"Reborn," the sneak peek for season seven, not even advertised as the official season premiere, is a rough episode for All American. But, is this the effect of trying to introduce so many new characters at once that will pass as the show settles into its new format or a sign of foreshadowing of what the new version of All American looks like? From "Reborn" alone, this episode lacks the heart that appeared in the previous six seasons. Without Spencer James as the show's main anchor, "Reborn" struggles to land on what will give the series its identity. But, if the rest of the season follows this episode's example, it may not be such a fun season to watch.
Rather than focusing on the remaining series leads, "Reborn" is all about its new additions, which is a troubling decision, seeing as it turns Jordan, Layla, and Coop into an afterthought. While Jordan's role is at least connected to the new main characters, Layla and Coop are simply existing in the background questioning their new roles in life, which seems almost scarily like it could have been the writers questioning what is next for these characters.
Jordan's job as the new Quarterback Coach could have been very interesting if it was actually about him and his strive to learn his new role and fit into the school as an authority figure and living up to his father's legacy while he takes on a professional teaching role at twenty-three years old and still in some ways connects to the high school students. There are glimpses of that, such as Jordan allowing the players access to his social media accounts before he inevitably turns them private. While the storyline still has the potential to be about Jordan in future episodes, this plot is mostly about the new generation of high school athletes, specifically Jordan's Quarterback student, who finds it acceptable to challenge Jordan's authority after he is caught skipping practice. But, there are no references to the Baker family mystery that Jordan had set in motion at Olivia and Spencer's wedding at the conclusion of season six.
Layla and Coop mostly sit around questioning their places in life, which the show is self-aware of to recognize Layla's massive success at such a young age. Still, this is certainly a subplot that is trying too hard to lay the foundation of what is to come. Layla always has something up her sleeve, whether it be a recording studio or a new business. She has just not found her next venture yet. Still, it also acts as an exposition to explain Asher and Jaymee followed Spencer, Olivia, and Patience to New York. Coop's other main role follows her relationship with Amina.
So, how do the new characters fit into the show?
Amina, who has been on and off the series over the years, is not the organic fit the script so desperately wants her to be. Having her use terms such as "Uncle Jordan" is clearly meant to recognize a strong bond to All American's legacy, but it falls flat. As for the other new central characters, they take up a majority of the episode's screen time, and hopefully, the rough patches that are all over these characters have been smoothed out by the official season premiere. They do not gel the same way the original Vortex did, even at the beginning. Still, "Reborn" does not recognize the same ups and downs that the original characters faced with each other, at least not yet. "Reborn," in particular, is too exposition-heavy in its execution, as the entire episode feels like the set-up to get to meet the characters before the meat of the series kicks in.
The heart of the show is at stake, at least with what this episode presented. The familial sense was nowhere to be found, at least outside of Jordan, Layla, and Coop's smaller shared bits. Spencer's voicemail was a nice grounding effort to bring back the original voice of the show, as he symbolically passes on the torch to Jordan as being someone capable of inspiring the next generation. Still, in order for season seven to prove it is the same show that All American had presented for six seasons, the next few episodes have to step up their game.