Troy Bolton: Things We Ought To Know (HSM I)
I've had a writing epiphany: I need to begin where the story actually begins. Without delving into mundane details, I have been struggling with one of my Trelsi fics, because I was dead set on beguinning it during the latter half of HSM III, simply because I had envisioned plenty of great scenes for that period. The problem was, I couldn't make things gel together, and all I had was a bunch of great scenes bridged together by pointless conversations that did nothing to advance the plot or increase dramatic tension. For someone who drinks writing advice like a fish, I definitely can neglect the basics! Start where the story actually starts, and there needs to be dramatic tension and stakes from the first chapter. I think I've fallen too much on the "It's just fanfiction" excuse, which is inexcusable, because I want to tell a good story, which means good writing, and I'm currently writing original works, too. What's the point if I give myself reasons to slack off?
Having come to this grand epiphany, I've significantly sped up my writing process, and made it easier to write the synopsis. Furthermore, I was worried about repeating myself when I wrote other stories which would also be set during the latter half of HSM III, but here's the thing: those stories ended up having something to say during that period. So I could transfer my scenes there, and therefore cut the flab from the big one. And to be honest, the only reason my "major" Trelsi fic was even major was because I'd added a whole load of flab to the beginning before getting to the middle part. I literally could not figure out why the middle was better conceptualized in my head than the beginning, before I realized that the middle actually WAS the beginning. So now I don't have to worry about repeating myself, because I'm dealing with different time-frames. I had always suspected this story would be better off beginning after graduation, but I'd read another Trelsi story with a similar starting point and thought I might be copying. That's ridiculous, as my story is completely different, as it should be.
Anyway, why is this relevant? I'm currently rewatching HSM I in my beloved Google Play. Ever since realizing that Dropbox allows you to save and back up Screenshots, I've been hitting the Print Screen button like a maniac all through my favourite movies and TV shows. I like having visual images available when writing. And this is actually helpful for HSM, because I'm British and therefore relatively unfamiliar with the American school system and other things. I once spent an entire lunchtime reading about American roads because I needed this information for the scene where Troy insanely drives 1053 miles to see Gabriella. Another piece of great writing advice I read recently was that all fiction writers should read nonfiction. Truth is stranger than fiction, and this can help spark new ideas and provide necessary research that maintains reality in fiction. I have NO patience for writers or screenwriters who don't take the time to research the topic they're handling.
Why is HSM I important? It demonstrates the reason for Troy's attachment to Gabriella and to his illusions. If you want to detach Troy from Gabriella, you first have to understand how and why he became attached in the first place. Troy strikes me as idealistic, particularly when it comes to romance. You have to experience the twinkling lights, the innocence, the romantic music, the shy laughter and their final performance before watching it unravel and wondering why Troy wants to be trapped under the wreckage.
This is why I am updating huge chunks of my story, cutting out loads of unnecessary flab that I'd previously considered good/attractive, but serves no purpose whatsoever. I realized that I need to focus on TROY's evolution, his goals and his final redemption, when he is emancipated from his relationship with Gabriella. That's the whole purpose. (Other than him being with Kelsi). So I rewrote the summary to reflect this. So HSM I makes for important referencing material-- more so than HSM II, because if the story begins in HSM III or later, then the damage sown in HSM II was already done. But knowing how it all started will increase Troy's emotional conflict and pain later on. And emotional pain and conflict make good stories.
There are so many interesting things about Troy Bolton in HSM I that have nothing to do with Gabriella. For example, the rooftop garden scene is not memorable because Gabriella was invited there; if you watch carefully at the end, you will see that they run out of things to say to each other, and stare awkwardly in different directions. That already demonstrates that despite their obvious attraction to each other and one mutual interest, they don't have much else in common. No, this scene interests me because it shows how desperately Troy craves solitude, and even enjoys it. It shows that Troy isn't fully comfortable around his friends, not because they aren't his friends (although their behaviour certainly suggests this sometimes), but because they don't understand him enough. Note that he says of his rooftop hideout: "which means that my buddies don't even know it exists." He doesn't make any distinction between his regular buddies, and Chad, who has been his best friend since childhood. I'm a huge fan of Troy and Chad's friendship, but you can't ignore the significance here.
Interestingly, Troy does actually share many nerdy memories with Chad; in HSM III, we find out that the two used to play in Troy's treehouse and visit Riley's Salvage, pretending to be spies and superheroes. Chad says "I was a much better superhero than you were"; so maybe Troy was telling the truth when he said the red cape in his treehouse belonged to his friend. Why does Chad not know about the rooftop gardens (until it was convenient for the plot in HSM I)? I think it's because Troy does share many interests with Chad and when they're hanging out, they're not retreating from the world. They're being a part of it, considering themselves as brothers-in-arms. The big difference between them is that Troy is "The Basketball Guy", the one whose actions affect the "entire school" and who must lead his team to victory, presumably every time. Chad enables and encourages this pressure, whilst also becoming resentful when he feels Troy enjoys too many perks, too much praise, too many advantages. A further reason is that revealing the rooftop gardens would mean revealing his friendship with the Science Club, which is social heresy in Chad's book.
There are many other things that build a picture of Troy's life outside of Gabriella in HSM I.
[Gabriella] "Well you sound like you've done a lot of singing too!"
[Troy] "Yeah, my showerhead is very impressed with me."
Again, this picture of him singing in the shower demonstrates the freedom he experiences when alone. Although he admits this to a girl that he's just met, which is significant, he downplays it. I initially believed this was because of his dorkiness, but maybe it's because he's modest about his talents and because he actually does enjoy singing in the shower, or takes it seriously. But ever conscious of this new girl who has sprung out of nowhere, he thinks that coming off as a dork will work better. He certainly seemed more interested and impressed by her experience singing in Church choirs and encouraged the notion of her having a solo career. Perhaps he isn't confident enough in his singing, even when clearly capable at it, and would never allow himself to dream outside the "Hoops Dude/Playmaker" box. The screenwriters could have explored all of this at the beginning, instead of giving the impression that only Gabriella awoke his interest in the Performing Arts.
Here's the thing: that whole beginning sequence is utterly forgettable. Sure, they kept each other's numbers, but their meeting could equally have had no effect whatsoever, had they either not kept in contact, or been too far away to get to know each other well enough. Meanwhile, information about Troy singing in the shower and his enjoyment of performing could have been triggered by a more meaningful meeting. Might I suggest one? His meeting Kelsi, 35 minutes later into the film lead to longlasting repercussions, all of them positive, for both characters. As I will explain in my Trelsi series (it IS coming), if the screenwriters wanted a more romantic beginning, this scene would have worked far better for several reasons. Firstly, it's not coincidental. Sorry, but I dislike coincidences. I still can't decide whether Troy intended to become friends with Kelsi, but he definitely made an active decision to help her pick up her manuscripts and to build her confidence after seeing Sharpay tear it down. Secondly, Troy and Kelsi clicked right away, whereas Gabriella just wandered off after their supposedly romantic first meeting without even saying goodbye, perhaps a sign of her subsequent behaviour towards Troy. Thirdly, meeting Troy made Kelsi open up (with enthusiasm) and brought about a change in her character, whereas Troy and Gabriella simply chatted about their singing experiences and agreed that karaoke was fun. Fourthly, meeting Kelsi led directly to Troy realizing his newfound interest in singing-- please note this scene could have happened with or without Troy meeting Gabriella. Fifthly, as I have said before, Troy's reaction to hearing Kelsi's song was far more profound than his reaction to singing "The Start of Something New".
Just saying.
By the way, Gabriella completely misinterprets the need for Troy's rooftop hideout.
[Gabriella] "So this is your private hideout?"
Sounds innocuous, but later on she says:
[Gabriella] "You pretty much have the school wired, don't you, Troy? Seems to me like everyone on campus wants to be your friend."
She thinks that he gets the rooftop gardens thanks to his status, that he gets anything he wants and that the world is in his hands. This might explain her lack of patience with him in HSM II, and her willingness to believe that he's wearing Italian golf shoes to show off, rather than because they were given to him. Perhaps there even might be some longing in her voice; she was previously the school's "freaky math girl" and would love to be popular and admired instead. She gets this without any struggle whatsoever, mostly thanks to Troy and Taylor. So even Gabriella doesn't understand Troy on the spot. Is that a crime? No. And certainly later on in this scene, Gabriella demonstrates that she knows Troy better than his friends. But again, it's worth pointing out that the "Playmaker" scene demonstrated instant understanding between two people. On the other hand, Gabriella eventually proves to be just as (deliberately) ignorant of Troy and his feelings as everyone else around him. Again, just saying.
What other interesting facts about Troy are revealed? "Unless we lose." This demonstrates that despite the adulation heaped on Troy's head, he's no longer interesting if he can't deliver for East High. This fits in well with Coach Bolton's later claim that "what you do affects not only this team, but the entire school." Remember even Principal Matsui expects Troy to get the team "whipped into shape". If Troy loses, the whole school has lost. If Troy can't focus on each and every game, then he's letting down the whole school. If you view these two lines of dialogue together, you get a sense of the overwhelming pressure that Troy, at this point only sixteen/seventeen, faces every day of the basketball season. It's insane to put that kind of pressure on a kid's head, particularly when he's so sensitive and doesn't have a picture of his own future, as he proved in HSM III. "Unless we lose," means that Troy has faced the consequences of losing many times. How do we know this? Later on, Coach Bolton says that the "West High Knights have knocked us out of the Playoffs three years running." Now although he later says that everyone must given 110% to the game, you have to take into consideration his later words directed only at Troy: "And without you completely focussed, we're not going to win..." Losing is not simply a part of life for Troy Bolton. It's failure, it's disappointing his team, his school, his Principal... his Coach AND father. And he's faced this several times. When he says "Unless we lose", he smiles in resignation and shrugs as though it's not a big deal, but we know that it is-- not just because it hurts Troy to lose, but because he shoulders everyone's hopes and expectations.
Small wonder that he doesn't "see my life as a ball game anymore" later on?
Thing is, Troy loves basketball. It wouldn't make sense for him to choose it (and announce it first) in HSM III otherwise. His eyes light up whenever he sees a hoop. One of the first advantages of the job at Lava Springs was basketball: "We got a hoop out back..." He takes any opportunity to work on his free throws at home. His bedroom, often representative of a character, is filled with basketball memorabilia, all collected of his own accord. Basketball is a source of bonding between him and his father-- sometimes the only way they can communicate. Basketball is what he shares in common with his best friend. He enjoys sports on the whole. You can see the genuine delight when he wins in HSM I and HSM III. It's not the game that he doesn't like, but the unnecessary adulation, the pressure, the insistence upon him being everyone's superhero when, as he quite reasonably stated, "there's twelve people on this team, not just me." He might not be as passionate about it as Chad, because he definitely sees his identity as being more varied than just being a basketball player. Chad's future is easy: "Hoops all the way!" But he certainly is invested in it.
I'm just rewatching Gabriella and Taylor's conversation about the Scholastic Decathlon right now. It's ironic that Gabriella is the voice of reason here, stating that Taylor should get to know Troy before making judgements about him. Calling someone a "particular sub-species" just because they play basketball is absurdly unfair. Taylor is bubbly and fun and intelligent, but intensely prejudiced and relies heavily on her preconceptions of other people. Furthermore, she expects other people to accept her judgements, hence why she constantly tells Gabriella what to think about her relationship during HSM II. (Gabriella (apparently later) forgets that she ever told Taylor to be more open-minded and decides to just swallow whatever Taylor feeds her).
Anyway, what's interesting about this scene is the cheerleaders in hysterics over Troy's looks. What's even more interesting is that Troy is not in the slightest bit interested in any cheerleader, and for most of the movie, doesn't appear to acknowledge their existence. This is a marvellous feat, given that they presumably sit at his lunchtable with the basketball folks. You can see this right before "Stick To The Status Quo". Troy has a notable flaw of ignoring people when he's engrossed in something, like during HSM II when he was showing the Redhawk player how to hold a golf club and ignored Chad and Jason. They found this insulting. Apparently, Troy's lack of interest in any single cheerleader (some of whom must surely have thrown themselves at him) does not insult them, judging by their giggling. And does this interest die down after Troy begins dating Gabriella? I don't think so. At the beginning of HSM III, as Troy is wading his way through dancers at his house, Martha and another cheerleader congratulate him. So I guess he's still their hero.
This is very interesting to me; because I ship Troy and Kelsi together, I have to work around his complete blindness to any other girl, which canonically includes Kelsi. I wrote loads of notes about what Troy's taste in Gabriella said about his romantic tastes, and then applied these to Kelsi, and then had to think up scenario's where he might notice Kelsi more. It was challenging, but stimulating, because I realized that this would actually make their romance better. Why? Because it falls perfectly in line with the first song of Kelsi's that Troy ever heard: "It's hard to believe, that I couldn't see, that you were always right beside me."
Again, just saying. The unexpectedness of meeting Kelsi, plus Troy's reaction to hearing her song and his ability to connect to it instantly speak volumes. No scene of such emotional intensity exists between Troy and Gabriella before perhaps their performance of Breaking Free.
Okay, back to Troy Bolton.
By the way, I've noted before that during HSM I, Kelsi wasn't in Troy's homeroom class. By HSM II, she's there, her desk directly to his left and she gives him a quick hug after the bell goes! (CUTE!) I'm still waiting for an explanation.
When Troy tells Chad that he's off to do homework instead of, *gasp*, practicing during free period and directing his team, the audience is supposed to take this as an excuse. Of course, Troy was using homework as a diversion. However, later on in the movie, we see Troy spending what I presume is a free period to check out some books in the library and take notes. Chad, on the other hand, is tailing him and filling his head with all kinds of nonsensical threats and meaningless anecdotes. This does demonstrate that Troy is, outside of basketball, a conscientious student. Chad* is not, and proud of this. He boasts about having been behind on homework since preschool, an untenable position for someone hoping to attend college. I understand that in the American college system, you spend the first year studying all the basic subjects to build credits. I've already discussed the importance of Troy hanging out with the Science Club, unnecessary if he doesn't care about academics. He also won a scholarship to Berkeley, impossible without having sufficient credits and having performed exceptionally well. In HSM III, he is seen holding a thick textbook which I think says "Literature" on it. Of course, by that point, Gabriella probably watched over his studies like a hawk; she orders him to "come on" so they can do homework. But I don't think Troy slacked off at other subjects (even though he is rarely ever seen carrying a bag, or holding books and pens!). It does counter the accusation that he simply sat around waiting for privileges, as his friends and girlfriend so insultingly assume during HSM II.
There are many other things I'd like to know about Troy Bolton, but the final thing I want to note here is his modesty. Like I've said before, he doesn't even know arrogance, let alone display it. Can he be inconsiderate? Yes. He put several members of his class into detention just because he wanted to speak with Gabriella, when he could simply have waited until they were dismissed. He can forget things that are important, be late, have a tunnel vision with regards to unreasonable goals, as well as ignoring sensible advice to attain said goals. But is he ever arrogant? Not that I can think of. During the first scene between him and Gabriella, he tells her she has an "amazing voice". He then repeats this to Ms Darbus, not even mentioning that his own voice is pretty good too. When Ms Darbus offers him (and Gabriella) a callback audition, Gabriella is delighted, he is astonished. On the rooftop garden, Gabriella says "You're a cool guy, Troy. But not for the reasons your friends think." Troy's reaction isn't even bashful; he genuinely appears astonished by this revelation, that his quirky, dorky character is a positive thing, and not something he should hide from others. That there are people who appreciate him without making him conform to their expectations, like (ostensibly) Gabriella. You can see him contemplating her words there, not even seeming to notice her until she thanks him for showing her the place. Later on, he gives his Game Ball away to Kelsi, whom most people either don't know or don't notice, and lets everyone cheer for her after the basketball game, which is what they actually came to see. It's actions like these which make me love Troy Bolton and enjoy writing about him.
More musings upcoming.
*FOOTNOTE-- Interestingly, Chad won a scholarship to the U of A, which would have been impossible had he done no homework. Is it fair to assume that he buckled up and studied hard? Did Taylor, a conscientious student, have a hand in this change? If so, this would prove her a good influence on him, and beg the question of why they may have split up after graduating. I'm still infuriated by this.
