All American – All We Got

By starrymag | November 20, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) calls Grace James (Karimah Westbrook), who sings ‘Happy Birthday’ to him with Dillon James (Jalyn Hall) and Tamia ‘Coop’ Cooper (Bre-Z) and tells him they’ll be home to celebrate with a family dinner. Spencer is looking forward to it but admits that he could have some of her corn muffins. Grace tells him to look inside his bag and tells him she loves him to the moon and back.

 

Spencer runs into Olivia Baker (Samantha Logan) as he comes downstairs, and she acts awkwardly around him. He asks Jordan Baker (Michael Evans Behling) if something’s wrong with Olivia, and he asks what she told him. Spencer comments that she’s acting strange and looking at him the way Jordan is currently looking at him. Laura Fine-Baker (Monet Mazur) asks Spencer if he wants breakfast, but Spencer tells her he has Grace’s muffins that she makes once a year.

 

Laura is surprised that it’s his birthday, but Spencer doesn’t want to make a big deal of it. She insists they have to celebrate, and Coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) wishes him a happy birthday. Laura asks who they should invite, but Spencer tells her that he’s having a small dinner with his family and doesn’t want a party. However, she insists on having a small gathering and Jordan tells Spencer that he can’t say no.

 

Leila Keating (Greta Onieogou) wishes Spencer a happy birthday and thanks him for helping Asher (Cody Christian). She tells him that Laura sent out an invitation for his birthday, and that she and Asher will be there. Leila tells him that she has a gift for him and asks to meet later so she can give it to him. Jordan asks Olivia if she’s jealous of Leila talking to their brother, but she denies that Spencer’s their brother. Jordan lists the evidence they’ve found, and suggests they investigate where Billy’s monthly payments are going. Olivia is hesitant about the trouble that the revelation would bring to everyone and tells him that some secrets should be left alone.

 

Laura calls Grace and invites her and Dillon to Spencer’s party. Grace is surprised that Spencer agreed to have one, but Laura insists it’s a small gathering, calling the language a grey area. Grace agrees to go and tells Spencer. Coop and Dillon bring in the cake and tells Spencer to make a wish as he blows out the candles. Later, Spencer thanks Grace for dinner and Coop for helping Asher. He tells Coop that Shawn may have her back, but not as much as he does.

 

As Coop makes out with Patience (Chelsea Tavares), Patience asks her to go out with her. Coop is hesitant, and Patience asks if she’s embarrassed of her. Patience reminds Coop that she’s always busy and asks if she’s still her girl. Coop assures her she is and tells her that she can’t go out tomorrow due to work. Patience asks when she’s available and pulls away from Coop when she tries to kiss her.

 

Leila takes Spencer to the Rose Bowl field, and Spencer is in awe as he imagines himself playing there one day. Spencer tells her it’s the best present he’s ever gotten, but Leila hands him his real present, field-pass tickets to tomorrow’s game. He is excited until he sees that they’re playing Eastern Nevada, explaining that his father coaches for them.

 

Billy finds Spencer throwing himself into his workout and asks what’s wrong. Spencer tells him about his father being in town, and Billy asks if he reached out. Spencer tells him he’s never reached out and that he wants to tell him at the game how much he has achieved without him. Billy tells Spencer that he hasn’t spoken to his own father in years and advises him to find what he needs in the people who are there for him.

 

Asher suggests to Leila that the skip Spencer’s party and spend the evening together, but Leila reminds him that Spencer helped him. He admits it’s weird having Spencer know the truth about him, but Leila asks if it’s weird that she knows the truth. Leila asks him how long he plans to keep the secret, and Asher admits he doesn’t know. She tells him she doesn’t want to participate in the embellishments and Asher promises not to make her lie for him. Leila tells him she loves him whether he has money or not but advises him to learn to love himself.

 

Olivia apologizes to Spencer at work for her behavior, but he tells her he’s busy. She accuses him of acting strange, and he tells her about his father and that he’s decided not to go to the game. He tells her about the advice Billy gave him, and she is surprised that Billy encouraged him not to go. Later, Olivia tells Jordan that she got an address for Billy’s wire transfers and that they should get some answers.

 

Olivia and Jordan drive to the Crenshaw address and Olivia questions Jordan’s choice to approach the house by pretending to sell candy. As they approach the house, Willy Baker (Brent Jennings) identifies them to his friend as his grandkids. Willy shows them old family photos and tells them that he’s been following their lives. He asks them why they’re showing up now, and Jordan admits they didn’t know he lived there.

 

Willy assesses that Billy doesn’t know they’re there, and Olivia asks why they don’t talk anymore. He declares that Billy forgot where he came from, and Jordan asks about the wire transfers. Willy claims that Billy made it to the NFL because of him and he accepts the monthly payments as a thank you gift. Willy tells them they’re welcome to stop by anytime, and Olivia invites him to the party, suggesting that he try to repair his relationship with Billy. Willy doesn’t think it’s a good idea but thanks them.

 

Grace, Dillon, and Coop arrive for the party, and Spencer asks if they came to take him away. Grace tells him they’ll get through this together, and Spencer assures Grace that he prefers their Crenshaw home to the Baker’s lavish home. As Olivia talks to Coop, Jordan pulls Olivia aside and wants to talk about Willy and Spencer. Olivia insists that Spencer isn’t their brother, but Jordan declares they need to figure out why Billy is lying about his previous relationship with Grace.

 

JJ (Hunter Clowdus) tells everyone about the car, and Asher tries to change the subject. JJ asks how the car was fixed, and Asher claims that he got it fixed with the help of his father’s credit card, causing Leila to walk away. Spencer asks Coop why she didn’t bring Patience with her, insisting they both need to stop worrying about rejection from their parents. He tells her about the tickets, but insists he’s not going as he wants to prioritize the people who’ve been there for him.

 

Billy answers the door and asks Willy what he’s doing there. Willy tells him that his grandkids invited him, and Billy confronts Jordan and Olivia. They point out that he lied about where Willy lived, but Billy tells them he made a decision to do what’s best for their family. Jordan suggests that Billy wants to force Willy to leave because he’s afraid that the truth will come out, accusing him of keeping secrets.

 

Laura asks what’s going on and Billy explains the situation. Jordan tells them Olivia invited Willy, but Olivia argues that investigating the address was his idea. Laura breaks up the argument and demands to know what they’re talking about. Jordan asks Billy if Spencer is their brother, presenting their findings to him. Billy and Laura poke holes in all of their evidence and call them the worst detectives. Billy confirms that he’s not Spencer’s father, and Laura promises that they will be punished after the party.

 

Willy recognizes Spencer, and he is surprised that he knows him. Spencer tells him the party is for him and that he lives with Billy now. Willy introduces himself as Billy’s dad, and admits they haven’t spoken since he married Laura. He comments that he wished Billy stayed with Grace and tells Spencer about their former relationship. Asher tells Leila that he’s ready to leave, but Leila confronts him about his money embellishment and tells him that she is now complicit in his lies. She tells him it’s embarrassing to watch, causing Asher to get offended and leave.

 

Willy comments to Laura about their house, questioning if the previous house wasn’t big enough for them. He tells Billy that he’s living the ‘OJ’ life now, and Billy tells him to leave. Willy loudly comments that family doesn’t mean anything, and Spencer tells Billy that Willy’s making an effort. Billy tells him he doesn’t know the history, and Spencer confronts him and Grace about their relationship. Grace admits she didn’t want Spencer to know that his transfer was her idea, and Spencer accuses her of lying to him. Spencer accuses Billy of discouraging him from seeing his father because his father would have told him the truth. He declares that at least his father never lied to him and storms out of the party.

 

Spencer approaches the team bus and asks to speak to his father, identifying himself as his son. The bus pulls away, leaving Spencer on the street. He sees Billy approach him and tells him that his father isn’t with the team anymore. Billy tries to express sympathy, but Spencer pushes him away. Coop visits Patience and confesses that she wasn’t at work, but at Spencer’s party. She apologizes for lying and assures her that she’s not ashamed of her. Coop admits she’s ashamed of herself, but that she’s realized that she doesn’t want to lose Patience. She tells her she doesn’t want to hide their relationship anymore and Patience kisses her.

 

Spencer admits to Billy that he came because he wanted to let go of his dad. Billy assures him that he’s grown into a fine man, but that he needs a team of people who support him around him. He tells Spencer that he hopes he chooses to be a part of his team, as he’s already chosen him. Jordan admits that Olivia was right that the investigation should have been left alone. She tells him he was right, insisting that the truth is the only way to move forward. Olivia admits that she pulled away from everyone due to her mistake that she deeply regrets. She confesses that she slept with Asher while drunk and stops Jordan from confronting him. Olivia begs him to promise not to tell anyone, and Jordan agrees before comforting her.

 

As Coop and Patience walk down the street holding hands, Grace assures Spencer that she never meant to hurt him. Spencer tells her he knows and tells her he’s ready to let go of his father. He tells her he has everything he needs right there, and she embraces him. Leila greets her father, JP Keating (Elvis Nolasco) and she introduces her to his new girlfriend.

 

Billy visits Willy, telling him he came to talk. He asks why Willy showed up at the house, and Willy admits that meeting Jordan and Olivia gave him hope. Billy asks how there can be hope when he still doesn’t accept Laura, and Willy declares that Laura isn’t one of them. Billy tells him that he loves Laura, and there’s nothing to talk about if he doesn’t accept her. Willy comments on Spencer’s reaction to finding out Billy and Grace’s history and tells him that Spencer’s father had a lot to say to him before he left town. He questions how Spencer will react when he finds out what really happened to his father.