All American is doing such an incredible job tackling the Black Lives Matter movement. It’s powerful and inspiring.
I wasn’t sure if Olivia (Samantha Logan) had done the right thing. For her mother, and her mother’s fight, she definitely did the wrong thing, but she did it for the right reasons.
All American is taking such a complex topic and doing a great job in the storytelling.
Laura (Monet Mazur) was doing her job, working the case, getting cops to testify. Should she have released the footage herself? Maybe. But she believed in the system. What she didn’t realize, and what Grace (Karimah Westbrook) told her, was the system is broken for African Americans.
The case is now a mess. Laura will have to start from scratch, but it’s a great way to show both sides. I want justice for George, Breonna and the rest, but I’m white and can never understand what’s it like for them. The writers really capitalized on Laura being white to show all the grey areas. It sends a powerful message while getting a conversation started. And you know how I like important conversations getting started.
This storyline also brought Layla (Greta Onieogou) and Liv back together, which is good because we need our besties to talk again. And Layla is helping in the fight by reading Liv’s statement on her podcast defending Laura. Hopefully, that will get everyone off her mom’s back.
Liv wasn’t the only one making big moves. Spencer (Daniel Ezra) and his team sacrificed the rest of the season, and maybe even their futures, to take a stand against police brutality. It was powerful to watch them all take a knee as they forfeited the game.
What was even more powerful was when the announcer said why the Chargers were forfeiting. First, the black players from the other team took a knee, and then all the white players did too. This was so inspiring to see.
All American has been all about Spencer’s pursuit of the NFL and about his friends too, but this season it’s risen to the moment. I’m glad it has. The actors are rising to the occasion too. I can only imagine how personal it is for them and that they hope to make a difference through this work.
While Olivia and Spencer are fighting for justice, Billy (Taye Diggs) was going to see a neurologist. He was afraid he had Chronic Traumatic Encephalopathy (CTE), which, as he said, can’t be tested for when you’re still alive. Like Jordan’s (Michael Evans Behling) concussion, this is also an important topic for football players. One that we don’t completely understand yet.
The meaning of Billy forgetting hitting Carter (Lamon Archey) is coming full circle now. He was afraid his gaps in time meant he had CTE, but it appears to be grief. It was the time when he found out his mom was sick. I’m relieved that he’s okay, and while CTE is not the cause, it was a great way to bring up the issue.
Spencer’s time in therapy was a great story. If Billy wants to fill in those gaps or deal with his past trauma of losing his mom. I’m all for going in-depth about Billy’s past.
Jordan will be seeing a therapist. I hope it will help him realize the errors of his ways. He already lost out on his senior year of playing football. It could be so much worse if he continues to try to play before the doctors clear him.
What do you think about how Olivia and Spencer are taking a stand? Tweet me @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
