It wouldn’t be HSMTMTS without a whirlwind opening night. The last episode of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, which premiered with the rest of season 4 on August 9, picks up in Act II. When Gina arrives, Ricky immediately tells her how happy he is for her. Playing Juliet in Romeo and Juliet is a dream come true for anyone. Ricky knows Gina deserves to be a star.
Gina admits she was hoping that Ricky would put up more of a fight to get her to stay, but Ricky has been burned before. He doesn’t want to fight for love and then have it blow up in his face.
EJ, who is always there when you need him, steps in as the new Coach Bolton in Act II. Monique shows up for opening night and changes Kourtney’s life. Kourtney is stressing over whether or not she should attend Princeton or Lewis. Kourtney brings up fame and how that helped shape Monique’s identity. “A whole other Monique that exists outside of Taylor,” Monique says. She tells Kourtney, “I know you because I was you.” Wherever Kourtney ends up is exactly where she’s supposed to be.
Ricky and Gina’s real-life relationship mirrors exactly what’s going on with Troy and Gabriella in High School Musical 3. You can’t slow down time, and sometimes you have to say goodbye to people you love.
Meanwhile, Miss Jenn is offered a spot on the Wicked show tour. She knows she’ll have to leave all of East High behind. She asks EJ what she should do. EJ is wise but doesn’t push her one way or the other. Miss Jenn tells EJ he’d be a “hell of a teacher someday.” Maybe EJ’s finally found his calling.
Ashlyn and Maddox finally address their feelings for each other. Ashlyn has romantic feelings for Maddox, but she doesn’t want to lose their incredible friendship. But at the end of the day, she’s willing to take a risk. Ashlyn hands Maddox a block of wood that has “Ash [hearts] Gadget” carved on it. The piece of wood is from Shadow Lake. EJ predicted back then they’d end up together. “I feel like I don’t deserve to be as happy as you make me,” Ashlyn confesses. They’re head over heels for each other and finally kiss!
In the middle of the show, Gina’s mom is hounding her about signing the Romeo and Juliet contract. Gina just wants to get through opening night. Turns out, Maddox is going to New Zealand with Gina to be a PA for the movie. Kourtney decides to go to Lewis, while Ricky finds out he got into city college. Antoine confesses to Big Red that he’s not actually French, and sparks fly between them.
Gina, Ricky, Ashlyn, Kourtney, and Carlos take their final bow at the end of High School Musical 3. It’s an ending and a new beginning for them all. Ricky speaks to the entire cast afterward and begins to cry.
“If this program hadn’t found me, I don’t know what would have happened to me,” Ricky admits. “I don’t know where I would have ended up, you know, because no one really believed me, no one really accepted me, and no one really saw me before you guys. This is the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”
Gina then walks into the room like a movie star. She also has a few things to say to her classmates. She didn’t know who she was before she came to East High, and she doesn’t quite know who she’ll be without them. Gina speaks directly to some of her friends, as well as Miss Jenn, and reveals how they’ve impacted her life.
She saves her final words with Ricky. With tears streaming down her cheeks, Gina admits that she was always scared about people knowing the real her. “But with you, I feel so seen and so understood and so known,” Gina tells Ricky. He immediately stands up to hug her.
High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Ending Explained
Gina has to run to the press conference, and Ricky continues to be on a 5-second delay. He realizes he didn’t tell Gina that he loves her. Gina is officially announced as Juliet, but Mack is mysteriously missing. So, where is he? He’s announcing to his followers that he’s not going to be playing Romeo. He’s rebooting Mack & Spark.
Ricky grabs his electric guitar and runs to the press conference. He performs a love song for Gina in front of everyone. Ricky for Romeo, anyone? He professes his love for Gina. Gina asks him if he still has that hat she made for him. It’s his favorite hat, so Ricky has it on hand. She tells him to look inside the hat. “If you’re reading this, I love you, too, Ricky,” the note inside reads. Ricky asks if the note has been there all along. “Just like me,” Gina mutters.
Ricky still thinks Gina is leaving for New Zealand, but she has one last surprise for him. Five minutes prior, Gina announces — without Quinn’s permission — that Romeo and Juliet will be shooting in Salt Lake City so she can remain a student at East High. That’s when she signs the contract. As Miss Jenn watches this unfold, she rips up her Wicked opportunity. “I already have my dream role, EJ. It was this. It was always this,” she says.
Gina isn’t going anywhere, so she and Ricky don’t have to say goodbye. She has one more request to sweeten the deal. She asks Quinn for time in her schedule to do the spring musical. The East High fam gathers around as they celebrate opening night and the new beginnings that lie ahead. Mr. Mazzara and Miss Jenn finally decide to take that leap with each other.
The Wildcats celebrate in a limo and sing “Born to Be Brave.” These kids just want to be kids at the end of the day, so they end up at Denny’s. Later, back at East High, the cast of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series unite to sing “For Good” from Wicked. They’ve all changed because the universe has put them on crossing paths, and that’s truly a gift. No matter where life takes them, they’ll always have these memories. They’ll always have East High.