Re-watching S2 is again crazy because you really do feel a lot of things flew throughout peoples heads or they didn’t want to admit it.
It's quite interesting how Ricky called Nini his home on 201 only for him to be told he had to move from his childhood home to an apartment that same episode. Ricky and Nini's last "happy moment" before everything went down existing in his childhood home, which was their bubble. Nini looking for him at his childhood home only to find out he had moved out. Later, Gina being the only person he told the address to his new place and her being the first person we see in that new space. It adds another layer to what we’ve been saying about what each girl represents for his life. Nini being his childhood and that chapter being concluded by Ricky’s passaged to adulthood (through the ticket and bucket list) and his chapter with Gina starting after that, the person that represents change.
What do you mean that you are not the biggest fan of how Rina story panned out in season 3? I personally could never ship Rina. I wouldn’t mind Rina I just don’t like the way it happen when the writers made it seem like Gina never had feelings for EJ because she has feelings for Ricky this whole time you really expect me to believe that Gina never had feelings for EJ that doesn’t make any sense to me.
I'm going to shamelessly plug my review of the HSMTMTS Season 3 finale if you want to read more of my thoughts about this. Because it has been a while since I watched that episode, and I wrote A LOT about Portwell and Rina and EJ, Gina, and Ricky in that.
The reason for Portwell's breakup could have easily been because they were growing apart in two different phases of their lives. Instead, it felt like Portwell was always built not to last when Season 2's story gives EJ and Gina a well-written fighting chance.
And the dialogue of that final Ricky and Gina scene would have landed SO MUCH BETTER for me if it was swapped. Gina doesn't need to convince Ricky he's not a maybe to her; Ricky does for Gina.
i genuinely want you to understand why gina had to confess, because it was extremely on character.
ricky did convince her she’s not maybe she’s a yes to him, just not with words. he showed up for her ALL summer (few examples of the MANY: offering to sing liaod with her because jet wasn’t there, included her in his bucket list adventure, being there for her basketball triumph, helped her set up the promposal for ej, tried to make her laugh at the dance, walked up to her and asked her if she was okay when he saw she was crying, stuck up for her against channing, + MANY more) and Gina noticed!
time after time she kept noticing ricky was there for her the entire summer and ej wasn’t. Ricky never promised her he would or verbally told her he cared for her, but he SHOWED it, with action. Ej, on the other hand did verbally promise her he would show up for her, and.. never did. Promises mean nothing to gina if not followed up with action. So if Ricky would’ve confessed to her how he felt, chances are she wouldn’t have believed him.
She has said many times on the show that she likes to know where she stands with people which is why she, again, told Ricky how she felt and was okay with the fact that he might not feel the same way. She tells him she’s going to walk away with her head held high and he does what he does best with Gina and takes action, and stops her and kisses her. Which again, showed her that she’s also.. his yes. Then after, he tells her to not get him started, which to me implies he’s not going to shut up about how he feels about her.
Words truly mean very little to Gina. Gina thrives off the actions people do for her so the confession was perfectly written in my opinion!
Woke up and remembered I don’t have to fight antis anymore and prove that I have media literacy because the show confirmed everything Rinas knew to be true AND they kissed.
Chocolates theory? Confirmed
Ricky beating the he doesn’t love Gina allegations.
Gina beating the SHE doesn’t love Ricky anymore allegations
Rina kiss and confession.
And they’ll beat the getting together at the end of the season curse allegations because it took them 25 episodes, 3 real years to get together and they had all the early 2000’s teen drama endgame ship tropes
i keep saying that rina had no reason to make it past season one after rini got back together if they were not the endgame ship, so here are all the moments i knew that ricky and gina were meant to be after s1.
2.01 ricky looking back at gina at the nye party
2.02 gina’s little smile when ricky showed up for the audition
2.03 ‘sorry there’s just some things i tell that i don’t really tell anyone else, yeah no, i think we do that for each other’
2.06 the flashback scene, ricky being in the frame twice when gina’s heart is being referenced
2.04 the back and forth (the running joke)they had about the chocolates
2.09 the plot for the episode focused on gina and ricky both taking romantic steps(not towards each other) but their storyline is so tied
their interactions been cut off completely to give portwell a build up, if their story was over, they would have eased their characters back into having casual conversations as friends
3.01 ricky showing up to camp right at the end when ej said nothing will come in between him and gina
3.02 ricky and gina starting all over again
3.03 ‘and we’re still walking in the same direction’
3.04 the paper snatch scene showing how easily they fell back into their old dynamic/ ricky’s ‘you don’t know the full story’ to jet
3.05 had other characters react to their performance, plus duh the song… what do you know about love? the context of gina talking about showmance and romance in ep3. ricky verbally admitting his feelings for gina
3.06 the show once again making parallels to frozen and ricky basically being by her side all through the day
3.07 the camera focused on ricky’s reaction to gina walking in at prom and not on ej(her bf). gina looking for ej so they can have the last dance of the night but instead finding ricky who was already looking at her
3.08 ricky trying to making a wish for his birthday and the camera switches to him asking about gina, ricky looking over to gina while singing kristoff’s lullaby
didn’t include everything but these ones are dear to my heart and that’s on rina endgame
I came across pw posts somewhere saying how EJ & Gina break up doesn't make sense because in s4, Ricky would be senior and Gina will be Junior and he'll be thinking about his future, college plans, or whatnot so how can Ricky and Gina relationship going to work with him thinking about his future while Gina is still in high school just like EJ is doing now? What do you think? I am Rina fan, just to clarify that.
Sorry for the delay. So, I have been asked this question multiple times these past few weeks and I’m not going lie — I don’t get why is such a topic because it low key implies all relationships are bond to hit the same bump when it’s never about the circumstances but about the person. Future plans are for sure a subject that'll come up eventually in Ricky and Gina’s relationship (and I’m excited to see how they’ll handle that) but just because it was a deal breaker for Gina and EJ, doesn’t mean it will be for Ricky and Gina, especially when both relationships and circumstances are/were different. Ricky is in canon the right person for Gina and when it’s the right person — you make it work.
Let me expand on that:
Firstly, EJ and Gina’s relationship started when he was already pretty much out of East High. Their "romantic/flirty" arc started since Spring Break (209) which is late March and their first "romantic" conversation was already about EJ’s college drama. They got together at opening night of the Spring Production and that’s usually June for High School. Graduations also take place in June. He had already graduated when he got with her. Their relationship has always been framed with the knowledge he isn’t a student anymore. Their relationship had an expiration date and was only holding itself together because of the summer time bubble.
The reason for Gina and EJ’s relationship not working out was not about distance or college plans. I would say it wasn’t even the biggest problem. Their issue was about lack of communication. Confiding in another girl instated of his own girlfriend. EJ not making time to enjoy the present with her. He was too focused on the goal (destination) that forgot the steps to get there. EJ’s dad issues and his own insecurities plus not having a solid plan. I also believe Gina's fantasy and rose colored idea of their relationship played a role in her expectations. Most importantly, Gina felt like she couldn’t connect with him since most of her firsts aren’t "new" to him. There were plenty of reasons why their relationship wasn’t going to work even if he had asked for a gap year.
Ricky and Gina were experiencing the same things during summer and the show made it clear they were both walking towards the same direction. All of the memories and experiences Gina wished she had done with EJ ended up being experiences she was able to share with Ricky on a same level. It was Ricky’s first camp too so everything was as new to Gina as it was to him and she will continue sharing a lot of her first experiences with him. Ricky will be a senior. He's still a student. Gina will be able to enjoy the school year with her boyfriend and doing all those couple things such as going to homecoming together, sit with him at lunch, walk hand-in-hand in the hallways. It’s a huge contrast to Gina and EJ’s relationship entirely existing outside of East High with EJ already graduated. It’s not the same. Also, let’s point out that Ricky talked about the journey instated of the destination. While EJ was worried about where they’ll go, he forgot to enjoy the ride with Gina, which is something Ricky wants to enjoy.
And the most important: Gina and EJ don’t have the same connection Ricky and Gina share, not matter how some people want to claim otherwise. Gina and Ricky had emotional attraction from the get go. The sense that this person just gets you and that's hard to find. To me, Gina and EJ's relationship came about because they were both unable to have what they wanted. I also mentioned how everything about EJ felt like some type of fantasy and safety choice for Gina and I think being in a relationship with Gina gave EJ a reason to put off his future. Ultimately, while I think they genuinely liked each other, it served as a way to ignore some things for them. Their honeymoon period ended so they couldn’t ignore their incompatibility. Gina and EJ were in different places. Ricky and Gina are canonically build on the fact they get each other in a way no one else can. Ricky was Gina's first friend at East High and the one person that got to know the real her and helped her put down her walls. Summer camp allowed them to rebuild the connection that already existed between them. They had to do some individual growth before getting their timing right and be together.
I believe Ricky and Gina can go through anything together. They had gone through so much to finally be together. A full year of angst and missing chances. They have emotional understanding of each other. They’re compatible in a lot of ways and most importantly, the narrative keeps telling you they are the type of love each of them needs and the right person. I can see Gina being encouraging of Ricky’s future prospects because she’s always the one pushing Ricky forward and I can see Ricky putting his best efforts in a *possible* distance relationship with Gina because he has experience with all of that but this time is with someone that enjoys his love language. He’ll be the type to drive miles if he has to for Gina. The deal breaker for Gina is not wanting to feel like an afterthought or ignored especially when her family always puts work over her — Ricky will do anything to remind Gina she is loved and appreciated (aka the chocolates). Now that he is her boyfriend he’ll be able to fully show it.
And the best example I can give you is how I mutually broke up with someone because of long distance and later found myself in the exact situation in another relationship but that one did work out (and still going strong) and that’s because there is willingness from both to make it work and there’s communication. Couples can go thought the same situations but how you react to them is the difference.
To conclude, I can see Ricky and Gina going through their very Troy and Gabriella arc for S4 but with the "we’re now famous" arc attached.
i've been on twitter a lot these days (terrible, terrible mistake), & someone said that ricky treated gina as a backup emergency option for whenever nini ditched him. and since i have nothing else better to do (actually i do im just procrastinating) and don't feel like having people yell at me on twitter, im going to talk in here about how i don't agree with this and WHY i don't agree with it, while talking about how it's not even true in the show . this is gonna be a long post because this really got me intrigued
okay so the reason this got me thinking is because i actually do think ricky blew it with gina. like i do think he didn't do right by her because that's what the show tells us and shows us. there's no room for interpretation when it comes to that. ricky hurt her but it wasn't because he saw or treated her as a backup. he also never came to talk to gina when nini ditched him or whatever, like people have been saying he did. they just met when he and nini were going through something. but the first time they bonded was purely out of relating to what the other was going through, getting each other in ways no one else in their lives really has. that's why ricky found himself closer to gina more and more. if that alone doesn't show you that what he had with gina had nothing to do with her being a backup for nini i don't know what to tell you
we keep talking about the same thing over and over again (and people still don't get it), but when ricky was hanging out with gina in season 1, he didn't think about going back to nini. we actually don't know how things would've been if gina never left. maybe ricky would've moved on from nini more early on, and they wouldn't have had such a bad breakup, or maybe not. but there is still no way of knowing. during gina's confession, ricky looked extremely affected by everything that she was saying but it wasn't like he could act on anything or reciprocate the feelings, he was already back together with nini.
in season 2, ricky crossed a line in asking gina for advice in his relationship with nini, he was oblivious and in the wrong to think him and gina could pretend like nothing happened between the two of them on opening night. that was something he did that hurt her! but he never saw her as a backup. he saw her as a friend he cared deeply about, & who he felt seen with. it was easy to talk to her. she's pretty amazing. it's hard not to fall for her. why people are always trying to prove ricky never had feelings for her like it's this very unlikely thing to happen is beyond me. plus the thing w ricky and gina is that they make each other better people. she helped him deal with change & understands him. that's how he sees her, and one of the things he cherished in their relationship. ricky makes gina vulnerable and he was literally the person who helped her open up & let her guard down. he was her first real friend at east high. that's how she sees him. she's not his backup nor his second choice. she's his second chance at the love he truly needs.
it took a while for ricky to admit to himself his feelings for gina because like the shownrunner of the show said (I've read the interviews 😓) there is this "forbidden aspect of ricky and gina's relationship". ricky felt guilty. he connected and bonded with someone else who wasn't nini while he was trying to get her back. makes sense for him to be conflicted. not to mention his whole thing regarding change... people still refuse to acknowledge how strong that was. staying with nini meant nothing would change, going for gina would mean everything would, and worse - it would mean it's okay for things to change! and ricky didn't really wanted it to be okay just yet. but he's better now, it took him a painful break up, spending time with his mother who emphasized yet again that sometimes people change, dating someone completely questionable (someone who parallels gina in a lot of ways, but who he soon realises is nothing like her), to reflect on that. he evolved and season 3 shows it. he got a second chance with gina and he took it. if you don't like them as a couple, that's fine i guess, but saying ricky treated gina as an emergency backup for when he couldn't have nini is completely incorrect because it wasn't the case at all. okay im done now! 😪
’how the hsmtmts writers destroyed the beloved gina porter’ and all she did was break up with a boy who gave her empty promises all summer and got a second chance with the boy who showed up for her all summer. gina choosing herself and the happiness she deserves is everything her character needed after the ups and downs she has been dealt with over the season.
ricky never stopped caring for gina :,) i can breathe now! he just wanted to make her happy and feel special for valentine’s day because he saw how much it had affected her. he didn’t want her to think her mom forgot.. he really loves that girl so much. i actually might be able to rewatch season 2 now knowing he really liked her through it all. gina’s pining wasn’t one sided. he just.. had a gf. but he always had gina in the back of his mind.
meanwhile she didn’t interfere with his relationship at allll because she saw how happy he was. she even gave him advice and watched from the sidelines. and in season 3 he did the exact same thing. not only did ricky not interfere, but he became her friend again. and helped mend her relationship with ej, while it was falling apart, just because he saw how happy she was. they both suffered in silence for the other, but were repaid for it in the end!
i’m so glad they finally got their timing right and are now in their troyella era. they’ll finally be able to make up for lost time and smother each other with kisses and hugs and affection like they both deserve and desire! [ sofia’s words, not mine :) ] season 4 we’re so excited for you!
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