HSMTMTS season three finale brings all the drama

The season finale to High School Musical the Musical the Series (HSMTMTS) season three leaves people with more questions than answers, keeping the audience hooked for what season four may bring. For fans of the original High School Musical franchise and HSMTMTS, this episode will not disappoint.

The set up from season three offers more than enough room for drama, chaos and hilarity: our favorite East High students go to a theater summer camp where they will be a part of a documentary featuring their rehearsals for Disney’s Frozen. Featuring summer-themed songs from Camp Rock 2 and new original songs, the soundtrack perfectly fits the season. But soon enough, competition, friendship issues and identity crises arise among the group. These conflicts peak during the finale, and the ultimate resolutions couldn’t be more messy.

From a relatable depiction of many queer teens’ coming out experience to a heartwarming and inspiring journey of a teen finding her voice despite her anxiety, the finale does an amazing job of juggling and tying together rich storylines. The characters we’ve known and loved since the first episode of season one are growing through their mistakes and becoming mature young adults.

However, the finale sometimes tries to wrap things up too neatly and the cohesiveness of the plot ends up suffering as a result. A confusing plot twist and ending that involves false rumors, secret crushes and coming outs distracts from the beautiful open-ended conclusions crafted earlier in the season and episode.

But, the romance element did not disappoint. For fans of slow-burn romance, this finale has one of the best in television: Gina (Sofia Wylie) and Ricky (Joshua Bassett) finally confront their feelings for each other in a scene that couldn’t be more romantic. From a stressed environment and surfacing of buried feelings, every part of the production team came together to paint the perfect unexpected couple. The audience can feel them trying to fight their feelings for eachother since as far back as the beginning of season two, and seeing them finally get together is exciting.

What started off as a lighthearted and fun season ended with complex emotions and expanding character developments. The eight episodes indeed felt short, but with season four set to begin filming in September in Salt Lake City, audiences are still invested. The extensive set designs, numerous props and costumes, and original songs just keep getting better. And there are so many new questions yet to be answered: Will Gina and Ricky become an item? Will Nini (Olivia Rodrigo) stay at East High? Will Ashlyn (Julia Lester) stay with Big Red (Larry Saperstein)? Will we ever see Maddox (Saylor Bell) and Jet (Adrian Lyles) again?

Until season four releases in mid to late 2023, we'll all be left guessing.

High School Musical the Musical the Series is rated TV-PG for kissing and mild romantic content, and is now streaming on Disney+.