All American Season 1 Episode 4 Review: Lose Yourself

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It didn't take long for Spencer and Asher to go from enemies to friends. 

The two found some common ground on All American Season 1 Episode 4, and now they even share a secret. 

Give Spencer some credit; he's intuitive. He immediately picked up on the cues Asher was giving out despite his closest friends completely missing them. 

Walking the Halls - All American Season 1 Episode 4

Everything is clicking for the team on the field, and they're riding a three-game win streak. The chemistry they worked so hard to establish is paying off in dividends, yet off the field, Spencer still feels like an outsider. 

Being the outsider looking in is how he was able to pick up on Asher's discomfort at the idea of a party, and that he always seemed to be leaving his wallet at home. 

Spencer is used to being poor, and he lost himself a little bit when for the first time in his life, he had extra money to burn. At first, he was only using it to buy groceries for his mother, but it wasn't long before he was throwing it on the poker table. Lucky for him, his mom helped him remember who he is. 

Spencer: Why are you doing this? Pretending you got all this money?
Asher: A year ago I wasn't pretending. We were loaded. I lost everything overnight. Was I supposed to change who I am? I don't know how to be the poor kid.

Asher, on the other hand, is used to being rich and is still adjusting to life without money. He's been keeping up pretenses and lying to his friends and girlfriend for an entire year. That could not have been easy. 

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It was probably easy for his friends not to suspect anything, but it's a little harder to believe that Layla never did. You would think she would have been spending a lot of time at his house, but I guess he did say the owners were away a lot. He probably claimed a bedroom to pretend was his whenever she came over. 

Perhaps they spent most of their time at her place. Who knows? 

While I can understand Asher's desire to keep his family's misfortune private, he made some head-scratching decisions in his efforts. 

Unexpected Adventure - All American Season 1 Episode 4

First of all, he had to know that uttering the words "my dad is out of town" was going to lead to a party. But for argument's sake, we'll call it a Freudian Slip and move on. 

The poker game could have been a good way for him to win some money so he wouldn't have to bum off Jordan the next time they all hung out, but come on, you have to know when to fold. 

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He didn't want to lose however much he had already bet, but when the car is on the table, it's time to bail. 

He didn't even have to end the bet. All he had to do was say he didn't have the keys. Why did he have the keys? 

Friends Again - All American Season 1 Episode 4

Who goes out of town and leaves the teenager who's renting the guest house alone with the keys to the shiny new Porsche?

Even if the car had been his dad's, those keys should have been hidden somewhere or locked in a safe. Teenagers make poor decisions no matter what their background is. 

I'm glad Spencer and Asher are friends now, and I appreciate that Spencer talked him into being honest with Layla. Layla was understanding of why Asher had kept this from her, and she's not going anywhere.

I know embarrassment played a part in his decision to stay quiet, but he should have given her a little more credit and known she wasn't that shallow. 

Besides, if she's going to leave him, it's probably going to be because he slept with her best friend. That's the real secret he needs to share with her. 

Hot Tub - All American Season 1 Episode 4

While Asher had the luxury of telling Layla before she could find out on his own, Billy might not be so lucky. 

His kids are sniffing around the trail of clues, and they are relentless. They're not going to give up and Billy blowing them off is only going to make them more curious. He needs to tell them before they figure it out on their own, or worse, come to the wrong conclusions. 

So who is Billy transferring money to in Crenshaw? Spencer's mom is the obvious answer, but she was also pretty adamant about not wanting to accept money from Billy, even through Spencer.  If he's sending her the money, she's not using it, so what's the point in continuing to send it? 

Is there another kid out there somewhere that he's supporting? 

There is more to this mystery than meets the eye, and I am mostly concerned with how the reveal is going to affect Billy's relationship with Spencer and the rest of his family. 

Layla: Besides, I know you like him.
Olivia: No I don't.
Layla: Olivia, I see the way you look at him.
Olivia: Yeah, kinda like the way he looks at you?

If Spencer and Olivia are related, they need to know ASAP. 

Now that Jordan's shared his suspicions with her, she'll back off, but if they're not related, then she could be giving up a chance to be with a guy she really likes. It would be sad if she's backing off for no reason, and Spencer has no idea what's going on, so he might be hurt by her sudden change of heart. 

Billy's secret, whatever it is, is messing with everyone's lives. 

Game Ball - All American Season 1 Episode 4

I can understand Spencer's reluctance to take Billy's money, but at the same time, I don't think it's that big of a deal. Maybe Billy didn't need to give him that much, but a few bucks here and there for pizza or a movie would be understandable. 

He's a teenager who is already spread too thin as it is. Between school, football, and going home to see his family on weekends, when is he going to have time to wait tables? He came to Beverly Hills to focus on his future, and I'm worried a part-time job is going to mean something else suffers. 

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He doesn't want anything given to him, and I respect that, but he's already living in Billy's house. There's nothing wrong with accepting a little bit more help. He will pay him back in spades when he grows up and becomes an NFL player or whatever else he chooses to do. 

Asher: How much is this going to cost you?
Spencer: I don't know yet, but it's coming. My mom said the free stuff always comes with the biggest cost.

However, accepting help from Shawn is undoubtedly going to backfire. 

Shawn can't be trusted, and I wish Coop would find a way to distance herself from him. Spencer throwing Billy's money around prompted her to want to pitch in too, but instead of finding her own part-time job as Spencer did, she went straight to Shawn for help. He's playing her; we all know it. 

It was obvious that getting Coop that job at the barbershop was just a smokescreen. He says he has her back, but it's just a way for him to get her in his debt so he can take advantage of her later. 

Now Spencer and Coop both owe him a favor, and that can't be good. 

Keep Away - All American Season 1 Episode 4

I loved Coop encouraging Spencer to go to the party with Olivia. She's such a good friend, even if she embarrasses him a little bit. He needed the push from her to stop being so anti-social. He says he still feels like an outsider but doesn't take any initiative to remedy the situation. That's why he and Olivia make such a good pair. 

Even if they don't pursue a romantic relationship, they need to keep supporting each other as friends. If the secret comes out that she slept with Asher, she's probably going to lose Layla all over again, and she's going to need Spencer to help her through it. 

Hopefully, he does, because while we all know he has feelings for Layla, moving in on Asher's ex after they break up would be a bad move for this newly established team chemistry. 

Your turn! Is it time for the secrets to come out? Are you worried about Coop? Are you Team Layla or Team Olivia? Let us know in the comments and don't forget to watch All American online!

Lose Yourself Review

Editor Rating: 4.0 / 5.0
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User Rating:

Rating: 4.9 / 5.0 (11 Votes)

Stacy Glanzman was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. She retired in March, 2019.

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All American Season 1 Episode 4 Quotes

Layla: Besides, I know you like him.
Olivia: No I don't.
Layla: Olivia, I see the way you look at him.
Olivia: Yeah, kinda like the way he looks at you?

Billy: What do you think?
Jordan: About what?
Billy: I'm holding up two ties.
Jordan: The solid one.
Billy: Nah, I think I'll go with the stripes.
Jordan: Glad I could help.