Tonight’s episode of All American was somewhat underwhelming, failing to deliver the usual drama and excitement viewers have come to expect. The bulk of the episode trudged along uneventfully, except for an intense moment in the closing scene. While tensions among the members of the vortex continued to rise, the storyline frustratingly spun its wheels, showing little to no progression from where we last left off.
The episode opened with Olivia feeling anxious as she conducted her first interview for her dad’s book, with Grace - Spencer’s mom and Billy’s high school sweetheart. As the women talked, Olivia confronted Grace about her affair with her dad, prompting Olivia to question whether delving into her dad’s past might unearth painful revelations. As excited as she is to write this book to honour her dad’s legacy, uncovering deep, dark secrets about him could tarnish the cherished memories that she has. Later, Grace confided in Spencer about the interaction, admitting that she hasn’t fully processed her emotions about Billy’s death. Spencer assured her that she doesn’t need to stay strong on his behalf, leading to an emotional moment for Grace. The ongoing impact of Billy’s death is evident, and Olivia’s book is certain to reopen some of the pain that comes alongside grief.
Jordan continued to pressure Layla to get started on wedding plans, but she can’t seem to put her heart into it. Seeing how much it means to Jordan, she extended an olive branch by agreeing to meet a wedding planner with him. Meanwhile, Coach Mac, intent on developing Jordan as his star player, questioned the timing of Jordan’s marriage during his critical junior year, suggesting he should prioritize his career instead. At Layla’s lounge, Jordan found her dancing with her business partner, Ryan. Olivia admitted that she forgot to schedule the appointment with the wedding planner, causing Jordan to spiral over her lack of caring about their future. Both Jordan and Layla are young and their careers are just getting started. So much could change between now and the time they are planning to get married, and it appears that Layla is starting to realize that. Ryan’s suggestion that Layla reduce her medication wasn’t wise, especially since she has so much on her plate right now. The repercussions of stopping her medication could prove dangerous for her. Hopefully she is smart enough to realize that.
"Business is Business” – ALL AMERICAN. Pictured: Daniel Ezra as Spencer James and Michael Evans Behling as Jordan Baker. Photo: Troy Harvey/The CW ©2024 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
There was a lot going on for Spencer tonight. First, Preach asked him to mentor a young football prodigy who started on the varsity team at Crenshaw as a freshman. Despite his success, the prodigy is becoming increasingly detached from his family, friends and school staff. Spencer attempted to build a connection with him, even offering a tour at GAU, but the young athlete was reluctant. Meanwhile, Spencer held interviews with agents at his home. One agent bluntly stated that Spencer’s performance has declined since the previous season, stressing that he is only as good as his last game. Those words affected Spencer greatly and when he later felt sidelined by coach Mac during practice, he became frustrated and lashed out at Jordan. Coach Kenny ejected him from the field, witnessed by the agent’s assistant and the prodigy that he is mentoring.
Coop stepped in, giving Spencer a much-needed reality check and reminding him that challenges are nothing new to him and shouldn’t deter him now. Realizing his mistake, Spencer apologized to his mentee, acknowledging his disrespectful behaviour and the importance of setting a good example. The mentee was moved, mentioning that no one has ever apologized to him before, and asked Spencer to watch his game. Coop’s storyline so far this season has been weak. Aside from being a support for Patience and Spencer, we have yet to see how she is doing at school or in her burgeoning law career. Coop is a character with a lot of potential, hopefully the writers will capitalize on this soon.
"Business is Business” – ALL AMERICAN. Pictured: Daniel Ezra as Spencer James. Photo: Troy Harvey/The CW ©2024 The CW Network, LLC. All Rights Reserved.
As the episode closed, the agent’s assistant apologized for his boss’s behaviour towards Spencer, and expressed that any agency would be lucky to have Spencer on board. Touched by the assistant’s genuine support, Spencer decided to sign directly with him, not his boss. Spencer is in a tough position. His career could be impacted by Coach Mac’s influence on Jordan and it will be interesting to see how he handles the continued pressure and sidelining that will come with that.
The last few minutes of the episode was arguably the most dramatic, yet it is sure to get mixed emotions from viewers. Asher was stressed because Coastal’s QB1 is out for the season with a torn achilles. He decided to make a daring move, by signing ex-GAU football star Wade Waters to replace him. Viewers will remember Wade from season 4, where he bullied his freshman teammates, taunted Jordan with a NIL deal, and defamed Olivia on Twitter. Of all the characters the show could have brought back, viewers probably didn’t have Wade on their bingo cards. Nothing good can come from his return and quite honestly? It would have been just fine if we never had to see his character again. I am not sure where the writer’s are taking this storyline, but at this point, it seems as though they are out of fresh ideas. Hopefully that is not the case.
Over to you All American fans. What are your thoughts on tonight’s episode? How are you feeling about the return of Wade Waters? Share your thoughts below and engage with me on X at @middleofcanada.
