Aftershock is the shaking episodes that occur shortly after an earthquake, and boy did things get shaky in this episode. It seems like everyone’s relationship was rocky this episode, but following suit of the other episodes, I enjoyed it nonetheless. We all know what big event happened last episode, and in this episode we see the fall out of JR and Keisha’s kiss. As I said in my last recap, I saw that coming from a mile away, but I still feel bad for Cam and Gabby; they didn’t deserve that. So let’s sort through the ruble of an earthquake known as JR and Keisha. Here is my recap of episode 11 of All American: Homecoming.
These are their confessions (in our Usher voice)
So Keisha finally spilled the beans on what’s been going on between her and JR. I truly felt bad for Cam in this moment because he just received some of the best news of his life just to hear that his girlfriend cheated on him. Remember when I told you about Crenshaw Cam? He definitely came out this episode; I believe that if he wasn’t held back, Cam would have hit JR. With this situation, we don’t talk about the betrayal on both sides when it comes to Cam. He was betrayed by Keisha as his girlfriend and by JR as his prophyte and someone who he once considered a friend and brother.
Throughout this episode, we see how each party involved except for Gabby processes what has happened. I will say I do wish that JR told Gabby the news versus Cam, and I do wish that she was present for the episode because this situation does involve her as well. I would have loved to see how she reacted to the news throughout the episode. Keisha was going through it this episode (as she should have been). The thing I didn’t like about Keisha and this whole situation was that she repeatedly acted like she didn’t know why she kissed JR. She always knew that she was starting to fall for him but continued to act oblivious. I would have much rather for her to stand on what she was feeling instead of lying. She wasn’t completely honest until the end of the episode, until her one-on-one with Cam. As this storyline unfolded, I was always curious as to why it was so easy for her to be open and trust JR with her dreams of dance and not Cam. Would you like to hear my hot take? I believe that Keisha is secretly jealous of Cam. Not only is she jealous, she is insecure.
I feel that since their passions and careers are so close together that she was afraid that he would outshine her. If we look at past episodes, the proof is in the pudding. Although he’s just an intern Cam is already working for a major record label while she was rejected from every graduate school she applied to. JR was easier for her to open up to because he didn’t pose a threat; I never believed that it was only about support. Cam always supported Keisha the best way that he could.
Even though I hate that he had to go through this, I love how Cam used this experience to help him in his career. J. Marx asked Cam for a love song for a demo, and through it all he was able to deliver. I hope things work out for Cam, even if that means he and Keisha break up officially. Was he a perfect boyfriend? No. But was he a good boyfriend? Yes. This situation with JR and Keisha is just one big trauma bond, and I want them to realize that.
JR, don’t think I forgot about you. I really hate that he did this to Gabby, especially after having a conversation with her and promising that nothing was going on between them. What I can say that I appreciate about JR is that he isn’t trying to sugarcoat things like Keisha. He owns up to what happened without making excuses. Although the show will soon come to an end, I’m interested in seeing how the fallout of this situation will affect the group for the remainder of the season. One of the main components of the show is them being a family. With two episodes left, we’ll see where this goes.
Three’s a crowd
Would you have a problem if your significant other was friends with an ex? In this episode, Eva for sure had a problem with it. I’m never the one to encourage a couple to break unless it’s Lando and Eva. I’m sorry, I know that may sound harsh, crazy, mean, whatever you want to call it, but Lando and Simone have been endgame for me ever since they introduce the storyline of them as a couple. One of the things that makes Lando such a likable character is that he loves to help people around him. He always tries to offer his assistance in any way that he can. With Simone’s cancer diagnosis, he hasn’t left her side. I believe he would still be that way even if they hadn’t previously been involved.
Eva confronts Simone about her relationship with Lando. She understood that he was there for her when she was going through treatment, but now she wants her man back! Even though I’m rooting for Simone and Lando, I completely understand where everyone in this situation is coming from. When confronting Simone, Eva asks if she could limit her time with Lando, claiming that she takes up “too much space” in his life. Because Simone cares about Lando and wants to be a good “friend,” so she agrees.
Lando is completely oblivious that this conversation even happened until he noticed that Simone starts acting weird towards him. If I were Simone, I’d probably do the same thing. I would never cause any issues for my friends, so I would just simply fall back. During the event for the HBCU sports museum at Bringston, Lando learns that Eva had confronted Simone. He gets rightfully upset because he felt that she should have come to him instead of her. This situation ends with Eva telling Simone that “she gives up” and that “she wins.” Lando has never played when it came to Simone, so I didn’t think that’s him having a girlfriend would change that.
Based on how Eva stormed off, it’s safe to say that she and Lando broke up. Like I said before, I don’t usually root for the end of people’s relationships, but you guys already know I’m #TeamLimone.
Give and take
Relationships were a common theme this episode as we got a closer look at Nate and her relationship with Ryan. Graduation is on the horizon for Nate, and it’s about that time for her to start hearing back from law schools. Unfortunately, she was waitlisted at her top choice, Bringston Law, but that doesn’t faze her because she has tons of other offers in other cities. This was news to Ryan because he assumed that they both would stay in Georgia to start their lives together.
Nate is a lot like me: driven, headstrong, and goal-oriented. When we set a goal for ourselves, we do what we can to achieve it no matter where we go. In addition we march to the beat of our own drum therefore no one can tell us what to do. Following learning that Nate has applied for graduate schools in other cities, Ryan tries to demand that she alter her plans to fit the plans he had for them to be together. Now you know that didn’t go over well with Nate. Once she heard Ryan say what he said, she immediately left, as she should.
How Ryan behaved reminded Nate a lot of her ex Nico, being controlling as well as not being supportive. That was her reasoning for not telling him about the other graduate schools in the first place. We see later that Nate tries to go to Ryan to talk things over but finds what looks like an engagement ring; this further causes issues for Nate. She then thinks that Ryan is going to propose just to keep her in Georgia, so she begins to avoid him.
After the museum event, Ryan and Nate talk about their relationship. Nate asks him about the ring which turned out to be his grandmother’s ring he had gotten cleaned for her 50th anniversary party. They both share their fears and concerns regarding future changes when it comes to their relationship but agree that regardless of where they are and who they meet, they’ll make it work. This is the healthiest display of a relationship that we’ve seen all season. Nate is one of my favorite characters, so I hope that she gets her fairytale ending.
Creating your own legacy
Simone is still struggling to get back where she was before cancer when it comes to tennis. She starts to wonder if maybe she should just give up on her dreams. As Simone is going through this struggle, we learned that more athletic teams at Bringston are being cut. Coach Marcus planned an event for the baseball team after learning the baseball team won’t be coming back to Bringston. He invites Negro League baseball player Bucky Belle to speak with the students. After hearing Mr. Bell speak, both Simone and JR think about their legacy and future when it comes to the sports they love. They get the idea to create an HBCU sport museum at Bringston, not just for sports at Bringston but for all HBCUs.
I liked this idea; I think an HBCU should adopt this concept. A museum dedicated to HBCU athletes and not just the ones that make it to the pros would be amazing to see. As for Simone and JR, they now have a little more clarity when it comes to what they want to do with their sports. Simone decides to keep fighting for tennis so she can leave a legacy that she can be proud of. As for JR, he has finally let go of playing baseball officially for Bringston and decides to start a club team instead. I love how both of them were able to find closure in both their situations. Hopefully for Simone she is able to come out on top.
What to look forward to
There are two more episodes left in the final season of All American: Homecoming. The show had a good run, and I hate to see it go. I still have so many questions, and I wonder if they’re going to be answered in the final episodes. One thing I hope to see in the final episode at least is Damon. He made an appearance in the first episode, and that was it. No one has mentioned him since. But we’ll see how the story ends for the Bringston fam soon enough.
