All American: Billy’s Birthday Roast Brings Out Coop’s Comedy And Drama

While All American is mainly known for its drama and athletics, the midseason five premiere kicks things off a little differently, with comedy. “Feel So Good” makes the right call in bringing nearly all the main characters together for Billy’s birthday roast.

In a moment of fun, everyone brings out their comedic timing while roasting Coach Baker in front of close friends and family. Coop is a standout performer, roasting everyone she introduces to the stage.

While the most significant chunk of the episode occurs at Billy’s birthday, the party is not all fun and games. “Feel So Good” confronts many relationship conflicts for nearly every character. It is a personal internal struggle for those who do not face relationship issues.

Although Billy is thrilled to celebrate his birthday amongst those closest to him, a massive career question is hanging over his head. Should Billy take the head coaching job at GAU? On a personal level, Billy wants to continue pursuing a career working in football, a game he loves, while rebuilding a program that has fallen apart.

It is an opportunity that may never come again, and it even includes reuniting on the field with Jordan and Spencer. But is it the right move? Although Billy loves his job at Crenshaw High School, the call to the field is too strong. While Laura tries to help Billy work toward a decision, it is ultimately his choice, but one he needs to discuss with Jordan and Spencer.

Grace quickly figures out Billy’s uncertainty and confronts him, knowing that Spencer believes Coach Kenny will receive the head coaching job since no one else is a contender. Although Grace calls out Billy’s willingness to leave the high school behind, that does not change Billy’s mind about moving forward with GAU.

Billy’s decision even impacts Jordan’s search for a more sturdy relationship with a coach. Jordan’s visit to Willmont went fantastically, and Jordan is on a high at the prospect of joining a team where he can build a solid foundation with a new coach.

Although Jordan seems ready to move on to a school guaranteed to play the following year, a conversation with Billy changes Jordan’s mind. Billy’s confidential news about taking the GAU head coaching job is exciting to Jordan. But, what makes it better is that Billy trusted Jordan with the information over Spencer, knowing that in the past, Jordan considered Billy to confide more in Spencer.

Jordan discovering that Billy had come to him first is the moment that allows Jordan to return to GAU rather than transfer. But, the brief consideration of transferring was not the only central plot Jordan tackled.

“Feel So Good” also delivered on Jordan and Layla’s first real fight as a couple. The news that Layla had told Simone the truth about their relationship shocked Jordan, especially considering Layla had been adamant about keeping it a secret from everyone else.

However, although Jordan is initially upset that Layla told Simone the truth without him, Jordan and Layla make up later that night during and after the party. Rather than allow the fight to continue or spread, they apologize and declare themselves as a team, wanting to move forward together. When the rest of their friends learn of their relationship, Layla and Jordan will handle that together.

But Jordan and Layla are not the only ones with relationship conflicts. Coop and Skye hit a significant bump in the road. Rather than listen to Coop when she says she is more than happy living with Olivia, Layla, and Patience, Skye searches for apartments for Coop to move into under the guise of the awkwardness following Coop and Olivia.

Coop repeatedly tells Skye that she has no plans to move. Coop loves where she lives and grows tired of Skye’s increasing annoyance at her home. But, when Skye finally reveals her reasons have to do with Coop sharing a house with Patience, it starts to make more sense why Skye is pushing.

However, while Coop and Skye discuss the matter, Coop is adamant about taking things slow due to not wanting to repeat past mistakes.

Spencer and Olivia continue to do that, though. Unable to move forward or back, Olivia and Spencer have remained in an awkward limbo since their breakup. The heartbreak following Spencer and Olivia’s breakup is still clearly there, as is the uncertainty about how to get back to a place of being friends. However, “Feel So Good” is finally when they must confront what it means to start to move forward.

Spencer’s decision to bring his new girlfriend, Alicia, to Billy’s party brings out a series of awkward events. Although Spencer tried to move on first, he is still clearly stuck having feelings for Olivia to the point where Alicia calls him out on it.

Either move forward and find a way to put his feelings for Olivia behind him, or move backward and get back together. But, staying in the place Spencer is in now is not working for him and is only causing more pain.

Meanwhile, Olivia must face a similar quandary of how to move on. While she can rely on her friend Noah to be her pretend date, there may be potential for Noah to be a rebound boyfriend. But Olivia and Spencer have been caught in a repetitive cycle since their initial split, and it’s time to make a change one way or the other.

While Spencer and Olivia have determined that they hope in a few months their friendship will be in a stronger place, All American needs to continue to work toward showing them move forward in their lives.

While All American never shows Jordan and JJ’s makeup after their big fight, they seem to have gotten over it, with Asher being the only one still receiving the silent treatment from JJ. But, with JJ still absent, Asher spends most of his time worried about his girlfriend, Jaymee.

“Feel So Good” concludes with Jaymee telling Asher that she needs to go to the hospital after spending the entire episode claiming her pain was not so bad.

All American has set up a variety of storylines that allow Billy to move away from the isolation of remaining at the high school and have teased where many potential relationships will go.

With season five still having many episodes to go and All American renewed for a sixth season, All American has a lot of room to grow the relationships and storylines of its central characters.