All American: Homecoming - General Discussion

[KWalkerInc]

The writers obviously didn't want to have to tie Simone into the sadness of the tragedy on the parent show, but I guess they felt they had to do something to acknowledge her connection to the Bakers, so they did the very least they possibly could!  Of course they have the excuse that the memorials were done so quickly that Simone couldn't have gotten there, but the voicemail/text reply was lame.  I think it is a sign that they plan on not really linking the shows so much if there is another season, but maybe they could have just had Simone be a little subdued for at least part of the episode. 

Damon blamed JR for convincing him not to pursue Simone at the end of the previous show, but I hadn't thought he was really convinced.  I thought Damon was still going to say something until Simone said they were just friends.  Of course, that doesn't matter now anyway.  I don't think they will get together, but it is nice that Damon actually said something, because I expected it to just drag on in limbo for a long time (which can be annoying to watch).

When they had Thea receiving the dance invitation and jewelry from Damon at the beginning, I was really annoyed thinking that he was trying to pivot back to her immediately because he couldn't get with Simone, so I was glad that it was just something previously set up.  Thea's scene with Nate when they were discussing going to the dance was great.  I'm glad Thea doesn't seem devastated about being rejected by Damon, but she'll probably find out she's not ready for pro tennis and suffer a major setback.

I hope that Nate's secret admirer will be a real romantic prospect and not some underhanded ploy by Nico to distract Nate from the election.  It should be fun watching her try to track down her dance partner, but I just don't trust Nico so that popped in my head.

I was surprised that there are only three episodes left in the season (though it made sense that someone in the episode said it was "almost May").  I thought there would be more than 15 episodes, but I guess the CW will have either another show premiering or some cheap filler crap to finish out the year.

[Rae Spellman]

The "advice" was only part of it. Damon wanted his older brother to support him. But, JR told him that their fledgling friend group was more important to him than Damon's feelings! On a day when Nate, JR, and Simone essentially told Damon to keep his feelings to himself, he gave up. The more Damon thought about it, the more upset he was that he didn't follow his gut. Fortunately, Cam gave Damon the talk that he needed and JR came around. 

Other Random Questions/Thoughts: Will we ever see Thea's roommate Rochelle? Rome might not be the guy for Thea. In addition to pressuring Thea to continue taking cortisone shots, he kissed Simone on New Year's Eve. 

 

Edited February 27, 2023 by Rae Spellman

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Did Thea declare as a pro?

Remind me to never travel through Loveland County, GA.

TPTB went too far and ended up portraying caricature with the po po harassment.  At a minimum, they should have at least had one of the cops say, lie or not, that they had been tipped to some type of illegal transport. 

Of all the absurdity we witnessed, I think the biggest was Simone's standard imposition of herself into the situation.  Just what was she thinking she'd accomplish by getting out of the bus when insane cop had yelled for all of them to stay the F inside as they conducted business with the driver and coach.  Oh no, our intrepid hero just haaaaaad to show out.  This show performed a major disservice by showing the young audience just what NOT to do when dealing with such a cop - especially when the cop is agitated.  

I don't understand Amara's solution to the development of the property being fought over by the AD.  Just what is she planning to use to pay for ongoing mental health services, which will be hugely expensive?  How much space would such a place need, given the relatively small number of students and staff? 

I also do not understand how she would ever get away with keeping the AD in the dark when she was apprised of the tennis team's ordeal.  He would rightly scream to the heavens to the Board, who would back him all the way.  Speaking of...what the heck changed the Board's antithesis toward Amara?  They were clearly cold to her and her efforts to stop the AD.  Now they are all besties again?  When, and how?

Nate got served in the debate.  Nico did way more than needed to solidify his election.  What farce that Nate was declared the victor due to her "stick to the issues" meme.  She used that in the first half and still got destroyed.

Keisha be trippin' if she thinks she can take down Pace for the decision Keisha made - unless she lies about it.  Pace clearly told her to concentrate on mastering the basics of that dance.  Case closed.  The wee lass just does  not have what it takes to make it as a dancer.  She might could make a good instructor and/or a choreographer.  It is not Pace's fault that she is not strong and coordinated enough to cut it.  It is not on Pace that our Icarus had her wings melt.

Why is that Intro to dance 101 class is given so many opportunities?  There would be any number of upperclassmen who would have proven themselves over and over again and who would have needed (and earned) the exposure every bit as much as the Freshmen and Sophomores.

All in all, I got the sense that TPTB tried to cram as much as they could into this ep, knowing that renewal prospects were not great.

[luckyroll3]

Since when is Simone the "most logical" person?!?!?!? Do these writers not watch their own show?

Oooh Dr. Pace is eeeeeeeviiiiiiiiiilllllllll! And I kind of love it! Keisha is no match for this kind of mastermind. 

[KWalkerInc]

If they wanted Simone to be the one to get credit for keeping everyone safe, they should have written most of the episode differently.  Some of the time she made sense, but she is the one who yells out of the bus after telling everyone else to stay calm.  I can't remember, but I hope she wasn't the one who suggested they all get up and start stretching.  I was cringing even though I didn't think the show would have them get killed.  Not only is her mom a lawyer, but her ex-husband was put in a similar situation on All American several seasons ago (with Spencer keeping him calm as they were harassed), so I don't know what she was thinking some of the time.  If they still make reference to being a spinoff, they might have Simone hear from Olivia once the video makes news

Spoiler

(because of her experience releasing a video--rather questionably given that her mom was D.A. in midst of the case--of police killing a woman)

, but maybe just a text or something.

I know that Dr. Pace is supposed to just be so evil, but sometimes I sympathize with her, that she just wants to get this pain in the ass out of her class so she can go back to teaching the other students.  It doesn't seem like she's that unreasonable most of the time or that anyone but Keisha is complaining.  I guess they can't make her super-abusive to everyone (though it seems like we're supposed to see it that way) or she wouldn't have lasted so long.  Or they could have had someone from the past come forward and tell Keisha some legitimately terrible thing that Dr. Pace did.  I suppose that will happen soon to help Keisha oust her, which would still be better than if Dr. Pace suddenly declares that she just pushes Keisha because she sees greatness in her or some crap like that.

I hope that Nate will still win because it could set up more storylines for her for season three (oops, almost forgot this was the second season), but the show probably won't last anyway.  It's too bad the network seems to be going in some other direction and cancelling most everything.

It was nice that the player from the other baseball team was trying to help out Damon and that they showed that rivals don't always have to hate each other.  I laughed before that when JR and Santiago were like, "I guess cocky Damon is back" and "This isn't going to end well."

Edited March 16, 2023 by KWalkerInc
spoiler tagged aa info.

[luckyroll3]

2 hours ago, KWalkerInc said:

I suppose that will happen soon to help Keisha oust her, which would still be better than if Dr. Pace suddenly declares that she just pushes Keisha because she sees greatness in her or some crap like that.

I skipped a lot of words reading this and totally thought you were saying that Dr. Pace would suddenly push Keisha out a window!  🤣  Would make this a totally different show, but I'd watch it!

 

[TVForever]

Something about Keisha annoys me. I'm still trying to decide whether its the character or the actor. I was actually not that angry with Dr Pace until this episode. I thought she was ridiculously strict, but she wasn't wrong about how tough the dance world would be outside of school. 

But setting Keisha up to injure herself and get kicked out of the dance program?That was straight up Mean Girl behavior. And it was wrong. Especially from a person of authority.

[Rae Spellman]

#6, the girl that Thea (almost) beat with one arm, is now "queen of the court." Not Tootie. Not the #3, 4, or 5 player. Simone.

Connections surely matter A LOT. Lawyer mom. President Auntie who hosts team slumber parties, best friend/MLB prospect's mom. 

Julian and JR were a terrible team. Maybe things could have turned out differently if JR spoke to Julian privately and pled his case for changing the pledge process instead of telling him in front of the pledges that he was changing things. At least Julian tried to speak to JR privately before calling in the old guard. That said, Julian is awful. First poor Lou was limping. Now he has a dislocated shoulder. 

Lando pitched 8 innings of 1 run ball despite JR's early fielding shenanigans. JR's brother, gave up the game winning run. Not long after that, the MLB prospect essentially told Lando that he wants them to be cool when Simone ends their "not serious thing" so she can be with Damon.

Simone and Damon should get together and leave the other people who like(d) them alone. Surely there's someone at Bringston who appreciates a guy who brings dessert when they are invited to family dinner and drops off care packages when one can't be alone with a guy for six weeks.

Showing up to that KEK party certainly worked out for Trevor. 

[KWalkerInc]

In another implausible budget-related absence, I absolutely do not believe that Keisha, regardless of how upset she is with Dr. Pace, would just take off after what happened to Simone and the team.  They could have had her leave last week without knowing about the tennis team's trauma, but it doesn't make sense that she would leave afterwards.  I guess she really is trying to find someone to back her up about Dr. Pace being evil.  That is better than if she tries to bait Dr. Pace into admitting to manipulating her in a recording or something.  What I was wondering was why Dr. Pace (if she really did manipulate Keisha into injuring herself, as she likely did) didn't just say her dancing wasn't good enough and flunk her for that, but maybe that wasn't dramatic enough.  (At least Thea being gone last week was tied into the plot with everyone being mad at her at first.)

The championship game was at Bringston, but they didn't bat last.  Obviously it was for plot reasons, but I wonder if it was the kind of crap they like to do in NCAA regionals, where they have the lesser seed bat last because otherwise it's "not fair" because they're the away team and don't have as many fans there, that the top seed already has an advantage.  Usually that's only in multiple game settings for one of the games though.  I wasn't paying enough attention to see if Damon shook off Santiago when he was insisting on throwing the curve (Santiago looked surprised, but maybe he was surprised just by the homer).  I kept wondering why Marcus wouldn't take JR out of the game, but of course he had to have Damon's speech fix his terrible play instead.

I don't know if it's the way the writers intended, but Simone seems to act like she likes to be around Lando more than Damon.  Maybe it's just meant to show that their relationship is "easier."  If not, then don't continue to drag out Simone and Damon forever (if the show is renewed, that is).

[Lonesome Rhodes]

So much to process...

Once again, we are "treated" to the absurd dynamic between Amara and the Board.  This one takes the proverbial cake.  I could totally see the Board warning her off about the rally.  That's what Boards do - avoid rocking boats at all costs.  But, the switcheroo to full support of Amara after the fact was ridiculous.  Worse than all that, the communication between the Board and president Amara was, and remains, atrocious.  

I do like that Keisha is forced to look elsewhere to really "get" Pace.  She has almost nothing by way of proof of actual personal abuse.  But, as noted by KWalkerInc above, leaving for NYC while her besties are truly suffering from a civil rights outrage?  Nuh uh. 

I am sad that Thea appears to be gone.  She certainly has had an impact.  Just as Pace made Keisha and sooooo many others better through tough expectations, Simone is much better at tennis for having Thea push her, which was acknowledged.

Can we please have hanging chads in the election?  Kidding!  I can not stand the "journalist" from the student paper.  Folks like that pretending to be objective yet acting on personal agendae are very dangerous to our country.  Good on Nate for at least calling it out.  Because Nate is portrayed so sympathetically, most young viewers almost certainly care more that Nate will benefit and are dismissive of the critical need for honest reporting.  Not good.

The KEK arc has been tedious from moment one, for me.  I don't care if there is a J.R. cliffhanger over it. 

Hard to decide what I most want to see in the probable final episode.  In a perfect world, Simone gets bounced.  Of course, I also would like to win the Mega Millions lotto.     

 

[Rae Spellman]

The best thing about the KEK plot might be Lou's hair! Who does JR want stripped of their letters, Julian or the alumni guys whose shenanigans resulted in Lou's most recent injury? 

Getting Dr. Pace fired won't help Keisha's relationships with her classmates. It might have been wiser for Keisha to drop Dr. Pace's class and take classes with other dance teachers. Keisha choreographed the event we saw in the backdoor pilot before any formal instruction. The type of dance she does/wants to doesn't seem like the type of dance where one needs a degree/major in dance. 

How is Jesse fit to coach JR for Cape Cod League tryouts when we only saw him at the games that he coached? Even if the actor isn't available, or the budget doesn't all the actor to be in the background at the game, there could be an offhanded comment about him being around. We heard Lando's uncle was at the game last week and took him to celebrate. We hear about Nate's parents when she's away. We've heard about Keena several times and haven't seen her in ages.

[Rae Spellman]

What was the point of the KEK storyline? Damon convinced JR to consider Cam for KEK. Cam was protected of the roughest part of hazing during pledging because of his aneurism. Julian, Cam’s musical theatre partner went harder on the other guys. Cam complained to Gabby. Gabby got JR to change things. Julian went rogue and complained to some guys who kidnapped Cam and Lou. Cam gets a scholarship. JR loses KEK. On top of that, JR probably loses Cape Cod League because he is sick after receiving a transplant and being in remission half his life. At least he found his long lost brother, had a brief hoe season, and got a new girlfriend.

Simone really is the center of the Bringston universe. She walked onto the tennis team, was initially only #6 because Thea was injured. Now, she’s apparently the best and beats the best. PKZ was terrible to Nate and Thea last year. But, they rearrange the final events around Simone’s tennis match. 

At this point Lando may as well exist off camera with the other pitchers on the Bringston roster. But, if the show is renewed, what does the story look like for Damon and Simone if they have absolutely everything at 18-19 years old including each other?

 

[KWalkerInc]

Poor JR.  It sucks that they had to go and make him sick again in their quest to throw in a bunch of cliffhangers that may never be resolved.  At least if the show gets cancelled, he won't die.

I'm guessing that if the show does come back, Simone probably picks Lando just so they could drag things out with Damon longer.  When Damon had his scene with Jesse, I thought that would occupy him for the rest of the episode and it meant that Simone had picked Lando.  That was when I foolishly thought they would actually show her choice.  Then I thought that Damon could have been getting a text from JR about his health, or any of a number of characters, so Lando's must have been from Simone.  But of course they could just show Lando getting a random text to throw viewers off, so I don't know.  It reminds me of a season finale of One Tree Hill where a character called a woman to declare his love and ask her to meet him at the airport, and they had three women he had been involved with at various times all answer their phones at the same time.  Then all summer, the CW would show the ad with them going, "Hello?" simultaneously.

I'm glad Nate won the election and is happy, although her new man would probably turn out to be creepy with the way the writers are on these shows (maybe they don't have the same writers as the parent show though).  My favorite part of the episode was Nate's advice to Simone about her choice, and her reaction to learning that Simone had actually slept with Damon.

Dr. Pace's amazement that Keisha was able to bring her down was pretty good too, and showing some insight into why she ended up like that.  (I still think she was going, "I'm taking a sabbatical to get away from your ass.")  But what if Keisha finds out that a lot of the dance world is full of people like Dr. Pace?  Of course Keisha wants to help break that cycle, but good luck.

I guess they couldn't just let Amara and Marcus be happy in the finale, so he has a secret wife?  WTF?  Did he marry someone during a manic phase and just didn't bother to deal with it?  That was weird.

[Rae Spellman]

If Amara watched Carlos on 9-1-1: Lonestar, Derek on Grey’s, or Hollywood on Queen Sugar, she’ll get over Marcus having a wife who doesn’t have keys to his apartment and wasn’t there during the baseball scandal or his breakdown. It isn’t necessarily worse than Zeke being hesitant to make their relationship official or public when he’s been widowed since Keisha was in elementary school.

Lando’s losses being so Damon-focused is tiring. Simone choosing Lando wouldn’t even be a win for Lando. At this point I’m rooting for Simone and Damon to get together and stay together if the show returns so that there aren’t anymore Lando or Thea-esque casualties. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

It's a shame that a series with lofty goals resorted to the tried and true shock and choice season finale.  I understand that TPTB were under the gun and had to play the game in order to survive cancellation.  It's simply a shame that this is de rigeur in this industry.

Has any character in any show had a better ending than Nate?  Wins the election and finds Prince Charming who left his slipper, er pen.  

I loved that the show used insurance costs as the reason for the cancellation of the exhibition.  Sooooo much good IRL is thwarted for that very reason.

It is truly stunning to me that violence was celebrated.  It is not stunning that the newest KEKs never learned the value of being peace, not war, makers.  Cam is no question gonna pay for this.  He'll probably get an earned suspension.  This will be a major arc.

The choreography of the probate initiation was fun to watch.  Nice that this significant element of HBCU student life was given such a prominent place all season.

I seriously want to know what happened to Daddy Keisha.  Did Amara officially blow him off?  Did he get some great job somewhere?  Seems to me TPTB ghosted him.

Keisha's plan was fab.  Too bad she didn't understand it was not merited until it was too late.  The little speech about how Pace's students would go out and find early success but then get burned or grinded out had nothing to do with being scarred by Pace.  Every last one of her students who ventured out into the cutthroat world of Dance was stronger and better because of her.  She is not the one who created the super tough reality of that profession.  I think of the countless folks who could not pass muster in her classes and thus were spared the delusion of making it (they never would have) and the regret of investing soooo much time and energy into it.  They were able to go on to other things which were presumably more a match for their talents.  

IRL, I believe Pace would be celebrated as an icon of HBCU development through toughness.  Bringston would be known for its dance program.  Oh well, at least they did not write her out.

The interview process for Cape Cod baseball?  Hilarious.  You think they give a rat's patootie up there about well-rounded growth for its players?  Can we now dispense with the dense Damon?  Has he had enough breakthroughs?  Ugh.

Amara reveling in how much she is "liked" was very odd.  Her entire professional life has taught her to be wary and to keep things tight, else someone chop her head off.  We've seen ample evidence of this peril all season.  It's one thing to be proud of the progress of the wellness center.  Quite another to do a Sally Field.

I vote that Simone chooses neither one and returns to L.A.  I'd bet a lot she goes with Lando, though.  The actor said that is what she prefers.

Thea sure spends a lot of time in Atlanta when her brand spanking new pro tennis career awaits.  I wish they hadn't turned her into such a sugary supporter of all things Bringston and especially Simone.  

Well, I wish all concerned good luck.  They really did try, imo, to share a piece of America not widely known and certainly not understood.  The biggest lesson of all, imo, is that for all our differences, the way this show was presented proves that we all have the same wants and motivations.  AAH deserves our respect.

 

[luckyroll3]

Keisha arranged all of that in a week and half?!?!?!? If that's the case, then she should rethink her future career as a dancer and become, I don't know, a corporate raider or a CIA operative who works to take down fascist regimes or something. 

[Rae Spellman]

This show will lose me if JR loses KEK or baseball for more than a few episodes. 

Thea went from injured to having the option to go pro in season two. Jessie mentioned JR's hopefulness. Maybe JR, the hopeful fighter will be sidelined from baseball for a few months only to recover in time for a championship rematch that Bringston wins and/or Cape Cod League next year. 

Simone's potential season-long suspension was reduced to a single match. Maybe JR will lose KEK  for an episode or three while his brothers figure out how to save the chapter and JR's standing with the fraternity. 

Unpopular opinions: Damon's relationship with JR is more interesting than his relationship with Simone. Simone's relationship with Thea is more interesting than her relationship with Damon. I'd rather see the conversation Simone had with the guy she turned down than the ridiculous conversation she had with the guy she chose. 

 

 

[luckyroll3]

4 hours ago, Rae Spellman said:

Unpopular opinions: Damon's relationship with JR is more interesting than his relationship with Simone. Simone's relationship with Thea is more interesting than her relationship with Damon.

I don't think these are unpopular opinions at all! I think many of us are over the Simone/Damon end game. We've just prepared ourselves for the writers pushing this will they/won't they love story when we all know they'll be forcing a they will, even when there are clearly better story options they could roll with.

[KWalkerInc]

Renewed for season 3.

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Just found out.  I am happily stunned.  Now let's see the details...

Certainly there will be cast reductions.  Who stays?  How many of the writers will come back?  When will the writers writ large ever return?  Is there any real chance season 3 airs before next Spring?  

We're looking at a dismal Q4 for new original programing.  But, we'll have this series to look forward to.  Party at Lonesome's if Simone somehow got expelled from the show.

[KWalkerInc]

Many of the articles about renewals have mentioned the possibility of severe cast reductions, and I am a little frightened after reading how many people are to be cut from Superman & Lois, although that likely had a bigger previous budget with the special effects.  I hope Nate will still at least be on from time to time, maybe Cam and Keisha could be recurring too (it would probably be a matter of how much they are paid for the difference between regular and recurring, as they certainly were already missing a lot of episodes even before).  Thea is probably the most likely to be written out completely since they already had the storyline of her turning pro.  I hope they will keep JR, and Amara and Marcus for old(er) people like me even if those two aren't in every show.  (They have to at least explain his secret wife.)  I'm kind of afraid it will be all Simone and Damon all the time--not together, as I think she picked Lando even though he was never a regular and might end up in like one or two episodes--but continuing to circle around each other endlessly.

[luckyroll3]

At this point, I'm only tuning in for Nate. So if she goes, I don't know if I could stomach the Simone and Damon will they, wont' they. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Miss Nathanielle is clearly the most important and impactful character.  It sure as heck ain't J.R.  But, it's difficult to see how the show goes on without our favorite baseball prospect.

Amara is the glue and allows for some very interesting looks at the abuse of power.  I think she is a "gotta stay."

The whole Greek thing ought to go away, but it is too easy/obviously a mechanism for draaaaaama.

Since the chances of continuing beyond season 3 are not all that great, TPTB have an opportunity to eschew the standard ratings precepts, eg the dreadful Simone/J.R. fiasco of a relationship.  I sincerely hope they use this license to bring in new blood who will come with/create very specific HBCU issues.  In a perfect world, there would also be an arc with outside privileged students who would show how difficult it can be to foster unity and friendship when there are so many pressures related to man's natural tribalism.  Even the very best intentions can be co-opted and this show has a rare opportunity to teach this. /gets down from soap box

 

 

[Rae Spellman]

Even if JR misses Cape Cod League, maybe he'll recover and get to attend the All American Universe's version of HBCU Swingman Classic during MLB All Star Week at some point before he graduates. 

Instead of having Thea go pro, Damon could have gone pro. He could have been drafted by the Braves, or some other team with a minor league team in the Atlanta metro, and spent plenty of time with his brother and/or Simone. He could even take classes at Bringston in the off season. 

[Artsda]

Well wow he's not who I expected to go. He's the male main.  

 

 

 

 

 

[KWalkerInc]

So I guess everything is supposed to just revolve around Simone?  This is just stupid!

[luckyroll3]

9 hours ago, KWalkerInc said:

So I guess everything is supposed to just revolve around Simone?  This is just stupid!

12 hours ago, Artsda said:

Well wow he's not who I expected to go. He's the male main.  

Also surprised by this since the showed seemed to be a vehicle to feature him after they wasted him on Legacies. Looks like they both might be recurring, but hopefully he's found something better. 

[Lonesome Rhodes]

The three I most wanted to return were Keisha, Nathaniel,  and Thea.  I got two out of three and a maybe on Thea.  I'll take it.

I'm happy that Amara was significantly reduced.  Not sure how Marcus recurs, but hopefully (for his own good) this all means Amara kicked him to the curb.

It appears that Simone and Damon will be long distance, at best.  Run, Damon, RUN!

Of course, all of this is subject to who and what survives the strike.  I wouldn't be shocked if the show as a whole gets canned.

Here's another blurb on the announced changes:

https://tvseriesfinale.com/tv-show/all-american-homecoming-season-three-several-cw-series-regulars-to-have-reduced-roles-for-2023-24/

[Lonesome Rhodes]

Series creator fleshes out some of the changes for next season.

Seems like some budgetary reductions - not removals - for several characters, including Damon.  The cut I most dislike is Nathaniel becoming a lesser regular.  No mention of Simone's presence.  I'd bet that may even increase.

https://screenrant.com/all-american-homecoming-season-3-damon-exit-explained/

[KWalkerInc]

Martin Bobb Semple (Lando) will be a series regular.

He probably should have been promoted anyway, but I still am not thrilled with how cheap this show will seemingly be (and likely a LOT of Simone all the time).  There was another article where the CW head was saying that the show's fate (and some others') will be based on creative and not financial decisions now.  (He seemed to be gloating about how much money they saved by dumping people, but maybe that's just what I read into it.)  Who knows when it will start anyway, as it still wasn't on the latest schedule that announced the return of All American.

[Artsda]

So they dumped the people that cost more and promoted him?