Season three of the popular musical Disney+ show High School Musical: The Musical: The Series has officially come to an end. With a very short duration lasting only eight episodes, fans are divided on the season as a whole. 

For those who have not finished the season, this will be a spoiler free review. 

Okay, let’s start with the music — the reason why this show is so popular (besides piggybacking off the popularity of the High School Musical trilogy.) With a mix of originals, Camp Rock and High School Musical 2, there was a clear emphasis on summer jams for the season. 

My one question: why did they turn so many classic Disney songs into pop songs? They turned so many of their songs into auto tuned tracks that took me out of the story. This cast is super talented — there was no need to add all these extra things to the songs. Just let them sing. 

The only songs that stuck with me this season were the songs from the final episode and Kourtney’s (Dara Renee) original song that she wrote for the show. That scene broke me. 

The plot was all over the place. It went from a cute summer camp musical to a wannabe reality show. The unnecessary drama was more cringeworthy than it should’ve been. Why couldn’t we just get the show and the ship drama? Channing was annoying, and I’m glad Ricky put him in his place in the finale. 

And now the characters. For every character they gave an amazing breakthrough storyline, they ruined another character. I couldn’t tell who to root for.

Kourtney, one of my favorite characters, finally got a storyline! The way they handled her anxiety was so beautiful to watch.

Season 2 made me come to like Ashlyn. Season 3 ruined her for me. I’ve always had mixed feelings about her as a character — but this season, she was insufferable. Though she did get a huge storyline that I can appreciate. 

And EJ. Oh, poor, sweet, innocent EJ. This season was not kind to you and I am not happy about it. You deserve better. Writers, work with me here. He’s the most developed character throughout the show and you keep paying him dust. Do better. 

The new characters this season honestly saved the show for me. I was watching for Maddox and Jet more than most of the original characters. The only OG characters I cared about were Gina, Kourtney and EJ. I really hope the writers transfer them to East High with the rest of the gang. 

Oh, the ships. When one ship is dominant in a fandom, the other side is screwed. Especially when the writing is rushed and it feels like a repeat of another storyline. 

Overall, my feelings on this season are mixed. This season felt just like the first one, but in summer (and with less catchy songs.)

There were great moments and terrible ones, moments that made me laugh (any Carlos scene) and moments that made me cringe. The writers need to stop ruining certain characters to get a certain ending. 

Rating: 3/5