All American: Homecoming Season 1 Episode 1 Review: Start Over
Laura Nowak
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Everyone is always excited to begin college, but no one is really prepared for the trials or challenges they'll endure there.
Both Simone Hicks and Damon Sims were eager to start over and reinvent themselves at historic Bringston University in All American: Homecoming Season 1 Episode 1.
It was not that easy. Past decisions and family drama followed them to college and presented setbacks that could alter the college experience.
Part of leaving college was saying goodbye to your family and childhood. Simone's family acted like they were angry she didn't choose a university like Yale.
Her parents didn't even take her to the airport. Baby Shay's parents acted more maternal when they hugged her goodbye, and Tariq drove her to the airport.
Jordan: I can’t believe your parents aren’t coming to see you off.
Simone: I can.
So many first-year students had their parents helping them lug their belongings into the dorms. Simone looked small and lonely, trying to handle everything by herself.
She'd hoped her Aunt Amara would be there to help her, but her aunt was dealing with issues that could alter her career.
Amara Patterson is such a strong woman. She was so unapologetic that she brought the cheating scandal to life,
I didn’t perpetrate that scandal! All I did was bring the cheating to life to protect this institution.
Amara
Amara valued education above all else and believed that the parents should want their children to get a high-quality education and not be about sports.
While the President backed her, he also had his agenda, which meant the baseball team was also on a short lease.
They only had a few months to put together a championship team, or the funding would be cut.
Amara and Coach Turner both want to better the lives of these students.
Amara felt compelled to apologize to Coach Turner for exposing the scandal. She still doesn't know he's the one that sent her the anonymous tip.
If she did, she might be angrier and less apologetic. For now, she's the only one bearing the brunt of the anger.
She had her class load reduced, and angry parents were criticizing her.
Damon felt the expectations of fixing the baseball team riding on his shoulders. His mother made it difficult for him to fit it by bragging about Damon's sacrifice by giving up his professional career to play baseball at Bringston.
Folks, you are looking at the new face of HBCU baseball. One day, his portrait will hang in these great halls, too.
Keena
Her publicity campaign had the opposite effect she wanted. The guys on the baseball team haven't warmed up to Damon since they see him as a benefactor and not an equal.
Damon: Your teammates aren’t giving me the warmest welcome.
JR: Maybe start referring to them as our teammates and stop reminding them every two seconds that you gave up the pros for Bringston.
More trouble brewed when Damon and Coach Turner clashed on preparing the team. When Damon didn't get his way, he walked out of practice, angering the coach.
Despite what the President thought, Coach Turner believed in treating all of his boys the same, something Damon had never experienced.
Damon and Simone still share an undeniable connection, as they did in the backdoor pilot.
It's too soon to judge if they will stay close friends or tread into the flirting territory.
Damon actually shared his family issues with Simone and his hopes of finding his birth parents.
Damon: Families are highly overrated.
Simone: Damm. Who hurt you when you were a child?
Damon: Let’s see, should we go with the parents who gave me up for adoption or the mom who loves baseball more than the son?
Like Simone, he found families complicated and would benefit from a newly created family of friends.
The first half of the series premiere felt a little slow as it was reestablishing information we already knew from the backdoor pilot.
The stakes grew higher when the college party and the sports scenes started.
Simone ran into Cam Hawkins at the party, who knew all her secrets from high school, and Simone didn't want everyone to know at Bringston to realize she was a teenage mom.
Simone wanted to start fresh at college, but college parties and hangovers have consequences.
Simone seemed to forget how hard Keisha, Nathaniel, and others liked to party from her visit during Homecoming weekend.
They wanted to distract her from being homesick that they got her drunk, but Simone was so hungover she could barely function during tennis drills with Thea the next day.
In a scrimmage match against Coach Shaw's new team, the baseball team had to prove themselves too.
Watching the baseball and tennis sequences was one of the best parts since they showed these students' athletic drive.
Both Simone and Damon had to swallow their pride and prove they could do better.
Damon was so used to being the hotshot player that everyone obsessed over that he needed to work on his teamwork skills. In return, Coach Turner said the rest of the guys needed some of Damon's drive and passion.
It may take some time before Damon learns to communicate well with others.
On the other hand, Simone needs to prove that she belongs on the tennis team and isn't just a party girl, since so far, she hasn't made a great impression on the coach.
See on this team nothing just gets handed to you. It has to be earned. That’s what makes us the best.
Thea
All American: Homecoming focused on building a new type of family so that the bringston University students support each other through rough times.
When Simone learned her parents didn't pay for her room and board, her Aunt Amara immediately offered Simone a place to stay, and Damon and his friends offered to help her move.
The students are all one tribal family. They look out for each other. It's comforting to have an adult still looking out for them as it's evident that Amara cares for all of them and their successes.
Nathianel: If the food is always like this, can we make this a regular thing?
Simone: I actually really like that.
Amara: Okay. Family dinner—once a week.
Damon realized that families don't always need to be blood-related. JR asked about Damon's family in the cliffhanger scene, and then we saw him looking at some baby photos. Could JR and Damon be biological brothers?
Over to you, All American: Homecoming Fanatics. Are you intrigued by Simone's start at Bringston University?
Do you think Damon can connect with Coach Turner and his teammates so the team can succeed? Chime in below in the comments.
Remember, if you missed an episode, you can watch All American: Homecoming online right here via TV Fanatic.
All American: Homecoming airs at 9/8c on Mondays on the CW.
Laura Nowak is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow her on X.
