All American – I

By starrymag | October 30, 2018

By: Jessica Wolff

 

 

Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) and Jordan Baker (Michael Evans Behling) get up early for practice, and Coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) works them hard, declaring they need to work as a team. In the locker room, Jordan reminds an angry Asher (Cody Christian) that Billy always works them harder after a loss. However, Asher reminds him that Spencer is the reason they lost. Jordan tries to assure everyone they’re a team, but Asher insists Spencer isn’t one of them.

 

Tiana ‘Coop’ Cooper (Bre-Z) goes to church as the choir finishes rehearsing, locking eyes with one of the singers, Patience (Chelsea Tavares). Coop hugs the choir director, her mother (Judith Scott), asking what time she and dad are leaving. Coop’s mother asks if she plans on throwing a house party and jokes around before telling they’ll be gone when she gets home from school. After saying goodbye, Coop’s mother warns her not to have any boys over.

 

Students whisper and laugh at Spencer as he walks down the halls. He walks up to a student and asks to see his phone, seeing memes of his fumble being passed around. Spencer begins to approach Asher, but Jordan pulls him back and reminds him that he’ll be kicked out if he fights. Spencer asks if he’s not allowed to stand up for himself, but Jordan insists that Asher’s attacks aren’t personal. Spencer tells Jordan that Asher and his group are his people and walks away.

 

In practice, Asher tackles Spencer to the ground and Billy yells at him to get off the field. Jordan shoves Asher, telling him he crossed the line, and a team fight breaks out. Billy breaks up the fight, calling them out for not acting like a team and accusing them of quitting. He tells them that if they can’t come together as a team by Monday, he will work them even harder next week. Jordan agrees with Billy, requesting a team meeting to work together on the issues.

 

Spencer walks away, telling them that he has to get back to Crenshaw. Jordan questions his decision to walk out on the team, and Spencer replies that he’s been giving his all for the team. Jordan reminds him that he just fought Asher for him, but Spencer replies that he didn’t ask him to defend him. Spencer reminds him that the weekend is the only opportunity to see his family and reminds him that he’s not one of them.

 

Leila Keating (Greta Onieogou) remarks to Olivia Baker (Samantha Logan) that their meeting is like old times, and Olivia questions why their teacher paired them up. Leila suggests they make the best of it and sit down to work. Asher and JJ (Hunter Clowdus) approaches their booth, and Olivia questions why he’s there. Asher suggests the four of them work on the project together and sits down with them.

 

Spencer tells Coop that the Beverly kids don’t accept him, and she reminds him that acceptance goes both ways. He asks if she’s come out to her parents yet, and she tells him she’s not responsible for their blindness before telling him not to change the subject. She tells him that his heart is still in Crenshaw, pointing out that he hasn’t taken off his Crenshaw ring. Spencer approaches his old team as they practice, asking Chris (Spence Moore II) if he’s coming to his mother’s cookout later.

 

JJ offers to get more food, but Leila offers to get it this time around. Olivia is surprised that Leila still knows her drink order. Once they’re alone, Olivia reminds Asher that she agreed to keep their hookup a secret from Leila and Asher doesn’t want to hurt Leila, Jordan, or her with the revelation. Asher tells her that he knows she had a tough year and doesn’t want to mess things up for her.

 

Spencer sees Jordan’s car parked outside his house and finds him inside helping Grace James (Karimah Westbrook) get ready for the cookout. Jordan tells Spencer they need to find a way to work as a team, but Spencer tells him he has no intention of making fake friendships with people who don’t like him. Spencer tells him they don’t understand him or Crenshaw, and Jordan decides to stay for the cookout despite Spencer’s protests, arguing that it’s a great way to get to know him.

 

At the cookout, Coop ignores a call from Shawn and tells Spencer to join her and Patience while Dillon James (Jalyn Hall) talks to Jordan. Billy comments that it’s been a while upon seeing Leila come home with Olivia and offers to help with their project, suggesting they watch a movie. Spencer invites Jordan over to their table, and Jordan tells them he has a grandma that lives near here. Chris comes over telling Spencer he’s brought Cam (Mitchell Edwards) over, and Spencer asks them to join the table.

 

Leila jokes about Olivia’s tendency to cry at movies, and she tries to talk to her about last year. Olivia tries to change the subject, telling her that she doesn’t remember everything she did then. Leila decides to leave, declaring that she shouldn’t have asked for them to pair up for the project and that she won’t force herself into her life if she’s unwilling.

 

As they debate who the best rapper is, Jordan makes a passionate argument. The others are impressed by his rap knowledge, and they accept him into the group as one of them. As they continue to debate topics, Chris makes a comment about Spencer that he takes offense to. Chris tells him that Beverly has made him soft, and Spencer challenges him to say what he wants to say.

 

Chris tells him that he’s doesn’t belong at Crenshaw anymore since he abandoned them. Jordan defends Spencer, and Chris jokes about the fact that Beverly hasn’t been to the playoffs. Jordan decides to call the rest of the team and have Beverly and Crenshaw play each other to settle the argument.

 

A crowd gathers, and the rest of the Beverly team arrives, and Jordan is surprised that Asher showed up. Asher assures Jordan that he has his back even though they’re fighting. Spencer hands Coop his Crenshaw ring and the game begins. As the team plays, Grace arrives and rushes to stop the game upon seeing Spencer spit out blood. Coop stops her, telling her that if they don’t play this game, they’ll fight on the streets instead.

 

Cam and Spencer taunt each other as Crenshaw leads Beverly seven to nothing. Beverly ties up the game, but Crenshaw comes back to make the game fourteen to seven. Jordan urges Spencer to stop playing both sides of the ball, but Spencer insists he knows their plays and that he can do it. Spencer observes Cam and is able to return an interception for a touchdown to tie the game.

 

Campus security breaks up the game, telling Spencer and Chris that they’re better than this. Spencer urges Chris to stop this, insisting they’re family as he holds out his hand. Chris calls him a joke and walks away. Olivia finds Leila at the restaurant and admits that she’s been absorbed in her own drama. She tells Leila she’s realized it’s the second anniversary of Leila’s mother’s death and apologizes. Leila tells her she doesn’t need her pity and leaves the restaurant.

 

Patience asks Coop when she first admitted she was gay, and Coop admits she’s never said the words but knows it’s who she is. Coop tells Patience that she likes her, and Coop invites her inside her house. Jordan comments how intense the game was but tells Spencer it’s a good thing the team showed up for him. Spencer insists they only showed up for Jordan and calls him out for not letting him handle the situation himself. Spencer asks why he came there and Jordan comments that Spencer also came to his world and shook everything up.

 

A cop pulls them over and Jordan asks why. The cop tells him they made an illegal turn at a red light, and Jordan tries to argue. Spencer warns him to cooperate, and Jordan hands over his license and registration but continues arguing. The cop tells him to get out of the car, and Jordan threatens to call his lawyer mom as he steps out of the car. The cop slams Jordan against the hood and then pushes Jordan to the ground. Spencer tells the cop that arresting Jordan isn’t necessary, and the cop’s partner orders him to get out of the car, arresting him as well.

 

Laura Fine-Baker (Monet Mazur) calls the police station and threatens to sue as Jordan and Spencer arrive home. Jordan asks Billy why he didn’t defend him, but Billy argues he got them home. Billy asks why he argued with the cop, and Jordan replies that he was standing up for himself. Spencer asks Billy why he never talked to Jordan about dealing with the police, and Billy admits he thought he’d have more time before Jordan learned the ugly side of being a black man in America.

 

As Coop plays keyboard for her, Patience asks why she’s wasting her time at Crenshaw when she could be making money off her music. She accuses Coop of blushing and leans in to kiss her. The next morning, Coop urges Patience to go as she hears her mom come home. Her mom comes in and says hello before telling Patience she should get home.

 

Jordan arrives with the rest of the team and asks Spencer why he called a meeting. Spencer apologizes for pushing them away, explaining that their experience with the cop showed they weren’t that different. Spencer thanks the team for coming to help him with the game. He admits that the Crenshaw team was like his family, and that he saw the bond they had when they showed up.

 

Spencer tells them that Crenshaw will always be a part of him, but Beverly is a part of who he’s becoming. He admits that he lost them the game, but the team steps up to admit their own mistakes in the game and Asher admits that his clouded judgment helped them lose before they even started playing. Jordan leads the team in a huddle chant as Billy looks on.

 

Coop’s mother tells Coop she doesn’t want her seeing Patience anymore, as there have been rumblings in the church. Coop comments that Patience being gay is a problem since she’s gay too, but her mother tells her she’s just confused. Coop asks her mom to look at her and tells her no amount of prayer is going to change the fact that she’s gay. Coop’s mother tells Coop that they love her, but she can’t live in their house if she doesn’t live by their rules. Coop declares that she doesn’t live there anymore.

 

Spencer tells Chris that Cam is good but telegraphs his moves every play. He tells him that if Cam can stop that, Crenshaw is going to the playoffs. Chris asks why he’s helping them, and Spencer tells him this is still his community. Billy sits Jordan down and tells him what happened with the police is not his fault before promising to give him the talk about the reality of facing the police. Jordan asks if he would have given it earlier if he looked like Spencer, and Billy admits he probably would have. Jordan asks why Billy never took him to Crenshaw, asking if it’s because he’s ashamed of him. Billy replies that it’s more about his past and agrees to start showing Jordan his background.

 

Leila meets Olivia and they sit on a bench together as Grace and Spencer welcome Coop into their home. Billy takes Jordan to a black barbershop, and the barber shows Jordan an old press clipping of Billy’s, mentioning that he used to date Grace. Jordan is surprised, and the barber shows him old pictures of Billy and Grace, commenting that he always thought they would get married.