I was equally frustrated and feeling for Olivia as she went down her downward spiral.
We were left with the cliffhanger of Olivia (Samantha Logan) asking Spencer (Daniel Ezra) to switch places with her, knowing exactly what Spence would do. Luckily, he didn’t have to, but that didn’t change the fact that it was bad.
It took Spencer less than 24 hours to figure out Liv had been drinking all summer. And then he gave her an ultimatum, to tell her parents or he would. It was fair. She needed serious help, and she couldn’t see it yet.
As frustrated as I was with Liv, I loved Samantha’s performance. She believed the lies she was telling. Her focus turned to not going back to rehab. She couldn’t see how she was unraveling, and Samantha did it so well.
The car accident wasn’t enough for her to wake up. Not even her sponsor being in jail because she broke into her parent’s house and they pressed charges was enough for her to realize she needed help.
It wasn’t until she went to Spence for support and he said no, that she finally had a wake-up call. I was proud of Spencer for pointing out how wrong it was for her to ask him to take the fall for the crash, especially after her saying he said “I love you” and then is done with her.
This entire season Spencer has been trying to put himself first but having many difficulties doing so. He always wants to be the hero, to the detriment of himself. Maybe, his therapist finally got through to him.
I’ve enjoyed watching the struggle that Spence has been going through. He has such a big heart and wants to help everyone. It’s a great quality to have, and once he figures out how to help people and not hurt himself or put too much pressure on himself, he’ll be able to do a lot of good.
Some fans don’t like when All American goes away from football. But some incredible stories are going on. Olivia’s story of addiction may help someone. And other than Coop (Bre-Z) wanting to drop out of school for her music aspirations, that has been great, too. I’ve especially loved the friendship that has come out of that with Layla (Greta Onieogou). And watching Layla become this amazing producer has been a great ride, especially after she suffered from past trauma and had to find her way again.
I look forward to what Olivia finds her way back to. She’s had a great storyline helping the African American community. I would love to see her going that again.
There was some football in “Testify,” though. Asher (Cody Christian) was given the choice of playing defense to up his odds of getting recruited. I love Coach Montes (Alexandra Barreto). She’s really teaching them a lot on and off the field. If she thinks, that’s Asher’s best chance at getting into college to play football. I would listen to her.
I’ve enjoyed watching her make the team even better. And especially watching Asher gain her trust and find his way back from his mistakes.
They all find their way back after making mistakes. Liv will get there too.
Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) and Simone (GeffriMaya) have escaped his parent’s rage for now. I can’t believe Jordan thought telling his parents about the marriage was a good idea. Liv and Spencer kind of saved him. That is a freakout we will have to wait another day for.
What did you think of the Spelivia storyline in “Testify’? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
