All American “California Love” Review

It’s homecoming week in Beverly Hills and it kicks off with a dance! Of course, you can’t have a homecoming dance without some drama. I’m talking love triangles, drunk students, old loves getting locked in a room together, and all the spiked punch tea getting spilled. Also, Jordan’s smitten, and Shawn and Coop unintentionally get in deeper with the gang.

Jordan and Ripley

Jordan met Ripley in the last episode when he and Asher took a field trip to Malibu. They met. They flirted. Next thing you know, Jordan’s a smitten kitten. I gotta say, as much as I want Jordan to have a love interest, I don’t trust Ripley. Asher doesn’t hesitate to give Jordan grief that she’s from the rival school, Malibu. That’s clue number 1. Clue number 2? Not only does she go to the rival school, but her brother plays for Malibu.

Another clue is that when Ripley drops Jordan off at school, she takes a drag off a joint and offers it to Jordan. He declines, saying he can’t have that stuff in his system since he’s an athlete. Smart boy. Clue number 4? Coach Baker makes a point to tell his players to keep the dance classy since they need to be in tip-top shape for the Malibu game the next day. That means no drinking or partying all night. Seems like a reasonable ask for high school football players… HA!Well, Ripley gets bored at Beverly’s homecoming dance with Jordan and convinces him to leave for a night of surprises. Cut to them on the beach in their undies sharing a joint. When Jordan sees the time, he rushes to leave, but Ripley convinces him to go swimming. Yeah. I don’t think Jordan’s going to be in tip-top shape for that game, and I have a feeling that’s what Ripley was hoping for.

Locked In

Elsewhere in the school, chaperones, Billy and Grace, get locked in Billy’s office while trying to find a banner for Layla. – If you’re wondering why Grace is chaperoning a BH dance, it’s because Laura let Grace go in her place so she can see Spencer. – While waiting for Laura to let them out, they start asking each other questions. It’s here that we find out a little more about their relationship and how Spencer’s father, Corey, is involved.

Grace asks Billy, “Why Laura?” To which Billy says that he married Laura because he loves her. However, Grace choosing Corey back in the day broke the last tether holding Billy to Crenshaw. He was “tired of the responsibility that came with being a black man from the hood.” It was too much weight to carry.

In Too Deep

The good news is, Shawn landed that interview with Layla’s dad. The bad news is, after the shooting at Alvin’s, Ty recruits Shawn to pick up “more product” from Swiss the same night as his interview. Shawn thinks he can make both, but once he lands an assistant job that starts the same night, he quickly calls Coop to help him out. She doesn’t hesitate to leave Spencer at the dance.However, she doesn’t make it on time. Ty’s already taken care of it. Coop takes the blame. He says that she’s just a liability at this point, unless she wants to prove otherwise. When she asks how, he gives her names and a gun to kill some Crips. She says she can’t do that because it’s not her. Ty informs her that he doesn’t carry nobody, so she and Shawn better watch their backs.

When Coop gets home to Shawn’s, she tries to play like everything went well, but Shawn sees through it. Coop admits that she’s really scared, and Shawn gets frustrated. Not at her, but at the situation that he can’t seem to escape this life. ☹

Secret’s Out

Remember that Layla and Spencer kiss from last week? Well, Layla’s feeling pretty guilty about it. She tries avoiding Spencer and Asher, but Spencer catches her. He admits to liking her, and he understands things are complicated, but he doesn’t sneak around. So, he wants to figure out what happens next for all of them, as long as it doesn’t include losing her friendship. He insists that she meet him at a park after his shift so they can talk.After school, Olivia catches Layla avoiding Asher and Spencer. She tells Layla she saw the kiss, and Layla apologizes, but Olivia says it’s fine. She may have liked him, but he likes Layla. She thinks one of them deserves to get the happy ending, but notices Layla doesn’t look so happy. Layla begs Olivia for advice on whether she should tell Asher. What she says entices Layla to tell him right away. To her surprise, he forgives her because he knows she was upset with her dad. While he admits that he hasn’t been paying enough attention to her, he still doesn’t admit to cheating with Olivia… yet.

Layla doesn’t show to meet Spencer. It bums him out. So much that he says he’s not going to the dance, but his mom convinces him to take Coop because at the end of the day, she’s still family. So, that’s what he does. They squash things, he tells her about his problems, and they go to the dance together.

At the dance, Layla’s on edge, especially with Asher. He tries to get her to enjoy the dance, but she needs to fix the banner. When Spencer checks to see if she’s okay, Asher gets annoyed, saying now’s not the time to be “stalking” his girl. He tells Spencer that Layla’s not interested and the kiss was just a mistake. Coop drags Spencer away and Layla walks off after calling Asher an ass. Spencer finds her in the hallway. She apologizes and says the kiss wasn’t a mistake, but she’s still with Asher because he’s going through a lot. He understands that change is scary and admires how much of a giver she is, but asks when it’s going to be her turn to be happy and get taken care of. His advice sparks something in her and she breaks up with Asher in the hallway.Asher doesn’t take the breakup well… at all. He gets drunk. Olivia tries to stop him, but it’s no use, he’s “celebrating.” Realizing she already knew about Spencer and Layla, he gets more upset. He gets on stage to praise all his teammates… except Spencer when he spots him with Layla. He calls Spencer and Layla out for cheating but says it’s okay because, technically, he cheated first with Olivia. Before Asher can make matters worse for himself, Billy drags Asher off stage. Unfortunately for Asher, drinking on school property is a big no-no, and Billy suspends him for the next two games. Sucks for you, Asher.

In the hallway, Layla lashes out at Olivia. Olivia, while knowing it was wrong, defends herself by arguing that Layla kissed Spencer knowing she had feelings for him. Layla argues that’s completely different. Olivia agrees, but says that she was on drugs when she slept with Asher and wonders what Layla’s excuse is. Ouch. Need some Aloe for that burn, Layla?

Still Something There

Olivia met Spencer’s old Crenshaw teammate, Chris, at Alvin’s block party. They hit it off, and he asked for her number, but she told him that she’s trying to focus on herself right now. Chris gave her his number anyway for whenever she’s ready. Fast-forward and he’s her date to the dance. I gotta admit, they’re cute together and he’s really into her, but it’s obvious she still has feelings for Spencer. Sadly, even Chris notices it.

At the dance, Coop forces Chris and Spencer to talk. They squash their beef. Spencer questions if Chris is just with Olivia to mess with him, but Chris swears that he isn’t. He really likes Olivia, but says it’s clear she still feels something for Spencer.Even after all the drama, Chris is still there for Olivia. When she asks why, he says that he’s motivated. Their conversation ends, though, when she spots a drunk Asher sitting on a bench alone. She knows what it’s like to hit rock bottom, so she apologizes to Chris. He says she’s worth waiting for and she kisses him before walking away to be a shoulder for Asher.

Elsewhere, Spencer finds Layla at the park. She tries to kiss him, but he turns away. He knows that she’s still hurting and the last thing she needs is anything complicated. “You know, I make fun of y’all for taking all this homecoming stuff so serious. Turns out just because it ain’t life or death out here, don’t mean the pain ain’t real.”

All American airs Wednesday at 9/8c on The CW!