness around the boys of the Drama Club, so I’m assuming that this was caused by 1)- the social status of the basketballers, 2)- possibly their physical stature, 3)- the shyness possibly being provoked when close to people she was attracted to. Either way, it appears that Jason knows what to do in order to lower Kelsi’s walls. She doesn’t seem to mind as he tosses her hat side and allows her hair to flow free, as is the clichéd method in romantic comedies. From around HSM III, Kelsi wears fewer hats (and even then, only as an accessory, rather than to hide her face) and wears her hair longer, perhaps a testament to Jason’s influence on her. What’s interesting about this is that Jason is pretty awkward himself, so perhaps he saw a kindred spirit and decided to work up the courage to introduce himself. 

Kelsi and Jason scenes are so tiny as to be almost invisible, but we can get some idea of what their relationship might have been like. I think the key thing to note is an easy affection between the two of them. I would not describe either of them as being in love, but just having the typical teenage feelings associated with one’s first relationship. I am almost certain that this is Kelsi’s first relationship; there is no way you can be that shy and have a boyfriend prior), and I think the same might be true for Jason, but not necessarily. Why is this significant? Because it’s nothing like what Kelsi either really expects or wants in a relationship. I have mentioned the danger of lofty expectations here and here, stating that this might lead to dissatisfaction on Kelsi’s part when she inevitably did not receive what she wanted. However, given this contrast, I do not think that Kelsi was intending to “settle” for Jason at all; it takes a lot for her to break down her walls, and I think that she would only invest in a relationship that she considered worthwhile. Like I’ve said in my song analysis, Kelsi does not half-step when it comes to relationships. Unlike Sharpay, she doesn’t view boys as sport, and unlike Gabriella, she does not take the business of being in a relationship for granted. Once inside the relationship, Kelsi would have committed completely. 

What does Kelsi see in Jason? Well, he seems kind, often fumbles and bumbles around, but in a well-meaning way. He seems thoughtful and doesn’t need her to impress him with sports skill before he notices her. Without even asking, he helps her sink a shot through the hoops and smiles at her as though this was her victory. 

So why, by the beginning of HSM III have they not only broken up, but Jason has jumped ship immediately to the popular head cheerleader Martha? Well, the seeds were sown during HSM II where, on at least two or three occasions, you can see Jason either hugging or putting his arm around Martha. In fact, after the kids have finished dancing outside of East High to mark the summer, Jason turns and hugs Martha first before Kelsi. Later on, he has his arm around Martha as he comes into the practice room to sing “You Are The Music In Me��. Because the film narrative pays little attention to Kelsi when she isn’t either composing music or with Troy and Gabriella, we don’t know anything about these little scenes beyond their mere existence, and thus we know very little about Kelsi’s reaction. Fortunately for you guys, we can rely on my musings in Google Docs to fill in the gaps. There are two ways that Kelsi could have reacted to this: either by confrontation or in silence. I base the confrontation theory on her ability to confront people when sufficiently agitated, like during HSM I, when she angrily told Troy why the callbacks had been rescheduled, and when she stood up to Sharpay before said callbacks. I base the silence theory on how Kelsi hides more of herself than she shows to other people (except perhaps Troy) and how, given that she is in her first relationship, she is most probably besieged by doubts on how she should behave. 

Out of the two theories, I think the silence theory is more likely, because the signs that Jason is becoming more attached to Martha are subtle. In which case, Kelsi would most probably be lingering and doubting whether she was simply imagining things, or whether she had reason to be worried. Her low self-esteem, which she has had most probably since childhood, would flare UP again. In my notes for my mega Trelsi fic, I speculated that Kelsi might be the kind of girl to compare herself negatively to other girls, particularly when one is competing with her over the same guy. She is nothing like Gabriella, who, confident in her own looks, would stare down the rival and then punish the guy if he dared look too interested in someone else.

In fact, Kelsi can’t have confronted him, because later on in the movie, you can see Jason leaning at the breakfast table next to Kelsi (shortly before the infamous Silent Treatment scene), which wouldn’t have happened were things frosty between them. At the end of the movie, during the quieter version of “You Are The Music In Me”, she seems happy hugging him and running around the hills. This appears genuine to me (I was rewatching it before writing this paragraph). So this may suggest that Kelsi was more likely playing it silent, perhaps believing that either Jason would not take Martha seriously (if so, a massive miscalculation on her part), and/or that she could/should focus on the positives in her relationship. It’s not like Jason was completely cold and unfeeling towards her; they obviously shared happy moments together. Clearly, she had strong feelings for Jason, or else none of this would make sense. Another reason that I don’t see Kelsi being confrontational is that Martha is/was her friend. Not only this, but Kelsi continues being either friendly or at least civil with Martha AFTER she broke up with Jason, even sitting at the same lunch table in HSM III (shortly before Chad asked Taylor to prom). This adds an astonishing twist to the tale. Why does Kelsi continue to maintain some semblance of friendship with someone who 1)- appears quite flirtatious, 2)- shows no canonical interest in Kelsi’s relationship with Jason and 3)- shows no embarrassment about dating her friend’s ex right in front of her? 

I have puzzled about this in my current Trelsi one-shot. Up til now, I don’t yet have a concrete answer. Does Kelsi, once again feeling that other girls are more attractive then her, feel that it’s all for the best, whilst trying to quash her own hurt? Does she politely pretend not to notice? (It does seem that way in some of the scenes; when Jason hugs Martha before her in early HSM II, she simply nudges him and waits for her turn!) Or is Kelsi merely displaying a show of civility, whilst hiding her bitterness? As we know, Kelsi is capable of deeply-rooted bitterness, and of holding grudges against other people. We are shown her grudge against Sharpay (understandable, but later heavily exaggerated), and her former grudge against Ryan, which she overcame. The movie narrative would never have us see any inkling that things weren’t always sugary and nice between the Wildcats, but perhaps Kelsi’s relationship with Martha became increasingly strained. After all, it’s not like Martha ever played it cool with Jason out of respect for her friend’s relationship. No, even by the beginning of the summer, they were on regular hugging terms, if there’s such a thing. The seamless way in which Jason runs straight into Martha’s arms (literally as well as figuratively) by the beginning of HSM III suggests a closeness that has to have been nurtured over time. And that time was when Kelsi and Jason were dating. 

Judging from that scene in HSM III, where the Cool Girls are sharing a table (Taylor, Gabriella, Martha and Kelsi), we can see Martha giggling over something. Taylor and Gabriella are laughing, and Kelsi is smiling, but focused on her manuscripts. Her reactions appear somewhat reserved here. We know that Kelsi and Martha at least were close, because at the beginning of HSM II, she gives Martha a hug (perhaps they were introduced after the Winter Musical?), and later on, she is happily pretending to scratch turntables whilst Martha breaks it down on the kitchen floor. I can’t help noticing that Kelsi and Martha are on opposite sides of the same table in HSM III, although this is not necessarily significant. Personally, I think that her reservation here is thanks to a tireless devotion to her work, but if Kelsi really did feel resentment towards Martha, then her smiling, whilst focusing on her work might be a plausible demonstration of this. That’s a possible headcanon assumption and not necessarily one that I hold.

I suppose the next question is whether Jason cheated on Kelsi with Martha? I think not. The fact that Kelsi continues to maintain communication with Martha and even Jason to some extent seems sufficient proof that that wasn’t the case. Remember that at the beginning of HSM III, Kelsi signed up “almost the entire home room!” (Ms. Darbus) for the next musical, and we can see that Jason objects to this. In other words, she signed him up. Given the “almost” part, I assume some members were left out, therefore Kelsi had every opportunity to leave out Jason were she angry with him. Kelsi signed up the people she could most easily persuade to participate. Later on, she begs everyone that she presumptuously signed up to participate, and again, this includes Jason. These are not the actions of someone wishing to put as much distance between her and her ex-boyfriend. It’s worth noting that Jason doesn’t speak to her with any reluctance or embarrassment, which is both astounding, given him jumping straight to Martha, but also indicative perhaps of a (somewhat) amicable breakup. And by amicable, I mean they both decided to part ways, not that Kelsi was patting him on the back for being chummy with her friend whilst they were dating! So, what I think what happened was that Kelsi couldn’t deal with Jason’s emotional infidelity any longer, and either she broke up with him to maintain the upper hand, or he broke up with her when he could no longer conceal those feelings. 

The implications and consequences of this breakup are not pretty. I am going to make a lot of assumptions here to fill in the gaps, but it strikes me that Kelsi would feel inadequate if her boyfriend (a jock, no less) left her for a confident and bubbly cheerleader. Bear in mind that not long after splitting up with Kelsi for Martha, Jason goes to the trouble of getting a T-shirt painted with a proposition for Martha. You can see this T-Shirt shortly before “Night to Remember”. Jason never did such a thing for Kelsi. Furthermore, he isn’t at all embarrassed to be wearing this in front of Kelsi whilst he performs HER song for the Spring Musical! Would this make Kelsi feel as though Jason was never as invested in their relationship as she was? In my last post, I alluded to a possible period of unhappiness for Kelsi prior to writing “I Just Wanna Be With You”: “You know how life can be/It changes overnight/Sunny then raining/But it’s alright.” Could the “rainy” period in Kelsi’s life be an allusion to Jason? Again, I do not present this as canonical fact, but it is definitely plausible. And I would go even further than that; could Kelsi’s appearance during “Night to Remember”, in which the guys say “Who’s that Girl?” be her response to Jason and Martha? During this scene, Kelsi appears as the “mystery girl” whom the guys (including, ironically, Jason) has to admire during the song. I don’t think this was Kelsi’s idea, but perhaps Ryan’s. He is the choreographer, and Kelsi was previously awkward and clumsy in HSM I, didn’t appear to be very fond of water in HSM II. But presenting herself as confident and carrying off the ballet steps without a hitch would be a great way for Kelsi to re-assert her confidence. We then see her invest her energy into writing one hell of a love song “I Just Wanna Be With You”, which I discussed in the last post. 

All in all, the trajectory of Kelsi’s relationship with Jason is quite sad-- for Kelsi. She most probably had such high hopes, and definitely put more into her relationship than Jason did. Perhaps she felt somewhat betrayed. However, I don’t think that even this quashes her sense of optimism, her hope for a better future. If there’s one reason why Kelsi is such a compelling story hero, it’s her ability to try, try again. I think that there would be a down period, but perhaps by the time it came to preparing the third musical, she threw herself into her composition work in order to keep the pain at bay. Her music is not only her sole passion, but also her escape from real life. Hence why she can be present in the moment and yet lost in pages of notes. 

This brings me onto my next question:

Question-- Did Kelsi have a crush on Troy? As a supporter of Trelsi, should this not be part of the default headcanon?

When I first watched the High School Musical series (a couple of years ago), it never crossed my mind that Kelsi could have had a crush on Troy. Only when I became more interested in the movies at the end of last year did I start seeing this proposed by a couple of fans. Again, I was sceptical, because at that point, I was more interested in the friendship, until that moment when I watched the Trelsi introductory scene and something clicked in my head. This could be a couple. But even THEN I wasn’t thinking about the potential of Kelsi’s astonishment being based on a crush, and I didn’t begin shipping Trelsi for real until HSM III. I think I gradually began accepting this interpretation simply by virtue of having read several meta’s where the author said so. Fast forward to now, when I ship Trelsi romantic and platonic fashion, and I’m actually ambivalent towards this theory. I will explain why, and how this relates to Kelsi and Jason as follows. 

Now the Crush Theory appears to take hold from the moment where Kelsi is introduced to Troy, and we see her astonishment that the King of East High is actually speaking with her. Along with other evidence, mostly centred around Kelsi’s stronger affection and attachment to Troy than to Gabriella, the belief is that this proves she had more than platonic feelings towards him. I may have oversimplified this somewhat, but I think that you get the gist. Now don’t get me wrong; the Crush Theory does serve one particular angle of the Trelsi ship that I will discuss in future instalments-- that of unrequited love. I’ve read some great Trelsi fics with this angle, and it starts from Kelsi having this secret crush. And for the purposes of the movie canon, it would be far more interesting for the central narrative, as well as giving Kelsi some depth, because since she shows a great capacity for self-sacrifice, she is unlikely to ever act on such feelings. This would be far more interesting for the viewer than Troy’s trite and unhealthy relationship with Gabriella. 

However, there are several problems with this theory.

Firstly, throughout the movies, Kelsi becomes more comfortable with Troy, something that surely could not happen if she had a persistent crush on him. By the summer, she thinks nothing of holding his hand, and does this again in HSM III. She gives him a hug when he’s feeling down, which suggests a level of familiarity not possible for a shy girl who has this all-encompassing crush on East High’s Primo Boy. I see Kelsi as becoming more open and more mature throughout the movies, not forever repressed by her feelings. Her song lyrics in HSM III are a reflection of this positive change. I struggle to reconcile this with the Crush Theory. 

Secondly, the Crush Theory undermines the importance of Kelsi’s introduction to Troy. There’s far more to that scene than physical attraction; it’s about finding a kindred spirit, acceptance, about Troy building up her confidence and revealing the girl within who always wanted to shine but never could do so. I find the Crush Theory problematic in that it would imply that Kelsi’s feelings of friendship towards Troy were at least partially motivated by attraction. This demeans the friendship to me. This introduction definitely leads to friendship first. A common understanding and chemistry in the sense that they communicate so effectively with little to no words, and are always by each other’s side no matter what. 

Thirdly, the Crush theory is short-lived. Kelsi is one of the first to see that Troy at least, is heavily invested in Gabriella. If Kelsi did have this crush, then she would have had to shelve it pretty fast once she saw that it was completely pointless. Troy Bolton is King of East High and unattainable for 98% of the female population. Kelsi may be an idealist, but her persistence shows that she has a realistic side. I can’t, especially in light of Kelsi’s increasing comfort around Troy, see her continuing to hold a flame for someone who is resolutely unavailable, knowing full well that such feelings are unlikely to be returned. That would put a whole depressing aspect to the Crush. If it happened, perhaps it ended quickly. Furthermore, I have already stated that Kelsi has a strong investment in people: a crush is not a strong investment. It is fleeting, and changes like the wind. Kelsi is deeply emotional and would need to feel as though the object of her affections was as deeply connected to her in return; canonically speaking, Troy is not. So why would she suffer in silence? Given her ability to find another path when one isn’t working for her, I can’t see Kelsi in a constant state of Purgatory here. 

The most important reason why the Crush Theory is lacking is that Kelsi dated Jason for a significant period of time and seemed perfectly happy doing so. I have already explained why it is not in Kelsi’s nature to “settle” for anything. Her interaction with Jason was affectionate, and for the period where he was actually invested in her, he reciprocated that affection. It would be easy to see why Kelsi might have a crush on Troy; he is gorgeous, charming, lovely, smart, dorky, sweet and romantic. Jason on the other hand, is awkward, handsome in a boyish kind of way and definitely not the brightest spark at all. And even though Kelsi looks incredulous when Jason fails to respond to Mr. Fulton’s prepping on how to treat “Miss Evans”, she appears not to take issue with Jason’s penchant for saying the wrong thing at the wrong time. Jason doesn’t seem to care much about his style, pairing shirts and t-shirts and baggy jeans. (Not unlike Kelsi’s sense of fashion throughout HSM I and II! :D) His hair is always wild, and he chews gum, has the co-ordination of a toddler learning to walk and is no way near as mature as his composer girlfriend. Still, Kelsi chooses to be with him. If she preferred Troy with his effortless romantic gestures, smooth-talking, intelligent conversation and so on, then she had every opportunity to seek out such a romantic partner. She is often shown in HSM III with some other members of the school band, and we are to assume that she was keeping them in order for the musical. There were plenty of other boys she could have dated. However, she maintained a relationship with Jason despite him not being Greek God material. And Martha’s flirtatiousness with Jason is testament to his own appeal to girls. The length of time that Kelsi dated Jason would be sufficient for her to shelve any such crush feelings, should they have existed. From Kelsi’s song lyrics, she seems to value honesty and genuine commitment in a relationship, thus making it unlikely that she would knowingly date someone with whom she had little to no connection, let alone whilst thinking about someone else. 

So no, I don’t consider it mandatory in the Trelsi ship to believe that Kelsi had a crush on him. Unorthodox? Yes. But hey, I love that. 

That being said, did Kelsi write her songs for Jason? I don’t think so. Their relationship did not strike me as having the quality that she longed for in her songs. Those songs express an ideal state. Will Kelsi attain it? That is entirely for her to decide, and I don’t know whether she feels her songs are truly representative of romance or maybe just part of her escapism. 

In the next instalment, I will discuss the superior potential of Trelsi romance, particularly where it might have worked in place of the canonical narrative. 

TO BE CONTINUED

[muppetsofficial]

As someone who's also a theatre kid (and who's seen HSM approximately 500 times)... Yeah, Ryan and Sharpay are talented theatre kids. I'm well-aware that they're icons in their own right. But just because you're good doesn't mean you're right for the part?

Overlooking the fact that Sharpay and Ryan are *literally siblings* (because no one seems to care about that in this universe), they don't listen to the composer and a guaranteed collaborator from the beginning. They tell Kelsie that because they have experience, they're artistic vision matters more, even though Kelsie wrote the material.

If you're just a lead in high school, you won't be prepared to face a real theatre environment. This type of experience should be valued by Ryan and Sharpay, who are the co-presidents of the drama club, but they don't care about gaining experience and having multiple types of roles in their repertoire. They, like the other kids in the film, fear losing their power and social standing to others.

The point of High School Musical is that art should be accessible to anyone who connects with it. Everyone is allowed to be a multi-faceted person, including Troy and Gabriella. Including Ryan and Sharpay.

Theatre in school is supposed to be educational. It isn't simply an opportunity for the student body to see the same people on stage over and over again. You need to take risks and find people who wouldn't get that art otherwise! Because art helps people relate and feel for each other, and it's not just about talent or experience. It's about heart and feeling!

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

Responses to “The Marvel of Trelsi Part XI”

Response to this post by BoltonEvans here: 

“The biggest issue with Troyella honestly isn’t just that their relationship is unequal, which would be an indictment in and of itself, but that it’s unhealthy. When we break it down to brass tax; Troy’s future isn’t as important as his and Gabriella’s relationship, but Gabriella’s future is more important than their relationship. Gabriella is always right, and Troy is always wrong. Gabriella is entirely above reproach. Troy’s every action is open to criticism and rebuking. Gabriella sees fit to punish and scold Troy when he fails to meet her ludicrously high expectations, but Troy can’t so much as question Gabriella’s failings and shortcomings as a partner without receiving an icy look from Gabriella, herself, and the justification that Gabriella “always” does “the right thing”, and is “one step ahead, as usual”. When Troy confides his concerns about his future and his insecurities in Gabriella, Gabriella scarcely pays his words any mind before bringing up her own (comparatively less serious) problems, as if she needs to one up her boyfriend. Gabriella can toy with Troy’s feelings and ultimately determine that he isn’t worth fighting for, while Troy scrambles to do everything in his power to keep Gabriella content and at his side.”

Great points. I agree. 

“Yet, it’s Troy the characters in these films, and, consequently, the fandom, see fit to demonize and write off as “not good enough for Gabriella”.

The fandom’s vindictive cruelty towards Troy beggars belief time after time. I conclude that they were watching a different version of the film. 

“Ryan was originally conceived as having a crush on Gabriella, in High School Musical 2. Which, definitely was a byproduct of writer’s bias- two male leads lusting after the same girl? Yeah. Extreme bias. Anyway, in both the junior novel adaptation of the second film (which was based on an earlier draft of the script), and a deleted scene, Ryan attempts to flirt with Gabriella in an outrageously uncomfortable manner by mentioning the previous lifeguard at Lava Springs having awful back hair; implying that Gabriella is far easier on the eyes. This concept, however, seems to have been by and large abandoned in the final cut of the film. Instead, several lines of dialogue, as well as Lucas Grabeel’s performance, indicate Ryan having a preference for the Troy half of Troyella.”

I see no avenue for Ryan having feelings for Gabriella. And I don’t like to imagine what an “earlier draft of the script” would look like, given the final product. What I see in this scene is Ryan walking into a trap with his naiive eyes open, and then Gabriella leaving him to take the flack. He thought Gabriella was being friendly, thought her compliments were genuine, and it turned out that she was a stage prop in a plan to humiliate someone he had no intention to hurt. It’s a disgusting scene, because if you wiped Gabriella out of the picture, clearly the two of them (Troy and Ryan) could have had a nice chat. 

Personally, I don’t think Ryan had a more than platonic interest in Troy, but I do think he got on better with Troy than with Gabriella. He also admires Troy, because Troy has what he longs for: recognition and popularity on his own account. I suppose it is easy to interpret that admiration as being more than platonic. That said, he approached Zeke with a compliment long before approaching Troy. (Not to mention that scene in HSM III “I Want It All” and at graduation between them). Anyway, he does not admire Gabriella, apart from being impressed with her academic abilities. Ryan may also be grateful to Troy, who signed his yearbook-- almost everyone else ignored him when he tried to sign theirs, which gives the impression that very few people signed his. 

Ryan eagerly and without any hesitation declares Troy as having the “category” of East High School’s Absolute Primo Boy “pretty much locked up, don’t you think?”, a large grin playing across his face...

Sharpay asked him a very silly question, which he appears to have taken literally. His tone is sort of “Come on, Shar, you already know the answer to that!” It strikes me that he is very much used to hearing about how much his sister wants Troy, and silently amused that Troy so clearly does not reciprocate those feelings. Ryan’s later annoyance, resentment and eventual anger with Sharpay for using Troy as a tool to replace him tends to make me feel that he would be favourable to Gabriella’s place in Troy’s life because it means Sharpay doesn’t get her way for once. If Troy is unattainable, then he’s not going to be kicked aside. Ryan is a very practical guy. He looks out for Numero Uno. In HSM III, he does not mention that Troy would not like to perform with Sharpay, but that Sharpay can’t fulfil Gabriella’s role: “You... are not Gabriella.” In HSM II, he pretended that Sharpay was “East High’s Primo Girl”, whilst clearly believing it to be Gabriella, hence that funny stare round the corner.

His mood quickly sours, however, when Sharpay begins daydreaming about herself and Troy, leading to Ryan having to take a minute to compose himself before exiting the school building on Sharpay’s heels. 

Actually, he kind of gave her a “get real” look there, by snapping his fingers. I imagine that Ryan is always having to compose himself around Sharpay, given her high drama capacity, and her always roping him into her schemes.  

“...takes issue with Troy potentially performing in the Lava Springs talent show only on the grounds that he doesn’t want to see Troy sing with Gabriella, stands off to the side, beaming, as Troy is introduced to Mrs. Evans...”

I personally think that Ryan didn’t want Troy and Gabriella upstaging him and Sharpay: “What about our song?”. Ryan never actually stated that he wished to see Troy perform in the Lava Springs Talent Show; he even went so far as to tell Sharpay that Kelsi had written a song for him and Gabriella, calling it “a problem”. “Now it’s an amazing song, but Kelsi didn’t write it for us.”-- “us” being him and Sharpay. Along with his incredibly sarcastic behaviour at dinner (which was hilarious), it doesn’t look to me like he appreciates what appears to be yet another dinnertime with him being shunted into the corner, whilst all the focus is on Sharpay, and this time, Troy. His anger when Sharpay announced that she’d be performing in Troy was based on him feeling betrayed by her, and the waste of his beloved “Tiki Warrior Outfit”, not to mention the time and effort he poured into rehearsing a song that he clearly enjoyed-- not least because he got to be the Handsome Prince. His annoyance with Troy at the end of Humuhumu was both hilarious and telling; even though Troy did nothing wrong, he snatched the necklace thing from him and stalked off. :D When Sharpay confirms his worst fears, that he has been replaced, he snaps. Later on, he sarcastically tells Sharpay, “But you and Troy have a good show, sis.” Back in HSM I, he was worried that Troy and Gabriella, referred to as “they”, sounded good-- worried and impressed, rather. When Sharpay ranted against the injustice of Gabriella signing up for the Talent Show, Ryan just pretended to agree with her. He also eventually became good-natured when he saw that Troy and Gabriella performed “Breaking Free” so well. So I don’t think that he was jealous of Troy and Gabriella, but resentful of how Sharpay used Troy as a replacement for him, thus making him feel replaceable. I think that when he was upset about the “Troy and Gabriella” show, he was referring to their popularity and how that would mean no attention for him. We already know that he secretly longed to win the Star Dazzle Award. Ryan seems to me to be incredibly practical. 

I’ve seen the scene where Troy is introduced to Mrs. Evans, and he’s pulling that same face the entire time at everyone, which must take some muscle effort. :D

then, not subtly at all gives Troy’s behind a once over as he passes by.

Maybe it’s just me, but his cap is too far down for me to see anything. It looks to me as though they’re all just getting out of the way. Ryan keeps pulling that face for the entire scene, and sometimes doesn’t even look interested in what’s going on, because almost everyone gradually forgets that he’s even there (as usual). 

The binoculars scene was funny. Ryan looks to me like he’s watching a very good film. However, he is only there because Sharpay forced him to be: later, when Sharpay yells at him to “keep an eye on those Wildcats”, he has snapped and stalks off. I would be more convinced if he decided to keep watch of his own accord. Besides, since his parents own the club, there’s not much for Ryan to do from day to day. So why not spy? :D 

“This is veering into headcanon territory, but… if you factor in the lyrics to “Everyday”, lyrics that Ryan and not Kelsi penned, lyrics that describe both feelings the speaker believes they have only one chance to act on, and Troy’s internal conflict over the course of this film… Ryan likely came to the conclusion that he had blown his one “chance” with Troy.”

Because I hardly ever watch this scene, too pissed off with movie events to stomach the sweet reunion part, I don’t know what the lyrics are. This is a plausible interpretation. But if this song is so important and personal to Ryan, then why doesn’t Ryan, who can play the piano, teach Troy the song? If they’d had that scene together, that would have definitely had more potential for romantic interpretation. 

Obviously, I’m biased, but I just don’t see anyone having the same dynamic as Troy and Kelsi; and Troy is almost completely dependent upon Kelsi to perform “Everyday”, from what I remember-- at least until Gabriella appears. She’s the one giving him the moral support throughout there. I don’t feel that he and Ryan had that unspoken understanding through music that was shown between him and Kelsi. 

What I’d like to know is who taught Gabriella the song. Neither Ryan nor Kelsi are shown to know her that well. Ryan hands Troy the new score and then when Troy confronts Sharpay, Ryan dashes off, whilst Troy is off to rehearse with Kelsi (who manages to teach him an entire song within an hour or so). Where does Ryan dash off to? Is he going to fetch Gabriella? Is he therefore the one who preps Gabriella? So many unanswered questions. 

“Ryan never attempts to approach Troy throughout the rest of this movie, even while orchestrating a scheme to reunite Troy with Gabriella (something Gabriella obviously didn’t want, as she was the one who terminated their relationship) and get him performing in the talent show for the boosters from U of A with a song actually in his range, and a partner he’s comfortable with. It is Troy who seeks Ryan out.”

Ryan helping to orchestrate a reunion between Troy and Gabriella is definitely significant and a very decent thing to do. I think it was a completely naiive idea, but his heart was in the right place.

“And, Ryan’s faces during that sequence say it all. He thought Troy would never have anything to do with him, again, but…. here Troy is, right in front of him, saying his name, apologizing to him, and offering his hand in friendship.”

Yes, I like that scene. Ryan does act as though he is meeting a celebrity. Again, I can see how this might be seen as more than platonic. 

“He can hardly believe it. But, he’s certainly not going to refuse it. He even attempts to ameliorate Troy’s (completely unwarranted) guilt over the talent show by assuring him, “Hey, truth is… we’ve all had a lot of fun. At least I have.”

I approve of Ryan not taking an apology that was never warranted in the first place. 

“I could go on, incorporating graphics from the third movie and break downs of the context of them to illustrate further proof that Ryan has decidedly not platonic feelings for Troy, but I’m sure you’ve got the gist, by now. (And, I don’t want to detract from the point of this analysis, which is intended to be a celebration of Troy/Kelsi, not my preferred ship.) With this knowledge in hand, Ryan’s silence in regards to Troy and Gabriella’s relationship is suddenly painted in a new light.”

I’m happy to discuss all ships. I base ships on their plausibility and level of interest, and though I don’t ship Troy and Ryan, this is quite obviously a superior pairing to Chyan (implausible), Ryella (nonsensical) and Ryelsi (implausible, nonsensical and offensive). All of those three have next to NO evidence in their favour-- I don’t care about “I Don’t Dance”, because it’s a waste of minutes. 

I think Ryan holds Troy in high esteem and they become very good friends, which I think is a positive thing. 

It would certainly be a very interesting headcanon for Ryan (who deserves a more prominent role in some capacity), and one with more proof than for the central couple. But again, I’m biased: for me, Troy and Kelsi are unique (the “Playmakers” *squee* :D) and extremely well-suited for each other, as well as being reliant upon and devoted to each other’s success. They both have something that they need and value in each other that is, to me, a lot deeper than with Troy’s other relationships with other characters. Which is what I’m babbling about in this series, LOL! 

However, I do agree that there are a lot of unappreciated dynamics in the movie series, that deserved far more attention than Troyella.  

“As of the end of High School Musical 2, Ryan and Troy are friends. This is not up for debate. This is a fact supported by their interactions in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. Ignoring the transparent Pro-Gabriella/Troyella bias the entire narrative of that film is steeped in, Ryan has likely come to terms with the fact that Gabriella is the one Troy’s heart is set on. He doesn’t necessarily like it...”

To be honest, I don’t think he looks unhappy there at all; everyone behind those doors looks wistful and impressed at the performance. They always seem to me to be in the middle of a daydream. (Which they are, because this performance is in no way a reflection of Troyella’s actual relationship). Besides, we can’t actually see the bottom half of Ryan’s face in that pic, LOL! I’d certainly like Ryan to be unhappy with Gabriella, but then his later victory air pump during the final Musical performance would contradict that. He doesn’t even look unhappy when Troy shows up halfway through the musical with Gabriella on his arm, and even helps give them another chance! I wish he hadn’t, because Troy should have turned up on his cue, and Gabriella should have fucked off back to California, since she had no intention of performing, but there you go. 

- but he keeps his opinions and personal feelings to himself and tries to support whatever makes Troy happy.

I’d like to see more information about Ryan’s feelings on anything, let alone Troyella. He gets almost no airtime when it’s not convenient. 

With that said, I doubt he’d manage to hold his tongue if he knew the full details of the prom debacle.

Again, I’m hesitant on deciding how he’d react, because I don’t know enough about his feelings, overall. 

I’m really looking forward to further analysis of Kelsi. You do such an excellent job breaking her character down and exploring what makes her tick. It’s given me a renewed appreciation for her. Keep up the amazing work! You’re fighting the good fight. ^___^

Thanks! Kelsi is a marvellous character, who just isn’t appreciated enough in the fandom, so really, she just gives me the material to explore. 

Thanks for the responses!

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

The Marvel of Trelsi (Part VI)

I have resorted to the crude methodology of using screenshots as I’ve wasted over an hour trying to find pictures of Troy and Kelsi on Google Images, amongst other such procrastinating habits. Apparently, the Internet does not believe in the power of Trelsi. Google Play and Dropbox are beautiful things, people. :D 

In this instalment, I continue with the following question:

Question: What makes the Trelsi friendship and dynamic so friggin’ special? Why does it make me want to weep and write poetry?

I am using the following website link: 11 Signs of A True Friendship to demonstrate the worth of Troy and Kelsi’s friendship throughout their lamentably short scenes together in the HSM franchise. As I’m coming to the end of that list, I will also discuss the overall disadvantage of having Troy spend so little screentime and off-screen time with Kelsi.

9- “They don’t talk about you behind your back.”

As I have repeatedly demonstrated when answering this question, the Wildcats ostensible displays of friendship are heralded by the franchise script as being emblematic of true friendship.

This includes the notable examples where the Wildcats are implied to have talked about Troy, negatively, behind his back. Returning to my example from yesterday, where Chad owns up to his part in the HSM I Wi-Fi/camera stunt, the lead-up to this rare moment of humility for the Wildcats could only have been possible if the Wildcats had been muttering about Troy behind his back. After Coach Bolton tries to pressure Troy into focusing for the upcoming game, and Troy storms out of the gym in a terrible mood, the rest of the Wildcats (none of them coming to comfort Troy, of course) are headed in a different direction to plan their next move. Which would include, of course, muttering about Troy’s alleged insanity in trying out a new interest so close to the game. 

Their decision to meet with the brainiacs to put their plan into action counts as talking about Troy (and Gabriella) behind his back, for the purpose of destroying a potential relationship based on selfish interest. In HSM II, I have already stated that their decision to shun Troy appears heavily pre-planned and I’m sure that Chad had been muttering about Troy behind his back prior to his personal decision not to speak with the latter. After all, he told Taylor and Gabriella, “there’s a guy out there that looks just like Troy Bolton, but I have no idea who he really is.” Not only is this patently absurd, but the melodramatic glum faces of Taylor and Gabriella give one the implication that their lunchtime was spent slanging Troy. 

Oh, and speaking of HSM II, let’s not forget Taylor’s instigation of Troy-bashing; telling Gabriella that Troy “forgot” his date without waiting to hear his side of the story (to Gabriella’s credit, she defended Troy!), encouraging Gabriella to hold Troy to ridiculous standards in a relationship (”ALL dates are official. Whether the boy knows it or not.”), planting suspicion in Gabriella’s head that Troy might be straying from her to get in good with Sharpay and the Evans despite there being NO evidence for this, implying that Troy’s motivations are completely unethical throughout despite Sharpay blatantly chasing him and harassing him throughout. Taylor is an excellent friend to Gabriella, and a rotten friend to Troy.*

All of the above scenes are supposed to be glossed over, because hey! We’re all in this together! Indeed, when it comes to stabbing Troy in the back, they are all in this together. However, the ONE scene where Kelsi stands by Troy in the silent Lava Springs kitchen and communicates with him UPFRONT the reason for this undeserved silent treatment once again pours scorn on the alleged Wildcat unity and friendship. Once again, one small gesture in a Trelsi scene outshining everything else. This makes me certain that Kelsi was not involved in the mutinous mutterings against Troy that most probably accompanied Chad’s shouting match earlier on, let alone the plan to ignore him. 

10- “They allow you to have other friendships without getting jealous and possessive.”

Consider the value of being friends with Troy Bolton. You have earned instant status points, you’re considered cool, you have direct access to East High’s Primo Boy, you get to hang on his every word and make sacrifices at the altar of eternal worship. Being friends with Troy Bolton is like being elected Cardinal to the Vatican. You have entered an elite circle. It is my firm belief that Troy was Kelsi’s first real friend, at least in high school. She is never shown with anyone else with whom she shares the same level of familiarity, comfort and affection as she does with Troy. This makes their friendship doubly fortunate. Beforehand, she was sitting with the Drama Club students, working on her music. Now, she is well-liked amongst the Wildcat gang and has graduated to sitting at the Cool Girls table, made up of Taylor (who appears to be the head), Gabriella and Martha. People actually notice her now, they know her name and they appreciate her talent as a composer. Mega status points for Kelsi. 

But throughout the entire movie franchise, she never seeks to impose her own presence upon Troy’s life. In fact, I may have noted before that they rarely ever hang out outside of musical-related activities; Troy still spends the vast majority of his time with the Wildcats and with Gabriella. Kelsi is respectful to all of Troy’s other friends, is pleased when the Wildcats display unity and support Troy’s ambitions and goals, and does everything she can to maintain this harmony. In such benevolence, during HSM II, she appeared shocked when Chad and Troy had a row in the Lava Springs kitchen (TINY scene)-- later on, she persuaded Chad to forgive Troy. Now the BASIS upon which Chad was to forgive Troy is completely bogus and nonsensical in my view; Chad agrees to the following comment: [T] “I was a jerk.”, which as I have stated time and time again, is categorically untrue. 

However, Kelsi certainly never considered Troy to be a jerk throughout this film, and clearly saw that Troy (unjustly) renouncing his privileges in a show of solidarity with his team would appease Chad’s anger. So, either before or after finding Ryan, she runs to Chad, the very same person who called her “small person” in HSM I and with whom she has only shared a little dialogue** previous to plead Troy’s case.*** She doesn’t want to see Troy and Chad’s friendship ruined for anything and seems happy when they get along. This is evidenced by yet another TINY scene where Kelsi is smiling as Troy and Chad do that skipping routine in the kitchen. Scenes like that restore my hope in Troy and Chad’s friendship. 

Due the fact that Troy is one of the friendliest, most open and likeable characters in the entire cast, almost everyone is clamouring to be his friend. Those who get there first consider themselves to be the rightful owners. Cue Chad Danforth, whose has turned possessiveness into an art form. Remember, these two have been friends since pre-school, and although Chad was written as the sidekick, he is clearly the more dominant of the two. “For the record? I was a much better superhero than you were.” I know, I know I criticize Chad a lot, but I do REALLY LIKE Troy and Chad’s friendship. It IS a true brotherhood. They have great banter, their friendship is resilient as hell (secretly filming your BEST friend to destroy his relationship? Wow, Troy forgives like there’s no tomorrow), they make great partners in sport, they clearly bonded quite quickly as kids have great complementary qualities. BUT out of the two, it is Chad who feels that his blueprint must be followed. Troy NEVER imposes any idea upon Chad-- not in their professional spheres or in their social spheres. Rather, it is Chad who decides what Troy should think, what he should like, who he should hang out with, what he should decide and what he should do. And that presents a stark difference between how Chad treats Troy and how Kelsi treats him:

(What Troy should think)-- “The music in those shows isn’t hiphop... or rock. Or anything essential to culture. It’s... showtunes. Costumes and makeup. It’s frightening!”

(What Troy should like)-- “You’re a Hoops Dude. Not a musical singer person!”

(Who he should hang out with)-- (This one is indirect) “...the Drama Geeks and the Brainiacs think that they can... talk to us! Suddenly everyone wants to do other stuff, okay: stuff that’s not their stuff!”

(What he should decide)-- (Upon hearing that Troy is undecided about Juilliard) “That’s not what I wanted to hear!”

(What he should do)-- “You and me... we’re goin’ to U of A.”

Now, perhaps it is worth reiterating that despite all this, I still like their friendship! :D But with no such dialogue coming from Kelsi, who rather encourages his decisions and treats his ambitions with respect and is thoroughly devoted to his success, the glaring problem in Troy and Chad’s dynamic becomes clear. And yet they tell me that Troy is the jerk...

I will discuss Gabriella’s controlling tendencies later on, but the Wildcats’ possessiveness of Troy becomes clear when he’s becoming popular with the Redhawks. After all, they invite him to scrimmage within moments of meeting him, give him a jacket and a ride in their (cool!) car. They talk and joke with him like he’s their best buddy, and he gets lunch with them and Mr. Evans. Of course, Troy is cultivating friendships with them for good reasons (and don’t let anyone deceive you otherwise), but to the Wildcats, this appears as though Troy thinks he is too good for his friends. (Their interpretation, not mine). As a result, they shun and insult him. According to Zeke, who has no reason to be so insulting, “...Troy bailed on us, so whatever!” In other words, the Wildcats act like a spurned lover when Troy doesn’t lavish them with the attention they feel entitled to. This gives the impression that they friendship with him is at least partially motivated by the status boost they receive, and if Troy’s attention is on other people, that threatens their own popularity. Interestingly, they do not apply this theory to Kelsi, who is quickly absorbed into their group despite her high uncool points. But maybe this is because Troy likes her, so they see this as a sign of approval.

Long story short: the Trelsi friendship NEVER has these problems. 

11- “You have so many inside jokes and funny memories with them that you’ve lost count.”

I have to use speculation here, since there are no scenes to give an appropriate insight into what Troy and Kelsi hanging out what look like. But there are several canonical points worth remembering: 1)- their friendship is uniquely esoteric, 2)- it is built upon unspoken understanding, 3)- they both have a great sense of humour, and are fond of sarcasm, 4)- they share many great friendship moments together. In light of this, I can see them having inside jokes and funny/great memories were they allowed more scenes together, particularly scenes that didn’t involve preparation for the musicals. Perhaps there are some canonical funny memories though: (Kelsi, from HSM II about the Ladies Luncheon) “Won’t exactly be rocking out!”. My screenshot way up above shows Troy’s amusement and somewhat affectionate indulging in Kelsi’s sarcasm. And Kelsi certainly finds his decision to steal Jimmie’s clothes in HSM III hilarious. (Don’t ask me). In the same film, we get a glimpse of the potential teasing, sarcastic sense of humour that could characterize their off-screen conversations: “Hoops Man! Over here! You look like you’re having the time of your life!” To add to the esoteric nature of their relationship, the use of nicknames seems likely. 

On the topic of nicknames, Troy and Kelsi are the only ones who use nicknames in a reciprocal fashion. Gabriella calls Troy “Wildcat” (in an often patronizing fashion), but Troy just calls her “Gabriella”. Chad calls Troy “Hoops”, but Troy just calls him “Chad”. With his and Kelsi’s friendship, such is the equal nature of it that even the nicknames are shared. He confers on her the status of Playmaker, she calls him Hoops Man. Interestingly, Troy does not mind this coming from Kelsi-- most likely because she has never viewed him entirely through the prism of being a basketball player. Even MORE interestingly, she uses a basketball-related nickname during THEATRE rehearsals. The very side of Troy that he still struggles to reveal thanks to how his basketball career overshadows his past, present and future. Why does Kelsi do this? At first glance, this might appear counter-productive. But consider this in context; they have had a disastrous rehearsal, everyone is pissed with Troy, the energy is down. Kelsi calling him Hoops Man snaps him right back to attention. He’s focused. It’s like the Coach during practice, and Troy knows this like the back of his hand. Instantly, he turns around, his attention drawn away from the disastrous rehearsal. So Kelsi is once again bringing him back from the brink of self-doubt and endless blame. Also, the nickname “Hoops Man” is a definite compliment. Chad calls him “Hoops”, which makes him sound like an inanimate object. Kelsi calls him “Hoops Man”, showing there’s a human being behind the skill. This is coming from someone who doesn’t know what a Game Ball is and wanders around twirling it in her hands, looking extremely awkward, not to mention “basketball class”, and “Playmaker...??” And by referring to Troy’s skill in basketball, she is basically telling him that he can kill it on stage just like he does on the basketball court. The results of this pep talk (minus the odious Gabriella worship!) are to calm Troy considerably so that by the next scene, when he is preparing for prom, he is showing happiness and excitement for the first time in a while. (Of course, this is cruelly crushed just moments later, but... *sigh*) 

I will expand on why Troy and Kelsi NEEDED more scenes together in the next instalment and provide some areas where this might have helped.

TO BE CONTINUED

(*FOOTNOTE-- I like Taylor McKessie. She’s fierce and fun and bubbly and smart. But her prejudice and subsequent behaviour towards Troy is inexcusable. What is interesting is that prior to Gabriella taking an interest in Troy, Taylor was quite happy for the world to hear about her disdain for Primo Boys/Sports Stars. During the detention scene in HSM I, she barely uses a whisper when she mocks Chad, who is sitting right in front of her: “That’ll be tough for Chad since he probably can’t count that high!” And later, she has a derogatory poster of Troy made with no shame whatsoever. (Again, I give Gabriella credit for not finding this amusing or persuasive). It’s hilarious and completely uncalled for. But she’s openly disdainful. By the time we get to HSM II, she’s smiling to Troy’s face and denigrating him behind his back. Why the change? I think it’s because she can’t bring herself to admit that Troy DOESN’T represent any of the stereotypes that she attaches to Primo Boys; her apparent vendetta against him is based on his status more than it is on him. In HSM I, she called him a lunkhead twice. In HSM II and HSM III, she no longer does this. Sadly, based on her behaviour in HSM II, it’s not because she had some moral epiphany, but she’s found another way to criticize him. You can see the rationale in her head: based on HSM I, she now concludes “Troy’s a nice guy”, and then BUT... Cue the new round of criticism. This is astonishing, as out of the two it is CHAD who is more of a douche throughout the movies, but she’s willing to give him the benefit of the doubt because of her feelings towards him. As she has no feelings for Troy, it is easier to maintain her prejudices against Primo Boy status. And Chad, who is supposed to be Troy’s best friend, allows her to talk smack about his buddy in front of him with no comment whatsoever. ([C] “Troy would never do that!”/[T] “You’ve got eyes: use them!”) Insane hypocrisy, but I’ve come to expect this from the Wildcats by now).

(**FOOTNOTE-- Despite Chad’s dismissive way of addressing Kelsi in HSM I, it appears by HSM II that he quite likes her. I am intrigued by what they were discussing prior to the Silent Treatment scene. [K] “It’s okay, Ryan can help!” Help what? By this time, they know that they will not be able to participate in the Lava Springs Talent Show, and yet I am always led to assume that Kelsi meant something dance-related. Maybe I am wrong. And the recipient of this help appears to be Chad, who says, [C] “I don’t know...” But Kelsi remains optimistic: [K] “He’ll get it, eventually!” I have no idea what they are referring to, much less when Chad and Kelsi were on friendly chatting terms over breakfast. Not that I object to this, as Kelsi would no doubt be a good influence on Chad! But the show never shows the transition from calling someone “small person” to discussing something like one might discuss the weather. However, I will draw the viewer’s attention back to early HSM II, where Kelsi babbles on about her beloved Talent Show, claiming “I’ve got ideas for EVERYONE; you guys can sing the lead, and maybe CHAD and ZEKE can do backup and everyone can dance!” (Capital emphasis my own). How did Kelsi come upon the information that Chad was capable of doing backup vocals? Did Chad suddenly show an interest in music in between the Winter Musical and the Summer Holidays? Did Kelsi do a survey? It would have been nice to have these details. Anyway, this apparent knowledge that Kelsi has of Chad’s musical skills further undermine his silly pantomime of braggadocio in that glorious waste of time called “I Don’t Dance”.)

(***FOOTNOTE-- It apparently never occurs to Troy that his “forgiveness” from Chad in HSM II was entirely engineered by Kelsi. Indeed, that’s the first thing that Chad says is “Kelsi told us what went down between you and Sharpay”. It appears not to affect Troy that Kelsi is responsible for this, nor that Chad, who had previously been ignoring him outright, was now making eye contact and walking over to him. Given Troy’s attempt to muster up the courage for his “apology”, I assume he had expected a struggle to get Chad’s attention. (Perhaps one of his pre-prepared speeches). The “apology” scene went off without a hitch, and that’s all due to Kelsi. And yet Troy is never shown to have taken note of this fact, let alone thanked Kelsi for helping him repair his friendships. Neither does Kelsi hang around to take the credit. There are two possible reasons for this: the first, that Troy has been so worn down by the Wildcats’ spitefulness and is desperate to get back into their good books. The fact that Chad is willing to lend him an ear engenders sheer relief. In the resulting friendships that are fixed, he has no time to consider how this was possible. His only objective was to stop the Wildcats giving him dirty looks, avoiding his path and refusing to speak with him. Remember, the beginning of the Silent Treatment was at breakfast time, but Troy appears to speak with Sharpay during the afternoon. That’s six or more hours work-time with no one speaking to him. He leaves his omelette untouched, but what about lunchtime? What about when he crosses someone’s path from the kitchens? After going through the humiliation and upset, the only thing on Troy’s mind is putting an end to it; he cracks like glass. The second reason is that the screenwriters don’t care enough about Troy and Kelsi’s friendship or basic continuity, even though they took the care to demonstrate this friendship as being superior to the main romantic couple in almost every way!) 

[cam-blam]

Since cus I found myself in the these tags Becuase I'm rewatching hsm3 I have to put in my two cents after reading about 90% of the back and forth betwrrn OP and somebody else. Kelsi's main issue with sharpay was her changing her song, which was 100% better than the original because sharpay is a queen, and the fact that sharpay's been the lead in all the school plays since they've been in high school. Never did Kelsi say that Sharpay had been mean to her. Sharpay is not a bully, she is extremely self centreed and high maintenance. Kelsi taking on Troy and Gabriella was like 100% in the hopes of outing sharpay and Ryan as the leads of the play becuade she had some sort of vindictive motive against sharpay. Her doing that was also really unprofessional, Becuase her, as the composer, had a pretty high position in the whole play. Thusly, she shouldn't have been taking sides despite how she may or may not have felt about sharpay as a person. Sharpay and Ryan were extremely talented, beyond that of Troy and Gabriella. Kelsi's main issue with them was personal, and personally setting against somebody is unprofessional. Just like how sharpay moves the callbacks later. Kelsi in the end is almost no better than sharpay. Or the other frjenfs for that matter. They all do these things Becuase they have personal issues with stuff that superficial at best. Bascially, Kelsi may have had it out for them to begin with, but probably not based in how sharpay acted more or less cus sharpay had the TALENT

Anyone else?

Anyone else find Kelsi's song choice creepy as fuck.

Like...girl knew, probably before she even started writing the musical, that Sharpay and Ryan would likely end up the leads.

"No ones beaten them out since kindergarten."

"We have starred in all the schools productions."

Even if it was Kelsi's first year composing a full on musical, she would have known who those main leads would end up.

So...she chooses to make the main 2 leads a couple and include a fuck ton of romantic songs. That Ryan and Sharpay will have to sing...playing a couple.

Also, as actors, they likely do not get a say about show choice...thats on Darbus and Kelsi.

...and they chose a romance.

Now, there are various ways to look at it

-perhaps it was just an audition song and wasnt intended to be a part of the final musical.

-perhaps they were planning to rewrite it.

- ...or perhaps Kelsi was a little snake who wanted to either force Sharpay or Ryan to quit the musical, or embarrass them onstage and make the theatre super unpleasant for them.

Of course, it's all speculation.

But look at how quickly Kelsi jumps at dragging them out of the show...and tell me all of her choices don't reek of suspicion and subterfuge.

What I know, is that in their position, I'd be a bitch to Kelsi too.

Especially since (and this is pure speculation) but based on most public schools arts funding, I genuinly believe that Mama and Papa Evans were probably filling the coffers of the high schools budget for it to stay running.

What I do know, is that Kelsi had no right writing that musical.

She had talent alright, but she was so obsessed whether or not she could write love songs, that she never stopped to think if she should or if it was appropriate for the actors on stage. Darbus should have shut that musical down and given Kelsi a reality check about making sure she writes for the actors feelings and comfort levels, and not just herself.

[deborahdeshoftim5779]

The Marvel of Trelsi (Part III)

Because this image NEVER gets old. It also epitomizes the relationship between Troy and Kelsi as complete equals, quite unlike a certain other relationship.

In this instalment, I want to discuss the introduction to Trelsi, which will include scene analysis, comparative analysis, musings and headcanons. I love this scene primarily for what it says about Troy Bolton as a character, as well as for how radiant and confident Kelsi becomes throughout the rest of the canonical movie series. I will demonstrate the superior importance of this scene in establishing relationships thus far, particularly in comparison to Troy’s introduction to Gabriella, and how this scene represents everything the movie was supposed to support.

Now, first of all, I must start by noting the unrealistic spectacle of every other candidate being laughably inept at performing except for Sharpay/Ryan and later, Troy/Gabriella. I must presume that this is all in aid of plot-related reasons. In real life, although it is more believable that Sharpay still would have reigned as Queen of the Drama Department (with Ryan as her Page Boy), there would have been plenty of decent candidates for this role. After all, there is a Drama Club and I refuse to believe that this is populated by incompetents. Nonetheless, Kelsi’s patience throughout, playing whilst people mess up her song, is both hilarious and endearing.

As I write this analysis with the film playing, I often have to fast-forward or rewind to see which parts are visible to Troy throughout this to explain why he decides to reach out to Kelsi. Remember, he appears not to know who Kelsi is prior to this moment, as she is not shown in his homeroom class. (This begs the question of how Kelsi came to be there during HSM II and HSM III). After being denied the opportunity to rehearse, Troy would have had no choice other than to leave and return to his other lessons. Instead, he stands there in disappointment for a moment until distracted by Kelsi tripping over in an ironically dramatic fashion. So if we rewind and view the Auditions scene from Troy’s viewpoint, is there any reason to speculate that Troy might have intended to make friends with Kelsi? Personally, I don’t know. Obviously, I am biased and like to think this was the case, but it may well have been a spur of the moment decision. However, there is room, in my view, to speculate otherwise.

So, how much does Troy see prior to this grand introduction? (I say “grand”, because Trelsi :D). As we recall, he has performed an elaborate ninja routine in order to get to said auditions, which involves throwing Chad off his back, cutting through a D & T room, dashing downstairs, confusing his dad by doing a Houdini and hiding behind a mop once he reaches the Drama stage.

It is very important to note that Troy did this himself, as much later, in HSM III, Troy will make a grand speech in which he falsely claims that: “Problem is, East High changed when you got there. Now it’s changed again because you left.” As you can see here, the decision to check out the auditions was of Troy’s own making. Gabriella had even told him prior that she had no intention of signing up for anything, and just wanted to get to know the school first. This forward-thinking on Troy’s part explains his decisions much later on in the movie, not least his decision to make friends with Kelsi.

Obviously, Troy sees Kelsi introduced by Ms Darbus, but I don’t think he makes anything of it. He sees the slew of embarrassing performances throughout. It is interesting to note that, despite the glaring incompetence of many in East High, Troy is STILL nervous about trying out for the auditions. Having sung with Gabriella in karaoke over the holidays, it is clear that his confidence soars when performing, but in East High, it’s almost nonexistent. This is most likely due to Chad shooting him down earlier*, basically implying that Troy won’t make it as a top basketball player if he spends (wastes) time doing School Musicals. (“You ever think LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neill auditioned for their school musicals?”) It is also because Troy is scared of being sent off in disgrace by Ms Darbus and laughed at by everyone else. (“Ms Darbus is a little… harsh.”). After this, a thoroughly exasperated, but now somewhat hopeful Ms Darbus introduces Sharpay and Ryan who will “give us a sense of why we gather in this hallowed hall”. Given that Troy reluctantly agreed to watch Sharpay in the musical earlier, I assume that he is not looking forward to this performance. His expression throughout is priceless. But he doesn’t appear aware of how much dismay is caused to Kelsi by this performance, at least not until afterwards.

I had to rewind this a lot to make sure, but Troy does see Sharpay’s mean and condescending jabs at Kelsi afterwards. During this scene, Sharpay belittles Kelsi for being a heretofore unknown composer who has no right to question someone as seasoned as Sharpay, even though Kelsi wrote the music. “And you should be glad that me and Ryan are here to lift your music out of its current obscurity! Are we clear?”/”Yes, Ma’am! I mean, Sharpay!” Dismayed and subdued, Kelsi is knocked back onto the piano stool and accepts Sharpay’s Reign of Terror without question. However, as I discussed yesterday, it surely is significant that Kelsi overcame her shyness for one short moment of resistance by telling Sharpay that she hadn’t captured the meaning of the song. Hence why Sharpay was so insulted: “IF we do the part?” Anyhow, because Troy is such a decent and fair guy, he would clearly object to Kelsi being pushed around like this. However, as I asked earlier, did Troy have any intent in reaching out to her just then? Not long afterwards, he tells Gabriella that they should leave, presumably before Ms Darbus discovers them peeking round the corner like spies. So I suppose not, and the ensuing meeting was probably by chance.

I criticize Gabriella regularly, but I think she displayed real initiative by conquering her stage fright to audition. So now we need to zoom out of Troy’s perspective and into Kelsi’s perspective for this scene, as she spends the entire time at the piano, probably despondent as she arranges her scores. But she is within earshot when Troy, quite commendably, puts himself forward as Gabriella’s singing partner. We are not given Kelsi’s reaction to this, which would have been very interesting. Troy Bolton, King of East High, agreeing to audition for a part? Stop the world! It would have been more effective if Kelsi had turned around at this point in astonishment, before getting up to leave and then tripping over. But that’s just my viewpoint. She definitely hears the ensuing exchange, as Ms Darbus makes no secret of her astonishment when Troy shows up from behind the corner. Had Kelsi shown some engagement with this scene, it would have made her tripping over seem a lot less contrived for the purposes of introducing her to Troy. Again, my opinion. But what the hell? My analysis, too. :D We can only speculate as to her reaction, which I believe would be of astonishment. I exclude Gabriella from this part, given that Kelsi does not know her name, presumably not until Ms Darbus gives the two a callback audition.

Kelsi’s trip is marvellous! Gasp of surprise, papers flung everywhere… Really well done! :D

And Troy’s first instinct is to run over and help her, even though he is a considerable distance from the stage. Now, if you watch this carefully, look at Gabriella’s reaction. Troy does not hesitate to rush over and help, but Gabriella actually hesitates. In fact, I see unwillingness in her expression for a moment, before she runs over after Troy. I may be wrong in this, but if you get the time, please look over that scene and tell me what you think. In any case, Troy reaches the stage before Gabriella does. It’s almost as though Gabriella is either a mixture of unwilling/exasperated and yet resigned before deciding to help Kelsi. I usually rewind minute by minute to be accurate, and that is what I see. It therefore seems to me that were Troy not present, Gabriella would either have hesitated to help Kelsi, or not done so at all. That may seem a harsh assumption, but at the very least, it does provide more proof as to why Gabriella is not in ANY WAY responsible for Kelsi’s character development. She’s friends with Kelsi because Troy is. That’s it, really.

You’ve got to love Kelsi’s stunned disbelief when Troy fricking Bolton comes and helps her pick up her manuscripts. Remember, Kelsi is limited by the status quo: cool guys don’t come within throwing distance of nerds like herself. You may see, by pausing at selected moments, that Troy catches her staring and smiles in a friendly manner, which makes me SQUEE! But again, if someone stares at you like you’re the Loch Ness Monster, some people might be pretty annoyed or self-conscious. I think this is Troy trying to break the ice, once again demonstrating that he sees Kelsi as a complete equal, and not some specimen from a different social class.

“So you’re a composer?”

Kelsi’s mute nods are cute. She cannot believe this moment is happening.

“You wrote the song Ryan and Sharpay just sang? [*nod*] And the entire show? [*nod] Well, that’s really cool. I uh-- [*holds out hand for her to shake*] I can’t wait to hear the rest of the show!”

I can’t get over the SWEETNESS here. Yet more evidence that Troy is nowhere near the arrogant and entitled jerk some “fans” allege him to be. Remember, Kelsi has just been put in her place by Sharpay, is despondent that two people who have ruined her song will most likely get the leads and has probably been discouraged from offering any suggestions in future, since Sharpay has made it clear that Kelsi would be nothing without her. After having had her musical ideas rejected time and time again by the Drama Department, this doesn’t feel like much of a reward, hence the resigned way in which Kelsi cleared her manuscripts from the piano earlier. So for Troy to tell her that what she does is “really cool”, and to express genuine admiration for her ability to write “the entire show” is everything. It is completely superficial to assume that Kelsi’s stunned disbelief is due to her having a massive crush on Troy. Whether this may or may not be true is besides the point; we don’t have any information about that. What is far more important, is the obvious fact that prior to now, very few, if any people, have ever spoken to Kelsi like this. With respect, admiration and friendly encouragement. We know this, because Kelsi is too astonished to respond. She must have felt like a complete idiot, just nodding instead of speaking, but Troy does not try and goad her into conversation. He just takes her as she is without judgement. It’s almost as though he understands her shyness and will let her speak when she’s ready. This is one of the first signs that Troy and Kelsi are attuned to each other on such an instinctive level that is impossible to ignore.

Furthermore, Troy tells her that he “can’t wait” to hear the rest of the show. Think carefully about this. Not long beforehand, Sharpay said “I hope you can watch me in the musical”, and made Troy promise to do so. He only nodded, clearly unable to bring himself to say anything. He nodded to get her off his back. His discomfort around Sharpay is self-evident. Now here he is, telling Kelsi, a girl with whom he has NEVER spoken before, that he is excited to hear the rest of her compositions. Up until now, he has only heard a few measures of ONE song. For all he knows, the rest might be mediocre or terrible. (I doubt it, but that’s always a possibility). Her compositions have never been selected before. There’s no discomfort here for Troy at all. He comes across as completely genuine in his interest and willingness to support Kelsi. So we can infer that Troy must like the little he has heard and thinks she has untapped potential. And prior to now, has Troy ever watched a musical? I tend to assume not, given his complete unfamiliarity with the Drama stage, and his lack of knowledge about Broadway: “Who’s Michael Crawford?” For heaven’s sake, he spent the entire audition hiding behind a mop! He has never seen the preparation it takes to write a musical, and I assume he has never been to one of the school productions, given how reluctant he was to watch Sharpay perform. Add to that his supreme status as East High’s Primo Boy, the significance of his offer is HUGE.

All of this underscores how accepting Troy is of everyone around him. He accepts Gabriella, who is extremely intelligent and always comes top of her class. He accepts Zeke’s interest in baking. He presumably accepts Martha’s love of hip hop, and the skater dude who likes the cello… All in all, Troy never expects anyone to change who they are for anyone. Troy never judges people, unlike Chad. He is always happy to extend the hand of friendship (quite literally in Kelsi’s case, and later in Ryan’s case), irrespective of the alleged social divides. Troy doesn’t think that anyone should be limited just because of who they are: “[Chad] You ever think LeBron James or Shaquille O’Neill auditioned for their school musicals?”/ [Troy] “MAYBE.” (Capital emphasis my own). And later on: “Look, I just did it! [auditioned for the musical] Who cares?” Furthermore, Troy always takes an interest in other people’s lives and admires their achievements, even if he knows nothing about what they do. We are not told whether Troy plays any musical instruments, but I assume not. We are not told whether he reads music, although I have to assume from his excellent, and sometimes unrealistically good sight-reading skills, he must have had availed himself of school music lessons. Either way, I wouldn’t call him an insider in the music profession. Yet he immediately takes an interest based on very little information other than a couple bars of Kelsi’s song.

I reiterate again: this is significant.

I love the hand-shake, as Troy helps her to stand again. The metaphorical significance of this is beautiful; he is raising her self-esteem, pulling her up, lifting her mood, making her feel like an accomplished young lady, instead of a nobody. The friendly smile remains even though Kelsi seems unable to detach her hand from his-- again, I think the reason for this is stunned disbelief first and foremost. Clearly, she is unused to such friendliness from anyone, let alone Troy Bolton. And remember, he’s just told her that he wants to hear her other compositions.

At this point, having helped Kelsi pick up her manuscripts, Troy could have left. After all, free period is now over. He should be getting back to class. Instead, he has something else to say, which fuelled my earlier query about whether he had intended to speak to her beforehand. And remember, Kelsi has not said a word thus far, so he might have concluded she was too shy and gone back to class. Yet he is still keen to engage with her, whether she might answer or not.

“So… why’re you so afraid of Ryan** and Sharpay? I mean, it is your show.”

I love Troy telling Kelsi, in effect, that she doesn’t have to be afraid of the Evans twins. He’s offering her a way out. He’s offering her options she had never previously considered. He’s reminding her that these are her songs and she is therefore a lot more than a Sideshow Bob.

“It is?”

The fact that Kelsi questions something that is so OBVIOUSLY true shows how little self-esteem she has up until this point.

“Isn’t the composer of a show kinda like the Playmaker in basketball?”

“Playmaker…?”

“You know, the one who makes everyone else look good. I mean without you, there is no show. You’re the Playmaker here, Kelsi.”

First of all, just look at the effect these words have on Kelsi:

For the first time since being introduced into the movie, she looks delighted. Given her crippling shyness and introverted nature, I feel fairly certain that she has probably rarely, if ever, been made to feel like this. Empowered, confident and worth something. The utter delight on her face, the way she completely lights up, shows her unfamiliarity with such praise. It further highlights that very few, if any people, have taken an interest in her music, or have given her the chance she craves to be heard and understood, as I explained yesterday. Compare this to her intimidation, disappointment and dismay when Sharpay belittled her earlier. THIS is the moment that the deal is sealed: she takes to Troy in an instant. Her excitement is brimming beneath the surface. And make no mistake, this is entirely directed towards Troy. Gabriella, up until now, has not said a word, and neither is she the recipient of this delighted expression.  

The most important thing to note here is “the one who makes everyone else look good,” as the inimitable teamwork between Troy and Kelsi throughout all three shows in movie canon is a living demonstration of this. Again, I must reiterate that Troy has barely heard any of Kelsi’s music, and is saying that her compositional skills make everyone else look good. Ms Darbus, whom I presume had previously rejected many of Kelsi’s ideas and now selected these ones, is never shown to have given Kelsi such high praise, despite having considered these songs on their artistic merit to her play. (Correction from last post: Ms Darbus wrote the plays. Credit to BoltonEvans). And because Troy doesn’t treat sports like a religion (unlike a certain Mr. Danforth), he doesn’t judge her for being ignorant about sporting terminology, either, which is a small but once again noteworthy point.

This scene basically launches the term “Playmaker”. Let’s discuss this. Troy is not only giving Kelsi a nickname (something he hasn’t done for Gabriella or indeed anyone else), but it is the very same name that others in his team use to refer to him. More importantly, it is a term with which he has a love-hate relationship. We know this because later on, Troy’s father tells him, “but you’re Playmaker. Not a singer.” Troy’s reaction to this is one of rising frustration; in other words, he appears tired of hearing about his Playmaker/Basketball Guy status ALL the time. A lot of viewers seem to, in their haste to judge/belittle Troy for his mistakes, ignore the effect of constantly being praised and touted as the Top Gun for the team. He is, around this time, between 16 and 17 years old. Adolescence is a time of self-doubt and learning to figure yourself out. Coming of age. The pressure that Troy’s father and his team-mates put on his shoulders by such honorary titles must be immense and counter-productive.

So I feel it is very important to note that the term “Playmaker” does not necessarily have very positive connotations for Troy, as it reminds him of the pedestal upon which he is placed, and how much is expected of him by everyone else. In which case, it is somewhat unusual that Troy deems this nickname appropriate for a composer, let alone a girl he has only just met properly. But he chooses “Playmaker”, for several key reasons: 1)- he sees the value of Kelsi’s work, 2)- he believes she deserves it more, 3)- he senses that she needs it. Troy himself suffocates under all these honorary terms and wishes he could “just be a guy”. Like I said yesterday, Troy is running away from his pre-destined status and longing to be ordinary as well as try something new. Kelsi, on the other hand, thinks her path as a composer is predestined and is longing to be extraordinary. The title “Playmaker” and its special significance gives her precisely that. ALL of this is communicated from Troy to Kelsi with precious little dialogue. Troy just instinctively understands what she needs right then and can encapsulate all of this with the nickname “Playmaker”. This seals the deal, folks. It makes their bond esoteric, rather than transparent-- later on, when Troy calls her Playmaker in front of a cheering crowd, only he, Kelsi (and Gabriella) know what he means. Again, Kelsi’s delight here says it all. It underlines all their later scenes together and is the centrepiece of their friendship. They are both Playmakers in their own respective fields. So Troy demonstrates his ability to take something with difficult implications for himself and turn it into a positive for someone who would otherwise be unheard. This is a special moment in the movie, and definitely the most significant up until Troy revealing his love for performing later on.

The movie makes a great deal of hullabaloo about Troy meeting Gabriella, using twinkling lights, night skies and romantic music. We’re meant to believe that this is a once in a lifetime meeting, when in fact it is a fateful night that starts Troy on the path of self-destruction. This is supposed to be the centrepiece of the movie: boy meets girl. But I assert that this is NOWHERE NEAR as relevant, inspiring and special as when Troy meets Kelsi. There is barely any significance in Troy meeting Gabriella, other than the plot. He could have sang that karaoke with any other girl. There is no evidence that Troy would not have had chemistry with any other of the many girls standing there. But Troy meeting Kelsi is relevant, because this is how Troy is introduced to her music and how he gets to practice the musical. It’s inspiring, because it involves the hero at his very best, reaching out to make friends with an outcast, and showing that he values everyone based on their merits and not based on transient constructs like social hierarchies. It’s special because they forge a bond together near instantly that to me, is far more poignant and deeper than that between Troy and Gabriella. Their bond leads to a solid music partnership, but even more importantly, a strong friendship, UNFAILING loyalty and support for each other throughout the entire movie series. Troy and Gabriella’s meeting leads to a solid music partnership, but not a friendship, and definitely not unfailing loyalty or support, with Gabriella more than happy to abandon Troy when things aren’t going her way. We will discuss more of this in later instalments. But bear that in mind. Furthermore, Troy and Gabriella do not have an esoteric bond. There is nothing between them that only they can understand, except for the fact that they’re together! :D On the contrary, we see Troy and Kelsi totally attuned to each other when performing in ways that are not demonstrated with anyone else. That’s why Troy always looks to her for a boost/confidence. It might just be me, but I don’t see this with Gabriella at all.

All this does is just demonstrate how the screenwriters accidentally did with Troy and Kelsi what they should have done with Troy and Gabriella.

“You’re the Playmaker here, Kelsi.”

[*beaming*] “I am? Do you want to hear how the duet’s supposed to sound?”

So they’ve clicked instantly. Kelsi now decides to trust Troy, a complete stranger, with her music. She is definitely speaking to Troy directly here, even though Gabriella is the first to move towards the piano. She wants to prove herself to him, now that he has given her the confidence to believe in herself, her talent and her music. More importantly, she has decided, in just a few moments, that Troy is the one. Don’t assume I mean this in a romantic way. Sure, it has romantic potential, as I will discuss later. But what I mean is that she just knows-- instinctively-- that Troy is the one who can interpret her songs as she envisions them. He has proven that he gets her, understands her vision and thinks she has potential. Therefore, she sheds the shyness and excitedly offers to play her song, finally getting a chance to show someone what she can do. Please note that Kelsi is not shown to have done this with anyone else. This is why, like I said in the introduction, she only has to NOD at Troy to begin singing a song with which he is relatively unfamiliar. (He certainly hasn’t read the score before). That’s just a silent way of stating that she trusts him to take the music and roll with it. And Troy is surprised by this, as well as her offer to play her song, but notably NOT hesitant. Compare this with when Gabriella found him hiding behind a mop. His expression is wary, awkward and shamefaced, even though they are just spying on the auditions. But when confronted with Kelsi’s song, he gives it a go without thinking, and clearly gets it right, because Kelsi is smiling throughout. I don’t like to speculate, but it appears her smile at the end may be directed more towards Troy than Gabriella.

The fact that she barely needs to prompt Troy to begin also explains why, in HSM II, she felt confident enough to teach him a new song on the very night of the Talent Show at Lava Springs. Previous to that, she had written “You Are The Music In Me”, with the expectation that Troy would participate-- again, I emphasise Troy given her pleading expression is directed at him. In HSM III, she is so comfortable with his style of performing that she lets him incorporate her into his dance routine, which I think is just genius and the mark of a true performer, such as Troy is. I’m sure that Troy needed coaching practicing to sing (vocal runs etc), but their rapport is demonstrated in HSM I when Troy is energetic and riveting whilst PRACTICING the song; so much so that Kelsi feeds off his energy and is standing up, dancing/miming along. Given that Troy does appear more nervous about performing than Gabriella, it would perhaps seem likely that the scene where Kelsi is rehearsing with Gabriella, during which Kelsi shows Gabriella how to breathe properly when singing the chorus, would better apply to him. Maybe it’s just me. I’m making assumptions, but I wonder about these things.

At the end of the duet between Troy and Gabriella, the latter is pleased by the song and how well it went, even though she hasn’t received a chance to audition. Troy, as I have said before, is moved. “Wow… That’s nice.” I have to make this point: THIS is the point at which Troy discovers his love of performing. He did NOT react this way after singing karaoke with Gabriella-- sure, he was surprised, but here he seems stunned, as though he has just released a part of himself. I think this is due to the very emotional and personal nature of the song, and Kelsi’s undeniable talent in expression an emotion into words and music. This is when he realizes that he’s good at this singing thing, and that he can express himself in a totally new way. Remember, performing becomes a part of Troy’s identity, because it’s his method of projecting his true self, his therapy, his way of releasing pent-up frustration and anxiety. And if you think about it, the lyrics have some significance to Troy’s situation himself, but not in the way that the screenwriters want you to think. We’re told to believe that because Troy and Gabriella keep looking at each other throughout, that they are what they have been looking for. But actually, given how powerfully Troy reacts to the song, what he has been looking for is the ability to express this strong talent that he has. In other words, it’s hard for HIM to believe that he had this strong and natural ability to express himself in song: it was there the whole time (when he was singing in the shower!), but he never noticed it. This seems a better interpretation than the unrealistic spectacle of him falling in love with a girl he just met. Therefore, I argue that Kelsi is the reason that he discovers his love of performing, and this seems realistic to me, given their intense chemistry when performing. And taking into consideration how Troy not only takes to Kelsi’s songs in an instant throughout the film series, but makes them uniquely his, I feel certain in stating that Troy’s development is possible without Gabriella, but impossible without Kelsi, who understands him instinctively.

“Bolton! Montez! You have a callback. Kelsi, give them the duet from the second act. Work on it with them.”

How far did Ms Darbus get before hearing them sing? She either has VERY good hearing, or decided to stick around for some reason.

Kelsi excitedly rattles off a list of places where Troy and Gabriella can come and rehearse including her house. Now, there are several other roles available for this musical, meaning several other people auditioning. Kelsi must surely have time with other people on the show, and the natural question is, has she ever invited anyone else to her house for breakfast and rehearsal? It appears that her excitement and openness is entirely down to how Troy has liberated her, given her a chance to prove herself and raised her self-esteem to its highest. Of course, Troy is too bewildered by his sudden opportunity to sing to hear half of what she says, including her “basketball class” comment (it’s basketball practice!), but it remains relevant nonetheless. This sets the precedent for Kelsi’s endearing excitement about all her musical ideas from here on out.

In short, this AMAZING scene is vital for plot and character arc progression, and is therefore the most significant meeting in the movie. Some of the points here are relevant for upcoming instalments, particularly when I discuss the friendship potential and romance potential for Trelsi.

TO BE CONTINUED

(*FOOTNOTE-- Of course, Chad mocking show tunes in musicals is amusing, as later on, he tells Troy that his mother has seen Michael Crawford in “Phantom of the Opera” 27 times. How could Chad have come by this information, unless he too, had been either watching or counting the times his mother watched? I don’t believe a word he says, given that he arrogantly claims that he doesn’t dance, after having danced when school finished for the summer!)

(**FOOTNOTE--  (”So why’re you so afraid of Ryan and Sharpay?”) We can ignore the inclusion of Ryan here, as throughout this movie, he is just Sharpay’s unwilling accomplice. That being said, Kelsi was visibly timid when she asked him “What key?” and didn’t even question him when he told her that HIS rehearsal pianist had done a new arrangement-- a.k.a completely changed KELSI’S song without her prior approval at his and Sharpay’s behest, and chose to just randomly reveal this information to her at the audition. We know this because, Kelsi wanted to know whether they had a particular preferred key. This leads to Kelsi’s surprise and disappointment (she doesn’t even question him on this creative decision with her own intellectual property), making her look useless and unwanted throughout. So actually, I suppose it is fair that Ryan is included here, but I would place Sharpay’s name first, given that, despite Ryan’s complicity in the ruining of Kelsi’s song, his intentions are never malicious or even mean. He simply wants to win the role of Arnold and thinks Sharpay knows best. Later on, when Troy and Gabriella win the roles, he is good-natured about it and doesn’t question the decision.)

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The Marvel of Trelsi (Part V)

I’m back to continue unpacking the sheer beauty of the Trelsi friendship and relationship during the canonical movie series, using the following template:

11 Signs of a True Friendship

So far, I have demonstrated that Trelsi fit the bill when it comes to: 1)-a wholehearted acceptance of the other, and 2) sticking with each other through thick and thin. It would have been incredibly positive to see scenes where Troy returned this favour, as the introductory scene between Troy and Kelsi gives a clear blueprint as to how much he values Kelsi, her feelings and how quickly he sees her inherent worth.

Let’s continue with the list.

Question: What makes the Trelsi friendship and dynamic so friggin’ special? Why does it make me want to weep and write poetry?

3- “They are happy for your successes, and congratulate you when you reach a new goal.”

The best examples for this are demonstrated with Troy’s reaction to Kelsi’s growing confidence and success as a composer*. Of course, this is entirely thanks to his kindness and consideration of her in the first place, but he does not ever try to overshadow her success by claiming credit. There are smaller indications of this, such as him gesturing to her after HIS successful callback audition, after which she receives applause, or his surprised smile and applause after she wins the scholarship to Juilliard. Sadly, that is such a tiny scene, as is usually the case with Trelsi interaction. Another example is his thumbs up during the HSM III musical, a quick way of showing his approval of her work even though he (outrageously) had not been there to see the beginning. 

But by far the best example is when Kelsi stands up to Sharpay during HSM I, right before the callbacks. Previously, Ms Darbus had indicated, perhaps understandably, that Troy and Gabriella’s lateness would cost them their chance at an audition. I always considered Kelsi’s upset to be melodramatic until I began studying her character in earnest and realizing that it is so important to her that Troy gets his chance to perform, because of what it represents for her as a person. She is empowered by Troy, and his success is a symbol of that empowerment. So devoted is she to helping Troy succeed that she overcomes her intimidation and apprehension towards Sharpay for one glorious moment:

[S] “You REALLY don’t wanna do that.”

[K] “Oh yes: I really do!”

*mic drop*

Troy’s reaction pretty much says it all: he’s impressed, he’s astonished, he’s proud, he’s quietly suppressing his own amusement at this verbal slam-dunk. In fact, I see smugness written all over his face. Overall, the pride shines through, because it means that Kelsi has taken his advice and encouragement on board, and fully understands her own potential. This is a triumph for her character arc and for the film’s overall message, and a testament to how Troy has an undeniable positive effect upon those around him. 

The movies have a greater slant towards Troy’s success in each one, and Kelsi is instrumental towards him achieving that success. Not just because she writes the songs for him to perform, but because she is eager for him to participate, devoted to nurturing his talent and delighted when he finally accepts his love of performing and shines onstage. It’s no exaggeration to state that Kelsi is the main motivating force behind Troy’s success throughout each movie; it cannot  be Gabriella, since the latter shows no consistency or loyalty and is quite willing to throw away all of Kelsi’s hard work on a whim and without apology. However, in line with what the movie wants us to believe, it should be Gabriella, who shows reciprocal concern in building Troy up. Once again, the movie inadvertently gives to Kelsi a role that should have been fulfilled by Troy’s girlfriend. His success is her success. Once again, they are on a completely equal playing field; they share each other’s highs and lows. Kelsi’s insistence upon Troy’s participation in her musical ideas can definitely come across as over-zealousness, perhaps even have a “Number 1 Fan” vibe, but I believe that there is genuine commitment to Troy’s potential and future behind it. Kelsi does not do so for her own glorification; in fact, if you study the performance scenes in the movie series, she rarely ever takes centre stage. It is ONLY when Troy moves towards her (as he does each time) that she gets a few moments under the spotlight. And she appears to be content with this. Why? Because it’s all about him, and her irrepressible desire for his success. In each performance scene, her excitement, pride, admiration and delight for Troy’s superlative performance abilities are small but bright lights-- far more touching and meaningful than the romantic signalling between him and Gabriella. The thing is, you can take Gabriella out of the equation and you’d have Troy centre stage, still pouring his heart and soul into performing. But you cannot take Kelsi out of the equation, because she’s the steady rhythm behind him, motivating him to reach his potential. Such selfless devotion is never shown by Gabriella throughout the entire movie series. 

4- “You feel totally comfortable around them, and they probably know things about you that many others don’t.”

Here we come to a significant disadvantage of limiting Trelsi scenes throughout the movie canon; we simply don’t get to see Troy and Kelsi hanging out when they are not rehearsing/working on music/performing. This is a great shame, because from the little we do see, Troy and Kelsi are completely comfortable with each other. The fact that Kelsi thinks nothing of holding his hand on two occasions is a significant sign of this. On the two occasions, once in HSM II and HSM III, both include Kelsi leading Troy to the piano; in other words, leading him to what the two of them share in common on an emotional level, which is a passion for music and performing. It appears to be a silent message. And Troy trusts her completely, allowing Kelsi to teach him a song on the very night of the Lava Springs Talent Show, and in HSM III, allowing her to pick him back up when he’s missing Gabriella. It is not necessary for Kelsi to hold his hand at all, which is why it did strike me when watching HSM II and HSM III in the early days. Comparatively speaking, she (Kelsi) is not Gabriella. Furthermore, the two have known each other for less time than he has known Gabriella and, more importantly, his team-mates. Should Troy have reacted in surprise, perhaps? And yet he does not react at all. He lets her take the lead, and follows without question. Interestingly, these two times occur when Gabriella is absent, which gives the impression that in the wake of Gabriella’s absence, it is Kelsi who steps in as his source of comfort, understanding and encouragement. Given that Kelsi is the only one who holds his hand for these reasons, it lends to the notion that Troy shares some affection with her, which appears different to that which he shares with Gabriella. It is, interestingly, not a simple case of substitution. It’s something else with its own merits entirely. Troy accepts this. He values it. These observations led me to Trelsi after watching HSM III. 

And that’s what really underpins the Trelsi dynamic: unspoken understanding. At the end of the day, there is little dialogue between Troy and Kelsi, which still frustrates me. But in many cases, there doesn’t need to be. Troy and Kelsi only have to look at each other, or make a gesture to know that they are on the same wavelength. That when Kelsi takes Troy’s hand, it’s a sign of encouragement and a method of spurring Troy to action. He understands that without question. This certainly doesn’t happen between Troy and anyone else, particularly not Gabriella. But in theory, Gabriella should be the one to pick him up both emotionally and literally with one gesture, right? A better comparison would be Troy’s friendship with Chad, in which Chad is there as a chief source of support. But this support is volatile and inconsistent, largely dependent upon whether Troy is doing things that Chad wants, and fitting an image that Chad has created. When the two of them are discussing their respective futures, they are miles away from each other in philosophy: Chad believes in the predestined and Troy believes in uncertainty. However, Troy and Chad’s friendship has the advantage of longevity; it is Chad who knows far more about Troy than anyone else. But doesn’t it speak volumes when Kelsi, a girl whom Troy has known for a significantly shorter amount of time, is more attuned to him than his best friend since pre-school? Obviously, I have a Trelsi bias, but had the script showed more of Troy and Kelsi together, I can see Troy confiding in Kelsi, because he knows that there is no judgement with her; no predictable scoffing, as he gets from Chad, no condescending laughter, as he gets from Gabriella. We have to use a lot of imagination in this regard, but the canonical scenes don’t contradict speculation. 

5- “They meet you halfway- they don’t expect you to always be the one to reach out to them.”

This one may be more relevant when it comes to comparing Troy and Gabriella’s relationship to the potential of Troy and Kelsi’s relationship, but as I have already said, there is no imbalance in support when it comes to the latter two. On the contrary, the Wildcats rarely reach out to Troy when he is struggling, as I discussed in the last post. It is he who must accept his culpability and must also be the friend to Chad and co., regardless of how much he might have suffered or struggled, regardless of his side of the story. Such a massive imbalance displays itself in every movie. In HSM I, Chad reaches out to Troy after realizing that betraying his trust to sabotage his relationship with Gabriella was wrong. But what he says to Troy is striking: “We’ve just had another team meeting.” I assume that he means the Wildcats. But isn’t Troy part of that team? Shouldn’t they have had the team meeting WITH Troy, explaining their duplicitous actions? The fact that Troy was not even aware of this “team meeting” demonstrates the gulf between him and people alleged to be his friends and team-mates, as well as explaining why they don’t often reach out to him. 

6- “They make you feel happier and more alive, not drained and stressed.”

Again, I will discuss this in more detail with regards to Troyella, but it is clear that Troy and Kelsi sincerely value their friendship and the consequences of their interactions with each other, whether in a happy or sad time, are nearly always positive. In HSM III, the squee-worthy hug had Troy smiling all the way up to the piano, giving him the encouragement that he needs to carry on without Gabriella. Later on, when Kelsi tells him that things will be fine, he looks somewhat reassured, despite having messed up on dance moves and songs throughout rehearsal. Earlier in HSM I, Troy is truly liberated when rehearsing “Breaking Free”; Kelsi is entirely on the same wavelength throughout as well. There’s just no comparison when it comes to the Wildcats; sometimes they are Troy’s buddies. Other times, they are the reason he looks so indecisive, confused, pressured and isolated. Other times, they cut him down with staggering cruelty and no apology whatsoever. None of this volatility is represented in the Trelsi friendship. 

7- “They tell you the truth about things, even if you may not want to hear it.”

Now this one is slightly different. And again, this demonstrates why Troy and Kelsi should have had more scenes together. If so, we could have seen how the two of them dealt with significant crises that headed their way. The main crisis would be the increasingly negative effect of Gabriella’s presence on troy, and the resultant damage to Troy. It would be a huge test of Kelsi’s character as to whether she would have enough objectivity to point out these problems to him, or try and comfort him without facing these uncomfortable truths. Given her love for the image of Troyella as depicted through her song lyrics, the latter possibility is more likely, up to and until something major enough happens to change Kelsi’s mind. I will discuss this in more detail when looking at Trelsi romance and what the implications are. Suffice to say, Kelsi’s lack of objectivity towards Gabriella is a significant disadvantage to Troy, who needs to see that his relationship is destructive and unhealthy. 

And this works the other way around, too. Even though Gabriella quits each musical/show, I simply cannot see Troy admitting to Kelsi that this is her (Gabriella’s fault). And Kelsi deserves to see that. It is patently obvious that Gabriella’s repeated quitting always threatens putting her hard work to waste. But Troy never addresses this; instead, he is caught up trying to get Gabriella back, and taking the blame for his own reaction to her absence. This is why he apologizes to Kelsi for messing up during rehearsals in HSM III. Of course, he is not helped by the fact that Kelsi cannot see any fault in Gabriella, but he doesn’t help her either by pretending there is no link between the two events. I will look at this in more detail later (as I keep saying!), as neither of them are willing to move past the superficial image of Troyella. 

To be fair, Kelsi does not allow Troy to blame himself for Gabriella’s absence. And I do think, in other circumstances, they would provide the support each other needed, because they have a very strong inclination to support each other through thick and thin. One clear example of this is where the Wildcats are concerned. Kelsi’s decision to support Troy in HSM II sent a clear message of disapproval towards the Wildcats’ behaviour. On the other hand, Troy’s reaction was of hurt and confusion-- notably not anger towards their actions. So potentially, Kelsi seems capable of objectivity when it comes to their friends, as she has less of an emotional connection to them than to Troy. 

8- “They don’t blow things out of proportion when you make a mistake-- they forgive you.”

Trelsi win 11 times out of 10 on this one. The rehearsal example in HSM III works time and time again to illustrate this. Kelsi has no reason to remain patient with Troy, as his potential mistakes will reflect poorly upon her during the final show. And remember, judges from Juilliard will be in attendance, and she desperately wants that scholarship. (Don’t be fooled by Kelsi’s apparently modest and demure nature; underneath it all, she is ambitious). Instead, she tells him that “it will be fine”, which I always tend to consider weak encouragement, but which comforts Troy a great deal. Kelsi does not expect perfection from Troy, does not need him to be perfect, and never makes hypercritical comments towards him. This forms part of the unspoken understanding that they have; support when everyone else doesn’t understand. The only time that Kelsi did complain to Troy was, inexplicably, at the beginning of HSM II when it was apparently so outrageous that Fulton told them to work for cash. By the time she refuses to join in the infamous Silent Treatment however, it appears all is forgotten and forgiven. Had we seen more scenes between Troy and Kelsi, it is reasonable to assume that this would be shown time and time again between the two of them. Because of the wholehearted acceptance of each other, as was discussed in Point #1 they are not operating under some grand delusion of what a friendship will be like, but what it should actually be like. And Troy and Kelsi are on a journey together, where their success is dependent upon unconditional support. They expect pitfalls and setbacks. This reasoned approach to friendship makes it incredibly strong and means that they aren’t ever going to put each other down for being human. 

The Wildcats should take note. 

TO BE CONTINUED

(*FOOTNOTE-- Remember, out of all the cast members, Troy and Kelsi are the “Playmakers”. It’s their job to succeed and kick ass. Hence we have that lovely scene at the end of HSM I, where Troy awards Kelsi the game ball:[T] “Composer! Here’s your game ball. You deserve it, Playmaker.”Once again, whilst in the middle of celebrating his own victory, far more popular with the school, given how much people idolize the Wildcats, Troy takes the time out to congratulate Kelsi not just saying “well done/congratulations” but by reverting back to their esoteric language. Notably, he gives his own game ball away to someone considerably less well-known, and someone who knows nothing about sports (Kelsi twirling the ball in her hands afterwards is hilarious). This demonstrates that Kelsi’s success is more meaningful to Troy than his own; he’s heard the title “Playmaker” applied to himself so many times, and doesn’t need the Game Ball. Notably, he does not give it to Gabriella, with whom he is supposed to share this chemistry when performing. After all, she gave a good performance. He gives it to Kelsi, because once again, he senses that she needs it, and that she is the one who truly deserves it. This is because of how he quickly and deeply he connects to her music. But he wants to underscore his gratitude towards her for helping reveal this part of himself, and his pride in her achievements, so he uses the way that only she will understand by calling her “Playmaker.” Since the Playmaker is “the one who makes everyone else look good”, he’s basically saying that the success of his performance was down to HER. Not Gabriella. It’s a lovely, lovely compliment to give someone, made even more special by repeating the nickname affectionately and letting her get some applause from his team-mates. Once again, Troy goes out of his way to make kind/thoughtful gestures towards Kelsi and by her smile, we can see how much this means to her). 

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Unanswered HSM Questions: What’s the Deal With Kelsi and Chad?

I like the dynamic between Kelsi and Chad during the HSM franchise, although it comes out of unexplained circumstances. We have no idea how they became friends, or what they may or may not have in common, just a series of careless clues. Since I love unravelling mystery, I will attempt to shed light on this coincidence.  

In the above scene, the whole group of Wildcats see Kelsi staring despondently at the rearranged callback times. 

So why does Chad adopt an accusatory tone towards Kelsi, of all people in the following line:

[Chad] “Do you know something about this? Small person?”

I can only assume that it’s because Chad treats anyone connected with Drama (or Music, or Skating, or Cooking, or Academics) with suspicion and contempt. Also, as an athlete in a sport where height is an advantage, he isn’t used to seeing people who are, er, vertically-challenged. The irony of this scene is that ever since their underhand scheme to discourage Troy from participating in said callbacks, Chad and Taylor are seen walking together into East High during this scene. 

I have to admire Kelsi’s reaction here. Rather than cowering in the face of such rudeness (and yet I still like you, Chad), she completely blanks him out. This despite technically responding to him earlier:

[Kelsi] “Actually, I think it’s two rats, none of them named Darbus.”

(Still funny). 

Either this was a reflex reaction, a method of venting her frustration, or she wanted to exonerate Ms. Darbus despite the latter capitulating to her students, rather than exercising proper authority. From this and several other scenes, it appears that Kelsi respects and even likes Ms. Darbus. 

But after Chad belittles her height, she brushes him off and walks straight over to Troy. Not Troy and Gabriella, who are both being affected by this change, but just Troy. This is interesting, because it’s unnecessary. Kelsi should already know that all the Wildcats assembled there are upset about this change. Furthermore, she herself gave a huge hint (to Chad) that Ms. Darbus wasn’t technically at fault. Why does she need to explain to Troy directly (again, not Gabriella) why the show has been rescheduled? 

I believe it’s because Kelsi wants to do the callbacks for Troy, for reasons which I explain here. 

The fact that Kelsi treats Chad’s comments like they’re nothing can only be attributed to an increase in confidence caused by her new friendship with Troy. Previously, she had cowered under Sharpay’s glare and tumbled back onto her piano stool. 

Prior to the above scene, Kelsi and Chad have no interaction whatsoever. As we can see earlier, the Drama Geeks’ lunch table is on the upper-landing of the cafeteria: the basketball players are below. Because we’re not shown any substantive discussion between Troy and Kelsi during HSM 1, there’s no evidence that she learns about his friends. 

So after the callbacks, we have to assume that she met Chad somehow and grew to like him instead. How? Why? No information is given. 

Instead, we move straight onto HSM 2 and get this:

[Kelsi] “Maybe Zeke and Chad can do backup and everyone can dance!”

Hold on a minute: since when did Kelsi deem Zeke and Chad suitable for backup singing? I highlight the singing part, because she said earlier that the employees got to do a number (a song), and Troy and Gabriella could sing the lead (without auditioning, despite Kelsi working for a Talent Show and surely knowing full well that everyone must audition). 

So Kelsi somehow knows that Zeke and Chad can sing. Otherwise, she would not entrust them with her compositions or her songs. I have studied Kelsi’s character here, and have found her to be territorial over her work and who is suitable to perform it. I have criticised her favouritism towards Troy and Gabriella, although conceded that some of her reasons are justified when considering her character desires.

When did this happen? A number of possibilities present themselves:

1)- Additional roles were given in the musical and Kelsi discovered the singing talent of Zeke and Chad. 

Verdict: Unlikely, as there is no evidence to support this. 

2)- Kelsi wanted to meet more of Troy’s friends after the callback auditions went successfully. 

Verdict: Given Kelsi’s extreme shyness once again on display when Troy hands her the Game Ball, this may not be likely.

3)- Troy introduced her to his friends after the show.

Verdict: Likely, because of Troy’s gratitude to Kelsi, as evidenced by the Game Ball award, and his attempts to include her as a friend. 

4)- Kelsi met Zeke and Chad via Jason.

Verdict: Just thought of this a second ago, and it actually seems the most likely. When Troy gave her the Game Ball, she was shy about the praise, and awkward with the Ball. When Jason helped her shoot a hoop, she relaxed and smiled. If we are to assume that she began dating Jason not long after this scene, and that Kelsi became a Wildcat, as well as the fact that Jason and Zeke were close friends, then it makes sense she would meet them this way.

But that doesn’t explain how she learned that Zeke and Chad could sing. 

So, we must read between the lines. In HSM III, Ms. Darbus’ class prepare for the Spring Musicale. But in HSM I, they are preparing for the Winter Musicale. 

Therefore, could Kelsi have been involved in the Spring Musicale for Junior Year as well as Senior Year? That would, at least, explain why Sharpay instantly offered her a job at Lava Springs over the summer in HSM II. After Kelsi owned her brilliantly during the Winter Musicale, I can’t see Sharpay’s ego appreciating that until she had at least seen incontestable evidence of Kelsi’s talent demonstrated either at the live show or over two shows. Lava Springs is, after all, an exclusive club. Sharpay could have chosen any other composer-pianist. 

But could Zeke and Chad have performed in this Spring Musicale? There’s no evidence, so we can’t assume anything-- particularly since everyone looks surprised and annoyed when Kelsi signs them all up for the Show in HSM III. 

Then again, why do this unless she knew they were capable of performing onstage?

However, if we turn to a small scene in HSM II, where Martha is beatboxing and Kelsi is DJ’ing, we may have a satisfactory answer. 

Suppose Kelsi’s influence as a musician, Martha’s recent confession to being a hip hop aficionado, Troy’s recent enthusiasm for singing, and Chad and co’s appreciation of that talent, were demonstrated on an ordinary day when the Wildcats were just hanging out. Suppose this scene were just like the beatboxing scene of HSM II. This would be a likely point where Kelsi would learn of Zeke and Chad’s talent in (backup) singing. 

The same conclusion can be used for Kelsi’s declaration that “everyone can dance”. 

Remember that Kelsi doesn’t suffer fools gladly, even if her shyness prevents her from calling them out. Her look of contempt bordering disgust at some of the people auditioning for Twinkle Towne speaks volumes. Indeed, when Ms. Darbus offers Cindra a fake compliment after her eardrum splitting performance, Kelsi gives her teacher an “Are you insane?!” look. 

So if Kelsi says someone can be in her show, it’s a compliment. 

Also, if Kelsi allows someone to play her music, that’s an even bigger compliment. The scene between Kelsi and Ryan in HSM III could have been a demonstration of Kelsi’s respect for Ryan as a musician. She budges over, allowing him to play her songs and enjoys his rendition. (Significant, given how she despised his take on “What I’ve Been Looking For”). It would have been a great character arc for Kelsi, who initially judged Ryan with resentment, and gradually realized his positive characteristics. Instead, the scene was ruined with fake romance. 

In HSM II, Kelsi is delighted when Chad and the rest come to sing “You Are The Music In Me”.

We can therefore assume that her friendship with Chad was solidified either before or at this point. 

More on this in subsequent posts.