Finally, after a season of hemming and hawing, relationship-wise, things were looking a little clearer.
Almost everyone stepped up in the season finale, All American Season 5 Episode 20, changing how things will look in the upcoming abbreviated All American Season 6.
None of these changes were particularly unexpected, but they set up situations nicely for next season.
Let’s start for the worst of the will-they-or-won’t-they storylines: Spencer and Olivia.
You know Spencer and Liv belong together when Dillon and his sassy girlfriend made fun of Spencer’s assertions that he and Olivia were excellent friends. Grace tried to be supportive, suppressing an appropriate eye roll.
Liv was flying out that night for London, and Spencer was determined to keep things casual, even though his heart told him something different.
Likewise, Olivia was willing to play things however Spencer wanted, even though she longed to get back together.
Spencer did plan a special final day for Liv, beginning with Grace’s contribution of a blanket composed of old shirts of Billy.
Next came a reenactment of Spencer’s first day at Beverly High, when Olivia was the only person to welcome the football hotshot from South Crenshaw
It quickly became clear Spencer knew little about Great Britain, from his awful British accent to Dillon’s smartly illustrated book of fake English phrases. But he meant well.
While Spencer was taking Liv on this trip into their past and his future, weirdness was happening back at the beach house.
J.J., who discovered a hidden engagement ring, set off that strangeness. Leave it to J.J. to spice things up, even when he didn’t mean to.
Making things worse was new housemate Jaymee spying the ring on the counter.
She made the logical assumption everyone else did: The ring was Asher’s, and he meant to propose to his baby mama, Jaymee.
Surprisingly, that sent her into a panic, more than being pregnant and living together with Asher. She fled to the Baker house and Layla, who managed to calm Jaymee’s active imagination down, for a time anyway.
Then Jaymee got revved up again while Asher’s father, Harold, told them what a bad idea it was for them to be having a baby. That led to Asher’s banning Harold from his family’s life.
Asher knew the ring wasn’t his. He should have been able to put together whose ring it was, but he had too much else on his mind at the time.
J.J. set Asher straight, pointing out Harold may be an overhearing drunk, but at least he showed up, unlike J.J.’s absentee parents.
That led Asher to give Harold one more chance to be part of his grandchild’s life, complete with various conditions. Will Gwen get the same deal?
At least Asher and Jaymee agreed they weren’t ready to marry yet. But they had fewer qualms about becoming parents? Wait until Asher gets health insurance from his coaching job. They might think differently between the new baby and Jaymee’s lupus.
Jordan was acting flat-out weird, although we did eventually learn why. He freaked out at Laura’s attempt to continue family breakfasts without Billy.
He went to the South Crenshaw trophy case to commune with Billy. Preach saw him and offered to serve as a sounding board for Jordan should he ever want to talk.
When Layla told him about Asher’s engagement ring, he appeared oddly indifferent, unwilling to talk to Asher about it. There was a good reason for that, it turned out.
Next, he stormed off when Layla joked with him during beach football and again when Layla listed all the reasons Asher and Jaymee shouldn’t get married. That was precisely what he didn’t want to hear.
He took up Preach on his offer and, as is his wont, Preach set him straight, telling him not to waste time fighting with those he loved.
Jordan’s proposal to Layla had been set up but still felt unexpected. Not having learned from his marriage to Simone, Jordan was looking for stability, so he proposed to the person who had made him feel safe during this challenging time following Billy’s death.
Jordan’s parroting Preach’s words led Spencer to rush to the airport, where he and Olivia admitted they still love each other, just in time for her to take off to London for three months.
Coop also decided she truly wanted to get back together with Patience and broke up with Skye. As Coop and Spencer looked into their hearts, Skye was a placeholder, like Alicia.
She may have come to that conclusion a little too late, as Patience’s psycho fan Miko stabbed her. With All American likely having to trim the cast for next season, things don’t look good for Patience, do they?
Finally, the adult characters had a moment or two.
With Liv headed to London and Jordan living at the beach house, Laura was developing empty-house syndrome.
She smartly invited Grace over for some much-needed advice. Grace’s situation wasn’t exactly the same as Laura’s. She lost a partner and had one child move out, so it wasn’t an empty nest. Also, she has since remarried.
Grace’s advice was sound, suggesting Laura keeps busy with activities she enjoys. So maybe Laura does become a professor next season.
To follow changes to The Vortex, watch All American online.
Were you surprised Jordan proposed?
Were Spencer and Olivia reuniting long overdue?
Is Patience gone?
Comment below.
Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on Twitter.
