Definitely Not Over The Portwell Kiss

definitely not over the portwell kiss

probably one of the main reasons why i love portwell and think they will stay together for the long run is because they have the ability to acknowledge the other's worth.

in the first season, both ej and gina were constantly second choices, ej with nini and gina with ricky. even if it wasn't totally obvious, they seemed to be in second place to someone else. nini was still not fully over ricky, causing ej to hurt, and ricky was not fully over nini, causing gina to hurt.

even in something as trivial as the improv exercise, ej asked gina because he genuinely wanted to, not because someone wasn't there. he gave her compliments and made her feel like the only girl in the world. he wanted her to open up and talk about her experiences. when ej brought his concerns to gina, she gave him advice, care, and attention.

it's so important that gina wanted ej to be her first kiss because that is something so monumental and requires total faith in the other person. he wasn't stuck in second place anymore. standing in front of him was a girl who trusted him, loved him, and wanted to be with him.

in the airport scene with jack, gina mentioned that she wanted to get her first kiss once she found the right guy who would show up and stay around. throughout the entire season, ej proved just that. from picking her up at the airport to asking her out, he showed her that she is worth so much and was always there for her when she needed him.

so yes, the finale ended in the best way possible and i love that they have such a strong underlying connection between them.

i know that’s right!!!!

main ship energy

it always makes me feel better when i think of how much time and effort the writers have put into creating and setting up portwell since season 1.

history: the very first portwell interaction was in 1x02 when gina stole nini's phone for ej and suggested that because they want the same thing, they should work together. in season 1 alone, they went from enemies to friends, having been a team from the start. portwell has had so much development, and contrary to the belief of some, it wasn't something random that just popped out of nowhere.

moments: since their talk during the Quinceañero in 2x05 up until 2x11, portwell has had 7 straight episodes of just pure fonding/cute moments and conversations.

2x05: you're glowing and gina not believing how sweet ej was being. bonus: ej gazing at gina while mr. mazarra was talking to him.

2x06: gina choosing ej for the improve exercise.

2x07: fake dating at north high.

2x08: laughing in the classroom and the intimate couch conversation + ej giving gina the duke sweatshirt.

2x09: ej looking at gina during the video call, him picking up gina from the airport and bringing her the granola bar she forgot to pack + gina wearing the duke sweatshirt.

2x10: ej asking gina out for risotto and her accepting.

2x11: ej showering gina with compliments during the show, her not wanting him to stop, and constantly looking at each other during something there.

guest stars: since i'm considering lily, antonie, and howie as traditional members of the show, the characters brought in for season 2 each had something to do with portwell's development either positively or negatively.

jack: towards the very end of 2x09 when jack and gina were saying goodbye at the airport, she said that the right guy has to show up and stay around. a few minutes later, she saw ej standing at the bottom of the escalators ready to bring her back in the morning, even saying gotta show up for your peeps. the best part was gina's moment of realization at the end.

jamie: other than serving as a source of support for gina, the only other person that jamie talked to the entire episode was ej. his entire character served to bring angst into the relationship and potentially cause the connection to a portwell love confession in the next episode.

north high kid: although he wouldn't really be considered a guest star, i wanna put him in anyways. because he approached gina, ej put his arm around her and they pretended to be together.

portwell is on it's way to becoming one of the main relationships of the show, if it hasn't already. they have caused so many of the events that happened and even guest stars like asher and jordan were put in for the purpose of their story.

2x12 FINALE REACTION

first off, i want to say that THERE WILL BE SPOILERS so please be careful, thank u.

yayy, I STAYED AWAKEEEEE:) let's do this, i'm sobbing.

- ok, so this was probably my favorite recap. i loved the flashback of the whole season, so adorable.

- redlyn was so cute, and it was really sweet that big red made the sign for ash on her big night. i'm really happy that kowie are back on good terms. loved kourtney's mom in the background.

- the whole storyline with mr. mazarra and the caltech program was so interesting, and it was nice of ej to most likely persuade his father to call them. the ending when mr. mazarra said that the only thing keeping him in salt lake is ms. jenn was *chefs kiss*

- speaking of ms. jenn, i liked that she apologized to ricky after the whole jump off something high thing.

- portwell: no because the scene when ej cancelled their date and said that they should go to slices instead was HEARTBREAKING. then he had to clarify that he didn't want to reschedule and her face fell, i wasn't okay. gina sobbing at the makeup table was gut-wrenching. i actually kept looking at the amount of time until the end of the episode to make sure there was enough to not leave them open-ended. AND THEY DIDN'T. literally to end the episode, ashlyn told her about the whole big brother thing and how if she knew that was how she felt, she would have given gina different advice. obviously gina was confused, ran to ej as he was leaving, and asked him to be her first kiss. i was hoping they would bring that back, so yep, i'm happy :)

- second chances was ofc AMAZING. the whole video and song were super sad but like i love the throwback and the harmonies were so good. i hope we hear more of matt and sofia's voices.

- i loved rini and their little card scene backstage. i really hope that they stay friends, but i was absolutely positive that they would get back together by the finale as always.

- the whole thing with ricky and lily, i would totally be here for it if not for the fact that she's most likely using him and never told him about the harness.

- i'm so happy that gina helped nini with her music and contacted jamie. their scene by the makeup table was so heartfelt, and i'm glad that they got the closure they deserved in the finale.

- the whole ending, with the phone calls and the portwell "kiss", yes it was cheesy, but i loved it in every way possible and i'm so happy that everything fell into place. it left so much room open for a season 3, with nini calling jamie and ricky calling lily.

- at the very end though, natalie and antoine basically confirmed a season 3 with the whole buckle up, wildcats. this summer's about to get hot so maybe there will actually be a summer season.

- the bloopers at the ending - i sobbed. matt was so sweet with you are the music in me and i just love the whole cast.

every time i rewatch 2x12, i get so sad when i see just how MISERABLE ej and gina were without one another.

after ej canceled their date, his eyes filled with tears and his "smile" fell. he looked hopelessly after gina as she left and probably wished that things were different.

gina sobbing at the makeup table showed just how excited she was to go out with ej. she cared about him so much and was absolutely heartbroken. i can't help feeling that when she said to nini that he "cancelled for good," it also meant that she thought it was the end of their relationship.

the idea or possibility of them not being together made them both feel so wretched and hurt. it takes a really valuabe person to cause such strong emotions. they were each trying to put on a brave face while crumbling inside.

i'm so glad that everything was cleared up because those scenes were painful :D

gushing over matt :D

one of my favorite things is how fondly and vulnerably the cast talks about the show.

like in matt's live stream, he fully expressed how much he loves portwell and their development from season 1. it makes me so happy that he also realizes their potential, likes the couch scene, and cares about the characters as much as the fandom.

i have high hopes for tomorrow knowing that he likes them together.

+ the way he described the fake dating scene with sofia at north high was the BEST thing.

bonus:

i just screenshotted these gems of matt talking about portwell sooo i thought i would add them :D