All American - The Choice is Yours - Review

This episode begins with Beverly Hills trying to avoid losing to the last place football team in their division. It's clear that Jordan is still furious with Asher and they're not on the same page. Luckily Spencer gets them to focus on the game, and Jordan ends up running and scoring the winning touchdown. Winning the game doesn't help Jordan and Asher's relationship, though. They're still arguing so Coach Baker takes them on a trip to watch their next opponent practice.

While they watch the practice Jordan reveals he knows Asher slept with Olivia, and they get into a fight. Coach Baker makes the two walk home, and Asher explains what happened. He reveals that his dad lost all their money, and he was depressed. Olivia was, too. They make up, and Coach Baker picks them up. He looks pretty smug and states that the long walk home always works.

Jordan and Asher weren't the only ones with issues this week. Leila's not happy with her dad's new relationship with Chynna. She's worried her dad's getting played. She gets more worried after she finds an engagement ring, and she asks Spencer to read Chynna and try to figure out what's going on. She doesn't want her dad to get hurt.

Spencer is disappointed when Coop sends him a text saying she can't hang out. He finds her with Patience, and he tells Coop he was worried about her. Then Shawn says he has to go, and Coop leaves with him. Spencer's desperate to get Coop out from under Shawn's control. Things get worse when gang members show up to the barbershop. They exchange threats with Shawn and later Alvin finds graffiti outside his shop. Alvin is confused why someone would do this since his place is a safe space. After this Coop tells Shawn that he has to move the money. While she's at Shawn's she discovers he has a little girl, Maya. His daughter's the reason he keeps the money at Alvin's: he has to have this money. He doesn't have the same opportunities as Spencer. No one is going to rescue him.

Everything gets worse when Alvin's block party starts. Spencer wants Shawn to leave, but Coop fights for him and says that if Shawn goes, she goes. Coop ends up staying and does a good job as MC. Chynna even complements Coop, but then Chynna makes it seem like she doesn't know who Alvin is. Everyone thinks it's strange that she's from Crenshaw but doesn't know Alvin. When Leila confronts her she says she moved when she was little. And it was Leila's dad's idea to use the Crenshaw angle for attention.

Shawn admits to Coop that maybe she was right about getting the money out of Alvin's. But the other guys from the barbershop show up and want their cut. Shots are fired, and one of the guys is killed. Coop wants to find Shawn, but Spencer tries to stop her. He screams that Shawn is a thug. He's scared that the people who are after Shawn are going to come after her and wind up at his house. Coop tells him that she'll leave. That's not what Spencer wants, though, but Coop doesn't think Spencer needs her anymore.

I was so sad about how all of this went down. I don't think Shawn is necessarily a bad guy, but he just made some bad choices. He felt like this was the only way to help his daughter. I hate how this is tearing Spencer and Coop apart. I really hope they can work it out- they've been close for too long to end their friendship now. I did like how Spencer paid Shawn a visit and basically warned him not to drag Coop down with him. So maybe there's still hope for Coop and Spencer.

After the party Leila gets angry with her father after she finds him celebrating. She doesn't understand how they can be happy after what just happened. She does make up with her father later after finding out the ring wasn't for Chynna. It was for Leila's mother, and he wants her to have it. Afterwards she thanks Spencer and tells him she's lucky to have him. Then they kiss. And of course Olivia sees them.

I had a feeling that Spencer and Leila would become a couple, but I'm just not into them. I just don't see the romantic chemistry there. And before this episode I liked Olivia with Spencer, but I thought she was really cute with Spencer's old friend, Chris. So now I'm confused on what to think. This wasn't one of my favorite episodes so far, but I'm still excited to see what happens next.

What did you think about "The Choice is Yours"? Are you glad Asher and Jordan made up? How do you feel about Spencer and Leila together? What do you think will happen to Coop?