All American Review: Seasons Pass (Season 3 Episode 1)

All American has finally returned, and it wastes no time drawing us back into the complicated worlds of Beverly Hills and Crenshaw. 

It also wastes no time on introducing new drama. In fact, All American Season 3 Episode 1, “Seasons Pass,” spends the duration of the hour tying up loose ends in order to lay a solid foundation for a slew of fresh conflict to come.

The name of the episode is fitting; an entire summer has come and gone in Los Angeles and with it, plenty of storylines that were left hanging at the conclusion of All American Season 2.

Dropping dead weight on any TV show tends to become overly expository, and “Seasons Pass” is no different. We spend much of the episode listening to characters explain why certain people have disappeared, why others have drifted apart, and how others have found new ways to bond during the off-screen time jump.

Exposition can be a necessary evil in order for a show to move forward, but the dust being shaken off from the long hiatus is clearly palpable.

Writer’s rooms, surely, are getting newly adjusted to creating via Zoom, and the actors are certainly feeling the effects of the long pandemic pause as well. Taking time to settle back into characters they once knew so well, the cast visibly rediscovers their groove with every passing scene.

Still, regardless of bits of bumpy dialogue, stiff acting, and strange editing, All American somehow manages to feel like coming home, and by the episode’s end, it begins to feel as if we never left.

Perhaps the strongest prospective arc for the season comes in the form of some newly developed tension between Spencer and Olivia.

We’ve been waiting three years for this ship to sail, so consider us happy campers. But, their story is approached from an in medias res perspective, and it forces us to piece together clues of what may have happened between them, which spikes our level of intrigue exponentially. 

There’s little to go off of beyond small comments between the two, and sad longing stares — all of which, by the way, go down while both characters reconcile with their respective partners, post-vacation separation. 

It’s all very messy, confusing, and simmering with classic teen angst — which is exactly what we sign up for when we tune into YA drama, so “Seasons Pass’ is hitting all the right notes in the romance department. 

It’s also exactly what a character like Spencer needs, who spends much time worrying about the people he loves, he barely spends time figuring out his own path.

Spencer James is always an engaging protagonist — there’s just too much to love, and too great of a performance by Ezra for him not to be — but as senior year approaches, what Spencer wants for himself, and his life, needs to take center stage.

He also needs to grow, and with the season setting him up for isolation, Spencer is in a position to face a type of inner conflict he never has before; the kind that forces someone to take a look at themselves from within.

His Beverly team claims he’s abandoned them, Layla will inevitably be hurt by whatever secret he’s keeping from her, and even his own brother feels burned. 

Spencer has faced plenty of loss, but he’s never faced it as a repercussion of something caused by his own hand. How he would handle that kind of loss, would be something incredibly interesting to witness.

Spencer isn’t the only one who has promising storylines ahead. Olivia is on the other end of this tension-filled secret, and with Asher back in town and best friend Layla reunited with Spencer, things are probably (and by probably we really mean definitely), going to get ugly. 

She also has the Black Student Caucus to lead, which provides an opening for All American to deal with a plethora of poignant arcs relating back to the real-life societal atrocities happening against Black lives, and we still haven’t forgotten she ended Season 2 by downing a bottle of vodka. 

Jordan — thankfully — seems to be facing some much-needed character work; with a new girlfriend (and her horrible ex-boyfriend), a team to lead, and some seriously intense aggression issues to work out, he has plenty on his plate.

Here’s hoping he’s more prominently featured in this season’s bigger, key moments. 

Billy and Grace, as fixtures in a school that resents them, are sure to run into some complicated issues, and Coop — even with her success on the road — can’t run from the drama that waits for her back in Crenshaw. 

Truthfully, it would be satisfying to see Coop take on a new narrative path  — one that didn’t involve Tyrone. It’s been three seasons after all, and Bre-Z has the range to deliver on any type of storyline thrown her way.

Her likely clash with Mo — Tyrone’s whip-smart lawyer sister who came to town hellbent on revenge — does, however, promise to be a compelling final chapter to this saga, and Patience’s issues with JP have the ability to blow up her entire music career. 

Overall, “Seasons Pass” does what a premiere is meant to do, pivoting its characters in new directions, setting up the main story arcs for the season, and planting new secrets to keep things interesting along the way.

Bring it on, All American. The stakes are high, and we’re ready for another wild ride. 

Stray Thoughts And Questions: 

• Chris is back and that makes us happy, but Darnell and Kia were missing and that makes us concerned. 
• Why did Jordan and Simone not share one second on-screen together?
• Taye Digg’s comedic timing has not skipped a beat during this hiatus. 
• That punch Jordan threw at Spencer was totally out of left field! Why wasn’t he aiming for Simone’s low life of an ex-boyfriend?
• We love to see new characters spending time together — new dynamics are fun! 
• Billy and Grace’s friendship is excellent, but it better not turn romantic and become a roadblock for a Spelivia romance. 
• Spencer and Olivia have unparalleled chemistry. We’re sorry, we don’t make the rules. 

What did you think of this episode of All American? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
 

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

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