Some notes/observations about the new high school set + blocking
I vaguely remember someone somewhere commenting that someone else (maybe that prop master Jeremy guy on Kaleidoscope?) saying that the new high school set was so multi-layered and more complex to represent how high school is also more complex. This is some stuff I have noted about set/blocking/new stuff symbolism. Le’go:
“Let’s go to the weird, undefined area between the floors and talk about it!” - Lucas Friar, GMHS1
The hole the seniors stick them in is the “weird, undefined area between the floors”, because the hallways are for people who’ve earned it. The hallways are for people who are ready to be in high school, and the gang is clearly not yet ready - or at least not as ready as they thought they were.
Buuuuut, they graduated middle school. We saw in GML that aside from still needing Cory to teach them, the gang have clearly evolved past middle school hand-holding (except for the actual hand-holders *cough Rucas cough*). Until they are ready for high school, they are stuck in that weird, undefined area between the floors because they’re stuck in a weird, undefined area between the last and next stages of their lives.
Girl Meets Jexica Blocking (I S2G, what the hell is Mexica and why is Jexica always auto-corrected to it?!?!?!)
Post theme song, in the scene where Maya is telling Riley Jexica is “super popular” (refresh, refresh, refresh), right in the beginning we have Riley running downstairs and Maya running upstairs to hug/meet each other.
Now let’s just look at this for a moment and what I believe it foreshadows:
Riley, running downstairs. Coming down from her castle on a cloud, coming “down to earth” essentially.
Maya, running upstairs. Coming up from her “dungeon of sadness”, which is where she goes when in “hope is for suckers” mode.
The two girls meet IN THE MIDDLE, and all is right in the world.
I think this is foreshadowing how Riley is going to get a major dose of realism this season, Maya is going to somehow gain back her hope, and the girls will meet in the middle, friendship still intact, as balanced individuals. (Depending on how things go this also could bleed into S4.)
@theowldetective has a theory that I’m sure the majority of the fandom have seen by now, called her other side/square dance theory or something like that. (It’s reeeeeally good, recommend checking it out btw if you haven’t read it yet.) Assuming it’s true, in S3(/S4) the characters are going to be living the other side of the S1/S2 equation. Riley will be having higher and higher key moments with Farkle, Maya is in an explicitly stated unofficial thing with a guy so another guy who has feelings for her feels like he could never have a chance, etc.
Now look at the classroom in middle school.
And now look at it in high school.
Everyone is literally facing THE OTHER SIDE. Because in this (these two) season(s) they’re about to live it. It’s a square dance.
Keep in mind I’m new at analysis.