Sadly, it was not meant to be. Coop and Patience, after years of trying to make their romance go the distance, have finally broken up after their long-distance relationship finds them moving on and outgrowing each other. During "Boom I Got Your Boyfriend," Patience and Coop have the conversation they need to, and it allows their honesty to give them closure. Coop and Patience have years of significant history behind them, having relied on the other to rise them up and help get each of them to the successful place they are today. So much of their growth has come from the relationship they have had together. But, while the past can be important, their ideas for the future no longer align.
Coop's realization that she can not rely on her and Patience's past to make their future work, an epiphany that Patience accidentally overhears, is the sad but true scenario where their relationship falls. They have a history of this behavior, and neither are willing to undergo it again. They have each come too far individually to fall back into destructive patterns, and while there will still be plenty of love and respect toward what their relationship was at its best, the decision to end things before they were to head into another rendition of a long distance relationship was the better choice. The end of their relationship comes with a sweet send-off of flashbacks before Patience leaves. While it is unfortunate to say goodbye to one of All American's founding romances, not all teenage romances last into adulthood and endure every obstacle. In this moment, the series presents one of the unfortunate realities of what it means to grow up and how that can mean growing apart. In a more positive moment for Coop, Amina's suggestion that Coop moves in with her and Preach finally gives Coop a confirmed place of residence moving forward.
While Jordan is not in the episode, his absence is given a narrative purpose. Jordan and Khalil have had plenty of bonding moments throughout the season, including ones during football practice that occurred off-screen. So, Jordan's absence in the aftermath of bringing Khalil to live at the Baker house creates an opportunity for the less bonded Layla and Khalil to become more comfortable with each other. This is less of an issue for Layla, who presents the maturity of just wanting Khalil to feel at home and trying to connect with him while Jordan is away. However, for Khalil, Jordan's absence means a lack of comfort as he tries to prove himself worthy of being given a room to stay.
For as much as All American may have matured their original series leads as teenagers, turning Layla and Jordan into Khalil's temporary foster parents was not something they were previously prepared to handle. Still, Layla is up to the challenge of trying to be there for Khalil and seeing as she and Jordan are sharing the role of first-time step-up parent to a teenager, Layla relies on veteran parent Cassius for advice in determining if taking in Khalil was the best thing for him. Cassius and Layla's conversation remains on a platonic trajectory, even if Cassius' drunk state and mourning over his troubled marriage could have risked the potential of his lowered inhibitions, aiming for something more. Still, All American makes the right decision in avoiding going into unnecessary drama or awkwardness by allowing their conversation to appear more like Cassius, a heartbroken and lonely man, found a platonic companion in Layla.
Still, no matter how hard All American tries to turn Coop and Layla into Amina's main parental figures in season seven, with each passing episode in which he is not present, Preach's absence becomes more noticeable. "Boom I Got Your Boyfriend" continues the trend of behaving as if Amina has strong bonds with Layla, Coop, and Patience, bonds that were rarely shown on-screen since Preach's surprise toward having a daughter wore off. At this point, it is as if Coop and Layla are responsible for raising Amina, as Preach is mysteriously absent far too often without explanation. Even if there was a reason for Preach's absence, All American presents the storylines as if Preach is never around. Where was Preach during Amina's party? Why was he not there to congratulate Amina on her victory at school? Why was he not even referenced as Coop and Layla celebrate Amina's student government win?
For as many important connections as "Boom I Got Your Boyfriend" aims to highlight, including the romantic troubles of Coop and Patience, the growing familial bond between Layla and Khalil, and the teenage love square trouble between Amina, KJ, Khalil, and Tori, there are still some elements that season seven has just not successfully handled, and Preach's almost constant absence is one of them. All American needs to remember that Preach is Amina's parent, and it should not be Coop or Layla's responsibility to parent her. The idea of Coop moving in with Amina and Preach could only cause more trouble in that area, as Coop would be in a more permanent situation that would constantly have her surrounding Amina, rather than the two of them living more separate lives. "Boom I Got Your Boyfriend" does some decent work in continuing to establish the relationships between the new characters and the original characters, but All American has yet to perfect its new formula.