All American: Homecoming Review: Family Affair (Season 1 Episode 6)
Simone finally finds common ground with her mother on All American: Homecoming Season 1 Episode 6, “Family Affair,” a storyline we have been waiting for since All American Season 2.
In the episode’s strongest storyline, the Hicks women finally hash it out, explaining years of family drama between Tina, her sister, and her daughter.
Simone’s resilience is one of her most admirable qualities. She stands up for what she believes in, sets her boundaries, and knows what she deserves, making her a character to root for and an incredible role model.
As we have seen this season, she makes mistakes and she’s far from perfect, but she always pushes through because she is unwavering in her self-respect.
Simone is smart enough to know the relationships worth sustaining. Her insistence that her mother has never supported her is absolutely heartbreaking, while also showcasing her inner strength and ability to face her strained relationship with her mother head-on.
Geffri Maya continues to remind us why she leads this show — she is a force to be reckoned with on-screen.
While it’s respectable that Tina wants the best for her family members, her approach has the opposite effect.
This storyline also succeeds by cementing the strong support Amara provides Simone while pulling on our emotions as Amara faces her sister. Kelly Jenrette expertly draws on years of frustrations to express Amara’s struggle with their strained relationship.
Despite some necessary plot progressions, “Family Affair” feels like the weakest episode of the series so far.
However, it must be stated that a weaker episode in the All American universe is still an episode with strong performances to honor. But after a compelling five-episode start, All American: Homecoming can hit a couple of road bumps.
Keisha’s journey to gain confidence as a dancer is lovely to watch, especially as she receives support from Cam and her friends. Her talent excites us, and we want her to succeed, so it’s extremely frustrating to watch her father gaslight her for following her dreams.
While it’s necessary to build tensions and create obstacles for these characters to overcome, the choice to frame Keisha’s artistic passions as a disappointment to her deceased mother is one that I’m struggling with.
Of course, Keisha wants to make her mother proud, so watching her father diminish her talent over a promise she made as a child is infuriating. It’s also emotionally manipulative given the grief that Keisha lives with daily.
This holds her back in more complicated ways than simply upsetting her parents’ expectations. Keisha will never get that time back with her mother. Tainting her legacy and guilting Keisha into a career that won’t make her happy is a depressing choice.
As Amara said earlier this season, her mother would never hold her to that promise, especially if it didn’t make her happy.
Another storyline that struggles to land effectively is JR’s spiral.
The issue with this storyline is that it feels like it’s playing out too fast. JR’s journey from confidently leading his teammates to hopelessly quitting in the span of two episodes is meant to show how much his parent’s divorce hurts, but it isn’t quite landing.
If it is this easy for him to give up the sport he loves, what is his reason for playing outside of his connection with his father?
We have seen his deep passion for the game and his natural ability to unite his team, so it doesn’t make sense for his desire to play the game to come solely from his desire to impress his father.
Plus, the sale of his house occurring this fast feels unrealistic. This semester has not been that long.
These characters thrive when they lean on each other and focus on their passions, as shown in Simone and Damon’s reunion this week, so I hope JR finds a similar comfort soon.
Speaking of family drama, the reveal that Damon’s adoptive father is the only one with the answers, and that he suffers from Alzheimer’s disease, is shocking. It is also a little too convenient for the mystery.
If Damon pursues this further and uncovers why his adoptive mother is left in the dark about his origins, then there is room for a potentially fascinating reveal. However, it is too early to guess where this will go. Is there more to the story of Damon’s birth parents that his father chose to hide from him?
Overall, “Family Affair” approaches the familial drama that has been brewing under the surface all season, but falls short with a couple of the major character arcs of the season.
Stray Thoughts
- Damon and Simone’s playful banter is another reason why these two belong together. It’s only been a week, but we know they were both suffering without the other!
- Baby Shay is adorable, and it’s lovely to watch Simone connect with him.
- I think it is time for a Nate storyline.
- I miss Thea!
- Is there a reason, beyond being his mentor at Bringston, why Damon’s mother spoke to Marcus about the adoption stuff? Does anyone still think Marcus and Amara have a secret love child?
What did you think of this episode of All American: Homecoming? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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All American: Homecoming airs Mondays at 9/8c on The CW.
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Julia Paino
Julia is a TV and pop culture enthusiast who gets too emotionally invested in her favorite characters. She loves making people laugh and is always down for a Taylor Swift sing-along. She is firmly on Team Stefan and has been since 2009. Follow her on Twitter @juliampaino!