We missed a lot over the characters of All American‘s summer vacation. Something happened with Olivia and Spencer, Spencer hooked up with Layla, Patience left the tour early, Cooper and Layla had an amazing tour, and Jordan has been in relationship bliss with Simone.
I have to know what happened with Liv (Samantha Logan) and Spencer (Daniel Ezra)! Did they kiss? Did they sleep together? It seems like something drastic happened. I’m sure Liv is feeling extra guilty since she slept with Asher (Cody Christian) while he was with Layla (Greta Onieogou), and now she’s with Ash, and she did something with Spence.
A really like Asher and Olivia together. But there has always been something between Spence and Liv. Last season, many things were building for them to be together finally, but they were in other relationships. But I guess it wouldn’t be a high school show without high school drama.
Even the parents are living through high school drama. Billy (Taye Diggs) bullied a lower classman while he was in high school, and now that kid, D’Angelo (Lamon Archey), is the superintendent and interim principal. And he’s holding a huge grudge. Billy even apologized for the bullying, and D’Angelo forgave him for that, but he can’t forgive Billy for being sent to boarding school and leaving his family behind. He hasn’t done too bad for himself, though. Maybe he should let it go. High School was million years ago!
This is going to cause some tension. He upped the GPA requirement for athletics, and now Billy has to figure out how to create a team. Grace (Karimah Westbrook) was right. He wants Billy and Spener to fail.
And that isn’t the only problem. Spencer’s shoulder froze up again. Hopefully, he will be fine, and while I didn’t watch the All American Stories special yet, it’s safe to say Spence gets where he wants to go. But I’m sure it’s not going to be easy.
His shoulder froze up in a fight with Jordan (Michael Evans Behling). They have butted heads a lot, but as Spencer said, they have never come to blows. But now Jordan is feeling like he is losing his brother. I loved when Dillan (Jalyn Hall) gave his big brother the advice he needed to make it right with Jordan. It was a beautiful moment.
Another beautiful moment was when Laura (Monet Mazur) invited not only Spencer to family dinner night but Grace and Dillan as well. I was not thrilled that Spencer was going back to Crenshaw. I like the dynamic he has in Beverly, but now that the James and Baker family are joining their families together, we’re in for great things.
And now back to the summer mysteries to be uncovered. What happened with Patience (Chelsea Tavares)? Why did she leave the tour? She tried to tell Cooper (Bre-Z) what had happened, at least as much as she could, but Coop was worried about being targeted by Ty’s sister, Monique (Erica Peeples). We know that Patience signed an NDA and that Layla’s father isn’t who they think he is, but it’s all so vague. Was he too tough on her, or did something happen? I can see why this would put Coop in the middle. He’s become good friends with Layla, and she’s now her producer. This has definitely added a new element for the season.
The good news is Coop doesn’t have to worry about Monique. She did come for revenge at first, but now she wants to make amends for what her brother did. That could be incredible for the Crenshaw community.
How much of this show is based on the Spencer it’s inspired by, and how many current events are being weaved in?
I love that Liv painted her school hallways with “Black Lives Matter.” It’s perfect for this moment, and with Liv starting the conversation last season with her podcast, I’m looking forward to what she does this season.
I’m very excited All American is back! But very nervous about a lot of storylines. I don’t want Asher or Layla to get hurt. Layla has the potential to get hurt three times over this season. By Spencer, her best friend, and her father. Will Spence be okay to play? How much will the effect his season and college prospects? Let alone saving his community? And what happened in Vegas? We are getting a flashback, right?
What did you think of the premiere? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
