#portwell speculation

[insomniactalks]

I also kind of loved that “Stay in your lane Bowen” because if that was my gf it would definitely rub me the wrong way how eager Ricky was to sing with her. Though Gina’s reaction kind of worried me. I’m worried the writers are gonna have some moment of Gina defending Ricky to EJ, and make EJ feel like she’s choosing Ricky over him. What do you think?

I actually really liked Gina's reaction to jealous-EJ in 3.04:

In both instances, she scrunches her eyebrows a little because it seems she's confused as to why EJ would feel threatened by Ricky. I actually saw her reaction this episode as a contrast to Nini's reaction to EJ's suspicions in 1.02:

Nini reacts as if she's been caught red-handed (and a little guilty). She just shared this moment with Ricky on stage, but she quickly comes up with an excuse to seem a little less suspicious.

I would love it if Gina could reassure EJ about her closeness with Ricky and not having to worry about that, kinda like how EJ did for her in 3.02 in regards to his friendship with Val. Whether or not we'll actually get a scene like that is to be determined. I'm really not sure what the writers have in mind for the rest of the season. I'm just taking it episode by episode. 🤷🏽‍♀️

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts s3 #hsmtmts speculation #ej caswell #gina porter #ricky bowen #gicky #nini salazar roberts #rini #ejini #hsmtmts val #portwell speculation #portwell #thanks anon!

[rkrispyt]

I've already accepted the L with portwell this season but I will still hold out hope that their break up could lead to pining EJ in season 4! Especially if he sticks around, they'll still be down the street neighbours and inevitably apart of each others lives and now that they've crossed that threshold of being just friends, I can't see things ever just going back to how they were pre dating for them. There's always bound to be something lingering.

Speculation ahead based on things I've seen that might be spoilers. Read at your own risk.

I went into this season expecting a Portwell breakup and only truly wanting one thing: an exchange of I Love Yous before they ended. I wanted to see that the show gave them a true chance to build something real, not a situation where the smallest thing broke them or they realized off the bat they just didn't work.

In a dumb way I also wanted that so that the antis couldn't claim it was never real, or hadn't meant anything. Having an I Love You, even if they broke up, would leave no doubt that it had been more than a summer fling.

After that, I foolishly hoped that it would be a breakup that would leave the door open for a potential reconciliation down the line. In many of the teen dramas I've experienced over the years, couples with a spark that burns strong often found their way back to one another - hell, sometimes multiple times lol.

But right now, if I were a betting woman, I'd put my money on next season being the last and this show setting up a slow path to Gicky series endgame that began this season.

I don't know how EJ fits into this show after this season, I don't even know if he'll be in next season, or if he'd only make a few appearances as a guest star. But I'm not getting the impression that they're setting things up to prolong this love triangle past this season, and EJ pining would be that.

I'm hellishly pessimistic today, in a way that I don't think I can be talked out of, even if someone came at me with a reasonable argument. I've seen too many things from people who've seen the next few episodes, and I've unfortunately seen the leaks, and taking all of that into account as well as things Josh and Tim and Sofia and Matt have said in interviews that we haven't seen play out yet, I just can't imagine my lovely Portwell surviving this with even a glimmer of hope to come back to one another in the future, even beyond the show's ending. But that's what fanfiction is for, right?!

I'm sorry. I'm just working through my disappointment today. And talking it out with people is my best way of doing that. I KNOW this is all extremely negative and irrationally finding the worst possible outcome. It's just where I'm at today.

#portwell #portwell spoilers #portwell speculation

[theaviatorthatcouldnotfly]

power throuple rights

#portbowell #ericka #hsmtmts #hsmtmts speculation #ej x gina x ricky #avi posts unprompted for a non dwampyverse fandom #ej caswell #gina porter #ricky bowen #portwell #caswen

[aroundthewaygirlao3]

Quick real time trailer reaction:

Will we do Portwell/Gicky love triangle? It's definitely a possibility. And I'll be SO annoyed if that's what we get.

What I'm pulling for?

EJ sees the Gicky moment we saw in the trailer and freaks out about it, but instead of snooping and lying, actually TALKS about it. RICKY sets the record straight for him... a real convo about how Ricky wouldn't try to steal his girlfriend again, he's grown way too much for that.

And it wouldn't matter anyway, since Ricky knows Gina is in love with EJ.

Serves a growth arc for each and every one of them.

That's the S3 I wanna see!

And if we don't get it and end up with a crummy rehash of S1... Imma go ahead and write this myself!

#hsmtmts season 3 #hsmtmts #portwell #hsmtmts speculation #ej and gina #ej x gina #gina and ej #gina x ej #ej caswell #hsmtmts fanfic #gina porter

[sofsversion]

if they give us rina instead if portwell, i will riot

#hsmtmts ej #hsmtmts spoilers #hsmtmts gina #hsm the series #hsmtmts #hsm the musical #portwell endgame #ej x gina #gina x ej #hsmtmts speculation #hsmtmts s3

[organic-guacamole]

as @eviecara and I were saying about EJ being the director and Gina going out for the lead, it'll eitehr be EJ choosing her as the lead and it causes people to think it's biased( which imo could lead to people bugging Gina about it and EJ has no idea, which would stress Gina out because she doesn't know how to bring it up to wj. or if she should because then she'd be seen as a snitch, and EJ might use his power against those people).

Or the other way around and EJ doesn't cast her as the lead because he wants to be objective and then Gina gets upset and again doesn't know how to bring it up to him which cases a lack of communication (I don't see it with portwell but...Tim.)

Another thing, the scene in the trailer with EJ running up ajd seeing Gina and Ricky together feels like he's running to see Gina for the first time that day. which leads me to think that he's so caught up in the responsibilities of director and everytime they try to have a cute lil summer moment together, they get interrupted by someone calling EJ for something or Gina to do sometimes else idk. so this level of difference between them for the 2 weeks would mean Gina gets to spend more time with Ricky and the rest of the cast while EJ is working (possibly with Val as many people believe) so in the end portwell feel like they're not really together even though they're in the same place.

Which, in my opinion, is ridiculous. If this is all true, or they break up for some reason along the lines of "I hardly see you", I will be beyond upset. Simply because what kind of healthy relationship can't take a little time away from eachother. especially if it's unavoidable. Like yeah, the relationship is new and all, but still, after the camp they have the rest of summer together.

Honestly I'm just trying to come up with possible scenarios which would cause a portwell falling out or break up and saying how stupid it is :)

P.s. Tim, don't ruin my favourite characters, please.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts season 3 #hsmtmts s3 #hsmtmts speculation #portwell #gina porter #ej caswell

[gracestone]

Also ppl claim Val is going to make portwell break up but she’s also a temporary character so she’s obviously there to be a plot device

I don't think she's there just as a plot device, given that she seems to be in a significant part of the season. But she may play that role in Portwell's arc, depending on what the writers plan to do with her character (and Portwell). It still hasn't been confirmed if the person who said they auditioned for her was actually right about her history with EJ and her potential feelings for him. For all we know, Val has a more significant storyline with Carlos and Gina about choreography. Or maybe she's there to help EJ reflect on what he wants to do post-graduation. Or maybe her role is entirely different than we're imagining. At this point, we can't say anything with any certainty.

The only scenario in which I could see Val coming between Portwell is if the plan is to send EJ off to college and write him out of the show completely. But even in that scenario, why bother with Portwell in the first place? EJ could've fallen for Val in S3 and gotten his second chance at finding love, completing that part of his arc, and been sent on his way. Instead, Tim chose to have EJ and Gina fall for each other. To me, it seems like that means he has more stories in mind to explore with them, and a recurring character (because let's be real, that's likely what Val is now) who is likely only here for one season doesn't seem like much of a threat to their relationship.

#hsmtmts #ej caswell #gina porter #val #portwell #hsmtmts speculation #ask

[rinisbowen]

i'm not really into ships so your blog is a breathe of fresh air because it doesn’t seem like you are bias to one ship or another. i don’t think there will be much to do with plots this season it’s only 2 weeks of camp so there’s not time for development but my theories still stand on some situations. personally, i don’t see a future between ej and gina, their plot was written to end and to keep ej for a while too. i think they’ll break up by the end of the season but not for the reason so many people think. lily and ricky never had a future, it was written for drama. i saw lily as a potential sharpay and if you read tim ferdele's interviews his propose with lily was to create chaos. now with lily being a guest role i just see her either appearing on episode 1 and never address much about her again or by the end to add more drama to the plot because ricky and gina won’t happen this season but they will eventually. gina and ricky and their unresolved romance is going to be touched again, but they won’t have any significant development because it’s impossible with a plot that takes just 2 weeks but there will be enough to save it for season 4. tim ferdele clearly likes this ship and with nini out of the question and with a plot that doesn’t involve ricky, it’s inevitable. i agree with you about val and ej having a little hint to a possible romance but their scenes won’t be romantic. he'll probably apply to her college and that’s enough to head canon a situation between them. redlyn and seblos will remain too and since they won’t be at camp i don’t see much happening with that, and i have this theory that the bisexuality story line might be for ashlyn. its not maddox because her having a girlfriend has been spoiled on the trailer already so seems unlikely.

hi anon! thanks so much for the ask! i'm lowkey so excited rn for the new season, but trying to keep the hype while we wait can be rough so i love to keep talking about the show and such.

--

first of all, thank you so so much for your kind words, that's really lovely to hear that you feel that way. i honestly just- haven't been all that obsessed with any ship on this show since rini so- it's easy to just like... not care so much? i have reasons i'm not super into either ship gina has rn, and that's okay, i can still be here with vibes bc i still enjoy the show and want to see how things play out. i just- i don't care enough about either to be super over the top fighting for either. this means i can kinda just sit here and watch and talk about things.

--

as for camp being too short for any real plotlines... idk if i'd say they can't do anything this season development wise, like we know ej's like- becoming something else? according to matt's story... so whatever that means he's getting character development of some sort? but there's not much room for super detailed situations to go down because everything becomes higher stakes when it has to be resolved in less than two weeks?

like if someone (or some combination of someones) has a conflict it either has to be something that was already set up by the finale / season 2 in general, something that can be created and dealt with quickly (whether that be by actually working out the issue and fixing it, brushing it off and avoiding it, or cutting the cord on whatever's causing it instead of fixing it), or it becomes something that's somewhat of a cliffhanger for season 4 to deal with. reminds me of what i said a while ago in a way- something along the lines of 'it's not just a matter of what they CAN work through- sometimes it's a matter of what they choose to'... i stand by that comment, even beyond its initial application.

--

i think your point about ej and gina not having much of a future is entirely fair to say, given there are plenty of reasons that would make it easier to break them up than to keep them together, ones that don't involve ricky, and if the show splits them this season, it'll almost definitely be one of those as far as i'm concerned. it's just easier on everyone's respective development that way. there are ways to keep them together... but if they are together come season 4, the show needs to be very careful how they balance the fact that ej's going to be in college, and i think the show is probably pretty aware of that. (and if they're not... they should be, the him being a counselor/her director thing already gives me sorta weird vibes if i'm honest)

lily and ricky is something that was- for sure... a placeholder of sorts (for the show and ricky), and lily (in her place as the front of the north high plotline) was largely a source of drama for the wildcats for sure. given how booked ork was during filming, i don't know if we can say for sure lily was always going to be brushed off in a single episode, given how much more drama and 'chaos' as tim would say, she could've added at camp (and for me- i do think she could've helped ricky be ready for the real thing again... but that's a separate conversation). also the sharpay parallel is valid, but for me i'd always consider her more of a tiara gold than a sharpay haha. i'd agree on it either being 301 or 308, i'd love both just bc i think an appearance in 308 could be even more drama- given as you say, the place ricky and gina may be at the end of season 3...

--

with nini out of the question as a love interest for ricky- i will agree ricky and gina's rekindling has become wayyyy more of a solid possibility in the very near future. it's not really solidifying this season given the timing i agree, but i think there's room in the two weeks for them to stabilize their friendship, and for inklings to potentially arise of that history between them that's not been shut out entirely, even if gina did try to put that wall up with him prior. what happens from there... is up to gina, really. because she's the one who's dating someone rn.

--

i think val and ej going to the same college is truly the easiest thing if they want to make some sort of hint at something potentially happening, like you say. it's not hard... and really, ej doesn't know what his plans are rn (as far as we know). he could easily choose to go where she's going, it would certainly be nice to have a friend (a long term best friend type of friend at that) in his new environment where he may not know anyone. this is the guy who's learned to let people in more to his true self after all... care more about people than his image and his perception of popularity via the social media stuff (btw what happened to that social media part of his arc in season 2? he asked lily for a tag in the picture in 302 then that was it...)

--

i 100% agree that redlyn and seblos are probably pretty safe, seblos is a ship i think will ALWAYS be secure, given their status as presently the only real lgbtqia+ rep on the show... so- y'know. they won't exactly take that away. and big red's only being in one episode doesn't give much room to like- rip them apart if we only get ashlyn's side of things. and with red probably coming back for season 4 with full series regular status, if they're going to break up for whatever reason, why would they break them up this way when we don't get to see both ends of the conflict whatever that conflict is.

also re ashlyn getting the bisexual arc- agreed. she seems like an incredibly strong candidate for it. i'd love to see that go down, and like you say- maddox would be too obvious given we see her and her girlfriend madison together. my expectation is maybe maddox helps ashlyn realize she's bi if ashlyn is the character with the bisexual arc.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts: speculation #answered #anonymous #//this was a nice long one and i love the long ones #portwell negative #//like- this doesn't lend towards positives for them anyway

[aquariusshadow]

Live!Blogging HSMTMTS s3x1

aight yall

i havent done these in a while so………welcome back! portwell nation how we doing???

its been so long

lessssss gooooo

--

okay ngl this recap is super fucking useful

i didnt realize how much i forgot about s2 ahahaha

"second chances" hmmmmmmm i wonder what thats forshadowing

oh ej honey

bby

sweet summer child

portwell

the bbies

its them

theyre back

AND THEYRE CUTE

CHEEK KISS

omfg theyre recreating the shjsalhdfkjaslhfdkadf

SUMMERTIME

THATS WHAT IT WAS HELL YEA

(also i take it this means seb, big red, and nini isnt gonna be in this, cool cool)

gina looks so gorgeous i cant--

wait is this the summer camp that ej and nini met before s1? or is that a different one

WAIT A MIN

I

OKAY LILY AND RICKY

THEYRE AN ACTUAL THING?

ngl i did kinda crackship them in s2 but………………

idk how i feel about it honestly

the harness ya know?

aye nini is in this season afterall cool cool

portwell being cute again as usual i love them

THE CAPTIONS SAID "DAMN" HAHADFJASDLHASD

IN A DISNEY SHOW

ashlynn stanning and supporting portwell is everything

yes gina this is your summer of firsts and this will be your summer and your season

"one more thing" kisses gina

smiling gina

best season best season

i love the kourt/gina/ashlynn trio

oh my god i forgot about jordan fisher playing ginas brother ahahahaha

it sounds like nini really needs some independence

……lily why are you still carrying that around

thats just dumb

we really arent gonna drag that out huh

so i retract my previous ricky/lily comments

i am a dumbass

they did rush through that tho ngl

is……is this an original joshua song? or is this one he wrote specifically for the show

i really like it hehe

looks like ricky also needs independence too based on the song ahaha

this is really catchy

portwell being cute again as always

kourt/carlos friendship rights

carlos' reaction to jet is everything lmfao

jwhljhljfhldjkhlsdkjfahslkdfj

this shallow lake song wtf

i do like gadget's voice

and gina's very much vibing with ej's happy antics

IS THAT JASON EARLES

JACKSON

FROM HANNAH MONTANA

THE GUY FROM KICKIN IT (i forgot his name)

IT ISSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS

yes yes corbin bleu incredible

cooperate disney allowed high school musical Chad to host frozen the musical at a summer camp in a show thats highly popular on disney plus

genius

FDGHDLBSAF.JGKASHLFDGHD

I WAS KIDDING

HAHAHAHA

ITLL BE ON 'DISNEY PLUS'

COOPERATE MOUSE STRIKES AGAIN

LMFAOOOOOOOOOOOOO

is ej gonna direct

hes gonna direct isnt he

yup

Director Caswell

that has a nice ring to it

awwwwwwwwwwww portwelllllllll

oh

"who said anyone would"

"excuse me"-ricky

i…

fine………

fine…………….

--

Okay, so, initial thoughts.

I loved all the camp scenes and I kinda got bored when it cut to Nini and Ricky ehehe. i really liked showing the different dynamics of the girls together and the guys and exploring those friendships more and, obviously, Portwell were adorable! I love them and will defend them constantly However, I……am not a fan of a potential EJxGinaxRicky love triangle thing being POTENTIALLY set up (????) and I'm also not a fan of this love triangle POTENTIALLY resolving itself by POTENTIALLY having nini come to camp and rini gets back together. yes this is all my speculations for the rest of the season ehehuhuhuesohohoohhafhdlakjdsfhasdf Both Ricky and Nini need time away from each other to gain their own independence and to understand why their relationship ended in the first place (i cannot remember if in s2 they actually covered that or not. i do remember their breakup scene was good? in the sense that it followed exactly what the show was setting up in s2 for rini)

But who knows. Maybe Rini will reunite and actually be a better fit after some time apart to grow as people? I'll just have to see how that goes.

And while I used to ship rina and due to that, I will probably have a slight soft spot for them in the sense of just liking their scenes together………….i am very concerned for portwell's happiness. This is supposed to be Gina's season and EJ plays a big role for that and he's also getting even more screentime I--------

i just want portwell to be happy okay???

AND HOW COULD I FORGET THE BEST SHIP OF ALL RICKERAPY PLZ MAKE RICKERAPY CANON I BEG YOU

god i missed these live!blogs

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts s3x1 #live!blogging hsmtmts #portwell #and just so the tags are properly filtered imma add #anti rini #i dont hate them btw #but yea #gina porter #ej caswell #nini salazar roberts #ricky bowen #kourtney greene #carlos rodriguez #ashlyn caswell #ngl i am missing my boy seb #also rickerapy #god i just want rickerapy #spoilers #i guess??

[ericeffiorg]

"it's very obvious that they were not planned." and he's already spoken about how not only were they supposed to originally kiss in 1x05, but that if it weren't for the chemistry between their actors, the show would have went a lot differently. endgame or not, acting like they weren't ever going to be at least explored on kind of makes you look a bit delusional. any tv watcher would be able to tell you that the one couple with unfinished business will always end up getting a chance in the spotlight. it's one of the biggest tropes that constantly gets used. and if they weren't endgame, you know damn well rini was not going to be based on how they were written in season 2 episode 1 alone. the cracks were always there. you were just too biased to see them.

"they basically stopped talking after 2x6 and she went all in for ej and he went all in for nini." and what actually ended up happening was that they had to physically remove ricky from gina's storyline in order to make a relationship with any other male character work, and when ej stopped stepping up, you were somehow surprised that a relationship that had rebound all over it failed even after gina kept emphasizing how she doesn't get things right the first time. and if ricky deleting nini's comments and lashing out on her meant "going all in", i fear for what you consider to be healthy depictions of relationships.

"they only made the switch because olivia left after s2, and they didn't know that she was going to bc drivers license blew up right before they wrapped." yet before they wrapped, three episodes in (all filmed and written before drivers license) rini's miscommunication problems were only getting worse by the episode. even if you were rooting for them in season 1, there's no way you saw a positive ending coming for them in season 2. i accept some forms of delusion because it tends to work out sometimes, but what exactly were you holding onto by that point? and how much of it was actually you just liking nini as a character more than anyone else. you can't convince me you like ricky. so what exactly was the motivation?

anyways, no excuse or speculation will make rina not endgame. complain about the technicalities all you want. it's not amounting to anything. and maybe re-read some of those post season 1 interviews. they're more telling than you might think.

this is so awkward because you act like i'm mad because i'm a rini shipper when if you look at what i said i was actually rooting for rina (literally go into my rina tag and you'll see lol) but my actual issue was how poorly handled rina was after season 2 and how forced it felt. there was a way to make them work because it is a fact that they only happened because of olivia leaving (which is fine, every tv show needs to adapt to actors leaving) but they shoved all these phony backstories and ruined the build up for portwell (who i didnt care for) and then shoved all the other character's development aside just so they can put ricky and gina's love story at the forefront. they ruined ej's development and even made ricky become a total asshole just so they can make rina make sense and yet the only people who cared for them were the twitter fandom, because that's who tim based all of his decisions on.

and we know rina were gonna be explored because they literally were where did i deny that??? they were explored for the first season and a half but then they ended them and made both of them move on. and ricky and nini ending on bad terms at the end of season 2 doesn't mean they weren't going to be explored as most endgame couples tend to only really have their time in the sun during the last season anyway. but the difference is that rini were still in a story together, whereas rina barely spoke for four episodes so i'm really not sure what you thought you were cooking but we need to get you out the kitchen cos BOOOOOO

#this is the most delusional ask i have ever gotten jlskfdsfkdfds #and why are you so mad!! #stop mistaking me as a shipper btw #i only preferred rini bc they had a better written story #rina became so corny after s2 #bc tim bases his writing off of ao3 and twitter #ask #tv thoughts #hsmtmts

[insomniactalks]

As Gina says EJ has been "acting like an old version of himself" or maybe this is the "real EJ," EJ's reaction really stood out to me. He doesn't act offended or that he can't believe she just said that, his reaction is one of deep pain and sorrow, complete with nearly being in tears. He seems ashamed. He's clearly holding back tears and trying not to break down at this point. Gina's opinion of him really matters to EJ, so for her to compare his past and present self cuts deep. Don't get me wrong, she has every right to feel hurt and react to that hurt! I'm more so talking about EJ's reaction and follow-up to these specific lines. The very next thing we see him do is have a phone call with someone, asking if they could make it there sooner. I'm fairly certain he called up Miss Jenn. Evidence:

Given the fact that there's blue and yellow in the background, pretty sure Miss Jenn is the surprise guest during 3.06 ("Color Wars"). Also, I know for a fact that is EJ's shoulder in the second screenshot LOL he's the only one tall enough for that angle. I don't know for sure the reasons he may have called Miss Jenn, but I theorize that it's for reinforcements. Gina just called him out on his current behavior, and he wants to take the steps to correct that. The very fact that he's calling Miss Jenn shows improvement and a step in the right direction because he's actively asking for help. He's realizing he can't do this alone and he needs someone with experience to help him on this journey as director. I think the Portwell angst in 3.05, specifically the scene I gifed, takes it back to the 2.08 couch convo. The way Gina saw him then surprised EJ because he was still ashamed of his past actions-

Gina: I see someone who tries really hard to do the right thing. And fails a lot. But he keeps on trying.

EJ: That's what you think of me? (2.08)

I get the feeling EJ may have been thinking back on the above conversation he had with Gina during their 3.05 fight. He hates that Gina's perception of him has changed, and he desperately wants to make things right. Hence why he calls in reinforcements via Miss Jenn, a director they're familiar with and who has plenty of experience. I have no doubt in my mind that EJ will do his damn best to do right by Gina and the rest of the Wildcats. I'm also expecting a breakdown and breakthrough for him at some point. He's definitely on the verge of one.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts s2 #hsmtmts s3 #hsmtmts speculation #ej caswell #gina porter #portwell #miss jenn #portwell meta #thanks for reading!

[rkrispyt]

Ugh. Y’all. That closed door emoji from YE Mag for Portwell has me imagining the worst.

I already know what’s coming tonight, just not how bad it’ll be. But judging by what they’ve done to Portwell this season I’m expecting it’s gonna hurt A LOT (and feel like a bullshit reason tbh).

All I wanted, even going into this season knowing what would happen, was an exchange of ILY. So that no one could brush them off as some unimportant summer fling.

Maybe I’m reading into that emoji but that seems to be the opposite of “love is an open door”, and I’m worried now we’re gonna get a rough “I’m not in love with you” or essentially the equivalent.

Ugh. I’m not ready for this. But I never will be so…

#portwell #portwell speculation

[moon-livie]

Mark my words - they passed the opportunity of having Nini sing Gotta Go My Own Way on 2x08 and they’re gonna pass the opportunity of having a Gina and EJ sequence with Something There, because they’re just that oblivious.

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts season 2 #hsmtmts speculation #hsmtmts s2 #portwell #gina porter #ej caswell #gina x ej #ej x gina

[sunset-bobby]

Okay so like second chances is gonna have me out here sad

i love how EJ and Nini have second chances

Nini: I’ve got a second chance to fly

she’s being given another opportunity to live her dreams

EJ: I’ve got a second chance to fall

he’s back where he felt he used to be but this time he gets to try again and change the end

in contrast to Gina and Ricky who want to know what to do to get that second chance

Gina: What can make the time/tide turn

she’s asking how she can either move forward or go back

Ricky: What can make a fire burn

he wants to reignite the spark he had before he started changing

ugh i love this truly and i’m excited for this upcoming episode

#hsmtmts #hsmtmts spoilers #hsmtmts speculation #hsmtmts season 2 #ej caswell #ricky bowen #nini salazar roberts #gina porter #rini #portwell #gini #caswen #rina

[aroundthewaygirlao3]

OK, so now that I went on a long winded rant about how using the introduction of Val to break up Portwell doesn't work for Gina's character arc so far…

Here's why I can't make it work for EJ, either.

EJ's arc has been about finding out that real is more important than perfect. Having him give up on a relationship with someone that he's spent an entire school year building a genuine connection with in favor of someone who checks the "perfect on paper" boxes (blonde, beautiful, also in college) would feel like a step back in his development. The writers took great pains to build those multiple levels of connection between them DESPITE them being different. We also see Ricky and Carlos offer “reasons” why Gina and he might not make sense (he’s graduating, Gina lives with Ash), and EJ shrugs them off… checking the boxes doesn’t matter to him right now. For him to quickly get out of that relationship for something else doesn't fit the arc they've drawn for him. We saw him take a “step back” in his development when he pulled back from Gina when he thought she didn’t feel the same, and we ALSO got to see how upsetting and disappointing it was to him to do that. It just doesn’t feel authentic to the progress he’s made so far to walk that back.

We also saw that it took a LOT for EJ to be able to put himself out there despite how he felt about GIna because of all the rejection he’s faced in the last year. Him “not getting what he wants all the time” (to quote Ashlyn from S1) is the thing that propelled most of his S2 storyline. To have him return to a sort of brash, just go after a new relationship place wouldn’t read as growth, it would read as regression. The more natural progression is him getting more comfortable putting himself out there IN the relationship that he’s already put in the work to build, and taken the risk for (ie, a love confession or commitment to work through a hard transition together).                                                          

Not to mention the speed with which he'd need to fall for her, decide that means he needs to end things with Gina, and then actually be with her doesn't fit with the fact that Val is a guest starring role. Guest stars are often catalysts of SOMETHING, but using Val to break them up without then actually entering a relationship with EJ seems like a waste of a character, not to mention setting in motion having to deal with the fallout across multiple relationships in the show (Ashlyn and Gina, Ashlyn and EJ) without there being any personal payoff for EJ. And unless they establish that Val is going to be at the same college as EJ (which they might, but seems less likely given the way they’ve positioned camp in California and the only college we know EJ got into is in Utah, to say nothing of the fact that this is a guest role, not a permanent ensemble member), ending an established relationship for a summer fling that would face the same distance challenges doesn’t fit. 

And let’s just put it out there… Another love triangle for EJ is kinda boring! I did enjoy that the show sort of turned the original one on its head a bit by breaking EJ and Nini up without it being about Nini choosing Ricky “over” EJ. (I won’t even go there with the Redlyn/Antoine situation.) But love triangle narratives are fundamentally about who’s getting together with who… I’m more interested at this point in EJ’s story about how he stays in a relationship and grows as a partner, moving beyond the mistakes he made with Nini. That feels more consistent and compelling with how they’ve written him so far.

Again, I think the more consistent and interesting arc is EJ seeing this “perfect on paper” person, and knowing that it’s NOT actually what he wants, and finding ways to assure a potentially insecure Gina that she IS, is just more in line with the way the story has been developed so far. I’m open to the writers changing my mind, and honestly, I want a well written, well acted season more than any predestined ship outcome. I just see better stories right now if they stay the course on the development the writers have committed to so far. 

#Portwell #gina porter #ej caswell #gina and ej #ej and gina #gina x ej #ej x gina #hsmtmts speculation #this got super long again #i just really like thinking about character development ok

[rickyandgina]

Time to face reality and the fact that Portwell is happening. I wouldn’t be surprised if by next episode those two are in a relationship or finally start dating, it’s really nothing to debate now. Portwell is season 2 endgame but that doesn’t mean Rina is dead, actually they are far from it. I will defend this ship till the day I di3, call me delusional I don’t care:). With quotes like this from JBass: 

and Tim:

and Sof:

I just don’t think it ends here. Miscommunication is a strong theme here.

 ‘It would be solved with a little communication.’ 

‘I don’t think them as characters know what they are {...} there is just a lot of confusion in that area’

‘what could have been and might still be

and none of this has been addressed this season thus far. Ricky and Gina are still not communicating and we are on episode 10 of this season. We don’t know where Ricky’s mind is in regards to Gina at all, and I get it because he is trying to work through other parts of his life currently. Which, is making Gina feel like there was never any reciprocation on his part, that isn’t true though. That shot of Ricky staring down at the dog tag after their talk makes it pretty clear that Gina’s words very much affected him but he didn’t get the chance to process those feelings because he was beginning his romance with Nini again. The closest we got to Ricky coming to terms with liking someone that wasn’t Nini was ep 6, and 7 of last season... but Gina left and everything with them was brought to a halt. 

Now that Gina is back they really haven’t gotten that opportunity to be completely honest with each other. Ricky was in a relationship and Gi really made it clear that she didn’t want to ruin that. And with Portwell happening and Gina getting into a relationship, we could see Ricky having that same apprehension when he finally realizes his feelings. 

It just puts these two in a frustrating cycle of not being able to voice how they really feel. Unless one of them (which really has to be Ricky) gets brave enough to go after what they really want they’re just stuck hurting one another unintentionally. 

The thing is though, that conversation is almost surely coming at the end of this season. It just has to, that doesn’t mean everything will be solved and presto Gina and Ricky are in a good place again, but it will at least open the door of building up their relationship and starting on a ground of honesty and trust. Which has been severely absent between the two this season. 

These two aren’t going away anytime soon, especially it being this late in the season and nothing- not even steps toward a resolution have been made. More so if you take into account the emphasis their relationship had in 2a. It’s very clear they are carrying their issues into season 3 and are going to explore it in more depth and hopefully more so on Ricky’s side this time around. 

This is all pretty much speculation, but is what I really see moving forward for Rina with what we have been given.

#hsmtmts #ricky x gina #portwell #ricky bowen #ej caswell #hsmtmts season 2 #hsmtmts season 3