The East High Drama Club is back, and with it, you’ll find all the drama, romance, anxiety, and change that comes with senior year. In its final season you’ll laugh, cry and sing along in equal measure.
★★★★✰
When it was announced four years ago, High School Musical: The Musical: The Series sounded like a ridiculous concept that was bound to fail. And yet, four years later, it has become Disney+’s longest-running original series, and has launched the careers of a Grammy-nominated pop star (Olivia Rodrigo) and a Tony-nominee (Julia Lester). It has been up for a handful of awards, including Television Critics’ Awards, GLAAD awards, and even a couple of Emmy nominations. Now, having staged their versions of High School Musical, Beauty and the Beast, and Frozen, the Wildcats are back for one last season, with their reimagining of High School Musical 3: Senior Year.
After a life-altering Summer at camp, which included a scandalous reality show, Ricky, Gina, Kourtney, Ashlyn and Carlos (Joshua Bassett, Sofia Wylie, Dara Reneé, Julia Lester, Frankie Rodriguez) return to East High, and its senior year for some. Ricky and Gina are finally a couple, and have their hearts set on starring as Troy and Gabriella in their newest school musical. Carlos is dealing with the repercussions of his implied cheating in the Frozen documentary, while Ashlyn comes to terms with her newly-discovered queerness and burgeoning feelings for campmate Maddox (Saylor Bell Curda). Meanwhile, Kourtney is full speed ahead with Ivy League college applications. However, the theatre kids’ plans are all somewhat upended when it’s announced that the High School Musical franchise is returning to Salt Lake to shoot ‘High School Musical 4: The Reunion’ at East High. The drama club is set to star as featured background extras, and there’ll be some cameos from the original HSM franchise and some new stars joining the ensemble (namely Kylie Cantrall and Matt Sato).
Given that the third season took place away at camp, the return to the halls of East High is a welcome one. This, along with the High School Musical focus, feels like a distinct return to the show’s roots. That being said, the show’s concept is more convoluted than ever, and while the meta film-within-a-series narrative is carried off fairly well, it never works as well as when the show just lets teenagers be teenagers.
HSMTMTS is an ensemble show, and as such, there never seems to be enough time for everyone, with a few fan favourites being shafted this season to make way for the newcomers. However, when the spotlight is on our original characters, particularly the ones who have become the core five (Ricky, Gina, Kourtney, Ashlyn, Carlos), the writing feels empathetic and truthful in its portrayal of coming of age. The journeys these characters have undertaken since season one are monumental, but feel (for the most part) like an honest progression of the characters we have come to know and love.
However, the show’s predisposition with relationships is both its greatest strength and its biggest downfall. Sofia Wylie and Joshua Bassett are given ample time this season to showcase their undeniable and positively electric chemistry, and for those of us who have rooted for Ricky and Gina since that small moment in Ricky’s car in season one, it feels that we have finally been rewarded for our patience. Their duet ‘Maybe This Time’ revisits key moments from their relationship over the course of the show, and serves as a reminder of just how carefully and precisely their journey has been mapped out by showrunner Tim Federle.
That being said, while romantic ships like Rina and Madlyn (Ashlyn and Maddox) are given time to shine, the focus on them is sometimes at the expense of other characters and platonic relationships that were well established in previous seasons (I needed some Ricky/Carlos interaction desperately!). Also, in the name of Glee-level drama, there are some storylines that make zero sense for certain characters (looking at you Seb and Big Red, who are played by Joe Serafini and Larry Saperstein), and while it’s nice to add some moral ambiguity, the show doesn’t know how to handle the complexity of these themes within a Disney-friendly frame. That being said, the show does well to lean into its PG-13 rating, with many of the funniest gags being ones that make you wonder how Disney+ approved them.
After all of the mess though, the season finale offers closure for all the relationships, and because we have seen just how close this ensemble has become, the goodbyes hit with emotional clarity, bound to have viewers in floods of tears. Though, its the music that continues to be a highlight of the show, even if most of the HSM 3 numbers are shoved into the final two episodes rather than being integrated throughout the season. Nevertheless, this season’s original songs aren’t hindered by this issue, standing out as some of the show’s best. It is a reminder that the High School Musical franchise always has been, and continues to be, remarkably good at romantic duets, whether they are more pop-oriented (“Call It What You Want”) or Broadway-inspired (“Over Again”).
Overall, the highlight of the season, and the show, comes down to how talented the main ensemble are. Sofia Wylie, despite being the youngest core cast member, continues to be the most impressive一her depth and vulnerability as an actress reflects talent beyond her years. Whilst Bassett has had the most detailed character development over the years as Ricky, his effortless charm and honesty ensures his character remains a fan-favourite. Julia Lester and Frankie A. Rodriguez have impeccable comic timing, but also bring new depths to their characters each season. Though Dara Reneé, despite being a side character in season one, is incredible in this final season, with the college storyline being a perfect fit for her following the exploration of her character’s anxieties previously. As always, Kate Reinders as Miss Jenn helps to ground the show with a compassionate adult presence.
Overall, you can see how much this show has come to mean to these actors, and they have given it their all from day one. It is them, as well as the heart behind the writers’ pens, that make HSMTMTS season four such a satisfying conclusion for our Wildcats.
The Verdict
While the narrative certainly suffers from the showrunner’s affinity for the melodramatic, the young cast emotionally ground this goodbye to a beloved show. High School Musical: The Musical: The Series remains one of the most fun, clever, and surprisingly honest teen shows on TV, and its conclusion is sure to warm the heart of every fan.
The entirety of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series is available to stream on Disney+.
Words by Rehana Nurmahi
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