S02.E01: Hussle & Motivate

[Lady Calypso]

Quote

SEASON PREMIERE – After winning the state championship, Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) faces a difficult decision that could transform his reputation. Billy (Taye Diggs) realizes he needs to make some major changes to get his life back on track, while Grace (Karimah Westbrook) and Corey (Chad L. Coleman) have a tough conversation regarding their family. Bre-Z, Greta Onieogou, Samantha Logan, Michael Evans Behling, Cody Christian, Monet Mazur and Jalyn Hall also star.  Rob Hardy directed the episode written by Nkechi Okoro Carroll. (#201). Original airdate 10/07/2019.

[mojoween]

I do not in any way pretend to know how influential Nipsey was or even how much he meant to his fans, but I appreciate a network TV show going there regardless.

So Corey has a secret family.  Huh.

I wish Laila would just accept help.  She is going to crash again worse than the first time. 

[UNOSEZ]

Felt all the love for neighborhood Nip... Appreciated that... Glad Coop seems to have gotten outta the gang life relatively unscathed... Not sure I trust that agent girl... Did grace and Cory forget that not finding out the paternity issue definitively could mean keeping half-siblings away from each other... If Billy really is the dad?  Seems selfish... Especially with everyone so damn entwined... Typical TV Trope of ppl keeping stupid secrets to themselves  for "reasons"

[DearEvette]

This show has grown.  This episode was very well done.  Well paced and hit a lot of great emotional and dramatic beats.  The writing seems to have matured.  The grown folks was acting like grown folks!  Well except for the whole "don't get the parternity test done.  That's just tv dumb.

I love he Nipsey love!  And I love how it contributed to the resolution of the Coop-as-snitch story.  Nice bit of real-life tv-life synergy there.

Great soapy development with Spencer's dad in the end.  I like how it sets up both domestic beef and on the field beef with the new kid as a rival in more ways than just on the football field.

[topanga]

13 minutes ago, DearEvette said:

This show has grown.  This episode was very well done.  Well paced and hit a lot of great emotional and dramatic beats.  The writing seems to have matured.  The grown folks was acting like grown folks!  Well except for the whole "don't get the parternity test done.  That's just tv dumb.

I love he Nipsey love!  And I love how it contributed to the resolution of the Coop-as-snitch story.  Nice bit of real-life tv-life synergy there.

Great soapy development with Spencer's dad in the end.  I like how it sets up both domestic beef and on the field beef with the new kid as a rival in more ways than just on the football field.

Good premiere. The show had a lot of story lines to address, and it handled them well.

The scenes with Billy and Spencer are always my favorite, but I'm glad Spencer's mom also played a pivotal role in this episode.

But Spencer and Olivia are both correct. Billy wasn't dealing with the issues with his family or his job. He was throwing himself a pity party and soothing his wounds with alcohol.  

I still like the idea of Spencer and Olivia better than the actual relationship between Spencer and Laila, but I get that Spencer and Olivia are supposed to have more of a sibling vibe. The actors just have great chemistry together.

And I'm the one who kept calling Laila boring last season. I know it's a trope that a "nice" character has to experience a tragedy to make them interesting, but in this case, it's working. Laila IS more interesting with her fears and feelings of abandonment. And it's sad that she feels she can't confide in anyone about what she's going through--not even her BFFs Spencer and Olivia. I hope she talks to someone soon. Before she has another breakdown. And living in a hotel can't be cheap. 

I'm also glad to see that the show's ratings have almost doubled since last season. That exposure on Netflix really helped.