All American Review: Bring The Pain (Season 2 Episode 5)

Sometimes an episode is so good, there aren’t proper words to accurately describe it.

All American Season 2 Episode 5, “Bring The Pain,” is one of those cases. This show continues to climb towards new heights with each passing installment, and leaves its audience breathless. 

“Bring The Pain” is quite the accurate title–if Spencer blaming himself over Corey isn’t enough to make you cry, Layla’s spiral into rock bottom most certainly is. Either way, there’s no getting around it: this episode requires an entire box of tissues.

It’s noteworthy how meticulous All American is with balancing its storylines; it is always discovering new ways to envoke empathy towards each main cast member. It is the true definition of a character-driven television show.

Leading the drive is Spencer James himself, whose role in Season 2 has taken a bit of a back seat to other more prominent story arcs. “Bring the Pain” changes that, where the aftermath of Corey’s goodbye comes full circle, with Spencer left picking up the pieces.

Daniel Ezra is tasked with carrying multiple heavy storylines in this episode, delivering an outstanding performance that could be considered a masterclass in acting. Ezra portrays Spencer with delicate complexity–making him both the strong heroic lead and the broken boy in need of saving.

Spencer carries the weight of the world on his shoulders, which his tenacious nature usually allows. He plays the tenor of strength for Dillon, Coop, his mother, and even Layla incredibly well. 

Except how can Spencer continue to be there for the people he loves, if he’s convinced his love is never enough?

A child facing the loss of a parent once is enough of a catastrophe, but cycling through that grief a second time feels almost impossible to deal with, especially with Dillon suffering the same pain.

Spencer: I spent years asking myself what I did to make him leave, what I could do to make him come back. I’m not doing that again!

Dillon’s sadness and confusion force Spencer to re-live the events of his past through his brother’s eyes. He doesn’t just carry the pain of abandonment for himself, but for Dillon as well.

Dillon is on the “luckier” side of things–his time with Corey was limited, and Spencer plays the role of the father figure in his life. Spencer is left without a male role model, leaving what feels like empty space. 

That emptiness suffocates him in the final scenes of the episode, giving viewers one of the most emotional moments of All American to date. Daniel Ezra once again is a true powerhouse here, with Karimah Westbrook delivering as an outstanding scene partner.

It’s a difficult moment to watch–almost too intimate, but an important thing to witness. Spencer may be searching for answers about Corey, but he always has one person he can rely on.

Grace James.

Grace has given him everything he needs to succeed in life. She is the reason Spencer is who he is, and she is the reason he will continue to soar. 

Women really can do it all. 

The parent/child dynamic is a thread that runs strong throughout the entirety of “Bring The Pain.” Corey may have made his exit, but Mr. Keating has returned to help his daughter heal.

The episode opens with an intervention, with the intention of sending Layla to an inpatient clinic. The move feels severe, but it’s the help she desperately needs.

Set from Layla’s point of view, the scene is a chilling one; dizziness and panic radiate off her. The moment feels strikingly real; the discussion contains some of the most effective and raw mental illness dialogue seen by a teen genre series.

Bringing Layla to an inpatient clinic might force her out of the main storylines, but it feels necessary for her character. She’s sliding towards rock bottom at a rapid-fire pace, suffering from both major depressive episodes and regular self-harm.

Someone like Layla is likely to use manipulation tactics to divert the issue, and her absent father clearly feels too guilty to force her away. It’s a realistic reaction to confrontations, but it’s also a plot maneuver. If she can manipulate her father into staying home, she won’t be absent from the show. 

Layla: You should have known. You should have come home. You should be my dad!

A therapist and time with her dad will help, but someone struggling as significantly as Layla needs more than just weekly therapy.

At least it’s a start. 

She’s waking up to the severity of her issues, but this is the first step towards a long journey of recovery for Layla; one that destined to backslide.

Viewers may be getting impatient with Layla’s behavior. The longer she’s left to spiral, the more people she continues to hurt. She’s left Spencer without a girlfriend, sabotaged her best friend, and publically shamed her father (although, he kind of deserved it).  

Layla isn’t simply a spoiled girl not getting what she wants. Everyone should be held accountable for their actions, but what’s happening isn’t really her fault.

Depression is a disease, not a flaw.

The reveal of Mrs. Keating’s depression is a vital one; educating viewers on the genetic possibilities of mental illness. It also opens up certain questions about Mrs. Keatings’ death. 

Layla seems to insinuate her mother was sick before she died, but suicide definitely seems like a potential possibility.

Layla’s story is imperative for the mental health community. Not only is All American representation to mental health in a fully fleshed out way, but it’s also doing so through the vessel of a black woman.

A black woman is being given the agency to deal with her emotional issues.

All American keeps breaking boundaries–elevating typical teen drama tropes and placing people of color in situations previously reserved solely for white characters.

Jordan Baker getting a girl pregnant is an excellent example. Shows tend to downplay the occurrence of black teen pregnancy. This forces their non-white characters into stereotypical boxes.

Jordan’s storyline takes an entirely different approach, allowing him to react like a scared teen who made a mistake that will change his life forever. All American provides him with circumstances which allow him to confide in his family, and react like a kid.

Whether Simone is actually pregnant remains to be seen, but giving Michael Evans Behling heavier material is a fun change of pace. Even with his rebellious nature, his scenes tend to air on the side of comedic relief.

Not that the comedy should disappear. In a series as dramatic as All American, moments of levity are needed to keep things grounded, and Jordan and Olivia are the perfect duo to provide light-hearted entertainment.

Chemistry is a tricky thing, but Logan and Behling possess the perfect sibling dynamic–snarky, playful and totally enjoyable. Two peas in a pod, Olivia and Jordan provide the best kind of brother/sister relationship; one that thrives in witty banter, but roots itself in genuine friendship.

Jordan: Want to play a game or something?

Olivia: Jordan–

Jordan: What? I get bored walking home!

If anyone knows how to be a friend, it’s Olivia Baker. She continues to give 100% of herself to everyone, and receives nothing in return. Jordan is too self-involved to pay attention, and Layla isn’t able to understand Olivia’s best intentions.

How she cares for Spencer, in particular, is enough to make your heartache. Her conversation with Layla makes this crystal clear, Spencer is too caught up with family problems (and Rochelle, for some reason) to be a proper support system right now.

Olivia does have Asher, though. And All American is making it very difficult not to root for them.

Asher pays attention to Olivia. You see it in how he worries about her sobriety, and how he remembers her birthday by giving her a burner phone.

Olivia is bearing the brunt of Jordan’s bad behavior and Asher knows it, but that isn’t the most thoughtful part of his present. Programming in her sponsor, knowing she may need to call them, really drives the moment home.

if thoughtful birthday gifts and doorstep ice cream delivery don’t win you over, Asher’s act of consent is the true game-changer.

In a scene reminiscent of Pacey and Joey from Dawsons Creek, Asher wonders if Olivia would like to be kissed, and gives her the option to stop him before he makes his move.

It’s an unbelievably electrically charged moment– one that makes the idea of consent sexy, and is romantic as hell. 

Definitely enough to convince viewers to board the SS Ashivia.

Well, at least for now.

A less enticing burgeoning relationship in the one forming between Rochelle and Spencer. It’s not uncommon for teen soaps to add new characters during their sophomore season, but those characters need to feel like they have a purpose.

They shouldn’t feel like plot devices.

Rochelle admitting she lied about someone tipping off Spencer’s living arrangements feels extremely disjointed. She has no motive beyond wanting to please her father, which doesn’t feel like much of a motive at all. 

Was she really willing to ruin someone’s life just to make her father happy?

Instead of being filled with incredulous outrage, her admission makes Spencer feel connected to her. The reason for that connection is unknown, undisclosed and unaddressed. If anything, the two are opposites; Rochelle dealing with her father being too intertwined in her life, while Spencers is completely absent.

The two bond, but it doesn’t feel substantial. Her character reads like an insert to advance a plot; that, or to create another rift in the already deteriorating Spencer/Layla love story.

Nothing about her or her father Cliff feels earned, or all that interesting. Evil boosters with ulterior motives are nothing new in shows about high school football, and there are far more interesting topics at hand.

The developing dynamic between adversaries Spencer and Darnell, who share a common goal–figuring out why Corey really left South Crenshaw–stands to be far more interesting.

That’s a new relationship worth learning about. 

Stray Thoughts:

• Greta Ogeniou’s deliverance of the line “guess who broke me?” was soul-crushingly good.
• “Bring The Pain” was a fantastic episode, but it needed more Coop. 
• Choosing to have Dillon read Corey’s goodbye letter was such a beautiful creative choice.
• JJ is always doing the most. He was being so extra kidnapping the twins in broad daylight like that. I love him. 
• Daniel Ezra’s ability to perform emotional scenes and still have such a flawless American accent is incredibly impressive.
• Billy should not be blaming Laura for everything happening with their family. She’s doing the best she can, and she wouldn’t be a single parent if he didn’t cheat and lie. 
• As a white woman, it doesn’t feel right to speak on the scene where Spencer refuses Cliff. It was incredibly moving though, and that needs to be said.

What did you think of this episode of “Bring The Pain?” Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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All American airs Mondays at 8/7c on The CW. 

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