Wildcats, welcome to another weekly review of High School Musical The Musical The Series. After this episode, we only have one more episode left for this season, so of course, things are heating up at East High! This week I want to focus on the stories of Gina, EJ, and Miss Jenn; it’s opening night at East High, and that means we have a lot to cover. 

Miss Jenn

It’s opening night for Beauty and the Beast at East High which means Miss Jenn is going to keep with traditions and eventually lose it in front of her students. As Miss Jenn prepares for the opening night, she is surprised with a visit from Richard Bowen (Ricky’s dad and Miss Jenn’s ex). Richard and Miss Jenn are seen flirting throughout the opening of the episode.

Miss Jenn is stressed out more than usual, because for this year’s opening night a judge is in the audience to decide who will win $50,000 for their theater program. Miss Jenn overanalyzes every aspect of the show, and drives her students crazy, which eventually gets to the point where Miss Jenn screams at Ricky.

This is where I have to start critiquing HSMTMTS; there is absolutely no reason for Miss Jenn to be flirting with Ricky’s dad, and furthermore, there is no reason for her to go crazy in this episode, as she has spent the entire season being calm and incredible as a teacher. The overall plot for Miss Jenn this season has been very mediocre, but she can always redeem herself in the finale.

EJ and Gina

Over the last few weeks, HSMTMTS has been building to EJ and Gina’s first date, however, it wouldn’t be a musical-based show without yet another curveball thrown their way. This week Gina and EJ are planning to skip the after party of opening night to spend the night eating risotto on their first date. After the first act, Gina finds out that her mom definitely will not make it to the performance, but she sends Gina a little gift in the form of her brother Jamie (played by Jordan Fischer). 

During act two, Jamie finds EJ and tells him that he is thankful that Gina found someone who can play the big brother role in her life because clearly, he failed as her brother. This leads EJ to question whether Gina thinks of him romantically or as a brother. 

I do have my frustrations with this episode, but I love the rift that Jamie’s character causes with Gina and EJ. Jordan Fischer and Sofia Wylie had instant chemistry in this episode, which helped establish the family aspect of this episode. I think if we are honest with ourselves, we can admit that when there is a hole in our lives caused by someone who is missing. This empty void can cause us to gravitate towards people that we wish could fill that emptiness. I think because Gina doesn’t have a father in this show, it’s easy for her to seek that guidance in the form of a brother. The writing this season has been questionable, but I love where they are going with Gina and EJ; in the finale, we need to see Gina finally admit she likes EJ and we need to see him make a grand gesture. 

What did you think of this episode? Comment below and we will feature it next week in our review!