All American Season 6 Premiere Recap: Just How Long Was That Time Jump? And Will ‘Spelivia’ Survive It?
It’s been 11 months since All American aired a new episode on The CW… but in the fictional world of the show, even more time has passed.
Just seconds into its Season 6 premiere on Monday, All American revealed it was jumping forward in time by one year and three months — an especially jarring leap for those ‘shipping Spencer and Olivia, who were supposed to be apart for only three months while Olivia studied in London. In fact, as we learned via flashback, Spencer had gone to visit Liv abroad just days before she was first supposed to come home… at which point she revealed she loved the London version of herself and wanted to keep discovering her new identity, thus extending her cultural exchange program for another year.
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Liv had written Spencer a letter at the time, reaffirming that she’d only be gone another 12 months, and nothing had to change between them. But as their reunion approached in Monday’s return, both Spencer and Olivia were filled with angst at the prospect of having changed too much in the last year to want to restart their relationship. Great news, though! The overthinking lovebirds had a heart-to-heart near the end of the hour, and Liv confirmed that while, yes, she does feel like a new version of herself after her trip, both Old Liv and New Liv have something big in common: their love for Spencer.
Spencer was expectedly thrilled at Olivia’s monologue, and he assured her that he wants them to take their time to rediscover one another in this new life chapter. “It’s nice to meet you, Spencer James,” Liv said before moving in for a kiss — but because uninterrupted peace seems to be elusive for these two, the angst began anew for Olivia when she told Coop that California is only appealing these days because Spencer is there, prompting Coop to ask what might happen if Spencer gets drafted to the NFL and relocates. Spencer voiced a similar concern to Jordan later, and Jordan encouraged him to live in the moment. This is Spencer James we’re talking about, though, and I’m not sure even a 15-month time jump has calmed his anxious mind.
Other developments from Monday’s premiere:
All American: Here’s What’s Ahead for the Show’s Central Couples in Season 6
* Speaking of the NFL draft, Spencer has been getting significantly more media attention than Jordan during GAU’s current football season, which appeared to be going quite well after the team rebuilt from Bountygate. But at the end of the hour, the Condors got a new addition to their coaching staff, who seemed quite certain that Jordan is the team’s best asset, not Spencer.
* In cliffhanger resolution news: Patience survived! In a moment of major relief, Patience was revealed to have pulled through last season’s stabbing by Miko, and she spent six months rehabbing in New York. But some late-breaking news that Miko could be let out of jail on bail (or even acquitted during trial, after crucial doorbell camera footage was tossed out of the case) rattled Patience significantly during her first public music performance since the stabbing. She fled the stage after suffering a panic attack and hallucinating Miko’s presence, prompting Layla to reveal that she feels responsible for the stabbing and subsequent trauma, since she was the one to serve Miko with a restraining order. Patience later reassured Layla that the Miko incident had nothing to do with her; Coop, meanwhile, has yet to tell Patience her true romantic feelings and avoided getting honest with her for the entire premiere.
* Oh, and that musical performance Patience was scheduled to give? It took place at Layla’s own music lounge, which has replaced longtime hangout Slauson Cafe. We all know Layla is a capable entrepreneur, but it was clear that she and new business partner Ryan are experiencing some growing pains as the lounge officially opened. Meanwhile, #Jordayla was still going strong… but we also learned they aren’t planning to have their wedding until after they’ve graduated college.
* Asher and Jaymee are parents! They’ve welcomed an adorable son, AJ, and are quickly learning it’s not so easy to balance parenthood with school and their careers. Fortunately, Coach Montes (the late Kamar de los Reyes, in one of his final TV roles) has proven to be a generous mentor, promoting Asher to offensive assistant coach and supervising baby AJ while Asher took an exam.
Your turn! What did you think of All American‘s long-awaited return? Grade the episode in our poll below, then drop a comment with your full reactions!
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