High School Musical: The Musical: The Series Season 3 Episode 5 “The Real Campers of Shallow Lake” Review: A Pitch-Perfect Parody of Reality TV That’s Equal Parts Drama & Fun
In case you missed it, here are my reviews of season 3.
For the past three weeks, I've been able to come up with a direct comparison to a previous episode of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series. Usually, the fifth episode of each season is centered around a dance or event of some kind.
In season 1, this was Homecoming, where Miss Jenn helps Nini and Kourtney discover their unique gifts, and Carlos begins to come out of his shell a bit.
Last season, this was Carlos' Quinceañero, where Gina, Seb, and the other Wildcats threw him the Quinceañero he never had.
This week, that all changes "The Real Campers of Shallow Lake." After watching it for a second time, I can't find any points of comparison between previous episodes of the series. So instead, director Ann Marie Pace and writer Jessica Leventhal go for something that hasn't been tried before: parodying reality shows like The Real Housewives of Orange County.
Did it stick the landing? For the most part, yes. Other than some relatively minor story beats that feel like they should have been resolved by now, it's an otherwise perfect episode.
The highlight of this season has been how much showrunner Tim Federle has let the cast have fun with the formula of the series, which continues here, with the added tinge of drama to each moment. As one can imagine, the performances in this episode are vital to the inherent success of whether or not the episode pulls off the parody. I won't spoil who plays what roles (maybe I'll discuss that once the season ends in three weeks). However, I can say that Julia Lester, Adrian Lyles, Meg Donnely, Frankie Rodriguez, Sofia Wylie, Saylor Bell Curda, Matt Cornett, Dara Reneé, and Joshua Bassett play the roles perfectly. There are fun little moments like when Carlos (Rodriguez) explains the concept of a reality series to the campers and says something that's bleeped out, leading Gina (Wylie) to say, "can he say that?" which got a huge laugh from me because it felt a genuine reaction from Wylie and not something scripted. Of course, I also want to mention that Channing (Ben Stillwell) got a couple of laughs from me, too, as Stillwell seems to have found how to be deadpan without being overly annoying. There's a joke he makes about Survivor: Nicaragua that made me chuckle a bit.
Despite being a newcomer to the series, Pace has an excellent feel for what makes the show great. Yes, it's a show for teenagers and young adults. Still, Pace also understands that, at least with this episode especially, they're playing a bit more to the audience who grew up watching the High School Musical films on Disney Channel and are familiar with the references the episode is making to reality TV. As a result, Pace allows the performers to play around with things, find what works for them, and go from there. But, more crucially, she walks the line between having fun and moving the story forward with the revelations that come from this parody.
One of the people I'd imagine Pace relied on is Jessica Leventhal's prior experience in the writers' room for season 2, episode 10, AKA "The Transformation." So much of that episode's skeleton can be found here if you dig deep enough into it. That said, Leventhal's writing is evident of countless hours of research into reality shows like The Real Housewives of Orange County. Every archetype is here, and Leventhal somehow hits the mark at every moment. She's built in these moments of sniping at each other that feel like punches to the gut every time it happens, but she still somehow manages to find the funny parts of things. I think this balance works so well for an episode like this.
Something that also works well is the music in this episode. Gabriel Mann is back as music supervisor for this episode, bringing two songs from Frozen: The Broadway Musical, "A Little Bit of You," and "What Do You Know About Love?" to the show, as well as an original song from Lyles, "Right Place."
Mann's decision to pull from the broadway adaptation of Frozen should be a no-brainer, but this is an unprecedented move, as the series usually draws from the films, not the Broadway versions. Massive props to Mann. Most viewers will assume both are original songs and not even associate them with Frozen. Instead of bringing in Broadway-exclusive songs, the series has a history of making new songs for their production of their past musicals with songs like "Home," "Wondering," "The Rose Songs," and more.
Now, will I be listening to the Frozen: The Broadway Musical songs on repeat? Probably not, but that doesn't mean they are bad songs. I simply prefer the version in this episode to the version released digitally.
As for "Right Place," I'm glad Lyles finally got his own song. However, I probably won't be listening to his song as much as others, as I feel like the version in the episode is much more impactful than listening to it on shuffle on Apple Music or Spotify.
All things said, "The Real Campers of Shallow Lake" is another excellent episode from this season of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series, and I absolutely cannot wait to rewatch next's week's episode.
★★★★★
"The Real Campers of Shallow Lake" is now available to stream on Disney+. Seasons one and two of High School Musical: The Musical: The Series are available to stream on Disney+, as well as two specials and a sing-along version of the first season.
If you'd like to listen to me watch the episode, click below to buy the audio commentary!
Until next time!
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As we approach the end of the series, the fate of the East High Leopards hangs in the balance. With only eight episodes left, viewers are eager to see if they will receive a proper farewell.
However, based on the mixed results of the previous six episodes, it's difficult to say whether the send-off will meet expectations.