Who is ready to cry Wildcats? This week’s episode of High School Musical The Musical The Series was a hard-hitting episode that showed the pain of a long-distance relationship. I think this week’s episode is the one that has hit the hardest of all the episodes Disney has made; from the drama of Gina and Carlos, to Ms. Jen having a very human moment with Nini, this episode hits the heart in many different ways. Let’s break down the big stories within this episode! 

EJ

EJ recently found out that he did not get into Duke University (the university his father went to), and is struggling with self-worth in this episode. Matt Cornet (who plays EJ) has really felt toned down this season compared to season 1, but there is this great moment with Mr. Mazzara where he talks to EJ about not letting your parents define who you are as a human being. I think so many times in our lives we get lost trying to please everyone in our life that we forget to please ourselves and in doing so we lose who we really are. I love that Disney put this moment in the episode because it’s a great reminder to find yourself even in the midst of chaos. 

Gina & Carlos

Gina has a really interesting story in this episode. In the last episode, we saw Gina try to seek comfort on Valentine’s Day from Ricky, but after an accidental text she realized she was misguided. In this week’s episode, Gina accepts the co-choreographer position offered by Carlos; however, Gina and Carlos get into a heated argument in the hallway during a rehearsal. Carlos confides in Gina that he is struggling to find the courage to perform in front of people for this year’s musical (in his words he is a “behind the scenes” guy). Gina and Carlos have a great moment where they find that the only way that they are going to be able to make it through this semester is together as a team (cheesy, but I could have ended this sentence with a “We’re All In This Together” clip). 

Nini

Buckle up Wildcats, Olivia Rodrigo has dropped her best song of HSM season 2 with a single called “Granted”. Last week we saw Nini really begin to struggle at her performing arts school. This week it hits the climax when Nini has a breakdown in front of Ms. Jen. Ms. Jen has a really great teaching moment when she hits Nini with the truth that nothing is worth doing if it makes you miserable. Nini’s performing arts school has incredible teachers and will help her excel to new heights, but it doesn’t have the people that make East High special — it doesn’t have family. I think Nini’s story in this episode shows a rare side to her where she exposes herself emotionally more than ever before. There is a telling moment where Nini decides to stay at East High, and she’s telling Ms. Jen all the things that she loves about East High, but didn’t mention Ricky. The next few weeks are going to be really interesting for Nini and Ricky.

What were your favorite moments from this week’s episode? Comment below and I will feature it in next week’s review!