This week’s episode follows the drama team in East High as they navigate getting stuck in school during a snowstorm. At the start of the episode, we see that tensions are rising. This makes the idea of being in an enclosed space with everyone seem stifling. Gina and Carlos are butting heads over choreography, Ricky and Gina have underlying tension, EJ is nowhere to be found, and Nini is struggling with her dreams.
I’ll keep this review short just because I feel like this episode was definitely a filler episode. By that I mean, this launched the characters all in a position that we’re now interested to see them in next week. The whole theme of this episode was that our dreams don’t always pan out the way we want them to. I actually really enjoyed seeing this shown through different characters. More of what I liked in the episode was seeing EJ, Gina, and Carlos have more scenes. The scene with Carlos and Gina helped the audience understand the reason that they’re butting heads in the show, which first seemed comedic and petty on both sides. I also liked the little seeds they’ve been planting for Miss Jenn and Mr. Mazzara and Kourtney and Howie.
Speaking of couples, this was the first episode I felt like something was off in the chemistry between Ricky and Nini. This is strange since this was one of the first episodes they actually had scenes in. I’m not sure what it was, but the happiness and love felt forced. On the other hand, it seems like strained niceties between Gina and Ricky are finally coming to an end. Gina seems like she’s either going to confess her feelings or kill Ricky. Honestly, I’m interested in seeing both.
Lastly, I’m very glad we’re getting Nini back. It was only four episodes but I was already done with the long-distance, Nini. The show handled her return really well because I’m not sure how I would feel if Nini returned because of Ricky. Using the conversation with Miss Jenn to prompt Nini to realize that her dreams can change means a lot more then coming back to the school your boyfriend is in. We all know the power of an influential teacher can have on our lives. Seeing this in the scene where Nini comes back to tell Miss Jenn first that she’s returning because her previous school didn’t have her. It honestly made me a little emotional.
Questions for the next episode:
Muska Olumi is a columnist for the Boardwalk Times
