All American: Slow pacing hinders season 7 finale

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The seventh season finale of All American left fans on edge about whether the Chargers or the Eagles would win their playoff game against South Crenshaw and Beverly Hills. However, the show’s spin-off, “Award Tour,” failed to address the slow pace and storyline issues that have been present throughout the season. The new set of stories and characters had promise initially, but they were poorly executed in creating a coherent and fast-moving narrative. Furthermore, the newcomers like KJ, Khalil, Cassius, Amina, and Tori overshadowed the original cast members, who were often sidelined to make room for the new faces. “Award Tour” attempted to wrap up the main characters’ major storylines in a single episode, but it ultimately fell short due to how the season was structured as a whole.

In the season finale, Jordan and Layla’s marriage and partnership take a back seat to their individual journeys. While they make a brief appearance together, the episode primarily focuses on events surrounding Jordan. Coach Bobby unexpectedly chooses Jordan to lead the team after his appendicitis, setting up a confrontation between Jordan and Cassius in the playoff game. However, this sudden decision feels more like a plot device than a natural progression of their relationship, as Coach Bobby had not previously shown strong faith in Jordan’s coaching abilities over more experienced coaches. If Coach Bobby and Jordan had developed their relationship earlier in the season, this storyline might have felt more authentic, but instead, it appears rushed, much like many other plotlines in “Award Tour.

Throughout much of its season, “All American” tends to prioritize mystery and surprise elements over fully developing its own narrative, leading to insufficient time exploring the consequences of the storyline. The long-kept secret of the Jeremy family’s connection to the Baker family ultimately proved detrimental to the plot. By the time Cassius discloses the truth, it is too late in the season for any meaningful resolution or exploration of these relationships. Instead of allowing for progress or understanding, what remains is mostly anger, as opposed to the potential for growth and discovery. Jordan’s ongoing frustration can be somewhat understood, but would have been more impactful had his resentment stemmed from a feeling of betrayal if Cassius had formed a bond with Jordan rather than maintaining tension between them. Instead, “All American” opts to reverse their dynamics, with Cassius now trying to foster friendship while Jordan reacts angrily.

1. The resurgence of Layla in the music scene has rekindled aspects of her personality that had lain dormant for quite some time, notably her fondness for touring. Despite her immense professional success, managing two separate ventures, the concept of All American reviving Layla’s hands-on music producer role could have made an engaging narrative. This was particularly effective during her collaborations with Coop and Patience. However, Layla’s musical focus fluctuates throughout the series, mirroring her evolving relationship with Elle.

2. All American fails to depict the repercussions of Layla signing Elle, such as any potential conflicts or fallout. Instead, it swiftly advances to a point where everything seems to have worked out smoothly. A more impactful approach might have been to dedicate season seven to portraying Layla in her role as a music producer, showing her working with Elle in the studio and developing this into a more substantial storyline. As it stands, most of Layla’s storylines keep her within the Baker household or the café.

In the latest episode titled “Award Tour”, Coop’s storyline appears to focus more on her blossoming relationship with her professor, Breonna, rather than depicting her attending law school classes or showing her submitting final exams as one might expect. Previously, Coop was quite involved, working alongside Laura. However, this season, the development of Coop’s journey towards becoming a lawyer is primarily conveyed through mentions of her grades, which seems like a significant shift in focus compared to earlier seasons. Even Coop’s relationship with Amina, a key aspect throughout the season, takes a backseat in “Award Tour”, even though Amina faces a crucial, life-altering decision.

Instead of heading to Coop, Amina seeks guidance from Layla whenever she encounters dilemmas in her life, like deciding between schools or questioning her feelings for Khalil. In a quandary over these matters, Amina relies on Layla’s wisdom. Layla advises Amina to prioritize herself and let the rest follow naturally. While this advice seems sensible, it arrives late in the season, making its impact minimal. The school mentioned by Preach is introduced just a few episodes before the finale, and we don’t get to see any details of Amina’s application process on screen. Her interest in attending that institution isn’t significant until Preach mentions it near the end of the season. Most of Amina’s storyline throughout season seven focuses on her search for truth about her mother and her relationships with KJ and Khalil.

The contrast between Khalil’s and KJ’s initial reactions to Amina’s news reveals significant aspects of their relationship with her and their perspectives on her. While KJ expresses joy for Amina, suggesting he wants the best for her without hesitation, Khalil’s response is self-centered, indicating his focus on what she means to him rather than the potential benefits this opportunity may offer her. Although Khalil does eventually apologize and show support for Amina, it’s worth pointing out that their viewpoints towards her differ fundamentally. This difference in attitude extends to how they perceive Tori as well.

Khalil hasn’t spent much time with Tori, but he believes she’s extraordinarily unique. On the other hand, KJ, who’s been interacting with Tori throughout the season, requires a nudge from Khalil to take action. The song “Award Tour” highlights KJ’s love triangle with Tori and Amina as his parents try to figure out which girl has a better shot at reaching him when he’s upset. In the end, it’s Jordan who manages to reach KJ, while Marqui connects with Khalil, which helps both teams to perform better instead of constantly being held back by individual struggles.

Despite All American‘s attempts to intensify the rivalry between Beverly and South Crenshaw, this aspect of the plot feels overused already. The personal feud between KJ and Khalil seems to have fizzled out, while Cassius has abandoned his grudge against the Baker family. This leaves Jordan as the only one who still sees this game as a rivalry, but it’s not enough to maintain the tension. Moreover, All American hasn’t developed either team further, which doesn’t help matters. Yasi, a crucial character in the season opener, has become insignificant since then, with Khalil taking over as quarterback, even though his competence in this role was never demonstrated. Intriguingly, the game serves as the season finale’s cliffhanger, implying that a hypothetical season eight will decide the playoff match’s outcome.

The term “Award Tour” refers to a disappointing combination of poor timing and execution that left numerous storylines underdeveloped. Many characters and subplots could have greatly benefited from being intertwined with the main storylines, such as the Jeremy family’s connection to the Bakers, if they had been introduced earlier in the season. Delaying these developments turned much of season seven into a drawn-out wait, where the season finale either felt rushed or failed to resonate, leaving viewers unsatisfied. The characters seemed stuck in place, with little forward momentum. The only saving grace for season seven is that it serves as a foundation for potential season eight, providing an opportunity for these characters, relationships, and storylines to progress. If All American were to end with season seven, the entire journey would be pointless, and the show would have been better off concluding with season six.

The seventh season took too long to deliver substantial events, with the original characters getting stuck and not contributing much, while new ones seemed to run in circles without making progress. “Award Tour” could serve as a stepping stone towards the possible eighth season, but it needs to move the story forward effectively if that happens. As of now, the seventh season mostly showcases the challenges of rebooting an established series softly. Longtime fans expected more involvement from Jordan, Layla, and Coop in the main plot, and were disappointed that the revelation about Olivia and Spencer having twin girls was not fully explored. If the series is renewed for another season, it needs to handle the story better to do justice to all characters involved, as there are potential plot points left unresolved.

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2025-05-06 18:15