‘All American’ Season 8 Episode 11 Review: The Drama Is Starting to Wear Thin
All American season 8 episode 11, “Find Your Way Back,” is one of those episodes where I can see exactly what the show is trying to do, but at the same time, I’m starting to get a little frustrated with how long some of these storylines are being dragged out!
First of all, Spencer is STILL missing. At this point, come on! This has officially been drawn out way too long. I understand wanting to create a mystery and have the characters worry about him, but we are 11 episodes into the season and Spencer is still just…missing. Now there’s an Amber Alert out for him too. It’s starting to get a little corny.
Jordan and Layla finally get to see Olivia, and of course Jordan is still being extremely overprotective. Olivia tries to reassure him, even telling him that he’s going to be a great uncle. They eventually tell her that Spencer is still MIA, which only adds more stress to everything she already has going on with the pregnancy.
Jordan gets put in charge of figuring out what happens if Olivia’s labor goes bad. Basically, he has to think about the possibility of having to choose between saving the babies or saving his sister. That is an insane amount of pressure to put on Jordan, especially with everything else happening around him. And yes, Preach is still in jail at this point too.
Meanwhile, Rock Nation has officially made an offer to buy Layla’s label, and she’s actually considering it. There’s a lot going on with that storyline, especially after the deal gets leaked. Layla is clearly feeling the pressure from everything happening around her, and even though she wants to help, she eventually sends Layla away because she just needs some time to rest.
Amina gets her suspension lifted, but now she isn’t even sure if she wants to go back to a school that punished her for telling the truth. I actually like where they’re going with Amina because she’s starting to figure out what kind of person she wants to be instead of just following what everyone else expects from her.
Jordan eventually goes back to the house to find the blanket Olivia asked for, but things take an emotional turn. He starts having flashbacks about Olivia and some of the tougher moments they’ve been through. Layla eventually finds him on the bathroom floor, and Jordan finally admits that he feels like everything is falling apart and that he can’t lose his sister too.
This is where Jordan really starts spiraling about everything, including the showcase, the players and especially Khalil. He starts thinking back to the first conversation he had with his dad about Spencer. And honestly, this episode continues to make it pretty obvious that Khalil is basically the Spencer of this new generation of All American. Jordan is starting to see that same potential in Khalil that Billy once saw in Spencer.
Speaking of the showcase, Cassius, KJ and Khalil are finally there and ready to work. I really like seeing KJ and Khalil getting along and actually acting like brothers. That relationship has come a long way. My only problem is that this storyline has been stretched out for WAY too long. We get it. There was tension between them. Now let them move forward.
Ms. Perez also returns with her daughter to help with the situation involving her father and the whole record deal mess. That storyline is starting to wear Layla down too, especially now that the deal has been leaked. And honestly, that’s probably my biggest issue with this episode. Too many storylines are running thin. Nothing seems to actually get resolved. Instead, something happens, then the show adds another layer of drama, then another problem pops up. This entire season has essentially taken place over about a week in the show's timeline, and somehow we’ve had enough drama to fill several seasons.
Layla and Jordan are STILL having communication problems, Spencer is STILL randomly missing, Khalil’s mother drama went on much longer than it needed to, and now we’re still dealing with the showcase and everything surrounding it.
Then we get to Jordan and Layla talking about kids. It’s episode 11 and Layla is just now telling Jordan that she wants children someday. For some reason, Jordan gets weirded out by this all of a sudden. They have their little emotional conversation, only to make up like five minutes later when Jordan says he wants kids too.
The scenes themselves are touching, but sometimes it feels like the show is adding drama just because it can. And yes, I know this is The CW and drama is basically part of the DNA of All American, but damn, turn it down a little!
KJ and Amina also have a conversation, and at this point, these two just need to get together already! Amina wants KJ to stay focused on the showcase, though, which makes sense considering everything he has going on. Jordan still hasn’t made his way back to the showcase either, so instead we get even more flashbacks featuring Billy. I always enjoy seeing Billy, but even those flashbacks are starting to feel like they’re being used to fill the space while the current story catches up.
There are some good developments toward the end. Preach is finally free, and Mrs. Perez tells Amina that the ball is in her court when it comes to Dinsberg, especially now that they’re trying to rewrite the narrative surrounding what happened with her.
Jordan and Layla eventually realize that Olivia sent them away with the blanket for a reason. Amina tells her father that she’s staying at Crenshaw because that’s where she feels she can do the most good. Jordan also decides to pass on the job offer. He wants to stay at Beverly, just like his father chose to do.
I really do like the direction of this season. There are some interesting ideas here, and I like that the show is trying to establish this new generation instead of completely relying on the old characters. But the drama is being dialed up to 100, and at some point, the constant buildup has to lead somewhere.
“Find Your Way Back” has some strong emotional moments, especially with Jordan and Olivia, and I like the continued development of KJ, Khalil and Amina. But after 11 episodes, I really need some of these storylines to start moving forward instead of constantly adding another problem.
We’re more than halfway through the season. It’s time to start resolving some things.
What did you think?
Loved it
Hated it
So/So
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