Hsm: the waste: the series
Ok so right off the bat, is anyone else bothered by noticing that multiple different relationships seem to be developing the same dynamic? The guys all become huge simps for the girls just for the couple to actually get together and for it to reverse w the girl having to give the guy constant reassurance bc he's insecure for whatever reason.
This was especially seen w Redlyn's plot. How was she supposed to know what his dreams were if he never said? Especially since he always acts embarrassed about the tap dancing...like maybe Ashlyn misinterpreted it and thought he was too scared to pursue that in the future or something. Also why was he so jealous of the French guy? Was Ashlyn supposed to tell him to let her fall that one time? It's not like Big Red was there to catch her. Also don't like how their season plot started w her being insecure about playing Belle just for him to give her one sentence of vapid praise and then it was never brought up again. Also, saying "you're perfect" when she's feeling insecure doesn't really help like he might think it would bc it kind of just invalidates Ashlyn's insecurity and makes it seem like she's ridiculous for even thinking about it. Whatever Gina said seemed to give her more comfort. But then the rest of their S2 arc was spent w him getting insecure about something every episode and her having to reassure him that she actually likes him.
This also happened w Rini although not for long bc Nini peaced out after a sec, and I'm worried it might happen w Portwell, but I'll get to those dweebs in a min. Also why did Mr. M become totally whipped for Miss Jenn this season? I liked when their dynamic was more balanced; now, it seems like he is madly in love w her and she got the ick from him. Luckily, I care about them zero percent!
Another thing is that the competition was ultimately pointless af! Like I knew it wouldn't be satisfying whether they won or lost, but they didn't even reveal it? Ok? Wasted the whole yr ig! Miss Jenn became mentally disturbed for what? Plus wouldn't it make more sense if they didn't open the results at the end bc they realized how much the Menkies tore them apart this year bc they only cared about winning and lost sight of their passion? But no...they maintained throughout the whole time that they're still a big happy family, so I guess the awards didn't affect them? Besides just making them indifferent to the results for some bizarre reason.
Why is this show so anti-ambition? Heart and ambition don't have to be mutually exclusive. When Nini went to YAC (so damn irrelevant but anyways...), she was iced out of the friend group and portrayed as lonely and miserable and bored bc she chose to pursue her ambition rather than stay w her friends at East High. I get the point they were trying to make, but Nini seems like an ambitious character who just hadn't gotten the chance to explore that side of herself bc she never believed in herself enough to go for it. Oh well ig she has to give it up for Ricardo and her friends. Also, Gina's whole thing about "taking a step back" it's like...from what? You get no leads (except offscreen pre-pilot ig? Idk). And now, they have to prove they only care about family by not checking if they won even though there's nothing inherently wrong w being competitive as long as you're not undermining people to achieve your goals. Like are they gonna act like they weren't spying on the other school and making diss tracks back to them instead of rehearsing? But that wasn't addressed.
And tbh it made it seem like Miss Jenn only wanted to drop out bc she was nervous to perform against Derek Hough bc otherwise why was that scene w her and Seblos talking about it included? But now she can have an out while also taking the moral high-ground and claiming they quit bc they're above it or something. Self reflection = none. Also love how she was willing to go get pizza for Ricky but not Carlos. What happened to that dynamic?
Also, why did every episode end w a cliffhanger that was resolved offscreen by the beginning of the next ep? Oh no, Gina's moving! Jk her mom said no. Oh no, EJ has to tell his dad about Duke! Jk they talked offscreen and the dad is ok enough w it (why was it built up so much then?). Oh no, Carlos recorded the Rose Song! Jk Nini doesn't care. Oh no, Ricky and Ashlyn fell! Jk they're fine and can still perform. Oh no, Lily stole the harness! Jk they did Ricky's transformation offscreen and it went great...k guess I'll take your word for it. So much telling instead of showing going on this season.
Something else annoying is how every conflict was the result of miscommunication and how they would spend time resolving problems that were created that episode instead of actually addressing things that were going on. So many passive aggressive elephants in the room and no fights.
Why did Rina seemingly forget who each other is? I don't even ship this, but it makes no narrative sense after they spent so much time giving them dialogue that was exactly what the other needed to hear just for it to result in nothing. Ricky was the first one to say that Gina isn't intimidating and to get her to soften up, and Gina told Ricky she wouldn't quit on them if she was staying. What was the point of that flashback? They had a deep friendship and one they both desperately need when you consider how quickly they jump at any opportunity to connect w someone experiencing similar issues as them (Gina spilled her guts to Jack once she found out he always moves, too and Ricky gained sympathy for Lily once he found out her parents are also divorced). Why didn't they try to talk at all the whole rest of the season? Did they even process their feelings for each other or just to choose to ignore them? Ig ignore them since Gina shifted all her attention to spending 24/7 w EJ and Ricky decided to call up knock-off Gina aka Lily. Are they ever gonna talk again or?
Also Nini and Gina barely scratched the surface of talking about things bc Nini stormed out of the room like she always does to avoid conversations. Rini took too long to break up. The drama should come from the fall out, not the long-ass build up, just to result in a treehouse conversation that summarizes what's been happening instead of digging deeper into either of their mindsets. "We've been miscommunicating all year!" Yeah, we know. But what about Nini reflecting on why she impulsively got back together w Ricky just to, a couple months later, not even be able to say she wants to fight for the relationship? What about Ricky explaining whatever was going on w Gina? How much does Nini even know about that? Couldn't Gina/Nini or Ricky/EJ talk about how it's weird how they keep dating the same people? Or be jealous about it or something? Anything besides ignoring each other!
Seblos was also weird. Why did they spend the first few eps setting up a conflict that Seb is poor and Carlos is rich and keeps making him uncomfortable by buying him things just for it to never be talked about again? And why did Carlos make comments suggesting he was jealous of Seb being in the play w him just for that never to be brought up between the two? The only time they addressed a conflict was when they randomly decided to make up a problem that episode about Seb being insecure about Carlos and other guys or something. Like ok? Couldn't you have addressed all these other issues and passive aggressive comments that have been bubbling beneath the surface instead of making up a new problem just for the episode to have a plot? Bc of course it will never be brought up again next ep.
When did this show become so episodic and plot-based? S1 had more of an overarching plot and more character focus, including different friendship dynamics. But ig this season, people can only talk to the person they're dating. Also why was Carlos so rude and randomly classist this season? It seemed like whenever Seb was upset about something, he would get annoyed as opposed to concerned. And a song (which was Ricky's idea and not even Carlos's) doesn't fix the issue.
Howie was just being weird. Like he was making all faces and acting sus on opening night bc...Kourtney was just SO good! ...Next!
Next up is Portwell and EJ's character development this season in general. Didn't really like it! Everyone is saying EJ had such great character development this season, but why did his entire development happen offscreen? There are also so few remnants of his S1 self that it's almost unbelievable. Like he's no longer the least bit arrogant, ambitious, image-obsessed, etc? And he didn't speak to anyone about this really either. It's like he sat in a room alone by himself for hours and came to all these conclusions himself out of the blue and came back to school the next day a changed man. It would have been more beneficial to see more of this rather than being told about it. They're trying to market EJ as part of the "core 4" but don't want to give him the same relevance and depth as Ricky, Nini, or Gina. Then again, Nini's development has also been totally odd this season. But anyways!
It's also a little annoying that what triggered EJ to want to change was getting cancelled last season. So he realized he wasn't well-liked and therefore decided to get a personality transplant. But sometimes it seems more like he wants to look or feel like a good person rather than it coming from a place of genuine compassion or kindness in his heart.
Like last year, EJ claimed to "love" Nini, but the only pain he feels about their relationship is from shame and a bruised ego? The only thing he's proud about in that relationship is letting her go. You're not proud of building her up and helping her to believe in herself more? You're just happy that you had a chance to step up and be the hero on opening night by "letting her go" back to Ricky. He didn't even really let her go though since she was done w him way before that. Also bc of his relationship w Nini, he's afraid to be rejected again. So which is it? Were you such a bad boyfriend that you have nothing but shame about the way you acted, or do you feel rejected? If he knew he was being a bad boyfriend, he should know why he got rejected.
They try to parallel Gina and EJ's respective heartbreaks, but it's not the same at all. Gina got rejected bc Ricky chose Nini, but EJ got rejected bc of his own actions. It MIGHT make sense if he said he was nervous Gina would reject him bc she still has lingering feelings for Ricky, but of course that was never brought up and he's ok w the chocolates, so...what is he so nervous/confused about? It's like he thinks that last year, he was a "bad guy" and was rejected bc of it, but this year he's trying to be a "good guy" so if he puts in all this effort to do all these gestures for Gina and STILL gets rejected, then he really can't do anything right. He needs to learn to do good deeds from an internal place and not as a way to get validation or to feel like a good person.
I also don't like how he became friends w Gina AFTER it was implied that he had a crush on her. People say they had build up since S1, but there was no consistent friendship. They schemed together once, then he got her the plane ticket, then they didn't talk again until Carlos's party when he looked at her all lovey dovey. I think part of him latches on to the idea of Gina as representing his "goodness" or new start bc the first good deed he did was getting her the plane ticket. This made him feel like a good person, so he wanted to continue doing good deeds, especially for Gina since she helped "change him." But I wish they had maintained an onscreen friendship for a while BEFORE he started developing feelings for her. It's weird that he decided to become friends w her only when she's heartbroken and feeling down and also living at Ashlyn's house.
Like of course she's gonna latch onto you bc she's so lonely and seeking any kind of intimacy/stability. You're basically inserting yourself into the family unit that she's inhabiting, the wondering why she may view you as a brother. It's because all the things you're doing are coming off more like gestures a family member would do to "take care" of someone rather than something romantic. Gina needs a family, and the Caswells are supposed to be her surrogate family. I just don't want her to feel pressured to have romantic interest in him bc he's a nice guy and has been doing so many gestures for her and bc it would be very convenient to date someone in her surrogate family/built in support system. I don't want her feelings for him to be intellectualized and based on logic or for a million other people to have to tell her that she likes him when she had no problem expressing her crushes on Ricky or Jack. What makes EJ any different? Does she like him bc it "makes sense" and bc she is latching onto him for stability or bc she has genuine feelings for EJ and his personality? Not sure bc the show didn't even address her feelings for Ricky or how/if she processed that, so...DID she process that, or is she just jumping headfirst into spending 25/8 w EJ to distract herself from difficult emotions? I would have preferred if she at least sorted things out w Chard THEN made a conscious realization that she liked EJ more and chose to be w him. At least then, the narrative would be direct and intentional.
I just really wish EJ had a storyline outside of Gina being a symbol of his "development," like maybe he could have talked to Nini about their futures since they were both experiencing the same issue about school choices, or maybe do more w Mr. M and behind the scenes work? Also was really annoying that Gina bawled her eyes out more than ever after EJ cancelled their date, even harder than she ever cried about Ricky. It's like she was broken after that so she tried to use EJ as her final chance to build a connection and was depending on him so hard for emotional support, just to be blindsided and left feeling "off-putting" or like she needs to not only run away but also to put her walls back up. Like this was the last straw for her emotionally.
I thought the appeal of Portwell was that while Ricky made her cry and was constantly vague and unclear about his feelings, EJ was consistently there for her and she knew where she stood w him and that he would stay and not let her down. But now EJ is making her cry, too, being vague, and having miscommunication? All for the sake of them having a last minute complication just for it to result in Gina ONCE AGAIN having to be the one to put herself out there and express her feelings to EJ bc he was feeling insecure and din't come talk to her about it. For once, can't someone be the one to confess their feelings to her? Otherwise, what's the difference between Rina and Portwell if she has to deal w the same problems? Like no, SHOW why he's the better option for her, don't make him act stupid just to cause drama for a second. He was pretty intuitive last year about Rini still having feelings for each other, so why is he oblivious this time around? And why did he go talk to Ashlyn about it but not Gina? That's like last season when he talked to Ashlyn about his problems w Nini instead of bringing it up to her. Why does he keep making the same mistakes? Gina needs someone to be direct and secure in their feelings for her. She can't be expected to coddle EJ, who already has way more relationship experience, bc he will make assumptions about her without addressing it to her face and lead w his insecurities even when she is clearly hurt by what he's saying. Could he not tell she was upset he cancelled the date or??
Also unrelated, but why did they make Ricky mess w Nini's phone and delete stuff just like EJ did to her last season? Once again, SHOW why Ricky is the better option for Nini. Otherwise, she might as well have just stayed w EJ if there's no difference anyway, right?
The villains this season were also so irrelevant. Like where did Derek Hough go after he talked to Miss Jenn that one time? And couldn't Lily have been more involved if they're gonna force this plot of her liking Ricky?
With the amount of underdevelopment going on, Nini should have just transferred to North High instead of YAC and had a storyline there about choosing between ambition and friends or whatever. Then, she could've gotten to know Howie, Lily, French guy, etc, and it would intertwine the characters more. And also create more tension for Nini when she finally transfers back to East High and had to compete against her former classmates in the Menkies.
Instead, Lily's only relevance is to randomly have a crush on Ricky even though she spent the whole time manipulating him. Why does he even like her? If I was Big Red, I would get mad bc Lily has done nothing but be cutthroat to his supposed friends and make Ashlyn insecure all season. Doesn't he care about that? Or does he want to ignore his own problems yet again and focus all his energy onto "saving" or "fixing" Lily? He's so codependent. He and Nini both need to stop being so self-centered about their feelings.
I wish Ricky and Nini had developed a genuine passion for theatre by now like Troy and Gabriella did, but it seems like they could always take or leave whether they're in it or not. Does Ricky even have any passions outside of being codependent on girlfriends? The career test suggests not.
And Nina needs to learn to be a better friend. All season, Kourtney has been dealing w shit and her only advice is "you can handle it; you're Kourtney!" Like ok? Kourtney gives you all support and helps build you up, but is expected to figure everything out on her own bc she's "strong" and "independent." That doesn't mean she doesn't also need emotional support!
Plus why were all the songs so overproduced? I like the acoustic feel of S1 bc it added more emotional impact. I felt nothing from any of the songs this season. Cool!
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