‘All American’ Recap: Ep. 4 “Lose Yourself”

All American Ep. 4 (RECAP) – Trust Jesse Giddings/The CW
One man.
All American Ep. 4 (RECAP) – Trust
Hail to the victors. Jesse Giddings/The CW

Whoa! This story keeps getting deeper and deeper. Unlikely alliances come together and Coach’s secret is slowly coming to light.

Asher’s Party

Picking up from the last episode, the Beverly Hills Eagles reconciled after Spencer’s much-needed apology, and this time we get to see them bond as a team. It’s great, they’re all getting along until Asher throws one of his infamous parties, which are known for wild escapades. Spencer senses that Asher is acting strangely but can’t put a finger on why.
Meanwhile, Leila and Olivia are BFF’s again and Leila encourages Olivia to go to the party by saying that she needs a “fresh start” since returning from rehab. Leila mentions that Olivia should show more interest in Spencer, obviously not knowing that he’s her brother — though neither does Olivia. Olivia finally agrees to go but shortly after arriving she and Spencer are naked in a jacuzzi — a dare brought on by Leila during a gambling game to get them together. It was awkward, trust me. I couldn’t wait until the scene was over.

All American Ep. 4 (RECAP) – Trust
Olivia and Spencer get too close for comfort. Robert Voets/The CW

The continuation of this game leads to an abrupt end when Asher loses his what we think is his dad’s Porsche to one of his teammates who then crashes it. Asher is desperate for a solution until Spencer offers his help. “It’s not that hard to spot someone with no money,” says Spencer. Yes, Asher is broke: the house isn’t his, and neither is the car. It’s clear Asher is homeless. Spencer and Asher reach a crossroads.

Money Woes

Back in Crenshaw, Coop is still living with Grace, Spencer’s mother. Coop is bummed out because she doesn’t have any cash, especially after Spencer shows her a wad of money given to him by the coach. So, she calls Shawn for help. She thinks he is going to give her an odd job, but then he helps get her hired at Alvin’s (Bill Lee Brown) barbershop (where the coach took Jordan in the last episode), and she’s relieved, for now.

Spencer gets the car repaired in Crenshaw for Asher, but it gets stolen. Spencer calls Coop, and she involves Shaw and now Spencer has to depend on Shawn for help (talk about two unlikely forces). Not surprisingly, Shawn actually makes Spencer say “I need you.” If you haven’t noticed from previous episodes, Shawn is not a very secure guy; he needs validation at all costs and he’ll belittle anyone to get it. This time he helps Spencer and the car is returned to its home back in Beverly Hills.

This is the first episode in which Asher and Leila felt like a real couple to me. In previous episodes, it seemed like they were coasting — I mean nothing scandalous or emotionally deep was happening between them — and I thought Spencer would eventually win her over. In this episode we get to see that Asher and Leila actually love each other, especially after Spencer advises Asher to tell Leila about his financial problems.

Blood

All American Ep. 4 (RECAP) – Trust
Jordan gets snoopy. Jesse Giddings/The CW

Jordan finds out that the coach has set up a Crenshaw Trust Fund account for Spencer. Things get even dicier when Jordan spills the secret to Olivia, who initially is in denial. I mean, can you blame her? No one would want to accept that someone as handsome as Spencer is their brother.

Olivia eventually believes Jordan and they try to tag team the coach with questions about his past, but of course, the coach turns them away, which only makes them more curious. Posing as her mother, Olivia calls the Crenshaw Bank — turns out the coach has been depositing $650 to a trust fund each month for Spencer for the past 17 years.

The next day, Spencer confesses to his mother, Grace, that he lost the cash that the coach gave him. She gives him some advice, “You don’t need anything given to you, you earn it! …the free stuff, it always comes with a bigger cost.”

Desperation/Conclusion

As I suspected, Shawn had ulterior motives for getting Coop the job at the barber shop. He wanted launder to his money in the establishment. To make matters worse, Shawn makes Coop responsible for using him to find the stolen car for Spencer. All along, Shawn’s friendliness was a way to see if he could trust her. Now Coop is really in trouble.

On a good note, back in Beverly Hills at the Baker’s home, Spencer tells the coach that he doesn’t want any more handouts and that he has to fend for himself. He gets a job at a restaurant in Beverly Hills.

Drama, drama, drama, stay tuned!

All American > The CW > Wednesdays at 9/8c