All American’s Season 8 Premiere Kicks Off Its Final Season With Uneasy Alliances, Homecomings, and a Secret

Critic’s Rating: 4.4 / 5.0

4.4

All American kicked off its final season with a solid two-part season premiere, but it’s also bittersweet.

The series is the last one standing among The CW’s young-adult dramas, and now it’s ending in a few months. It’s the end of an era.

While the series had its ups and downs, All American has had a loyal fanbase, with me amongst it.

After watching All American’s Season 8 premiere, I’m even more relieved the series has a chance to go out on its own terms.

While Season 8 picked up six months later, the series didn’t cram in every detail. Instead, they sprinkled important updates throughout the episodes, including dangling a cliffhanger near the beginning.

We’re still wondering why Jordan dashed out of the football combine, but I suspect either Olivia was in labor or something happened to Spencer or Layla.

Almost everyone else was with him on the field.

That will leave us guessing the rest of the reason, and the football drama and ever-changing family dynamics were a great start to the season.

Watching 13 episodes play out over one week will be interesting. I’m glad we only had to wait a few minutes to learn the result of the championship game.

My heart broke for KJ, since he worked so hard, but it’s a relief that Jordan took a step and agreed to that coffee with Cassius.

It wasn’t in a coffee shop like most people, though. Jordan’s version included coffee and playing hoops.

Their new dynamic is entertaining. They have a competitive rivalry, trash-talking each other on the court and talking smack about one another’s love lives, but there’s a grudging affection.

Neither wanted to admit it, but they both looked disappointed that they might not meet up as much with Layla’s homecoming.

Then, Cassius was thrown a curveball when his job was threatened. Since he didn’t win the championship, he suspected the boosters were after his job.

He asked Jordan to co-host a football combine with him between Crenshaw and Beverly, but Jordan was afraid to mix family with football, especially if Beverly lost again.

He didn’t want to be the reason Cassius lost his job. However, Cassius only felt like Jordan turned him away again after he swallowed his pride.

The men eventually agreed to work together and plan a huge showcase, complete with a rematch game. I love how excited they became.

This will be the perfect way to end the series. I hope a crisis doesn’t stop it.

KJ and Khalil Feel the Pressure of College Recruitment

KJ took the loss of the championship game hard. It was his throw that cost Beverly the game, so he kept replaying that moment, and he became obsessed with getting stronger.

In many ways, KJ was similar to a younger Jordan or Spencer because football became his entire life, and he couldn’t even become distracted by Tori.

Tori was such a dedicated girlfriend that she begged Khalil to intervene, knowing he would be the only person to understand the pressure.

I hate that KJ and their friends implied it was a long shot for Stanford to accept Khalil, even though he appreciated the truth.

In that way, Khalil’s like Spencer. He may live in a more expensive neighborhood, but he knew he needed a scholarship, or he’d never play football or attend college.

It was a rude awakening that he wasn’t privileged.

Jordan may have taken him under his wing, but Khalil needed to earn his spot. That’s why I love that Khalil and KJ decided to work out together.

They knew they needed to be the best. There’s still tension between them, but you can tell they care about each other, and that will push them toward their goals.

Fighting for Their Players or Was It More?

Both Cassius and Jordan are competitive. It runs through their blood.

While I believe they created the football combine to help KJ, Khalil, and the other players, they also wanted a rematch.

However, college recruitment has changed. It shouldn’t be that difficult for KJ to land offers after being a winning quarterback, and even Coach Bobby knew times had changed.

Was it really against the rules to host the combine and game at Crenshaw, or did even Coach Bobby think hosting it at Beverly would help Cassius?

One thing I’ve learned from my years of watching All American is that most of the coaches respect one another deep down. The enemy is those Boosters.

The other thing is that money talks. Jordan knew better than anyone that they needed to impress Principal London, and it was better to line up the coaches, reps, and media first. 

It was endearing how Jordan and Cassius turned almost everything into a competition.

They couldn’t merely work together. Instead, they literally had to tally who got the most reps and coaches to the combine, but it was entertaining to watch as they began to tolerate each other more.

They’ll either want to kill each other or behave even more like family by the time the combine rolls around. I can’t wait!

Layla Felt Like Everyone Moved on Without Her

When Layla returned and felt out of place, it reminded me of Olivia’s return from London at the beginning of All American Season 6.

It’s hard being gone for six months to a year because you’ve changed, but so has everyone around you.

Lyla finally went on tour again, but she wanted a quiet reunion with Jordan, unaware of how much his schedule had changed.

I actually liked how Jordan and Coop hung out more and even threw the “smash and crash” party. It initially seemed like it was Layla’s welcome-home party, so I imagine she was as confused and disappointed as I was.

It’s hard for couples to gel again after being apart. Jordan was swamped trying to plan the football combine and kept canceling dates or was distracted.

Layla seemed hurt that Jordan never shared that he learned to cook, hosted parties with Coop, and played basketball with Cassius weekly.

He had formed new interests without her, and that sometimes happens, but they needed to work to find their balance again.

I felt for Layla, especially when Khalil kept shutting her out. But Layla showed her strength and that she was Khalil’s maternal figure when she kicked his birth mother out of the Baker house.

No one messes with Layla’s loved ones and gets away with it. Hopefully, that outburst reminded Layla of how strong she was.

What Is Amina Hiding?

It was evident that Amina returned home when she knew her dad would be gone. She didn’t plan to study. I think she was kicked out.

She likely hoped that either KJ or Khalil would help her pick up the pieces, but, like Layla, Amina returned home to find that life had moved on without her.

KJ and Tori were still together, and Khalil had begun dating several girls. His latest was a college freshman named Miranda, and they often double-dated with KJ and Tori.

I think that also upset her that the guys hung out. Amina might not have known who she could confide in anymore, and she hated feeling like a fifth wheel.

It must be massive because she fell apart in KJ’s arms in the final scene, claiming her dad would kill her.

I doubt that’s true. Preach adores Amina, and the two have weathered so much together.

I think there’ll be drama from KJ comforting another girl since this is All American, and I actually like KJ with Tori.

Over to you, All American Fanatics. Did you enjoy the Season 8 premiere? What do you want to see in the final season?

Let us know in the comments.

Stay tuned for our exclusive interview with Michael Evans Behling, where he shares his thoughts on Jordan’s journey and teases the final season.

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