It is a stormy night at East High. As the series progresses tensions are filling the air. The students are acting like total beasts in preparation for their Spring Musical. It seems like they’re not all in it together. There are spoilers ahead for those who have not seen the series as of yet.
The Storm
The episode opens with a shirtless Ricky facetiming with Nini. She is getting ready to go back to Denver. As he is about to sign off he jokingly warns Nini not to forget about Salt Lake. She holds up the snow globe Ricky gifted to her and says it is impossible for her to forget. Rehearsals are in full swing, the students have a two hour window until a big snow storm is expected to hit. Carlos announces himself as Head Choreographer and Gina interrupts him to say they will be rehearsing Be Our Guest. In their confessionals, Carlos and Gina seem to have a misunderstanding on their roles as choreographers.
Miss Jenn gets Carlos and Gina to share their vision’s for the epic number but they can’t seem to reach an agreement. Miss Jenn suggests they move onto rehearsing Gaston but EJ isn’t there. Ricky pays Gina a compliment on her vision for Be Our Guest and briefly brings up the box of chocolates. In her confessional, Gina shares the whole chocolates scenario is a running joke but isn’t exactly laughing out loud. Nini shows up to surprise her old classmates. Out in the hall Ricky and Nini share a kiss. She gets an alert and her driver has cancelled. Miss Jenn offers her a ride to the bus station.
Miss Jenn alerts the class and advises them to work on Be Our Guest concepts. Mr Mazzara is going to be supervising them and shares he and Miss Jenn share “an understanding” and that is enough for him. Nini runs into a sulking EJ and he admits he got rejected from Duke. EJ shares his shame about not getting into Duke. She tells him, “sometimes dream schools are a little overrated” and leaves.
Back in the rehearsal room, Gina and Carlos come up with an idea to share their vision’s with their classmates. In the snow, Miss Jenn and Nini cannot get the car to move. Back at the school, rehearsals are about to begin and then the power goes out. The remaining students cannot leave as it is unsafe. Red and Ashlyn decide to hold each other “for warmth” and Gina comes up with a plan to gather supplies. Her plan is effective but Carlos doesn’t see the point.
Back on the road, Nini and Miss Jenn are still stranded. Miss Jenn asks Nini about her new school but she doesn’t appear happy. In the hallway, Big Red and Ricky run into Gina. Red asks Gina for advice on behalf of Ricky. Ricky wants to send Nini a text about staying in Salt Lake forever. Gina advises him to “never text that” or say it out loud. Gina makes a joke about finding a Twix bar in her locker as Ashlyn shows up. The pair leave, a concerned Ashlyn asks Gina what’s up with her but she doesn’t answer.
Kourtney and Seb are trying to get cell phone reception. Seb is on her shoulders as a stressed out Kourtney is trying to call her work place to get her flashcards back. Mr Mazzara advises them to go back to the rehersal room and the two share a laugh. Still in the car, Miss Jenn shares a story about auditioning for Frozen on Broadway. This showed her she was meant to be a teacher. The tow truck shows up as the two hug.
Back at East High, EJ and Mr Mazzara discuss Duke. The two share a bonding moment and Mr Mazzara shares some wisdom with EJ. Back in he rehearsal room, cabin fever is kicking in and they question where Carlos and Gina are. The pair are engaging in a heated exchange of words. The two share their struggles of being outsiders. Carlos asks Gina, who the blow up is really about. He tells Gina she really does matter. All of a sudden, Howie shows up carrying pizzas looking for Kourtney.
As he enters the rehearsal room, he is greeted with hungry smiles as everyone grabs a slice. He strolls up to Kourtney and gives her her flashcards. The two share a moment and EJ shows up. Seb gets an update from his farm, the roads are clear and the sheep are in heat. Yes he should’ve read that last part in his head. The lights turn on and Ricky goes to stop Nini from getting on her bus. Ashlyn asks Gina about what happened. Gina is confused about whether she is asking about Ricky or Carlos. She doesn’t answer and walks away leaving Ashlyn standing there.
At the bus station, Ricky gets there just in time. Nini has not left yet. He asks if she has her snow globe and she heads to the bus singing the song Granted. Back at East High, Nini strolls in to Miss Jenn’s office. Nini is coming back to East High. Her phone rings and Ricky is on Facetime again. He finally gets to tell her how he feels and she tells him to stay where he is.
High School Snow Storm
Another eventful episode of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. The air is frosty, the hormones are raging and the writing is on point. This was hands down the funniest episode of the series so far. Ashlyn and Red offering to hold each other for warmth, Seb sharing that the sheep were in heat and Ricky apologizing for quietly farting. With all that comedy comes a little drama after all this is a series based on the High School Musical movies.
Sadly, EJ does not get accepted into Duke. His family have all attended Duke and this feels like another Troy Bolton-esque dilemma as seen in High School Musical 3: Senior Year. I have predicted this before and I will say it again. EJ will more than likely get the Alan Menken Scholarship that comes with the award. If he doesn’t then this could be a huge disappointment. However if that doesn’t happen he may end up working in the AV Department with Mr Mazzara as we saw them share a moment.
Two other characters who shared a major moment in this episode were Miss Jenn and Nini. Miss Jenn acts as a guardian angel to Nini allowing her to be enlightened into making her decision about leaving YAC. She shares her own experience that led her to becoming the Drama teacher at East High. It was great to see these two share this moment and it brought something new to both their characters.
Two characters who did not share a similar bond were Carlos and Gina. The two bickered throughout the episode which lead to a major blow up. Gina has been struggling with the Ricky situation and the cracks are starting to show. Carlos sees this, Ashlyn has an idea but Gina is saying nothing. Gina may have a tough time in future episodes but fans can get excited for more Rina and Rini moments.
Nini makes a major decision in this episode. She decides to come back to East High and we are glad to see her back. She sings the song Granted in this episode and it may be the best song in the series so far. Olivia Rodrigo’s voice is so incredible on this song it is no wonder her debut album is breaking records right now.
As we get closer to opening night, more drama is yet to unfold.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is available to watch on Disney+. New episodes every Friday.
