What do you think ricky and gina get from eachother that they don't get from anyone else?

Warning: This is about to be one very long post (and I’m only vaguely sorry about that lol)

Ricky & Gina have a foundation of deep, mutual understanding that allows them to feel comfortable and safe with one another in a way they themselves have acknowledged no one else can. 

When Ricky leaves the musical because Nini accuses him of not taking it seriously, of wasting everyone’s time, of taking up space that should belong to someone else, someone who really cares, it’s Gina who convinces him to come back. In their very first on-screen conversation, no less. Of course, we can’t really blame Nini for operating on the assumption that Ricky doesn’t care about the musical because, by his own admission, Ricky only joined the musical to get her back. Nini doesn’t understand that it’s become something more to him now. Ricky, insecure about being completely out of his element with all of this musical theatre stuff, heads to somewhere he feels comfortable, in his element: the skatepark. It’s there that Gina finds him and reassures him that being an outsider to the theatre is not a weakness, like Nini had implied, but a strength. He brings a new perspective, keeps “everyone on their toes” and brings his own “style” to the role, a realness that no one inside the sphere of drama/theatre possibly could. It is only then that Ricky comes back and fights to prove he deserves his part in the show. Well, fights to prove it to Nini, Gina already knows he deserves it. I would be remiss if I didn’t point out that this first interaction between Ricky & Gina was not Gina trying to get Ricky to rejoin the musical out of the goodness of her heart. She overhears Ricky, after he quit, saying that, if he comes back, Nini will probably leave the show. Gina wants the lead, she wants to play Gabriella, so she manipulates Ricky into staying in the hopes that, when he comes back, Nini will quit and Gina (the understudy) can take Nini’s place. Even though Gina’s intentions weren’t honorable, there is still a level of understanding there. After all, in order to successfully manipulate someone, you have to know what they need to hear, you have to understand them.

So, Ricky & Gina understand each other at the skatepark, but it’s under false pretenses. It’s not until Homecoming, a few episodes later, that this understanding becomes genuine. Real. Ricky is back in the show, but Nini still hasn’t left. Gina’s plan didn’t work. So, she comes up with another plan (albeit, a half-baked one): go to the homecoming dance with EJ, Nini’s ex, in hopes that Nini will...see them together and get so upset she’ll quit the show? Yeah, even Gina knows this probably won’t work. I think she mostly goes because, having moved around so much, she’s likely never been to a school dance before, much less with a date (a fake one, but still) and she wanted that quintessential high school experience. Anyway, Nini isn’t even at the dance. Ricky, however, is. Here’s where everything changes. He waits for EJ to leave, slides into the seat next to Gina and, in effort to look out for her in the same way she looked out for him episodes before, tells her, “You can do better than EJ. That guy’s bad news.” When she strikes a nerve with the response, “You’re not exactly one to give relationship advice and when I want your opinion, I’ll ask.” He fires back by telling her that he thought she was classier than this, that she’s too ambitious for her own good, which heavily implies, to me at least, that he sees what Gina is doing here. He gets why she came with EJ: to parade their fake relationship in front of Nini. His comment hits way too close to home though and, on Red’s insistence, he finds Gina at the coat check area outside the dance to apologize. He admits that who she hangs out with, or doesn’t hang out with, isn’t any of his business. He shouldn’t have involved himself. When Gina asks why he did, we get the first verbal acknowledgment of the understanding that these two characters share. Ricky says, “Good question, I don’t know. It’s like, I’m an outsider to the theatre stuff, right? And you’re, like, an outsider to East High. I thought we sort of, like, got each other.” It feels as though there might be a small, barely recognizable hint of jealousy in his words, but more than anything, I think he is trying to remind her that he sees who she is and what she needs (he genuinely thinks, at this point, that EJ is not a good guy and that Gina deserves better) just as much as she saw who he is and what he needed at the skatepark that night. Following this moment, it’s established that they might have even more in common with each other than they already think. Ricky tells Gina he’s sorry for what he said, that his world and home life has been “a little upside down” and Gina commiserates, telling him he isn’t the only one with home drama -- but she doesn’t say it in a way that makes Ricky feel selfish or implies one of their problems is bigger than the other's. Her eyes soften, she gives him the briefest of smiles. There it is again: that connection, that understanding. 

Pulled up in front of Gina’s house after Ricky gave her a ride home from the dance, Ricky thanks her. “You’re the reason I stayed with the show.” That night at the skatepark, he says, she set him straight. The facade, the manipulation, dropped the moment Ricky followed Gina out of Homecoming, but you can still see the remorse on Gina’s face. We can see how sorry she is, how she regrets her motives that night -- but, she realizes, she wasn’t lying. “I meant what I said,” she turns back to tell him, before she opens the car door to head inside, “that night at the skatepark, about you having your own style. I don’t even think I knew how much I meant it when I said it.” Then, after a night of just...getting each other, of laughing in the car, of “thank you”s, of talking about how much theatre, and the safe space it creates, means to both of them, Gina kisses Ricky on the cheek. Their faces linger, inches apart from one another. For the first (but certainly not the last) time, we see their emotional closeness manifest into a physical closeness. We see just how much this means to Gina, to feel seen in a way that allows her to drop her guard, to be vulnerable. Ricky made her feels safe, unjudged, not scary...and because of Ricky, Gina isn’t so much a new version of herself as she is all of herself.

Fast-forward to season 2 (I could keep talking about their relationship in season 1, believe me, but I’ve gotta move this post along or I’ll be writing it for a week and, next thing you know, a simple ask will become a 20-page research paper that no one asked for lol). Their relationship is a little strained and a lot confusing (at least for Gina, we don’t get Ricky’s POV, but I have faith that his perspective is coming, in a big way, in the upcoming eps of season 3). Gina came into Ricky’s life and helped him realize that change, though scary, is not actually something to be afraid of. He was learning to accept his parents separation, the fact that his mom had a new boyfriend, to embrace and feel confident in his newfound role as a “theatre kid” and to move on from Nini (he completely stop pursuing her after his night with Gina at Homecoming). He was moving on from the past, toward his future. All of that growth came crashing down, however, when Gina moved. When Ricky watched her leave at that Thanksgiving party, tears in his eyes, change, once again, became something that hurts, not heals. So, with Gina (his catalyst for change) gone, Ricky regressed. He clung to Nini because she was familiar, she reminded him of what life was like when they were together the first time around, when his parents were happy, when life was easier and everything was the same, nothing changed. 

Ricky thought he would never see Gina again and, by the time she came back, he had already gotten back together with Nini. Now there was tension. Ricky tried to soften their relationship, to make it seem more friendly, not because he & Gina were ever really just friends, but because he was trying desperately to hold onto what he had with Nini, to repeat the past so he wouldn’t have to face the future. He couldn’t do that if he let himself see Gina as a romantic option again. This made Gina question if Ricky ever really liked her, romantically, in the first place. Was he just being friendly this whole time? Even with all this strangeness between them, it’s Ricky who Gina goes to when she misses her mom. They’ve talked about their moms before, both absent in their own ways, both making their respective children wish for more. So Gina knows, no matter what else is going on, Ricky will understand her. “I get that, missing your mom.” he reassures, and it’s like Gina lets out a breath she didn’t know she’d been holding in. Here comes the relief, the comfort, of being understood. “I knew you would.” she smiles, “Sorry, there’s just some things I tell you that I don’t really tell anyone else.” Ricky agrees, “Yeah, no, I think we do that for each other.” He takes a half step closer to her after he says it and, just like that night in Big Red’s car after homecoming, that emotional closeness has manifested itself into a physical one. Ricky really means it, when he agrees that they tell each other things they don’t tell anyone else, too. I mean, Nini, Ricky’s actual girlfriend, didn’t even know he had moved from his childhood home into the apartment he and Gina were now standing in. In contrast, Ricky had not only told Gina that he had moved, but gave her his address too. He, unconsciously or not, knew Nini wouldn’t understand why it hurt to move away from the only home he had ever known. After all, Nini had actively chosen to move away from her childhood home to attend YAC in another state. Even when Nini decided to move back to SLC later that season, she had two loving parents who were in a happy marriage to come home to. Ricky & Gina were both being raised by single parents, both missing the mothers they had not wanted to leave. & Gina knew exactly what it was like to move somewhere unfamiliar and have to turn a house into a home (not only because she has moved around so much in general, but because she had also recently moved into Ashlyn’s house and, although she was grateful to Ash, it did not feel like a home to her). Gina knew Ricky would understand what she was going through. She was right. Ricky knew Gina would understand what he was going through. He was right. Even when Ricky had a girlfriend, Gina was still his person.

Now on to season 3 (or what we’ve seen of it so far). Ricky, having broken up with Nini last season and learned to embrace the change he once rebelled against, is finally free (song title reference intended). Gina is now dating EJ (having gotten together last season once she realized Ricky was no longer an option, romantically. Much the same way that Ricky got back together with Nini in s1 once Gina had moved away and was, say it with me here: no longer an option). 

EJ is trying. He brings Gina congratulatory flowers when she gets cast as Anna in Frozen (the flowers look like weeds, but it’s the thought that counts) yet he doesn’t understand what a big deal this is for Gina, that this is something she’s wanted for seasons now. He tells her he knew she’d get the lead, which is meant to be a sweet complement, but comes off as if he thinks her being cast as Anna was a given. He doesn’t acknowledge or understand how hard she worked to get here. He can’t even let her fully celebrate this big win because, soon after giving her the flowers, he completely zones her out. The excitement fades from Gina’s face as she realizes all EJ can think about is his own success (or lack thereof) regarding directing the musical. Ashlyn, Gina’s supposed best friend who, having lived with her for the better part of last school year, should get how much finally getting the lead means to Gina...but she doesn’t. Ashlyn gets cast in the ensemble and starts spiraling, thinking about why she didn’t get the lead and trying to find someone (or something) to blame for that. Gina sacrificed her solo to audition with Ashlyn (& Kourtney) last semester, which is what helped Ash land the lead of Belle. Gina was nothing but congratulatory and supportive of her surrogate sister then, unfortunately, Ashlyn can’t/doesn’t really return the favor. After coming to terms with her own place in the show, Ashlyn does tell Gina she deserves the role, but it's too little too late. Ricky is the only person who understands what a big deal Anna is for Gina, not only because Troy was a big deal for him in season 1, but because he could see how hard Gina worked for it. Earnestly, he tells her, “I’m proud of you.” while shining his flashlight on her like a makeshift spotlight (not sure if this bit was intentional, but it’s interesting how Gina tells EJ that she’s had to deal with years of being “almost in the spotlight, but not quite.” and that night, Ricky gives her her very own spotlight). Ricky doesn’t make it about himself. He lets Gina bask in her own success. He lets it be about her. She laughs it off, but they both know she needed it and that he meant it.

When Gina tells EJ her mom is moving back to Salt Lake, he can’t even pretend to be truly happy for her because, once again, he’s too busy thinking about himself (this time, about how he might have to move away -- a fact which he actively chooses to hide from Gina, despite him being the first person she told about her big news). We don’t get Ricky’s reaction to finding out that Gina’s mom has moved back (maybe we will in an upcoming ep?) but I couldn’t help but think that Ricky would understand how much it means for Gina to have her mom back in her life, physically. Just like he understood last Valentine’s Day. Not only was EJ too preoccupied to celebrate, but even if he wasn’t, I don’t think he would understand what a big deal this is. EJ has a parent who is consistently present in his life, to an overbearing and controlling degree, and he seems to want to be out from under his father’s thumb. He actively wishes his dad had a smaller presence in his life and I don’t think he could relate to Gina actually wanting to live with and spend time with her mom.

Ricky is in awe of Gina. Her confidence and talent and her belief & understanding of him inspires him to be better. In season 1, he left the show twice because he didn't believe he was a good enough leading man for Nini, he thought he was ruining her big moment and, if we're being honest, because leaving was the easier thing to do. Now, Ricky gets it. He sees how important it is to show up for the people he loves and, instead of leaving, he puts in the work. He offers to sing "Love is an Open Door" with Gina so she'll get a chance to impress Corbin (and, tbh, just because he just wants to sing with her. Somebody tell that boy he's literally playing her romantic lead and he's about to get a duet of his very own, because I don't think he knows). He goes off to practice his lines once he sees how amazing Gina is in her role. He puts in the work to be there for her. He doesn't leave when things get difficult because he understands the best way to show how much he cares is to "show up and stick around."

In the end, it comes down to this: Ricky loved Nini, I’m not here to argue otherwise. Gina wants to love EJ (Alexa, play “I wanna love you, but I don’t” by Ben Platt) but what good is love, or the pursuit of it, when there’s no understanding? What is love if you are not truly seen by the person who loves you? Ricky and Gina understand each other, they see each other and, in time, I’m confident they’ll realize they love each other, too.