I heard Homecoming was eventful,
but I am glad Kourt and I had a girls' night with a, uh, chaperone
who I'm pretty sure met somebody.
Sure, the night had a few bumps, but everything is gonna be okay.
Miss Jenn, please come to my office
before the opening bell, first thing Monday morning.
As you can see, this puts the administration
-in a very awkward position. -I understand.
Which is why we have a process for this sort of thing.
I understand that, too.
Good morning, Miss Jenn. You coming to the photo shoot?
You go ahead and get started without me, Carlos.
Okay.
Here you go. You might wanna pack some things up.
Just in case.
- Great, sounds like a plan. Thank you. - Okay.
- Check on camera. - Got it.
Oh, my gosh, you look perfect! Yes!
Okay, people, let's do this!
Oh, my God! Ricky.
What?
I can't. There's... There's so much to talk about.
Wait, what's funny?
Yes, it's picture day for the cover of our program.
I was in Photography Club for a year in middle school, so...
Click.
Oh, my God.
Hey, you okay with this?
I don't know how to say it.
Just say it.
I'm home.
Let's get some air, Wildcats.
Good morning, Gina.
-Pretty good, right? -Troy, you look the best.
Thank you. I try.
Okay, guys. We're gonna get one in for practice, okay?
We're all gonna jump on the count of three.
Ready?
One, two, three.
Oh, my gosh. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry.
- I'm so sorry, y'all. - Kourtney.
One, two, three.
Ooh.
-Wait, what happened? -Where to begin?
-I think you went early. -Are we jumping on three or after three?
Yeah, the count of three, ready?
Nah, man, you need some new words.
I think I broke a heel.
You guys, this isn't that hard.
You smile, you leave the earth, you land.
It's a little hard to smile when we don't even know the plan.
I can't look at Ricky. Is that a problem?
Okay, let's take a five.
On five or after five?
I think he's mad at us.
Hi.
-I'm a smidge confused. -I figured.
What happened to the plan?
You made me take you to Homecoming, then you poured a drink on my head.
Yeah, it was pretty complicated. I...
Yeah, but if there was ever a next step, I think I'm missing it,
because I'm still the understudy and you seem pretty happy.
So, what changed?
Nothing.
Everything? Look, I don't know.
I thought you wanted this as bad as I did.
It was more like I felt like I had to get it.
That's the same thing!
- Guys? - So, do you care about Ricky?
-And what if I do? -Um, guys?
-Not now! -Not now!
Miss Jenn, I don't think I can stall much longer.
Are you coming?
Carlos, I was just about to call you.
Is everything okay?
Everything's fine, except that I may be out of a job in 24 hours.
Miss Jenn, I can't see your face so I don't know if you're kidding.
- Oh, my God! - Keep your voice down, honey.
What happened?
I...
Carlos, I may have exaggerated one or two credits on my resume.
Principal Gutierrez is a little too literal for my taste, but here we are.
Where's "here"?
The important thing is that you keep this train on the tracks.
Hopefully, all will be cleared up when I sit before
-the school board tomorrow, okay? -Wait, what?
Keep rehearsal on after school today and don't speak a word of this to anyone.
In the theater, morale is everything.
Miss Jenn, if you would.
Miss Jenn, wait!
Trust the process.
Have you heard anything from Carlos or Miss Jenn? They're never late.
It's weird. He's not responding to texts.
Did we get a good photo for the program cover?
That's a question I'm not ready to answer.
Hey, jumping on cue is much more
complicated than it sounds, okay?
- Here. - Okay.
Hey, speaking of complicated...
So, what happened with Gina on Friday?
I'm not sure yet.
Okay, but did you find out what happened with her and EJ at the dance?
Yeah, not sure about that either.
Okay, should I just live vicariously through someone else?
Guys, let's just start.
Flip to When There Was Me and You in your script.
Oh, should we maybe wait until Miss Jenn gets here?
Well, I don't know. Apparently nobody's in charge.
- Okay, people, let's stage a number. - I'm late.
Is Miss Jenn coming?
Miss Jenn had a small personal matter to attend to and won't be here today.
-Oh, is everything all right? -Good question.
Everything's fine.
Why would you guys even ask that?
Of course, today is the day I'm supposed to stage
the boldest concept of the entire show.
The good news is, the idea kinda sells itself.
Okay. Gabriella, I need you downstage on this mark.
Troy, stage right.
Chad, stage left box.
Um, other boys, find a box.
Uh, are they onstage with me while I'm singing?
Yes, they will be frozen in various poses to come.
As the ballad builds, Nini, you will be wandering through a forest of boys.
Wait. What does that mean?
Do you know what a forest of trees looks like?
-I do. -Okay, but with boys.
And, uh... No, I'm sorry, why?
Because your heart has just been shattered
and you can't stop thinking about how amazing Troy is.
Let's go!
Uh, no, I'm sorry, but at this point in the show
Troy just sold me out to his teammates.
Well, she's got a point. What Troy did was kind of unforgivable.
Respectfully, Carlos, I think the last thing anyone wants in this moment
is four more versions of him.
Maybe she could chop down the trees.
Or what if she's surrounded by a forest of loving and supportive sisters. Okay?
Hey, that's a good idea.
Is it better if she just sings a solo acoustic version?
I vote for that!
Okay, you guys, this is not a democracy!
Carlos, are you okay?
'Cause it's not that deep.
We can all come back when Miss Jenn gets here.
Well, she's not here, and I don't know if she's ever coming back.
Wait, what?
Is this a joke?
She's in deep trouble, you guys.
They're saying that she lied on her job application,
and there's a school board meeting in less than 24 hours,
and she's probably going to lose her job.
I wasn't supposed to tell any of you, but I'm trying to do my best here.
I can't believe it.
What are we even doing in rehearsal?
Wait, how can we have a show if we don't have a teacher?
You know you could have told me.
Miss Jenn asked me not to.
Wow, Carlos. What else are you not telling us?
Hey, let's all breathe for a second.
-Do you wanna be in charge? -She didn't say that.
You know what? I, um...
I need a minute.
Right there with you.
- Honestly, same. - Wait. Wait.
I...
Wait.
Who's gonna be in rehearsal then?
Guys.
- I'm sorry, Carlos. - Come back when Miss Jenn's here.
Rehearsals are officially cancelled until further notice!
Well, that fell apart fast.
Nothing fell apart. It's all gonna be okay.
Do you know something I don't know?
She's Miss Jenn. She's unstoppable.
The whole show's unstoppable.
But what if it does stop?
Let's not go there.
It can't stop. We still have too much work to do.
Yeah.
Uh, hey, uh...
Could I hear that acoustic song idea?
Sounded cool.
You serious?
I mean, we've got the time.
Benjamin Mazzara.
Carlos... Surname.
I assume you know what's happening to Miss Jenn?
I may have heard a rumor in the faculty lounge.
And I assume you're happy?
Not on the outside.
Look, everyone's fudged on a resume before.
I haven't.
The real question is, who narced on Miss Jenn?
Wait, are you suggesting that I had something to do with this?
Are you admitting that you did?
Of course not.
Look, kid.
Has it occurred to you that Miss Jenn
is responsible for her own untimely demise?
- Where are we going right now? - I wanna find Nini.
EJ, I don't think you're the person to comfort her right now.
You're not her boyfriend anymore.
Yeah, I know.
It'll be fine. Just gotta give it a minute.
- Yeah... - Nini, can we talk?
Uh, right now?
Yeah, I'll get to why in a sec, but...
Miss Jenn isn't the only person with secrets.
I really need to get some stuff off my chest.
Like what?
How much time you have?
-I think I'm gonna... -Yeah.
I thought you were my fairy tale My dream when I'm not sleepin'
A wish upon a star That's comin' true
And everybody else could tell
That I confused my feelings with the truth
There was me and you Oh
I've been trying to figure out how to apologize for a while now.
Mostly to figure out how to make you stop hating me.
I don't hate you, EJ. I just don't trust you. You can't...
No, you don't have to explain yourself.
I've messed up. More than you know.
Just hear me out, please.
Go ahead.
Okay, um...
Okay, here goes.
I tried to bribe Miss Jenn into giving me the part of Troy
when I thought Ricky dropped out of the show.
There's more, um...
I went to Homecoming with Gina because I thought
it might put a wedge in between certain people
and maybe it would...
I don't know, end with me and you back together.
How would that even work?
I never really understood, so I guess while I'm confessing to things,
despite the 4.3 GPA, I'm actually an idiot.
And I'm sorry.
I don't really know what you want from me.
Do you want me to forgive you or be instantly okay with all of this, or what?
But mostly, I just don't know why you're telling me all of this right now.
Because it's over, Nini.
-What? -The show.
My parents used to be on the school board.
If there's a hearing tomorrow, Miss Jenn is a done deal.
I'm sorry that you won't get to play Gabriella.
The audience doesn't know what they're missing...
but I do.
Oh, uh, I also wrote you a really weird song once.
But I think that's it for now.
Okay.
But then you went and changed the words Now my heart is empty
I'm only left with used-to-be's
And once upon a song
Now I know you're not a fairy tale
And dreams are meant for sleepin'
And wishes on a star Just don't come true
'Cause now even I can tell
That I confused my feelings with the truth
'Cause I liked the view
When there was me and you
So, yeah. There's that.
That was really good, Ricky.
Gosh, I would kill to play guitar like that.
Okay, but you're good at, like, everything else, so I don't wanna hear it.
What's "everything else"?
Oh, you know, um, acting, dancing, throwing drinks in people's faces.
I was sort of hoping you'd forgotten about that.
Yeah, I kinda can't forget about anything that happened at Homecoming.
Should we be doing something?
What do you mean?
Like, to help Miss Jenn.
Like, um...
A letter-writing campaign?
In one night?
Yeah. I don't know.
Miss Jenn, I was so happy to hear from you.
You said you got something for me. Tell me it's good news.
It's complicated.
Please sit.
Carlos,
if tomorrow's board meeting goes the way I think it will,
you guys are going to hear a lot of
not great things about me.
-No, we don't... -It's all true.
What is?
I never told you guys my real last name because I was embarrassed
at how little I've actually accomplished.
I'm a fake teacher, Carlos.
Most of the learning that's been happening in that rehearsal room...
has been all of you teaching me.
No, that's not true.
It's the only part of this that ever was.
Here.
It's my director's file.
Audition notes, staging ideas, everything.
It's all there.
But I can't direct the show.
Oh, it's not for you, honey.
It's for your next teacher.
I just hope she loves you guys half as much as I do.
It's weird not being at rehearsal.
How stupid is that?
What if we just did the show without her?
We can't even take a picture without her.
No offense.
Nah, you're right, dude.
Down here, Kaden!
Hope it's cool. I invited Stef and Rico.
What's up, guys?
Uh, when you didn't text back, I reached out to some peeps.
I wanted some company tonight.
It's open?
Hey, guys.
Okay, how many people are coming?
Uh, that should be it.
Actually, give it a minute.
This is a terrible party. There aren't even pretzels.
What are we all doing here?
We all ended up in the same basement after a really bad day,
so someone should say something.
Fine. I'll say something.
I'm mad at Miss Jenn.
Why? Because she's got a couple skeletons in her closet?
No, because she's giving up.
She was the first teacher to not see me as a punchline,
-and now she's not even a real teacher? -Define "real teacher."
-He's got a point. -Does he, though?
Guys.
So, why are we all here then?
Yeah, good question. This is a waste of time.
Honestly? Because she gave me a shot.
And it's been a long time since someone gave me a shot.
Yeah.
She gave me a voice.
Yeah, and now nobody's gonna get to hear it because Miss Jenn screwed up.
Okay, does anyone here actually care if her past is a little bit sketchy?
Anyone?
I do.
Seriously, dude?
-What, because you live some perfect life? -Not at all.
Because she put our show in jeopardy.
And now we're all here, maybe for the last time, together.
And for some of us, this has become...
I don't know...
Family.
What team?
Wildcats.
Okay, Wildcats.
So, what are we doing about it?
Jennifer?
Mike. Hi. What are you doing here?
Just came to support my kid.
There's a school board meeting and the new drama teacher's in hot water.
-Your kid? -Yeah. His name's Ricky.
Would you believe he scored the lead in the play?
Wow.
Good luck in there, Miss Jenn.
Miss...
Jennifer.
Let's talk after, maybe?
Yeah. Sounds good.
Okay.
Miss Jenn, it may not surprise you to learn
that we have heard earfuls about your unorthodox style
ever since you got to East High.
Personally, I always chalked it up to the well-known fact
that people in the dramatic arts are insane.
Thank you.
But now, we have news that your resumé is exaggerated.
Your teaching credential is from some obscure online university,
and even your official name might be some version of a stage name.
What do you say to this charge?
I have always done my best by these kids.
Just answer the question.
Excuse me.
Can I say something?
I'm sorry. We're not opening up the floor to parents on this.
Let him speak.
Go ahead, Mister Bowen.
I'm a little late to this party, but I gotta say the real crime here
would be booting a teacher who's making a positive impact.
I've never seen my kid this invested in anything,
and I don't think that's something we should punish, Your...
Honor.
Mister Bowen, I appreciate your statement,
but I think we can all agree that theater isn't unique in this regard.
It doesn't have some special fairy dust
that can't be filled by another extracurricular.
What's that?
Who's humming?
Don't say another word
Some of us need to be heard
You want her big confession?
She never saw Dear Evan Hansen
Whatever you think about her The show can't go on without her
Maybe her class could be a little more classy
Maybe her head's not in the game
Maybe her past is just a little bit sketchy
We need her all the same
She's the one who cheers us on So what if she's dropping the ball?
She stands for truth, justice, and songs in our key
She stands for us and we believe Ooh, ooh
Before she got here we were so off track
Then Miss Jenn gave us a chance
We used to fall asleep in chemistry class
Now it makes us want to dance
She's the show that must go on
So we're putting in a good word, 'cause we heard
She stands for truth, justice, and songs in our key
She stands for us and we believe Ooh
What's my motivation? She provides the inspiration
Whatever about her reputation
Seems about time for a modulation
-She stands for truth, justice... -Ooh, yeah
...and songs in our key
Jazz squares in the choreography
Sharpay and Ryan, you know they'd agree
She stands for us and we believe
Settle, people! Settle down. Settle down.
Do we have any further questions?
Just one.
So, how do I snag two tickets for opening night?
We did it!
-How did you do this? -We stayed up all night.
Thank you.
Oh, my gosh, we did that. You were amazing.
- Come on! - Oh, all right.
That's my man.
This meeting is adjourned.
I guess the show's back on.
That was some speech.
Honestly, it's the least I could do.
Thank you for everything.
You, too.
I just wish I woulda known earlier. At the bowling alley.
I'm a little bit glad we didn't.