Hannah Montana - Opinions after the rewatch
Here we go, everybody!
‘Tis that time In The Pillow Fort again! That joyful time when we put on blonde wigs and pink biker gloves on one of our hands. The time when we watch Hannah Montana and sing Hannah Montana songs! Well… I’ve already finished watching it, in full and in order, just like I never have as a kid. Back then, I caught episodes as they were airing and rage-quit watching when I heard season 4 would be the last. But this rewatch gave me a new perspective on Hannah Montana and made me appreciate the show, as well as Miley Cyrus, in ways I haven’t before. Let’s talk about it!
There’s continuity!
Like I said, when I originally watched Hannah Montana I had to be watching the right TV channel at the time when the episodes were airing. Naturally, I didn’t watch all of the episodes because of that. This resulted in me not realising some basic things about the show, like the fact that it has A LOT of continuity.
The format of the show is still fairly episodic but past events get brought up regularly. Be it Miley Stewart wearing the sweater her dad got her in season 1 to try and get him in a good mood in season 3, or the weird Jacksannah episode being brought up by Jackson’s girlfriend in season 4, things that happened still have impact on future episodes. The impact might be small, but it’s still there, which wasn’t the case with many sitcoms I’ve seen from that era.
Also, it was such a joy to see so many reoccurring characters like Sarah and Joannie from Miley’s school, as well as the Stewart family members Mawma, aunt Dolly, and uncle Earl. Originally, I thought Sarah and Joannie would be one-off throwaway characters but their presence throughout the series expands the world beyond the main cast and into an almost-tangible place. It really adds that dash of realism that the show needs.
The movie also matters! Not in a huge way, but the events of Hannah Montana: the Movie get referenced a few times in the show. Miley’s horse, Blue Jeans, becomes a regular character in the show after first appearing in movie, as well.
Miley’s early music is amazing!
I didn’t listen to Miley Cyrus’ music outside of the Hannah Montana soundtracks when I was a kid. Boy, was that a mistake! As part of my rewatch of the show, I watched a little bit of the Hannah Montana & Miley Cyrus: Best of Both Worlds Concert and got her song Start All Over stuck in my head. This prompted me to check out the rest of the Meet Miley Cyrus album where the song is from. Then I listened to her next album, Breakout.
While I don’t like every song off of those two albums, they have so many bops! Of course, there are Start All Over and See You Again, but they also have many hidden gems. The ones I keep listening to currently are Let’s Dance, The Driveway, and Full Circle. I find myself even humming the melody of Breakout and Wake Up America, despite their childish lyrics. That’s not a dig. Miley was a child back then so of course some lyrics reflect that.
I prefer Breakout over Meet Miley Cyrus but I would encourage you to check them both out if you haven’t. Miley’s taste in music was evident even then and I can honestly say that both are fun pop albums, with Breakout being a great piece of pop rock music.
The soundtracks slap!
Speaking of great music, let’s talk about the Hannah Montana soundtracks. I knew most songs already, but the show made me want to hear them again. I listened to each of the soundtracks while watching their respective seasons, like going through an album cycle.
This made me fall back in love with a lot of songs, but especially from Hannah Montana 3, such as Just a Girl, Let’s Get Crazy, and Supergirl. I also discovered a song I skipped as a kid, I Wanna Know You, which has such a feel-good vibe about it.
The Hannah Montana: Forever soundtrack is the one that I gained a new fondness of. I didn’t give season 4 a fair chance in the past, and the same goes for its music. During recent years, I’ve given many of its songs a listen and have loved them. The ones I discovered specifically during the rewatch are Barefoot Cinderella and Kiss it Goodbye. The former has quickly become one of my favourites from the show and has entered my regular music rotation.
The ending of the show
Speaking of being unfair to the last season; I’ve always thought that the episode where Miley Stewart takes the wig off was the finale. Over the years I’ve seen the last few scenes but have always assumed they are part of that episode. I could not believe it when I saw that there are more episodes after it!
These episodes deal with Miley’s life after her identity has been revealed. They show her getting used to being a celebrity full-time, as well as how that reflects on the people in her life. In my opinion, this wraps the show up perfectly! It was so satisfying to watch those last episodes and see that the world of the show didn’t end just because Hannah did and that Hannah wasn’t the true focus of it, despite being its namesake. It, once again, added realism, grounding the show that has relied heavily on the suspension of disbelief up until that point.
This season proved to be the most realistic one by far. In season 3 we can see Miley get a driver’s license as Hannah because of her superstar status. However in season 4 she is unable to deal with the college administration despite using the same tactic. It’s not perfect. She still somehow applies to school as Hannah, but season 4 displays the weight of Miley’s double life more realistically than the ones prior.
There we have it, y’all! I could make this post even longer but I think we’d be here all day if I kept going. Overall, I had a great time with this rewatch. It solidified Hannah Montana as one of my favourite shows!
Until next time, goodnight everybody!
Dorian
The blog’s header and the drawing featured atop this post were made by @ambybun on Instagram
The DVD cover featured on the drawing was made by me