This All American review contains spoilers.
All American Season 2 Episode 2
All American Season 2 Episode 2 “Speak Ya Clout” delves more into the new kid at South Crenshaw and what happens when teenagers are left unattended. The episode begins with Coop (Bre-Z) playing around with some beats let me tell you, those beats are fire.
The All American Season 2 premiere left us with a cliffhanger on wondering who this new kid Corey (Chad L. Coleman) meets up with at night and turns out, he’s not his biological son, but his ex-girlfriend’s son that lived with him back when he was in Nevada. His name is Darnell (Da’Vinchi). I really thought it would be his son, but the reveal doesn’t make it any less heartbreaking to find out, especially for Spencer (Daniel Ezra). It saddens me to see Spencer hurt like that and the way his face drops when he finds out: cue the tears. It’s angering to Spencer, as it should be. His dad leaves him, his brother, and his mother to attend to a different family in a different state and not once during those seven years does he even bother to give his family an explanation.
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Daniel Ezra delivers an emotional performance during the scene where Spencer confronts Corey: “You didn’t miss us because you replaced us.” If those words don’t sting, I don’t know what will.
It seems though that Darnelll could possibly be a good kid, from what he seems. But he’s the new QB at South Crenshaw, so drama may follow.
While that’s happening, Coop is having a hard time trying to speak out for herself in this episode. She’s back at home with her parents but is also skeptical of bringing Patience (Chelsea Tavares) to the house because she knows her mother doesn’t accept her for who she is just yet. Coop is usually outspoken and doesn’t shy away from speaking her mind, but, in this case ,she’s trying to keep things afloat with her mother. I think in due time, it will get better for her.
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Back in Beverly Hills, things are not looking good. I believe it’s a fact at this point that Laila Keating (Greta Onieogou) is going through depression and she needs to seek help, fast. Someone needs to reach out to her, because going underwater like that as if she was intentionally about to drown herself is very alarming.
We know that she’s staying in a hotel alone and and her father is out in Japan, but she hides all her pain to the ones that are close to her. Spencer starts to piece everything together when he finds out that she lied about being with her father the day she missed class. She’s worrying me. Her behavior has changed, but in the way she masks how she’s feeling it’s almost hard to figure out what’s wrong.
But then again, that’s depression for you. You never know who’s hurting unless you find it in you to reach out. Murmuring “you’re fine,” to yourself as you’re hurting inside doesn’t mean you’re fine at all, Laila. A teenager such as herself shouldn’t have to be left with the burden of feeling so utterly alone like that. Her dad sucks, though. He really does.
With the Bakers, we’re sort of getting somewhere but not quite. Laura (Monet Mazur) seems to be doing okay, but I’m glad to know that she’s welcomed her home again to Spencer. However, Jordan (Michael Evans Behling) on the other hand is getting too carried away with himself. He knows what he’s doing and he’s doing it on purpose to get his parent’s attention. An unattended teenager right there, acting out. The exchange Olivia (Samantha Logan) and Spencer make when they both notice the girl Jordan had overnight looks like Laura. Strange moment indeed.
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With Jordan, he’s been struggling to find that solace with his father all throughout last season, and now with the reveal of his affair, it just heightened all the emotions within him. But Coach Baker (Taye Diggs) assures him later in the episode that he won’t be going anywhere. I hope that moment sticks with Jordan, which can then help him mend things with his father.
The difference between Corey and Coach Baker is that he never left, he never abandoned his family. Jordan longs for the approval and acceptance from his father and sometimes he shows it in the way of pushing him to the core, but Jordan needs to be more transparent with him. Just as much as I wish things get better between Spencer and his father, I want Jordan and his father to be in good standing as well. But, with everything, it takes time.
While we’re on the subject of time, there is one person that isn’t wasting his and that’s Asher (Cody Christian). He’s been growing on me, you guys. He’s been growing on me a lot ever since the rough patch he went through last season. He’s trying so hard to improve his ranking, because his ranking took a hit last football season when he was suspended from the team.
While the team is still riding high on their championship win, he’s not letting that get in the way of becoming better and doing better. Just like Spencer and Jordan, Asher too has his fair share of problems with his father. My favorite moment of his is when he’s in the locker room practicing and Olivia shows up. It’s so obvious that he has strong feelings for Olivia now and the way he looks at her when she tells him that she’s proud of him made my heart melt.
Additional thoughts.
I’m still curious to know who put in the tip that Spencer was not living in Beverly Hills. I hope it wasn’t Olivia!
Um, when are we going to find out Dillon’s (Jalyn Hill) parentage? They slid that information under the rug in this episode.
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