Irreplaceable

**"Irreplaceable"** is the thirteen and final episode of the first season of *All American: Homecoming*. It first aired on May 23, 2022.

## Synopsis

**MEANT TO BE** - As Homecoming week continues, Simone grapples with her role on the tennis team and Thea receives some upsetting news. With Coach Marcus nowhere to be found, an interim coach steps in which creates conflict for Damon and JR as they try to win their most important game. Keisha throws herself into raising funds for Bringston in the hopes of helping to keep her chosen family together, while Cam makes a decision that could have major consequences. Meanwhile, Amara finds herself back in the spotlight with a surprising career opportunity.

## Plot

Amara, Damon, and JR knock on Marcus's door but he doesn't answer. She sends the boys home so she can continue looking. She tells Marcus the boys are gone, but he wants her to leave as he's okay. She tells him to answer when she calls.

Simone, Thea, Jerika and another girl talk about Amara's new post. Thea refocuses on tennis since she's still in the tournament. Damon sent her flowers to congratulate her on the win that morning. Coach tells the top 6 to hit the court while the others do weight training.

Keena is upset over Marcus being AWOL, though Damon assures her that Principal Allen is already working on a replacement for the Hawkins game. At Damon's insistence, she decides to enjoy homecoming like every other mom who doesn't have a special skill to help a situation. He knows he dropped a bomb earlier that week. She knows homecoming is the safest place for everyone.

Simone compliments Keisha for pulling together a fundraiser so quickly. Nate is skeptical they can raise 4 million, though she insists they can do it. Tina calls Simone to tell her there are two open spots at Golden Angeles University. She adds that Simone will never see Jordan as the class is large. Simone knows it's a lie. She doesn't want to transfer and still has the chance to play doubles or fill in for an injured member. She eventually caves and has her mom call GAU.

The baseball team talks about beating Hawkins to keep their funding for the team and help BU stay open. President Allen brings Jessie Raymond Sr. in as he's the new interim coach.

Damon visits the court to see Thea, who gives him a power bar in exchange for coffee. He wishes he could be there for her tournament, but she understands his situation. Damon is having trouble with Jessie being there as he forced the adoption. She tells him to just focus on the game.

Amara tries to reach Marcus who isn't answering his phone. She tells him to check in with her. She visits Simone and they discuss her article making waves in the media. Amara also heard about Simone's potential transfer, which doesn't feel right for Simone. Amara reminds her that she's leaving too, but that doesn't meant they can't do everything to save it.

Jessie coaches the team with a strict hand in his vision. He talks to Damon one-on-one as they're relying on his star power. Damon knows they'll win as a team. Jessie thinks they'll crumble under the pressure. Damon starts speaking up against Jessie's rules until he decides it's not worth it and goes back to practice. Jessie tells JR to get his boy in line. JR grins that it's the coaches job.

Keisha looks for an outfit while telling Cam that she's dancing to one of the ATL's performances. Cam can't do an extra performance as he has a team meeting and then curfew. If he misses curfew he's off the team and loses his scholarship. She scoffs at him. Unless he's changed his mind about the surgery the scholarship isn't going to be there anyway.

Marcus ignores another text from Amara as he curls up on his bed. He ignores the knocking from Keena until she says that Damon is in trouble. He answers and she corrects that Damon is fine. It's supposed to be a plea to come back to coach, but now she knows it's something else. Her cousin was 23 when her demons got the best of her; she knows a breakdown when she sees it. They'll start with eating for the day.

Amara and the crew give passionate interviews about their time and love for Bringston. They gush over the interviews in the dormitory until Simone tells them she's transferring to BAU for tennis. Keisha thinks Bringston is bigger than tennis and asks her to stay. She wants to keep the school and everyone together. She storms off emotional.

Keena offers to talk with Marcus. She gets that he's depressed. And right now, the darkness feels so overwhelming. She has experience with strong men who hide their illnesses from the people they love. She doesn't want him to make the same mistake her husband did. Marcus admits that he suffers from bipolar disorder. After he left the Minors, he didn't feel like myself. There were too many high highs and low lows. It took a second for the doctor to finally get his diagnosis right. Now he's off his meds. She wants to het him back on them but he protests; he doesn't need drugs, to feel whole. Apparently, he does and there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. She wants him to think about all those people who love him. Her son is a better man because a year ago, he came into Damon's life. Marcus is a good man who deserves to get better. So, she's going to fight for that man's life. She can't save him, but she can make sure that he fights to save himself .

Simone, Nate, and Keisha talk about the formers transfer. Keisha is happy for her but feels like everyone she loves leaves or is taken. Bringston's her only constant.

Shaw visits Damon to wish him good luck. He offers him a spot at Hawkins. Even if Bringston gets through the sale, he lost his coach. That could be bad for his career.

Damon visits Jessie in the coach's office to offer him honesty. These past few months, he's come to really understand that without honesty and integrity, a man doesn't have a leg to stand on. The man whose desk Jessie's sitting at taught him that. And he almost let his anger towards Jessie take both of those things from from. Damon reveals that he's Celine's son and that Xavier Wilson's his father. Celine betrayed Jessie and Damon paid the price for his pride. He was a baby, and Jessie ripped everything away from him and left him to grow up living a lie, not knowing where he came from. Jessie comments that his scar faded. He was hanging onto the side of the couch, learning to stand. J.R. got sick with a bad nosebleed. He knocked Damon over trying to get to Jessie. With both his kids blood all over my shirt in the ER he knew he couldn't do it. There was so much broken about them at the time. Plus, J.R. Was always sick. It was the whole reason Jessie got a vasectomy because he knew that bringing another child into that broken chaos something his family couldn't take. But Celine had the affair and Damon was another man's child. That night in the ER, he went to Celine and told her what they should do. He's sorry that he hurt Damon, but had to protect his family. Despite Jessie, Damon turned out okay. He never needed to protect his family from Damon, because he's the one who's causing all the damage. First his wife and next JR if he doesn't change.

Keisha thanks the crowd for coming to save their school. She talks about the importance of HBCU when others try to silence them. She introduces the Kappa Epsilon Kappa boys who perform a stepping routine as J.R. explains the history of stepping. The whole frat proceeds to perform for the crowd in a mix of stepping and modernized dancing.

Simone asks Damon why he's not with the others. He needs some air as he confronted J.R.'s dad by telling him who he is. She asks how he feels now. He isn't sure but is glad he faced him, but is also sad. Simone advises him to take his time to heal and process everything. They all have his back. They'll be cheering him on tomorrow. He needs that win which she understands. She tells him about her potential transfer, telling him that she and Jordan broke up over Fall break. It doesn't matter because everyone involved is doing what they're supposed to do with everyone they're supposed to be doing it with. Damon will miss her wise words; he's grown a lot since he met her.

J.R. announces their 30k donation before the ATL's start their show while Keisha dances. Cam ends up making an appearance. After, she asks what changed his mind and it was her. He's ready to step out on faith. Amara, Nate, and Simone arrive to look at their donation numbers. They are still a million short of their goal, which means Bringston is over.

Damon visits Thea who just heard about Bringston. Something is wrong and she doesn't want to force anything between them now that the school is closing. He doesn't' care if they're in the same school as it's real and they can make it work. They both have to get some rest. She gives him a hug, trying to brush off her shoulder pain. She promises to get it checked tomorrow.

Keena brings a Marcus his pills. He can't watch the game without being there. He invites her to stay.

Lando apologizes to Damon and J.R. for the way everything went down with Bringston closing. The players head to the field to start the game, and Bringston excels. Shaw calls time to talk with Lando, and the game shifts to Hawkins winning

Marcus and Keena talk about the game. He knows they need him but he isn't there. She thinks they should go to the game, but will follow his lead.

Damon struggles with his pitching. Simone knows it's a matter of him proving his MLB sacrifice was worth it. Marcus arrives and tells Damon to get out of his head. He did what he came to do by changing everyone's lives for the better. Now, he just needs to play the game. Meanwhile, Hawkins swaps out a player for an injury. Damon strikes out the next batter, winning the game. Everyone floods the field as a last minute donation comes in as someone saves the school. Simone answers a call from her coach who needs to talk with her in the office in 15 minutes.

Keisha confides in Cam that she was scared to lose the school. He knows she can do anything she puts her mind too. He gets an email that his football scholarship is revoked. He lies that they're all good.

Damon finds Thea whose solemn mood takes down his celebrating. He encourages her to tell him what's going on. She never made it to the tournament. The team doctor told her that she tore her rotator cuff the second day of the tournament and didn't realize it. She had been using Simone's racket because hers was cut, but Simone's being heavier put too much strain on her shoulder. She'll be out for months with surgery and not playing. He hugs her as he apologizes to her. Keena interrupts so Thea leaves. Keena apologizes but it's important. She gives him test results from when he was a kid, one of which she thinks he should see.

Zeke tells Amara about the Annie Mae Scott Foundation donating the rest of the money with two conditions; he steps down and she takes his place as president. The conditions were accepted by the trustees. He wants to find his way back to medicine, be with his daughter, and maybe teach. He hopes she accepts the offers. She places a call to Tina as the foundation is behind the act Tina closed a deal for. She makes no apologizes for pushing Zeke out. She hopes Amara will take the job and loves her. She looks over the school from the office and smiles.

Jessie tells JR that he knows who Damon is. JR can't believe Jessie did all of that to his brother and family. Jessie apologizes to JR and Damon, who arrives with news. Damon remarks that Jessie gave away his only son. Because Jessie had a vasectomy, the thought never occurred to him that Damon could be his. Those things aren't full proof, and Damon is, in fact, Jessie's biological son. After his dad, Xavier, got sick he ran a bunch of tests on both of them. A DNA test was one of them and there was no match. Xavier isn't his father. Jessie struggles to understand and JR presses him to take the test. Damon is fine with not doing it, because no matter what, Jessie won't be his father. He destroyed his family for nothing. Damon leaves and JR follows him.

Simone joins the tops 6 with a hug from Jerika. She then approaches Thea who congratulates her. She apologizes for Thea's shoulder. Simone took her spot after all. Her injury happened because Simone talked her into using the heavier racket, which caused her tear. She wants her to admit that she's been gunning for her, pretended to be her friend, got in her head and convinced her there was something wrong with her for being single-mindedly focus on tennis and not some dumb social life. Simone took Thea's eye off the ball and needing Simone's racket was the unexpected finishing touch. She may have gotten the guy, but Simone is making sure she has everything else. Simone tries to defend herself as she is Thea's friend. She'll let all that slide because Thea is in pain. Thea interrupt tells her, the conniving little bitch, to watch her back, because she will get her spot back. Simone tells her to rest up; she knows where to find her.

Damon opens a bag that has a Hawkins hat in it with a note from Shaw. Jessie Raymond is staying on as interim coach. When Damon's ready, he should call Shaw. Damon decides to call him so they can talk.

## Cast

### Starring

* Geffri Maya as Simone Hicks
* Peyton Alex Smith as Damon Sims
* Kelly Jenrette as Amara Patterson
* Cory Hardrict as Coach Marcus Turner
* Sylvester Powell as Jessie Raymond
* Camille Hyde as Thea Mays
* Mitchell Edwards as Cam Watkins
* Netta Walker as Keisha McCalla

### Guest Starring

* Joe Holt as Jessie Raymond Sr.
* John Marshall Jones as Leonard Shaw
* Leonard Roberts as President Zeke Allen
* Tamberla Perry as Keena Sims
* Martin Bobb-Semple as Orlando "Lando" Johnson
* Shelli Boone as Tina Hicks
* Heather Harris as Gabrielle
* Rhoyle Ivy King as Nathaniel Hardin
* Sabrina Revelle as Coach Elaine Loni
* Derek Rivera as Santiago Reyes

### Co-Starring

* Terrence Hardy Jr. as Art
* Lesette Latimer as Jerika
* Loren Maxine as Becca

## Trivia

* This episode's title originated from the song "Irreplaceable", originally sung by Beyoncé.

## Multimedia

### Soundtrack

 "The Last Day"
 "Ring The Alarm"
 "Underdog"
 "Play To Win"
 "Not Alright"

## References

1. ↑ *All American: Homecoming: Season One* Ratings
2. ↑ Listings - ALL AMERICAN: HOMECOMING on The CW | TheFutonCritic.com