REVIEW: ‘High School Musical: The Musical: The Series,’ Season 2 Episode 4 — “The Storm”

Season 2 of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series continues with its fourth episode, “The Storm.” In the previous episode, Big Red (Larry Saperstein) and Ashlyn (Julia Lester) celebrate their first Valentine’s Day as a couple, though things turn out not as they expected. Kourtney (Dara Renee) starts a new job at the local pizzeria owned by Big Red’s family but finds it difficult due to constantly clashing with a coworker. Gina (Sofia Wylie), being used to spending this day with her mom, deals with spending Valentine’s Day alone. Meanwhile, Ricky (Joshua Bassett) and Nini’s (Olivia Rodrigo) plans to surprise one another don’t go as planned, which leads to unexpected revelations.

In “The Storm,” a strong blizzard barrels through Salt Lake City, which forces several of the Wildcats to take shelter in the school. Things start to get unsettling as the students aren’t used to being in a situation like this. Nini, having come back to visit her friends, is worried about not making it back to school. Miss Jenn (Kate Reinders) offers to drive her, which leads to Nini making a major change in her life. Gina deals with the miscommunications from “Valentine’s Day” while also arguing with Carlos (Frankie A. Rodriguez) about who gets to be the choreographer.

Seeing Nini and Miss Jenn have a prominent role in “The Storm” was such an important moment in HSMTMTS. It’s clear that Miss Jenn clearly cares for Nini, even though she’s technically not her teacher any more. Not every teacher would be willing to drive on of her former students to another state so they wouldn’t miss school. The dedication and support that Miss Jenn has for her students shines bright during their conversation. However, it does bring up the point that the conversation was ground on an already predictable storyline from the season. The conversation was grounded on Nini’s new school and her unhappiness. It also brings up the fact as to whether or not it was a good idea to have Nini move away in the first place.

The consistency focus on Gina throughout HMSTMTS season 2 has been incredible. “The Storm” shows her struggle with some developing feelings after the misunderstanding that happened during “Valentine’s Day” and her arguments with Carlos. This added tension is a great step for her character as she gets time to shine. It’s no doubt that I’ve expressed how much I enjoy watching her character. It shouldn’t be a surprise to fans that Gina isn’t willing to let things taken away from her, which explains her argument with Carlos. Her mixed feelings about what happened with Ricky will be an interesting plot for her character to go through.

“The Storm” only has one musical performance but it packs a punch full of emotion. The song “Granted” is performed by Rodrigo as her character is leaving on a bus after talking to Ricky. The snow falling down on them and it following Nini on to the bus put just how emotional this scene was into perspective for the audience. The theme of the song is regret and how much it’s affected Nini. While the regret was predictable because of how the storyline was written, that doesn’t mean it isn’t heart wrenching to watch Nini having to deal with it.

Ultimately, “The Storm” offers yet another enjoyable episode with the storyline between Nini and Miss Jenn, Gina’s conflicts, and the musical number at the end of the episode. Things are starting to gear up as tensions rise and major changes are coming because of what Nini plans to do.

HSMTMTS Season 2  is streaming now on Disney+ with new episodes airing Fridays.