All American Review: Jump On It (Season 4 Episode 13)
Ch-ch-ch-changes…
It’s all about breakups and makeups in All American Season 4 Episode 13, “Jump On It,” setting the scene for new stories to begin.
The biggest takeaway from “Jump On It” is Patience and Coop finally deciding to call it quits on their tumultuous romance. It comes about twelve episodes too late, but it’s a relief to see them finally walk away from each other.
What’s jarring is how unlikable the character of Coop has become.
A flawed character is much more interesting than a perfect one, but flawed and wholly unpleasant are two very separate things.
Coop has become so selfish and ungrateful, it’s hard to root for her success. She doesn’t just blame others for her mistakes, she insists on dragging the people she loves down alongside her. She shows no hesitancy before leaning on others for support but still finds time to complain about how alone she is.
That all might be acceptable if Coop was still the friend All American once introduced her as, but everything now revolves around constant neediness — there is no space for her to support someone else.
Making the decision to let Patience go is a moment of hope for her character — a truly unselfish act of self-recognition that hopefully holds merit.
Even so, that merit becomes hard to support. It’s difficult to root for Coop after watching her openly chastize Laura, who has done nothing but give her time and energy to preserve Coop’s safety.
Delving into why Coop acts the way she does would be an interesting character study, but All American has yet to do that. Her attitude has no real backbone behind it. Coop has always had people in her corner, eager to help her at every turn, so her frustration remains a mystery.
Wherever the show takes Coop next, it has to focus on getting her back on track. She is a strong black lesbian character on network television — that is too important to sell short. She — and Bre-z who plays her — deserve better.
Coop’s behavior is a stark juxtaposition to someone like Layla. Similar to Coop, Layla also has walls up, but does so because she has been routinely betrayed by the people closest to her.
All American has depicted Layla’s journey — and the emotions that come with it — in a meticulous manner, connecting dots wherever necessary. Figuring out what walls to break down versus which to keep standing is a captivating story arc for an already complex character.
It can’t say the same for Coop.
The show has allowed Layla to grow into someone who has a multitude of facets to her personality. Not all are likable, but they are justifiable. She’s a chameleon of a character– a different person depending on the scene.
That’s all because she’s determined to protect her heart.
It’s refreshing to watch a young woman on television own her sexuality like Layla. She’s open about wanting a casual relationship with Clay, and upfront about how much she can mentally handle. Sometimes there’s a fantastic romance buried beneath the surface of two characters — and sometimes there just isn’t.
Layla’s intense reaction to Patience’s well-meaning meddling may feel overly aggressive, but it plays well against her softness with Jordan. Jordan takes Layla at her word, and knows how to read her emotions in ways that help the two communicate.
He doesn’t claim to know what’s best for her — he trusts her to make those decisions for herself, and that’s what Layla needs.
All American has always been very good at finding time for two people to discover their connection before pushing the throttle on romance. The show is aware of how crucial it is for the audience to root for a pairing — especially when they may be currently involved with other people.
So, All American does that work, and earns the investment of its viewers. Before it turns up the heat, the show proves exactly why two people are right for each other, leaving no choice but to celebrate the dynamic eventually evolving.
That kind of foundation ends up paying off endlessly, even after a couple finally gets together. The angst dissipates, and the domestic moments that come next feel much more satisfying. It’s exactly how the show is currently playing out Spencer and Olivia, who are delivering some of the best romantic content on TV.
We’re talking absolutely couple goals.
That’s the thing about All American — it clearly wants its characters to be happy, sometimes it just takes the long way around to get there.
Random Thoughts:
- I miss JJ’s energy when he isn’t around! I really do.
- I think Asher has finally found the perfect match. I love Jaymee, and I love the arc they have ahead of them.
- Those strippers are going to come back to bite Jordan, guaranteed.
- A Speliva pinky kiss is the best kind of kiss.
- I might be the only one, but I really enjoy the unlikely Coop and Asher friendship.
- It’s actually so heartwarming to see Spencer and Jordan in their new uniforms, back on the same team.
What did you think of this episode of All American? 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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Kat Pettibone
Kat Pettibone is an aspiring TV writer, artist, and poet. As a Pacey Witter Fan Club lifer who never missed a TGIF, she has dreams of becoming your generations small screen Nora Ephron. She's also an avid lover of coffee, dogs and all things spooky.