With the All American main characters off to college, there are a lot of changes in the adults’ lives too. And most of it, I’m here for.
I love seeing Preach (Kareem J. Grimes) as a tutor. He’s making such a significant impact on the students. I’m glad that he will continue to do so, at least while Coach Billy Baker (Taye Diggs) is the principal. But, of course, the students are not the only ones Preach impacted. He’s the reason Billy realized that being a principal was what he was meant to do. Billy doesn’t specify what moment it was that it clicked, but it was that conversation in the hallway where Preach told Billy that being a principal is just like being a coach. In a lot of ways, he’s right. It’s a bigger job, but they are similar. And look at the impact Billy has had on the students already.
I hope the All American writers chose to continue this storyline. Sure, Billy might have to fight to keep his spot. But at the end of the day, Billy should remain the principal, and Preach should be the tutor. I don’t think they’ve utilized Preach to his fullest yet. There’s so much more to him, and this is a great way to show it. Plus, this storyline will challenge Billy in a good way. I’m here for this all the way.
Now, if Grace James (Karimah Westbrook) could just get on board, she’s usually the woman with wise words and always so positive, but lately, she’s brought nothing but negativity. Spencer James (Daniel Ezra) could be absolutely right about his mother. She’s not handling all the changes well. Her son going away to college is a significant change, to begin with, but then add on with Dillon James (Jalyn Hall) getting older and having a life of his own. That’s tough. Then, her boyfriend, D’Angelo Carter (Lamon Archey), is also starting a new path, leaving her with a little too much time by herself. I’m glad Spence called her out on it. Maybe she can get the help she needs, and we can get back the Mama Grace, who gives good advice. I’m not here for this new version of her. But maybe it will help her grow as a character.
While Billy struggled to fight for his principal role, Preach was giving up. He thought he deserved what was coming to him. Luckily, Laura Baker (Monet Mazur) didn’t let him give up. After Laura was a badass once again, I thought we could put this storyline behind us. Unfortunately, now Coop (Bre-Z) might go to jail for lying to the police. Why didn’t she listen to Patience (Chelsea Tavares)? It wasn’t that difficult for Laura to prove it was justifiable homicide. Can Laura get Coop out of this? Coop has been lucky so far, but this cop is out to get her.
Preach has gotten a storyline outside of gangs. Can we get Coop one too? Making her not able to rap was probably a misstep for the writers. That was an excellent avenue for her character. Now, the writers don’t seem to know what to do to her and keep going back to her getting in trouble. Let’s move on from this. There’s more to Coop that we can explore.
Are you rooting for Preach and Billy at South Crenshaw High? Tweet me @PrimetimeDrama or @MandyTTCarr or comment below.
