#portwell hints because them>>

[blues-valentine]

it’s still a bit frustrating readings pws claim to this day that portwell “was meant to be endgame” because it’s like they don’t understand those characters and the underlying premise of “their romance”. there was not romantic undertones to them on season 1 and their romance on season 2 was doomed before it even started. pls media literacy i beg.

I believe one of the main reasons PW/Rinis cling so hard to the whole “real endgames” thing is because they are so used to teen shows staying with the “core 4 ships” formula so they refuse to acknowledge the writers changed things because Rina ended up being more dynamic.

This amazing channel did a really thought out explanation about how PW was doomed from the start. Check it out. It has one of my favorite analysis about the show, especially Rina.

But let’s discuss for a moment:

As you said, there weren’t romantic undertones between Gina and EJ on Season 1. They had a common goal. She wanted Nini out of the role of Gabriella and EJ was jealous of Ricky being around Nini. Gina didn’t care about EJ getting the role of Troy. She was actively advocating for Ricky to keep it. The homecoming situation was a plan Gina came up with thinking Nini would be there and get that frustrated she’d quit the show — she was wrong so she took it out on EJ. And instead of the episode ending in some common ground between Gina and EJ, it ends with Gina leaving with Ricky and connecting with him over feeling like outsiders — which kick starts their whole journey. After that, she stopped pursuing her plan with EJ or seeing him all together. They had a whole conversation about Ricky. And later, another argument used to implicate PW was romantic. The plane ticket. That situation wasn’t about Gina. It was about EJ doing good things and becoming a better person and he was inspired to do so by Nini initially. I won’t say that Season 1 doesn’t end with the potential to turn this dynamic into a romantic one — and they did. But it wasn’t aimed as a endgame build up, and that’s made even clearer once you know the existence of that 206 opening night flashback taking place.

EJ starts Season 2 claiming he feels older than the rest of the group. Already making a point that EJ is moving towards a different life stage. His arc started with college applications and the first hint that he might have a crush on Gina comes suddenly on 205 [conveniently after Gina and Ricky had a fallout]. And the narrative never really says why he liked Gina in the first place. And I feel like in a way it was a distraction for him. I’d say it was easier to see why Gina would develop feelings for EJ. This is why I said pairing those two together felt like a plot device for Gina/Rina than it was to serve EJ’s own arc. He was there when she needed it and one thing about Gina, she craves the attention she lacks from her family unit. Gina liked EJ because “he showed up” and I feel he represented a band aid to her feelings. Just like Gina was to him.

The famous sofa scene, the one PWs claim is the epitome of understanding and connection. But as the person from the video says, it never really showed them being connected to each other — it does the opposite. Gina downright says she doesn’t understand him or what he is dealing with but it’s allowing him to dump his problems on her. She sympathized with him but cannot empathize with him. That scene only showcases how different their lives are about to be and how Gina isn’t at the stage EJ is at yet but at that point in time, it felt like they were the only people willing to listen and be there. And having Gina downright say “I don’t know” to EJ’s issues was straight up a parallel to Gina saying “I know” when Ricky open up to her.

And people claiming the miscommunication issues came out from nowhere are really not paying attention. The only reason Gina and EJ got together was because of Ashlyn’s initiative to clear their misunderstanding. If it wasn’t for her, they would have ended with that in mind. And it showed from the get go EJ assumed and let it awake his insecurities instead of speaking.

Another interesting thing the video points out, that I also noticed right away is how Season 2 is framed as a before and after. Divided by 206, which is the flashback episode but also the moment Gina decides to cut off her friendship with Ricky. It’s not a coincidence 205 sets PW up and 206 makes the argument there’s clearly unspoken issues between Ricky and Gina. But mostly, it sets the “I never do things right the first time, Ricky” thing in motion. I said it back in 206 that this quote had a deeper meaning. And after 206, the narrative insists on letting the audience know EJ could be Gina’s first date, first boyfriend and first kiss. They were spoon feeding you the narrative. EJ was going to be the first, just not the last. 209 is a Rina coded episode and I also pointed it out back when it premiered (X). The episode points out Gina was not over Ricky. It has Jack advising Gina to “care less” in her next relationship. An advice that she takes into consideration. And we also got Jack telling her to pick the safest seat on the plane (planes, a metaphor that has been used for Gina’s feelings about Ricky). Gina ended up this episode already with the mindset that she was going to go forward with a more carefree attitude because safest choice (EJ) = less potential pain. @curtsies-from-princess-ashlyn makes a great analysis on how 209 is an episode divided between Ricky and Gina plus their paralleled/individual arcs (X).

The Season 2 finale ties all of this together with second chance, which I said it was a Rina coded song and here’s this lovely analysis (X). Ricky and Nini having the verses about new beginnings because both of them had moved on from their relationship vs Gina and EJ having the verses about shutting down emotionally with Gina saying she’s safer on the run and EJ saying he isn’t sure about what he wants. Neither Gina and EJ started their relationship in the best mindset.

Now, Season 3 premiere, they bring back the “never do things right the first time” analogy again by hitting you with Gina’s “summer of firsts” = “first boyfriend” “first summer camp” and “firsts” continues being a theme all season. Then, we have Gina sub-conditionally saying a person could interfiere in her relationship with EJ, which is a way to say, Gina is not over Ricky. Like, it was so obvious and it was insane people were still holding onto the idea the season would culminate in a love confession with them.

A lot of Gina’s relationship with EJ started by the fact she was compromising her ambition to fit into a role that was more likable for others. She said this to Nini at the end of Season 2. And you can also tell by the way Gina interacted with EJ. It felt like Gina was trying her best to fit into the role of girlfriend, because she didn’t want her first relationship to fail. And this was noticiable with Sofia’s acting choices. And the fact she later confirmed this was an intentional choice means that there’s awareness there.

I’ve said before, Gina and EJ’s relationship was going to fail for a lot of reasons. Their different stages, the fact Gina was not really herself, the fact she still had unresolved issues with Ricky. Gina needed to date EJ to experience her first relationship and even out the dynamic between Ricky and Gina. Gina was pinning on Season 2, then it was turn for Ricky on Season 3, so they could meet in the middle when they were ready. In fact, Season 2 was the season that made me confirm they were serious about Rina because that level of detail isn’t given to non-endgames.

[imjustavenuxwithaboomerang]

my hsmtmts hot takes:

i did not care about rina in the slightest until season 4

seblos (as a ship/couple) is just sort of...there for me. i have no big feelings towards or against them. they're definitely cute, they just don't stay on my mind

though i loved the fashion upgrade that came with it, i hated the way kourtney was written in season 4

i don't care about madlyn that much (i also don't like call it what you want all that much)

season 4's hsm3 songs were not done well (save for can i have this dance, high school musical (the finale), dani's high school musical, and now or never (auditions)) the mixing was bad, they had dara sing too high for i want it all and the singing itself just wasn't that good

^i loved most of the original songs tho

they should've never brought in any of the original hsm actors (save for kaycee and lucas in s1). they made a corbin a twisted version of himself in s3 and the rest of the actors in s4 were so overhyped just for them to barely be there

i actually liked portwell together. they both seemed so happy and i will never forgive the writers for building them up just to ruin them in s3

^speaking of s3 portwell, i will also never forgive this fandom for treating ej like he was some old man preying on a child and treating him like the villain (this is a rant by itself so we'll tackle that some other time)

i've never liked nini (or rini)

the rina hat only works because they got together in the end. imagine if a friend put a secret love confession in a gift for you and you find it after both of you get with someone else. i just find it weird to do that sort of thing when you don't even know if there's mutual feelings

i was on ricky's side during most of the rini discourse (save for him going behind nini's back and getting her a part when she didn't want one and deleting the insta comment)

while i love both jennzzara and jetney, both of them were quickly thrown together at the end with hints that there were crushes in the air for both of them

i will forever hate that they chose frozen as s3's musical. the only songs i liked were what do you know about love and love is an open door

for a show about students putting on a musical, they really just did not show a lot of the musicals

^for s2, i've been giving them a pass because it was during the first year of covid so they were probably limiting how long people could be dancing around without masks (but i was still robbed of belle's yellow dress on ashlyn and ej and biggie playing gaston and lefou)

and finally, this show pairs people up so fast with no real development for either the people or the couple itself. the show really could've benefited from growing their characters without a relationship being the driving force and then worked on building romantic relationships once they figured out what to do with each character

[bisexualfemalemess]

*HSMTMTS SEASON 4 SPOILERS*

Question; Is it already appropriate to stop putting a spoiler warning on my posts? lmao

Anyway, Let’s talk about 4x05 specifically, Ricky’s line “Last summer, I was terrified, when I realized i had real feelings for gina.”

Because maybe this will put the pw/rini fans down and help them accept that rina is and was supposed to be endgame no matter what happened with liv and josh. Also, I’ve literally never seen anyone talk about this and maybe i’m just exaggerating lmao.

I think Ricky could have just as easily said something along the lines of “when i realized i had feelings/ when i realized i developed real feelings for gina” but he didn’t. Because he knew he liked Gina from the moment she kissed his cheek in that orange bug after homecoming, we’ve seen them flirt and we’ve seen him shoot a shot several episodes after that and I don’t know about you but i don’t give a spin hug to my friends. He stopped pursuing Nini as soon as gina came into the picture and that’s a fact, they didn’t bring the rickyxnini couple storyline back until after Gina moved, he didn’t actively pursue nini until Gina told him to stop calling and even then he kept texting her and we see him distracted throughout the next episode, the almost kiss didn’t happen until after Gina had replied and told him they were leaving early, only once he knew gina was completely out of the picture, did he go back to nini. He said it himself, he reverted back to his old self because he didn’t have gina in his life anymore and when gina told him she wouldn’t quit on them if she wasn’t moving away he genuinely looked upset about it as well. In episode 1 of season 2 at Ashlyn’s new years even party, that boy did a Triple Take when gina went to get a root-beer, the feelings were still there, they were just buried because he didn’t think he would see Gina again when he made his confession to Nini so he held on to what he used to know and who he used to be, because we all know that ricky bowen is not good with change. Now, in episode three of the season, the iconic valentines episode, The way he looks at her, the way his voice softens while talking to her, his line “I think you’ll get yours too.” After gina told him that every girl likes a sweet gesture, THE NEXT SCENE BEING THE CHOCOLATES, the fact that ricky got messages from nini and gina only seconds apart but he only looked onto his face once gina’s message came on, all of these things hint towards ricky’s feelings, even in 2x04 when Nini came to surprise the group in the bomb shelter, Ricky and Gina looked like they just got caught cheating even though all they did was talk and laugh. Last point, Episode five and six, He was in awe of gina when she was dancing (gina porter effect) and only went to gina for advice on nini because she had helped him the previous two times when he hadn’t even actually asked for advice in 2x04 and 2x03, The boy probably thought she was trying to get over him. In the next episode even though she had already tried to break off contact with him, he still asked to partner up with her and smiled at her when she looked at him while saying she doesn’t know what her heart desires. Even during Ashlyn’s retention of home we see ricky look at gina when he comes back in. RICHARD BOWEN HAS ALWAYS HAD FEELINGS FOR GINA PORTER, THE SEASON 3 PLOT LINE WAS NOT RANDOM OR CAME OUT OF NOWHERE. Ricky just finally realized what he could’ve had if gina didn’t move away once he lost it. RINA WAS ALWAYS SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN AND BE ENDGAME. THEY DIDNT COME OUT OF NOWHERE OR ONLY HAPPENED BECAUSE OLIVIA LEFT. Because, fact-check Season 2 was filmed before the drivers-license drama, they did not break them up because things between liv and josh got tense. Your ship was not supposed to be endgame.

(In tomorrows post i will rant about the people who say that rina copied rini and portwells scenes And that gina is the new nini because literally where?)

[itsasweater]

I'm honestly not bothered by Portwell's shipping Mack and Gina because they are doing exactly what I expected lol. Portwell's have always been very transparent.

I remember posting on here during season 3 if people ship Gina and EJ because they actually like them or if they just did it because it kept Ricky and Gina apart, it certainly seemed like the latter to me. The reason for making that post was because I got the feeling that many Portwell's were just undercover Rini's shipping Gina and EJ together because of the same fact that it meant keeping Ricky and Gina away from each other. I got some responses to that post denying that was case and that they actually really did like Portwell for legit reasons, which is fair enough. However, after the season 3 finale and the way it ended with Ricky and Gina kissing, my suspicions seemed justified because Portwell's started posting the Rini finale kiss from season 1 comparing the two. Even that hqportwell twitter page was tweeting about Rini and Portwell's liking a bunch of Rini posts, the likes are visible to the public people if your account isn't private lol.

Also, after season 3 all I saw from Portwell's was that the show made Gina totally different from season 2 and that she was not the same. Mind you these comments were only made once she broke up with EJ and kissed Ricky, funny that. If you actually cared about Gina as a character and actually understood her you would realize she was not her actual self in season 2. I mean, Gina had a song called Balance in season 3 where she mentions that the real her is going to shine, not the old her (season 1) or the 2.0 her (season 2) but the combined version. Also Sofia even mentioned in an interview how Gina wasn't herself in season 2, she knows her character better than anyone else. Let's be honest, yall only liked her in 2b once she cut off Ricky because it meant she was no longer a threat to Rini. Even during season 3 I remember people shipping Ricky with Jet and Val but once the show started hinting at him and Gina again it changed, all of a sudden it was Ricky needs therapy before he is with someone else lol. If Ricky needs therapy before getting in another relationship because of his home life, why was it/is it not the same for EJ? Is his relationship with his dad not terrible and strained? He should be in therapy as well according to yall instead of being in a relationship. This way of thinking is also very dumb, to suggest that someone who needs or is in therapy can't also be in a relationship or in love.

So, this was a long way of saying that I'm not surprised that Portwell's/Rini's/Jolivia's are shipping Gina with Mack because they have always been very transparent. They don't care about Gina or her happiness, they care about her not being with Ricky be any means necessary. This was obvious by immediately blaming Gina for everything during and after season 3 while believing EJ handled everything perfectly. Once Gina was not paired with EJ anymore, propping him up or giving him more screen time they went back to hating her. I know it can be annoying for some people to see Gina being shipped with Mack but try not to let it get to you, they refused to see or just didn't understand the story the show was telling with Ricky and Gina since the homecoming episode. This fandom has a big media literacy problem.

While I love Rina, Gina is more than just who she is with. I think she is the best character on the show, she is super talented and a star. I'm excited too see the show finally dive into more detail on her home life with her mom and how that has affected her.

I seem to always go on a tangent and these posts end up being longer then I intended them to be lol My apologies. Thanks for reading all of this if you did.

[mcutaylivia]

So we all headcanon EJ Caswell as a marvel fan right? But here I give you, EJ Caswell who uses the MCU/Marvel as a coping mechanism (plus the MCU/marvel is very good in my not so bias opinion 😁) to escape the constant pressure and stress of well, being a Caswell. Also because I'm a EJ caswell Stan and also a girl who's obsessed with Marvel, here are some of my more in detailed headcanons about EJ:

His favorite character is DEFINITELY Peter Parker because he admires how kind and nice Peter still can be after all the crap the world put on him (And EJ aspires to be at least a small percentage of what Peter is)

Tony Stark is also one of EJ's fav but he hates the old Tony (Iron Man 1) for obvious reasons (It reminds him too much of EJ 1.0 and his father)

HE HATES STEVE ROGERS ENDING IN ENDGAME. HATES IT. LOATHES IT. He spent months complaining and ranting to Ashlyn about how Marvel ruined Steve's arc and how it didn't make sense for Steve to go back to Peggy especially as Peggy had obviously moved on and married someone.

Ashlyn listens at first because she loves her cousin and that's what cousins (might as well as be siblings) do. But at some point while EJ is going on his a 100 rant about it she tells him to shut up about Endgame.

He's thankfully not one of the dudebros (even when he was EJ 1.0) because he was raised better than that (thank you Ashlyn and his uncle and aunt who loves him like their own)

Team Iron Man or Team Cap? EJ would glare at you and say, “Neither”.

No, I will not elaborate as I don't want to be canceled or yelled at by marvel stans (For the record, I'm team- [GUNSHOTS])

EJ Caswell let out the loudest shrill/ scream when they announced the Disney+ shows.

He also LOVES Wanda's character because who doesn't honestly and oh my god she is a total badass! Also the fact she struggles to be good due to her past and all her trauma but still, does her best and definitely doesn't deserve the hate she gets from some annoying fans.

He also loves Natasha Romanoff and wishes they gave her a movie/trilogy as she DESERVES it ://

He can't wait for Black Widow though (coming soon bffs)

Try to convince me EJ Caswell didn't SOB AND CRY when Natasha & Tony died. Oops sorry you can't. It's canon now he did.

He had a secret stan account for Marvel on his Instagram but because of how busy his senior year is, doesn't have time for it anymore

He has unhealthy attachments to characters in the MCU like Loki, Tony Stark, Gamora, Nebula and Peter Quill and it's definity not because he relates to having daddy issues

“Which character do you hate?”. No. Just. No. Don't ever ask EJ Caswell that because he would a hundred percent go on a longass rant of how all characters are unique and have their good qualities and flaws.

Whenever he's sad or feeling like crap he watches the first Avengers movie :)

Or probably Spider-Man Homecoming or Far From Home.

He doesn't know if he has a crush on Peter or MJ.

Probably both.

Ashlyn also makes it a rule for him to not recommend a marvel movie on movie night unless she lets him because “We've watched this movie 50 times EJ!”. “Okay and??!”.

Honestly, it's surprising how only Ashlyn knows about his obsession over Marvel.

Gina now knows too because she joins the two Caswells for movie night. Ashlyn relents and lets EJ choose the movie and OH boy, she swears EJ is as passionate about Avengers Infinity War as he had been about stealing the part of Troy and getting Nini back last year.

Gina likes it though and finds his nerding and geeking adorable.

One night, Ashlyn is out on a date with Big Red so it's just EJ and Gina tonight for a movie night (Them hanging out together alone has been increasing rather a lot lately) Gina agrees on watching Guardian of the galaxies volume 1 with him.

Gina asks if Nebula was a villian and EJ just.. pauses the movie. EJ proceeds to rant about how Nebula was just misunderstood and how she'll become a better character and that all she has done was only because Thanos made her become that, made her fight her sister, pressured her to become the 'best', and that her whole life, she only wanted her father to love and appreciate her.

Gina now realizes a part of the reason Nebula is one of EJ's favorites.

She doesn't bring it up though. Seeing the pure happiness radiating from EJ's face as he rants about the MCU (He somehow went from Nebula to talking about how Shuri was one of the coolest characters and how he wished Wakanda tech was real), she thinks he deserves to not be sad. They both do.

[cantshinebrighterthanyou]

I've seen a lot of takes floating around about how we shouldn't make excuses for EJ/Gina/Ricky while talking about the others' mistakes. I can't help but wonder -

Am I the only one that's Team-Make-excuses-for-everybody?

Because fundamentally these characers are pretty young and that summer of firsts has put a lot on their plates.

EJ - isn't spending enough time with his girlfriend and friends? Yeah, because he was slapped with the huge responsibility of making a blockbuster musical work in a few weeks and nobody is helping him. (They are learning their lines and cues to be fair, but no one offered to help him plan for the read-through in that tent? Not one person?)

He's not telling Gina about the letter until she finds out for herself? That's absolutely bad, but he was planning on telling her after he had sorted it out. Which, let's be real, wasn't going to happen before the end of the summer after the documentary came out, so his plan really wasn't very likely to go well and even if it did, he would have still been in the wrong for not confiding in her.

But it makes sense, too. When we first meet EJ, he's a jock who gets leads in the musicals. A popular kid with grades impressive enough to make it reasonable for him to get into Duke. He's also prone to schieming and sabotage and has no clue how to sincerely apologize. We later find out that there's a lot of pressure to be perfect from his dad. You can't tell me that EJ grew up in an environment where it would have been acceptable for him to be vulnerable about something he was struggling with unless it was already in the past and he had already handled it. There's a reason this kid doesn't know how to apologize and I'd wager it's the same reason he doesn't know how to talk to his girlfriend about a something he doesn't yet know how to fix.

That doesn't make it okay, but it makes it understandable and I'm willing to make excuses for him and sympathize with him anyway.

Gina - is being passive-aggressive towards her boyfriend instead of talking to him directly? Yeah, because she's discovered that he's hiding something from her and I think the first few jabs were meant to give him the hint that he should maybe explain himself before she would bring it up. She's been busy with getting the lead in Frozen and trying to be 'a good girlfriend' for the first time, only to learn that EJ is hiding something from her and has been confiding in someone else about it instead. That would upset anybody. And I truly believe that most of her anger has been her trying to force a conversation, even if it wasn't in the healthiest way. Which is perfectly understandable.

She's also showing glimpses of old habits? Of course she is - ambition is not inherintly a bad character trait and "Gina 1.0" wasn't very long ago, so of course she has that ambition in her still. (Tbh I have a whole analysis in defense of Gina 1.0 that I wrote when I first watched that ep, so if anyone's interested in reading that I might still post it.)

And Ricky - has a crush on Gina while she's in a relationship with EJ? Yeah, that happens. It's already tough to rebuild a friendship after having had crushes even when those romantic feelings haven't lingered. Trying to navigate a friendship while having a crush on an unavailable friend is deeply complicated.

And that is what he's trying to do! He's not trying to interfere in portwell at all. We know what Ricky looks like when he's trying to sabotage a relationship and this isn't that. (I could make a whole other post about that difference tbh.) This is Ricky and Gina, who never got closure on their feelings for each other, trying to act like the casual friends they were before she ever pulled away from him. Only their casual friendship was founded on electric understanding that was likely already hurtling towards something way back then - so finding a new normal, that will actually look casual to the outside world (nevermind feel casual), is a tall order for both of them. (Not saying their attempt at friendship will leave them driving off into the sunset together anytime soon! Just saying that they've got a difficult goal here and it's bound to be awkward as they try to figure out new boundaries.)

At the end of the day, these characters are all trying to navigate pretty complicated romantic situations while also having a lot of other stuff going on at the same time. Be that the musical, the documentary, pressure from home, having to defend your ambitions to your best friends, or having to find your place in a group where some of your strongest connections were your ex, your ex-friend who you have a crush on that can't be more. (And I'd also list Ricky's friendship with Carlos here, but tbh their friendship is pretty uncomplicated so it's not relevant to my point right now.)

Of course all of them are going to make mistakes, but they're all very understandable. The discourse around not laying blame at only one character's feet feels to me a bit like people trying to justify their fave or even their ship at the expense of (more) nuance. (Which is also totally fair, I just felt like I had to throw my own take into the ring as well.)

[2ndstringloser]

Second Chance is, and always has been, a rina song. Heres Why:

So second chance came on my shuffle the other day and for the first time I actually listened to the song like, thoroughly. And I'm genuinley in awe of how the verses actually foreshadow the arcs of each characters season three much, much better than they do season two. so heres an analysis of the entire song that took way too much time:

Verse One-

Right of the bat, ricky's line here is so rina coded its not even funny. at the time of the season two finale it wasn't totally clear what these lines meant, but as soon as season three gave us "can we just start over" it became clear that this line is obviously about Rina starting over, getting their second chance. Specifically from rickys side, because gina always gave it her all but ricky is the one who needed the second chance to prove that he cares about this relationship.

Now Nini's verse is not difficult at all to interpret. Shes leaving to go follow her dreams... thats it good talk.

Verse 2-

When it comes to EJ, we know that this boy values gina as a person in his life so so much. his verse to me really reads as an EJ in hindsight of the breakup. Misreading the signs obviously had a meaning in season two, but also has a lot of weight in the lens of portwells season three miscommunication. I think this line hints at the fact that EJ is going to feel tons of remorse over the way things ended with Gina and that he will (hopefully) truly show that he can become a better guy soon.

Ginas verse was honestly very confusing to me for a while, i wasnt sure what it was saying. But this post by the lovely @blues-valentine finally got it to me! For season two gina, ricky is the scary option. he has put her through hell at this point and even though he is avalible now, shes not willing to risk that pain again. so she puts her walls back up, and she chooses the safer option: EJ. This frames ej as the temporary option, the one she chooses when shes on the run, they were never written to be permanent.

Post Chorus-

The post chorus is interesting because for 3/4 of them its just repeating the line from their verse that summarizes their main point the best. Self discovery for nini, a new chance for ricky, and a temporary fix for gina. But this line isn't in EJs verse at all! The only one to sing something different than their previous solo. To me this is showing us how EJ keeps finding himself in this cycle of similar relationships that he thinks are supposed to work out but never do. I would put a lot of money on the idea that in season four, EJ will find himself in an unexpected romance somewhere he never thought hed find it. He needs to break the cycle in order to really grow. yeah that sounds pretty gay i know but i promise i didnt mean that it had to be gay. i sure would like it to be though

Chorus-

The chorus gets repeated a lot through the song, but this one is the one that shows what it really means in terms of the songs message. Nini is finally getting her second chance to fly, now that she is free of the reigns that her relationship was putting on her. EJ truly does have nothing ahead of him but another chance to fall... and fall he does. (its worth noting his tone here is so defeated and broken though, like he really doesnt want to fail but its an inevitability of this relationship just because of the circumstance). Gina is desperate to know "what can make the tide turn" aka what does she have to do to just not get hurt! And ricky.... well ricky wants to know how to get the spark he once had with gina back and better than ever. These are the lines that actually show us what each characters second chance truly is.

And finally... These are the parts of the song that to me REALLY set up the season three love triangle, and also foreshaddow the rina endgame of it all.

With the final chorus, ej and ricky have their own adlib lines that make it so. damn. clear. how this all is going to end up. the way ej says "it was just another chance to fall" is so definite, so sure. its clear that this is NOT just speaking about the little miscommunication that pw had in season two. its saying that the relationship as a whole was ALWAYS just another chance for ej to fall. and the pure desperation in "what does it take" just shows the way that ricky NEVER gave up on gina, even when it seemed like he did. and hes willing to do whatever he can to make gina happy, even if it means letting her go.

and finally, even though we've already spelled out how the entire love triangle is going to play out, we close the song by leaving one character behind and moving on with the three whos journeys we will continue to see throughout the rest of the show.

[goldengashes]

EJ and Gina always seemed like that second chance couple who would always find their way back. If Olivia Rodrigo stayed in the show, I wonder if portwell would find their way back and be endgame. Because if frankly don't think ri*a was meant to be endgame, rather they planned on them to be a midgame ship to probably create angst for the main endgame ships of rini and portwell. Even if Tim keeps trying to push that narrative as if ri*a was endgame. Anyway, going back to what actually happened, I'd have preferred if they slowed down with portwell and made them endgame in season 3, instead of get them together in season 2. Can you imagine how much more interesting this season would've been, at summer camp? They could've shown Ricky actually focusing on himself and being his own person free from any relationships and portwell finally learning to trust someone else enough to start a relationship. This show had so much potential for the main characters. But they just took the easy way out with sloppy writing. It pains me to see what they did to portwell and even Ricky although he's the least favourite character of mine out of the core 4.

hey there anon.

okay, so personally i’m only partially sure on pw but i 100% believe that rini was supposed to be endgame when the show was created. i found this out a few days ago but disney books actually have separate book published about rini’s story. gina and ej, too. which is crazy. like.

buuuut there’s that interview tim did once where he said the homecoming (105) scene of ricky and gina in the car apparently ‘changed the trajectory of the show’ — and a lot of rinas imply that it means rina endgame. if this is a correct assumption, it obviously means that before that, rini was probably endgame. unfortunately, season 2’s writing didn’t reflect his plans for rina well. i could see hints of rina but the execution was so bad. i think tim knew olivia was going to leave (due to her rise to fame from her music career) before s2 was filmed. my guess is olivia nudged tim to kill off rini since the only tie nini really had was ricky. so really a lot of these storylines are forced to cater to the actors and the audience.

and yeah, i totally agree with you. besties!portwell in summer camp would have been SO lovely.

[insomniactalks]

Taylor Swift once said (sang), “You can hear it in the silence...you are in love, true love” (”You Are in Love”). While we wait for official S3 content, I’ve decided to drop another Portwell analysis/meta cuz I’ve got time on my hands this weekend. LOL. 😅 It’s kinda short, so enjoy! (I’ve tried my best to make these GIFs as consistent as possible but I just gave up at the end lmaooo. At least I tried. 🤷🏽‍♀️)

1.10/2.05

2.07/2.08

3.01/2.10 (It’s supposed to be flipped, but whatevs.😣)

In each of the moments above, both Gina and EJ share a second or two (or more) of complete silence. No words. Just the two of them. All private, intimate moments b/t Team Wonderstudies.🥰 For a few seconds, on multiple occasions, EJ and Gina just relish the silence b/t them. This silence has actually been a pretty consistent moment b/t Gina and EJ since S1. In our first sneak peek into S3, the first scene we see b/t Portwell is EJ just enjoying the view before his eyes by seeing Gina happy and excited at camp. Then, after a bit of dialogue, Gina smiles and stares at EJ b/c she’s happy to see him so excited about the surprise he has planned/possibly hinted at. Most of these silent moments are a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it type of scene, since it happens so quickly, but it’s there. Sometimes, when words fail them, or they’ve said all they needed to say, EJ and Gina just take a moment to process and/or relish in the silence. I deff think S3 will be the season of EJ and Gina falling in love with e/o because of these small, silent moments b/t them. Sometimes, when you’re in love with someone, or falling in love, the silence is enough to express what words cannot.😊 It seems to me Gina and EJ figured that out as early as 1.10. Who’s to say S3 won’t be more of these moments above? The only difference would be Gina and EJ making less of a realization about the other, and more of a self-realization of falling in love.🤔

Last note, I wanna talk about this severely underrated Portwell moment in 1.04: 

Tho EJ and Gina are still deep in their 1.0 selves at this point, I'm gonna take Gina's line above as foreshadowing for PW’s journey in S3. In my opinion, EJ and Gina have already started “thinking of the long game” by S1b by trying to redeem themselves and making amends with those they’ve wronged (1.06-1.10). Given how goal-oriented and ambitious EJ and Gina can be as individuals, and the fact that they don’t coast or half-heartedly do anything they’re passionate about, Gina’s line to EJ above seems really fitting for them. I have no doubt in my mind EJ and Gina will continue to “start thinking of the long game” by overcoming any obstacle S3 may throw their way. Also, part of the “long game” is thinking about one’s future, and like I’ve said before, I certainly think EJ and Gina will have a bright future, together (with plenty of bumps in the road like all relationships!). 😚  

[klausalvatores]

Portwell Breakdown

I can’t even begin to praise how well the writers have done with Portwell in season 2.

So we know EJ bought Gina the plane ticket back in season 1 and Gina referred to him as a “a friend bought me a last minute flight back” and ever since then they became friends. Before season 2, we get the FaceTime call of Gina being grateful and paying EJ back for his sweet gesture, and we get a hint that EJ maybe has developed a crush when he gets sad she hung up on him. Starting season 2, we see them constantly standing next to each other and having cute little background moments, so we definitely see their friendship growing.

Then during the Quinceañero episode, EJ was the only one who asked Gina about her feelings & we see sparks start to fly on EJ’s end when he finds himself staring at Gina across the room. Literally after that, this is where their friendship really starts to blossom. They weren’t just friends, they were becoming best friends. Gina was the only one who agreed to do the Morning Show with EJ, they continued to scheme by fake dating once again and just having a good time together. Then EJ admits ever since that night, they have gotten closer and we see his feelings really start to grow, and we get a real, vulnerable conversation with them on the couch about how they view each other. Gina then starts to question if she and EJ are possibly more than friends, but is also cautious because she thinks he’s just being nice and there’s nothing more to it (all of this happening while she wears his Duke sweatshirt) After EJ shows up at the airport with a granola bar she’s been craving all day, she gets her realization moment that she does have feelings for him.

At this point, we have gotten them both realizing they have these feelings for each other, but are still traumatized by past heartbreak so they start to deny their feelings until their friends gives them the courage to confess. After EJ asked Gina out for risotto (proving that he remembers those little moments they shared together) she is still skeptical because she thinks he’s only doing it because Ashlyn forced him to, but when she realizes he’s asking her out of his own free will, her face immediately brightens and she agrees, which makes them both happy in return because they both put themselves out there and didn’t get rejected this time.

[burnwithtears]

My friend I finally re-watched! I think In the moment I was experience a lot of anxiety most of all because of that preview they show the TL was in shambles lol but now watching I can see things differently. Overall I think the episode is full of BIG moments but something is off with the pacing to me. I also believe and I hope I don't sound greedy that Rina should had a conversation before the time skip. But overall is one of the best episodes of the show without a doubt

I totally understand the anxiety, I was feeling it too! Mostly because I just HAD to watch the episode as soon as I woke up because literally every social media was full of spoilers HAHAHA

In one of the interviews, Tim mentioned he wanted to give the characters time to breathe and also a small win, and then I understood why he did the time skip + the kiss. It's like, they've been crossing each other's paths for so long now, and the season would end and the characters and the audience would still have doubts whether they would find their way to each other or not. I guess he wanted to make sure everyone knows they will.

But my greedy heart agrees with you! They could have given us at least one more Rina scene, maybe after the play, maybe a Fixer Upper performance (+ Olaf's line about love), maybe a ride back home, to reassure the audience that Gina does feel the same, and knows how he feels even without him saying it (us Rinas don't need this reassurance, but it would shut everyone else up). I guess they didn't want people judging Gina for "going for another boy so soon" after breaking up with EJ. But guess what, after one month, people are still judging her :shrug:

Or maybe a hint that they've been keeping touch during this month. Through text. I don't know. The confession doesn't feel like out of nowhere, because we have 3 seasons of development, and we know (even i Portwells deny it) she never got over Ricky, and all the intense staring between them this season shows that. But analyzing just episode 308, one more scene wouldn't kill anyone!!!!! The episode is fantastic, but it had room to be extraordinary hehehe

(also, my ranking of the episodes: 305 > 308 > 307 > 306 > 304 > 303 > 302 > 301. Absurd how it only got better!!!)

[fangirlproblcms]

I keep thinking back to an interview Matt did where he hints at a kiss that we haven’t seen yet. He says, summarized, that there’s something in the first episode fans might like… and maybe later too. Why would he say that if there wasn’t a kiss in the later episodes? Let’s say they talk it out next episode, with only two more episodes, it would be so poorly paced and rushed if they have another onscreen kiss and then break up over something else.

The only workable solution, I think, if the writers really do give into gicky, is Portwell are forced to separate because EJ has to leave SLC. We don’t know what the plan is for EJ going into season 4, but if the role is reduced, they could potentially write them trying to do long distance… but it’ll be too hard and they eventually say goodbye. That way R won’t look like the third person IF G decides to start something with him.

I personally always thought Ricky is too emotionally unstable for Gina. I care about Gina more than most of the characters so that’s why i don’t mind Ricky with anyone else but that girl emotionally has gone through a lot and all EJ was trying to do for her was to not upset her more and that’s why he was scared to tell her about the letter. Also i remember that interview but i think he was hinting the duet and not the kiss but i still feel like we’re getting another kiss.

[amesscott]

I am already seeing people say the EJ is going to ruined his relationship with Gina from Rina Shippers. EJ did some stupid stuff when he was with Nini but that doesn’t mean he is going to act the same way with Gina. EJ has become a better person since Nini broke up with him by admitting his mistakes and being more honest. In recent interviews Matt Cornett mentioned that E.J. is trying to making his relationship grow with Gina and have a good relationship with her. 1/2

It seems like to me that EJ is ready to be fully committed to Gina and really wants their relationship to last no matter what happens in the future. EJ has hinted he has dated several girls before Nini I am pretty sure EJ has never been in a serious relationship before and wants Gina to be his first serious girlfriend. I think EJ will either go to his cousin Ashlyn or his childhood friend Val at camp if he ever needs relationship advice on how to make his relationship work with Gina. 2/3

The reason why I said EJ will probably go to either Ashlyn or Val at camp if he ever needs relationship advice is because he is close to both of them. We have already seen EJ turned to Ashlyn for advice in the past. It was recently revealed that Val is EJ’s childhood friend from camp and she is majoring in psychology in college which means Val probably gives good advice. I think EJ will probably go to Val for either advice on college or relationship advice or both at camp. 3/3

Hi, Anon! Oh man, I’ve been trying to just stay on the Portwell tag here on Tumblr, like it’s the safest space at the moment WAHAHA ‘cause I’m sure the Gicky shippers are having a field day with the new scenes in the trailer. Good for them!

Anyway, I agree with your points!

"EJ did some stupid stuff when he was with Nini but that doesn’t mean he is going to act the same way with Gina."

Exactly, Anon! Like you've said, EJ has come such a long way from that! Additionally, I'd like to think that if the Jaime incident taught Portwell anything, it's that pushing each other away isn't the way to go, but talking to each other is!!

"It seems like to me that EJ is ready to be fully committed to Gina and really wants their relationship to last no matter what happens in the future. EJ has hinted he has dated several girls before Nini I am pretty sure EJ has never been in a serious relationship before and wants Gina to be his first serious girlfriend. "

Yes, I agree! If there's anything consistent with the interviews regarding Portwell, it is that they really want the relationship to thrive and that they are going to do their best to be good partners to each other.

Gina and EJ are characters that have been shown to be adamant about the things that they want, so now that they're a couple who wants the same thing for their relationship, I have high hopes that they're gonna get through whatever this season throws at them, together.

Also, absolutely yes to everything about EJ bonding with Ash and Val! Oh, how I've missed the Caswell cousins bonding, like their little moments in "Spring Break" added years to my life. Also, Ash is the #1 Portwell shipper, I will die on this hill, so of course she would do whatever she can to help her two favorite people out.

Also, Val being older and a psych major is really interesting! Definitely presents a new dynamic with EJ, since he's the oldest and is the first one among his close friends to graduate high school and to experience all the uncertainty about the future that it comes with. I think Val can add a new perspective, like you said, about life after high school, college and possibly his relationship with Gina. I imagine she'd be just as supportive about Portwell as Ash is, maybe commenting about how he's different with Gina compared to his past girlfriends (like Nini) and that she's happy for them! Bonus points if Val gushes to Gina about the way EJ talks about her, to help alleviate any insecurities that Gina may have had regarding her relationship with EJ.

[itsasweater]

HSMTMTS thoughts before season 4 pt. 2 continued.....

Just a continuation of my thoughts on the ships after my re-watch of S1 through 3 before the final season airs. The first part of pt. 2 only touched on Rini, I wanted to fit more ships in but it would have been way to long of a post so here is the rest. Once again just a warning that I'm going to be brutally honest about the ships on the show.

Portwell (Gina and EJ):

The common question with this pairing that I see asked is, why put them together just to break them up? Well, because they were a plot device. Simple as that, you can be mad at that but the evidence and hints were there all along.

They had no romantic undertones at all until EJ all of a sudden has feelings for Gina in ep5 titled The Quinceanero in S2. Gina is upset in this episode, wants to leave again and we are shown EJ looking longing at her. Just bam out of nowhere, he's interested. Nothing from the previous 4 episodes or previous season that would explain it. Also, remember that before this EJ has a whole discussion with Ashlyn of how much older he feels compared to her and how young she seems but now he is interested in her best friend. What? Was this pairing not rushed and out of nowhere.

Let's get into some of the evidence and hints that the show gave that should have made people realize that this pairing was just a plot device. First off, one of the big ones that just slapped the viewers in the face is the flashback scene between Ricky and Gina at the end of S1. The show filmed and kept that for a reason. They inserted that to plant the seeds to the audience that they're story was not over and to be prepared for that. They put it right in the next episode after they show that EJ may be interested in Gina, almost like they were saying this pairing between Gina and EJ might be happening but remember this moment for the future. Also, just like how in order for Rini to get back together they had to remove Gina, they had to completely stop all interactions between Gina and Ricky for Portwell to happen. This tactic that shows use of removing a character and or stopping communication between the two characters so that one of them can bond with someone else is always a red flag too me. A light bulb just always goes off in my head when this happens. That just tells me that the show knows that those characters bond is so strong that in order to make a pairing with one of them with someone else believable or shine they have to remove them from interacting with each other. Like, if I am supposed to take them seriously, why do you have to remove all communication between Ricky and Gina for them to work. People always bring up the couch scene that Gina and EJ have as this big great moment, yes it was a nice scene but they always miss something that was said. EJ says something along the lines of "you know" or "you know what I mean" and Gina immediately responds with a NO. Parallel that with her discussions with Ricky and how they understand what each other mean and or say. This stuff isn't by accident, it's seeds being planted. Even the episode where Gina is in the airport and she meets Jack, it's all tied to Ricky if you re-watch the episode. Jack even mentions taking the safest seat on the plane (hint: this is EJ). We get to the finale of S2 which is a whole mess to start out with and Gina's brother Jamie mentions EJ being a big brother to her lol The show was not even taking them seriously as a pairing. Which leads to once again just like S1's finale having a hard to watch scene with the Rini confession, S2 outdoes it with the cringe. Making Gina say will you be my first kiss to EJ across a parking lot, run to each other while it's very obvious the actors were not taking it seriously, playing circus music in the background and then having no payoff in seeing the kiss. Please people, the show didn't take this relationship seriously.

We get to S3 ep1 and Gina mentions experiencing a summer of first's including a first boyfriend, funny how a big thing about Gina is not doing thing anything right the first time. That dialogue is not by accident. At the end of ep 1 we get EJ saying nothing is going to ruin his and Gina's perfect summer together but Gina say's who said anybody would and right as she say's that Ricky shows up right in the middle of them in the frame. Media literacy people, that wasn't by accident. Next, EJ mentions to Gina about being surprised by Ricky showing up at the beginning of ep 2 and Gina immediately changes the subject, go back and look at the face she makes. The show was not exactly subtle with the seeds that were being planted about where the season was going and which pairing was going to happen. To make it even clearer they have Ricky play Kristoff and Gina play Anna, with EJ stepping in at certain parts to play Hans. Kristoff literally asks Anna what Hans last name is and she doesn't know, paralleling that with Gina not knowing what EJ stands for in the same episode. Come to think of it, the show was really making it obvious to the audience what was going to happen. You literally had to close your eyes and plug your ears to not see or hear what the show was telling you.

Finally, would I have preferred that these two were never put together like many others have said if they were just going to break them up? Sure. I also think you couldn't put Gina with Ricky before having her experiencing a relationship first and learn about what she want's and needs from one before that happening. Did the show have another choice but EJ to pair with Gina for her to experience all of this, not really. I also think the show should have just kept EJ the way he was in season 1, he was fun and caused problems. Every character doesn't have to be good and nice. I hate when shows do that.

In the end, you fell for a plot device ship that had a lot of hints and slapping you over the head signs telling you that they were not going to last. Like I said on previous posts it certainly seems like most people, not all but most who shipped Portwell was because it kept Gina and Ricky apart as opposed to actually liking them. So, undercover Rini's/Jolivia's whatever you want to call them.

This turned out long again lol My apologies, I always end up just rambling on. Probably won't be able to talk about the other ships before the new season airs but will still probably post my thoughts.

Thanks for reading and hope everyone enjoys the final season.

[shelbbswrites]

The Rina shipper journalist name is Tamia they said a couple things about the episodes without spoiling anything. They said something about Portwell and Rina shippers are like "Portwell is bones in episode 6" and I am like regardless if that is true or not stop saying that and let me enjoy my ship in peace without others telling me that my ship is bones. Some of the things Rina shippers say really make me mad and I just want them to shut up.

I can’t speak on what this person does or doesn’t reveal because that’s their prerogative. For myself, I don’t feel comfortable releasing even hints about the plot in this week’s episode, let alone an episode three weeks out. That’s not what I am supposed to do as press, so I’m not going to do it.

If the online discourse makes you feel that way, maybe it would be helpful for you and your viewing experience to mute some of the words and block some of the accounts that are taking the fun out of it. I’ve had to do that before, and there’s no shame in protecting your digital space. 🤗

[underscore-jude]

I want to hear more about your version of season 3 of HSMTMTS with the changes you made.

everything is the same except famed internet white man wayneradiotv is there just kind of hanging out /j

im just gonna list the things that are different cause a fair amount of things are the same, and i already explained most of what i would change for Carlos and Kourtney, so this is mostly going to be explaining what I changed for Nini, Lily, Seb, Big Red, and what takes the place of the love triangle i eradicated.

3x01: Nini and Lily are at camp and Nini is gay panicking about Gina, as they've become a lot closer since beauty and the beast and she started working with Jamie. Lily is at camp as well and is putting on a very saccharine sweet performance with Maddox but the other four girls are just soooooo over her bs. none of them were expecting her to be there, even Ricky is surprised lol. so during the opening Rily and Portwell are being all coupley and Carlos, Kourtney, Ashlyn, and Nini are hashtag over it. there are sneaky hints about a Maddox-Madison-Nini love triangle from the past few years that never actually gets explained until later. also there's a scene at the end where Seb and Big Red are playing video games in Red's basement and overall just being very cute.

3x02: Nini is having a chill ass morning by the lake and Maddox finds her working on a song. Nini tells Maddox she was invited to work on an ep with Jamie in LA but that she left her friends behind once for YAC and doesn't want to risk doing that again and it being the wrong choice, but Maddox is like "girl it's two weeks you'll see your friends again in the fall" and at some point in this episode she sings You Never Know. I think everything else in this ep is pretty much the same. Interspersed scenes of Big Red trying to teach Seb how to skateboard and failing miserably.

3x03: The Frozen cast list comes out: Gina is Anna, Kourtney is Elsa, Jet is Kristoff, Carlos is Hans, Ricky is Olaf, and Nini, Ashlyn, and Lily in various ensemble roles. One of Nini's roles is as the Queen (that's important later). Jet and Ricky go on a Just Bros Bonding Adventure because Ricky is pointedly avoiding Lily and Jet is pointedly avoiding Maddox. When EJ won't go to the shrine, Gina takes Nini to find it so she can ask why Nini's been acting so weird around her lately. When Nini won't say anything cause she's still not sure herself, so she finds Kourtney and tells her (and Carlos cause he just happens to be there and he clocks her almost immediately) everything that's going on. Also, Big Red and Seb break into East High and find a ghost.

3x04: So since Jet is Kristoff this time around, when he disappears and EJ fills in for him, he and Gina do WDYKAL. When Jet comes back, he bumps into Nini preparing to leave, and the two have a very weird moment. Jet returns and Val tells him to clean up his act, and he passes Gina on his way into the movie. Gina goes to ask if they can watch Camp Rock, and sees Nini getting the last of her things. Confronting her, Nini reveals she's leaving to work with Jamie and that she can't stay at camp while she's so confused. Gina is lost and Nini tries her best to say what she's feeling without actually up and saying it, y'know? but Gina is way smarter than anyone likes to give her credit for ofc and says she wishes Nini didn't feel like she has to run away from herself. Cue, you guessed it, GINI GOTTA GO MY OWN WAY!!!! Oh, and Big Red and Seb begin investigating who could be haunting East.

3x05: So after Nini leaves, Lily is bumped up to the role of the Queen, and she continues to suck up to Kourtney and in trying to make them trust each other, she reveals that she stole Ricky's beast harness. In rehearsal, Gina and Carlos do LIAOD, but Carlos starts to feel sick and he ignores both Ricky and Gina asking him what's wrong. Gina expresses to Kourtney that the people she cares about the most (EJ, Carlos, Nini) keep ignoring her genuine concern, and the two bond. Kourtney sings "Monster" in rehearsal and then runs off, with Ricky running after her, and the two reconcile, while Gina goes after Carlos and says that she's not gonna force him to tell her what's going on but that she is there for him should he need it. Kourtney tells Ricky that Lily stole his harness, and he breaks up with her. That night, it's not an official campfire, but the Wildcats make one of their own and sing "This is Our Song" together. Meanwhile, Seb and Big Red plan a stakeout at EHS.

3x06: Mainly keeping the same plot as the original RCOSL episode, but instead of WDYKAL it's Carlos doing "Hans of the Southern Isles" and then he almost runs away again but then he just goes and sits with his friends and is like. Scarily quiet. We see him stretching a lot. And Seb and Big Red lock themselves in the bomb shelter and FaceTime Nini, who is working on her music in LA still, and get her onboard with the idea that East is haunted.

3x07: The color war is largely the same as it was before, with the addition of Lily being there and making fun of Kourtney for not wanting to climb the wall but then everyone else just shoots her the DARKEST look and she shuts up. Seb and Big Red are discovered by Mr. Mazzara, who reveals he's been working on stuff all summer and the noises they heard were probably just him. He kicks them out, but then hears the noises for himself.

3x08: Maddox wants to take pity on Lily, but the other girls, having adopted Maddox already, insist that she's nothing but trouble. Carlos is much more standoffish, even when Seb arrives, and the looming inevitability of the water bucket tradition keeps him from really enjoying their night. We get a genuine cover of "Wouldn't Change A Thing" from Seblos, rather than the weird disco quartet with Jet and Maddox. Jet and Maddox sing a different song that's much more appropriate for siblings. The Portwell breakup unfortunately still happens, but it's more mutual, and there is no third party involved. Ricky's post-Lily time is spent being determined to have a hashtag free and fun summer and helping Jet with all his schemes, completely ignoring any romantic feelings he might be having for anyone because he's single and free and that's totally gonna make the feelings go away, right? At the end of the episode Carlos tells EJ he doesn't want to do the tradition, and he's not ready for it.

3x09: Miss Jenn, Nini, Big Red, and Seb are all there for opening night and the three kids celebrate Ricky's birthday and definitely aren't worried about a ghost, what are you talking about? The episode is largely the same, with the change of Ricky being the one to sing In Summer and still being on his "I'M FINE THERE IS NOTHIGN WRONG" bit that everyone kind of sees right through but especially his besties.

3x10: We get the second half of the performance, including Jet singing Kristoff's Lullaby and looking dramatically over at Kourtney. Nini starts to tell Gina her true feelings, but Gina is whisked away before she can reply, and the cast sings "Everyday" together.

At the premiere a month later, EJ tells everyone that he's not being forced to go to St. Louis and is going to a school further out in Utah, but still doesn't think anyone actually cares about that or him at all. The Jetney and Madlyn confessions still play out, and Jet and Maddox panic over it. Gina is upset that EJ and Val were edited to be romantically involved, when the breakup wasn't really about that, and also that Nini has been radio silent since the performance and she went back to LA. Carlos is mortified that his debilitating body/eating issues have been manipulated to make it look like he was cheating. Ricky wants to comfort all of his friends, but his facade is starting to crack, so instead of chasing after any of them, he just sits alone onstage in confusion.