All American: Homecoming: Last Call

09/21/2024 10:39 PM

It's so hard to say goodbye!!!! Guys, we only have two episodes of All American: Homecoming, before it's gone forever. I can honestly say I'm going to miss this show. It gave a modern-day depiction of the HBCU experience while sticking with the drama we loved in the original series. With the show ending, I can't help but wonder why the show continues to introduce new storylines. There is no point. Although I liked season three, for the most part, it wasn't my favorite season. If the show wasn't ending, season three had the potential to be so much better. Episode 12 was one of the less eventful episodes, but it wasn't a chore to watch. So, here is my recap of episode 12 of All American: Homecoming.

Joy and Pain

Have you ever wanted something so bad, but once you get it, it doesn't feel how you thought it would? That was Simone with tennis in this episode. Since her recovery, Simone has been trying to get herself back to pre-cancer Simone regarding tennis. She finally got her times up, she's performing better, and she's no longer in pain while practicing. Everything should be good, right? Wrong. We saw in the last episode that Simone pondered the idea of giving up tennis. In the beginning, we see her move further and further to that idea.

Tennis is taking up so much of Simone's time that she's starting to neglect her other responsibilities. She forgets to dress up in paraphernalia for PKZ, and she is struggling to produce a proposal for the sports council. We all know that Simone has struggled with anxiety and panic issues in the past, but this time she has an outlet. When she felt overwhelmed, Simone went to a meeting for breast cancer survivors that are done with treatment. I love how this scene was included in the episode; it showed a more vulnerable side of Simone. She accepts the fact that she had cancer and is now choosing to move on with her life. Sometimes the hardest thing about life is acceptance. Accepting the things that happen or don't happen in our lives, and sometimes those things can have a major impact on us and our emotions.

I don't care what anyone says: Lando and Simone are endgame. I refuse to have it any other way. They are soulmates, and it showed this season. The way Lando is in tune with Simone and her feelings is such a beautiful thing to watch. He can always sense when the slightest thing is off with her and tries his best to fix it. Throughout this episode, we see that Simone is struggling emotionally, and although she refuses to say anything to him, Lando notices rather quickly. We see him ask Simone what's going on throughout the episode, but the icing on the cake for me was the scene with Eva.

It was confirmed that Lando and Eva did indeed break up, and since the breakup, Eva has been spreading rumors around the Exquisite Eight about Simone and Lando. So, when Eva tried to apologize to Simone for her behavior, our girl had very little to say, but we know that's not like her at all. Lando was just as confused as us, and this scenario led to my favorite scene of the whole episode. Simone tells Lando that she feels numb not just about tennis but about everything in her life. It is safe to say that Simone might be experiencing some form of depression. A common sign of depression is losing interest in the things that usually bring us joy. Being the amazing person that he is, Lando sets up something for Simone to help bring her out of her funk. Lando gets Simone to teach him to play tennis, but just before they can dive into their lesson, they're challenged to play doubles with another pair. This experience helped Simone find joy in tennis again, and that couldn't have happened without Lando.

Lando will always be the one for me. Watching Lando caress Simone's arm and look into her eyes with pure love and affection did something to me internally. The way he loves and cares for Simone is something all lover girls dream of. At the end of the episode, when Simone's memory montage played on screen, I noticed a lot of scenes with Lando and even Jordan but not a lot of Damon. I wonder if the writers are hinting at a full-fledged relationship between Lando and Simone. Well, whatever they're doing, they need to wrap it up by the last episode.

No Friends in the Industry

I remember watching the original All-American series and thinking how much I couldn't stand Cam. It's amazing how throughout these two shows he's become one of my favorite characters. I was rooting for Cam and this demo deal with J. Marx. I want him to win, especially when it comes to music. J. Marx personally asked Cam to write and record a demo for him last episode. Cam wrote and recorded the song, and J. Marx loved it, so we thought. In this episode, before they met with the record executives, J. Marx wanted Cam to completely redo the demo track he originally made. The suggestions that J. Marx made completely ruined the song. Before I get into how J. Marx completely threw Cam under the bus, can we talk about how much of a creep he is? I hated the way that he came at Gabby, but it showed how a lot of men in the industry can be. I loved how once Cam found out his immediate reaction was to step to him. Every girl deserves a homeboy like Cam.

But back to how J. Marx snaked Cam. He made Cam make all these changes to an already great song, and when the record executives didn't like it, he blamed it all on Cam. It's easy for us to get blinded by people who are in positions we want to be in, but I'm glad that Cam stood up for himself and Gabby. I keep trying to tell y'all that Crenshaw Cam isn't the one to mess with. I hope that as the show ends, Cam gets his happy ending as well. First, he and Keisha broke up, and now he got fired from his dream job. Like Simone, I wonder if Cam will return to the original All American series.

Closure

Ms. Heather Harris, aka Gabby, did such a wonderful job in this role. I genuinely enjoyed her character ever since she was introduced to us in season one. When the news of JR and Keisha's infidelity dropped, Gabby was out of town; therefore, we never got to see her immediate reaction to the news. In this episode, we learned that she and JR officially broke up, and it happened over text. Gabby and JR haven't talked about what happened between him and Keisha. Throughout the episode, we see Gabby avoiding JR to talk about their breakup. At the end of the episode, we learn that she's been avoiding JR because she is afraid that she might dismiss him for cheating on her and take him back.

After some encouragement from Cam, Gabby finally decides to confront JR, and my girl did exactly what millions of girls across the country wanted to do, and that slapped him in the face! He deserved that because why would you cheat on Gabby? The girl that's been down for you since the beginning, and just like Keisha saved your life when you collapsed at Cape Cod. All Gabby asked of JR was to not make her that girl, and he did exactly that.

I hate that this happened to Gabby because she didn't deserve that. The writers ruined both Cam and Gabby's relationships for no reason because nothing came from JR and Keisha kissing. They're not even trying to pursue a relationship with each other, so like Cardi B said, "WHAT WAS THE REASON?" If JR and Keisha don't get together by the final episode, both of their breakups would have been done in vain. But I loved this episode showcased Cam and Gabby's genuine platonic friendship. The writers on both this show and the original series have an issue with platonic friendships and if you watch the original series then you know I'm talking about the vortex.

The Apple Doesn't Fall Far From The Tree

I thought I liked the Coach Marcus and his son storyline, but I think it's irrelevant. It doesn't add anything to the show. And as I mentioned, the writers continue to add new storylines and problems when there are only two episodes left. So with this storyline, they introduced this episode, I'm curious to see if the writers will tie it together or simply ignore it like they've done with other stories.

I can't remember what episode or what season Coach Marcus said this, but I do remember him saying that he didn't want kids because he didn't want to pass down his bipolar disorder to them, in this episode we see that might be a possibility with Noah. Noah is spending some time with Coach Marcus at Bringston but is on punishment because his mom said that his grades are slipping and that he is staying up past his phone curfew to talk to girls. Trying to be the good father that he is, Coach Marcus follows what Noah's mom says.

JR has become Noah's unofficial big brother while he visits Bringston. He meets him and Coach Marcus to take him to an engineering seminar. JR is made aware that Noah is not allowed to use his phone, but Noah convinces JR to let him use his phone to "call his mom." During this interaction, JR and Noah see Gabby, and he learns that they've broken up. Still embarrassed about what he did, JR asks Noah to drop it when begins to ask questions. This was one of my favorite moments of the episode because Noah saw right through JR and knew that the reason he and Gabby broke up was because he cheated on her.

After Noah hands JR his phone back, he sees that instead of texting his mom, he texted a girl instead. JR tells Coach Marcus what happened but also addresses his concerns regarding Noah's behavior. Most teenagers go through mood changes when they experience puberty, but JR thinks that when it comes to Noah, it may be a little more serious. Without directly saying it, JR hints to Coach Marcus that Noah might be showing signs of having bipolar disorder. Coach Marcus thinks that JR is slightly overreacting and tells him not to worry about Noah.

Noah is still on punishment after Coach Marcus learned that he used a phone with JR earlier. He steps out to get food for himself and Noah and comes to see his apartment completely trashed. Noah tore Coach Marcus's apartment upside down, trying to find his tablet to text a girl back. He is clearly agitated and acting uncontrollaby and when Coach Marcus tries to calm him down, he punches a picture, and glass goes everywhere, and stroms out. Coach Marcus is left in utter shock.

Mental illnesses like bipolar disorder can be hereditary, and if Noah does have it, Coach Marcus's worst fear has come true. As I've mentioned before, I hate that the writers introduced this story so close to the series finally, but hopefully, we'll see what happens with Noah and his possible diagnosis.

What to Look Forward To

Is it sad to say that I'm not looking forward to much when it comes to the last two episodes? The storylines are all over the place, and the writers continue to add new ones so close to the end. The only thing that I'm looking forward to is the possible Limone endgame. I don't really care about anything else. I feel like Damon might make an appearance in the final two episodes because, after not mentioning him all season, JR finally brings him up when talking to Noah and Coach Marcus. As much as I hate to see the show go, season three has not been my favorite. With these last two episodes, anything can happen.

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