In the original series All American: Homecoming, Simone is back and adjusting to life away from her child and starting college.
All American: Homecoming examines the college experience and some of the bigger questions about life itself. The characters offer up some significant morsels, including Professor Amara Patterson with some especially inspiring and insightful truths that make an impact.
Marcus Giving A Pep Talk
" Underdogs is not our state of mind."
Early in the series, Coach Marcus Turner says this to his baseball team to boost their morale. The show makes it known right away that all is not peachy for this team. They're still reeling from the cheating scandal.
These words both affirm an uncomfortable truth and show that the team doesn't need to get mired down in it. They are underdogs because of the previous coach's actions and that the team isn't known for being huge winners. Marcus is confident that his team can rise above, and it's his mission to make that happen.
Amara Gets Real With Zeke
"I have all of the I need. You can't be both good cop and bad cop."
President Zeke Allen is the man at the top at the college. He is sympathetic to Amara's plight and offers to be of any help that he can be to her. Here Amara let's him know that she doesn't expect much from him.
This is both an apt observation and a speaking up for oneself. Amara knows that she needs to rely on the others in her circle, because Zeke can only be of so much help. He is the president after all and has to manage the diplomatic juggling act that comes with the job.
Simone Gives Damon Advice
"To be a leader, you got to be vulnerable."
Simone and Damon team up in an early episode to share a workout session together to bolster each other as fellow athletes and invest in their friendship. Damon (played by Peyton Alex Smith, who's already familiar with other school based roles such as Legacies) opened up to Simone about some of his worries about meshing with the team.
Simone's response to Damon served to be just the words that Damon needed. He took her wrods to heart and showed his teammates some vulnerability that moved him from outsider to teammate. Simone's words are also good advice for anyone. Any leader needs show a little softness to build trust.
Amara On Black Excellence
"You are at an HBCU now. The minute you start to doubt yourself, you can point to examples of black excellence and see what is possible."
Simone is disappointed to find that her struggle is a little too real as she encounters a number of hurdles settling into life at Bringston. Thankfully Amara is not only a professor at the college, she's also Simone's aunt and offers powerful reminders to her niece.
Amara's encouragement gives Simone a center to pull from in that she is now a part of the HBCU legacy. She can channel the strength of those that have come before her like Zora Neale Hurston. Viewers will recall that All American: Homecoming isn't the first spinoff at an HBCU, but will hope for more of this trend.
JR Motivates The Team
"Let's keep it 100, fellas. We all a little scared, but it don't have to be a bad thing. It can go on the ride with us as long as it doesn't stop us."
Where Simone's advice to Damon helped him to finally connect with the team, Damon's openness with the guys inspired JR to share his for Damon and thoughts on how the team can pull together.
This move by JR had such an immediate strong impact on Damon, that he nominated JR on the spot to become team captain, and the team voted in favor of it. In one moment the team found a friend in Damon, a captain in JR, and a stronger belief in itself.
Nathaniel Stands Strong
"I need to fight my battles now so I can clear a space for myself in this world."
Another student in the dorm is intent on making trouble for Nathaniel and reveals that it was Keisha pulling strings to get nonbinary Nathaniel a room with its own bathroom to protect her friend, not the benevolence of the college to step up.
Nathaniel (played by Rhoyle Ivy King, who's portrayed other representational roles) tells Keisha that she can't be her sheild forever, and that it's important to her to face her battles now because society isn't as accepting of the LGBTQ+ community as it ought to be. This is a astute reflection of both Nathaniel's world and the nonfictional one.
Keena's Reset
"This is the first game I get to watch not a mom-ager but just as mom. This reset is a big deal to me."x
Keena surprises her son by coming to one of his games shortly after Damon had decided that he didn't want her to be his manager anymore. He didn't want to blur the business and family lines anymore. Turns out it's a healthy move for Keena too.
This is a pivotal moment where viewers see Keena move from overbearing "mom-ager" into caring and ive mother. By finding a new boundary, mother and son find that other walls come crumbling down. Keena's warmth wonderfully comes to the fore.
Santiago On What Inspires Him
"It's not about what he was doing on the field, man. He coaches promising young ball players back in Columbia."
When JR quits the team there's an opening for a new catcher, and Santiago jumps at the chance. Damon and Santiago are tasked with doing a community event together, where they bond over their interactions with the young fans present, and the two chat about who their heroes are.
For Santiago his choice is not all about the fame. Instead it's about who best paints the picture of how to use one's professional status to do the good work of ing your community back home. This is another strong statement on state of the world and how to be the change you want to see.
Keisha Finally Chooses Her ion
"I'm better than some of the professional dancers that I danced with the other day. This is my ion, and I'm doing it whether or not you believe in me."
Keisha's father had high expectations that his daughter would pursue the medical path to satisfy the wishes he shared with his wife for their daughter. Keisha knew choosing dance instead would be deeply disappointing to him, but eventually decided that her own wishes needed to come first.
In this moment, viewers are reminded that there comes a time that some people need to step out of their parents' shadow to stand for themselves and chase their own dreams. Keisha finds a stronger resolve in releasing the weight of Zeke's expectations.
Thea On Anxiety
"Having anxiety doesn't make you weak, Simone. The weakness comes from refusing to work with the anxiety."
Simone initially finds Thea to be adversarial, but the two find respect in each as they get to know one another. Thea's intuition spots Simone's on court struggles in a tough match to be the result of anxiety and approaches Simone about it afterwards.
Here is another juncture where the connection between the two deepens. Thea's tough love here comes form place of ing one's teammate and of a woman holding up one of her own. It's a truly endearing scene that flows into Thea continuing to Simone in her next match.