Under Pressure

**"Under Pressure"** is the second of the first season of *All American: Homecoming*. It first aired on February 28, 2022.

## Synopsis

**FIGURING IT ALL OUT** - With everything Simone is trying to balance, she starts to crack but finds the motivation to keep going from a group assignment with Damon and Thea. Damon struggles to bond with the team, but with the help of JR, Damon does something that scares him and gets him back on track. Keisha wrestles with letting go of her dream, while Cam's dream may be over before it even started. Meanwhile, Coach Marcus witnesses what the cost of being a whistleblower is having on Amara.

## Plot

The students gather for class registration. Damon teases Simone for talking to herself, leading to witty banter between them. He encourages her to put last week's tennis mistake behind her.

JR is at the diamond looking at the photograph of the little boy he found. Damon confronts him for being absent, so JR claims that being an only child made him appreciate his personal time. He asks Damon if he has siblings but he doesn’t. JR thinks that’s why he has trouble relating to the team. Damon knows he’s been hard on them lately, with JR calling that an understatement. The vote for team captain is that week and the team will vote for Damon. JR encourages him to find another way to bond with the team - and dial it back 25% as he’s a real pain in the ass.

As the team drills, a group of players watches a video of the “new Damon Sims”. He’s a seventeen-year-old kid from Ohio named Emmitt Page. In the video, Emmitt doesn’t consider him the next anyone but will take his shot at the MLB if he can. Damon tries to brush it off but is upset by the remarks.

Coach Loni breaks down the schedule for the tennis players. They discuss Queen of the Court, a tradition at Bringston. Thea is the reigning Queen and schools the uninitiated. It’s teammate versus teammate in a series of single-elimination matches. The last two women standing will battle to become Queen of the Court. As everyone gets ready to practice, Loni calls Simone over as her physical is out of date. She tells her to fix it as she’s on solo practices until then.

Nate finishes a student's hair while Simone and Keisha watch. Simone wonders if she needs a side job since Nate is performing so well in hers. Keisha offers to hook Simone up with a work-study job using her connections.

At the diamond, Damon practices his pitches but can’t get his numbers above Emmitt’s.

Keisha and Cam make out in her dorm when her alarm goes off. She tells him to leave as he can’t be there when her residents wake up. Boys aren’t allowed after or before visiting hours. While he’s offended at first, he understands as he has early morning football. She helps him sneak out and hurriedly agrees to see him whenever.

Simone works out in the gym then heads to Elaine Loni’s office only to find the only court time left is close to her interview. JR advises her that early morning practices always run late and to avoid 8:00 classes. Her next class is in Height Hall and he laughs and encourages her to run if she wants to make it on time.

Simone arrives just in time and takes a seat, though Cam makes fun of her. The Professor wants to expand their minds and discuss the most infamous books. He points out that, by large, only novels with white authors featuring white characters are considered to be classics. Their assignment is to find black stories and conduct a presentation. They will work in groups of three. Damon warns Simone that he’s competitive both in the class and on the field. Thea walks over as the trio is working together. She doesn’t care about either of them, only about getting an A.

Damon practices his pitches again but gets frustrated with his lack of speed. Marcus urges him to focus on bonding with the team instead. Damon needs to fix his arm but Marcus tells him the answer isn’t on the mound.

The next day, Damon and JR walk the campus as Damon apologizes for being extra. He has to bond with the team and JR suggests something off the field. He finishes with JR and meets Simone, only to learn Thea has canceled. Thea went ahead and chose a book for them and assigned them parts to do. Damon is happy with the situation but Simone isn’t. Nate and Keisha arrive, believing they’ve taught her nothing. Simone was slammed on Yard Yack, a social media app. She turns to Damon for support but he has none, as he’s always dripped out. Keisha and Nate decide to help her.

The trio work at Amara’s house to reglam Simone. Amara comes home and remarks on not missing those days. Nate points out that Simone is a late bloomer. Keisha tells Amara she had to drop her class, but not because of the scandal. She needed more space for pre-med classes. Amara encourages her to pursue her dance dream instead of her father's dream of medicine. Keisha made a promise to her cancer-ridden mom who died that she would pursue medicine. Amara knows her mom wouldn’t hold her to it, but Keisha also doesn’t want to disappoint her father. Simone overhears and tries to get Keisha to help her get a physical sooner. Keisha becomes upset and leaves, with Nate telling Simone to learn to choose her spots.

The next day, Simone returns Kiesha’s stuff and apologizes for being selfish. Keisha admits it’s just a sensitive topic and he’s out of town so he can’t help. She’s struggling with having to give up her choreography dreams, a statement Cam overhears. They begin to flirt until Simone interjects, but they claim their relationship isn’t a “thing”. Keisha invites Simone to do her project with Damon at her dad's house, promising they will get actual schoolwork done.

Simone arrives late to her court time, but the player there isn’t interested in her excuses. The court time is booked solid by Thea, leading to Simone confronting her. Thea claims dedication isn’t an issue for the other players, only Simone. She calls Simone out for not scheduling the time sooner or showing Coach Loni her dedication.

At Keisha, she and Damon try to focus on their presentation. He praises her for having a job interview. His pitch has been way off lately. JR arrives with the baseball team, as parties are a great place to make an impression. Keisha accepts the party while Simone is not pleased.

Marcus talks to Amara to check on her, but she's fine. It takes more than that to faze her. Written on her class door is the word “Traitor” in black spray paint. She stops Marcus from calling campus security as she can handle this. Words don’t faze her. She goes into class and Marcus angrily walks off.

Meanwhile, the party is off to a great start, but Damon’s socialization skills fail. The opposing team arrives to harass the baseball team for being trash. JR steps up and dares them to say something else, and they leave instead. They chastise Damon for not standing up. Meanwhile, Cam plays basketball and lands hard on the driveway. Keisha intervenes and makes the other guy leave. She forces him to put ice on his neck.

Nate is drunk while Simone tries to leave, only to unload her problems on Nate instead. She storms off to find Keisha, while Nate happily realizes the best part of the night is happening outside. Keisha’s dad comes home to find her making out with Cam in the kitchen. Cam is surprised to learn her father is President Zeke Allen.

Simone searches for Keisha but doesn’t find her. She learns the Queen of the Court is tomorrow, but her physical still isn’t done. She begins to have a panic attack when Damon finds her. He assures her that she has him. Zeke is scolding Keisha when Damon bursts in with Simone. They rally around her as Zeke explains that she’s having a panic attack. He tries to calm her breathing.

Once back at Amara’s, Zeke assures Simone she’s okay and to rest. Amara thanks him for bringing her own. He assures her that campus security is looking into the tag on her door and is here for her if she needs him. She has the support she needs and knows he can’t be a good cop and a bad cop. Once he’s gone, Simone apologizes to Amara for worrying her. Amara understands that it takes time to manage everything. One of the benefits of being at HBCU is being able to point at examples of black excellence to see what’s possible.

Simone visits the wall of legends to find Zora Neale Hurston’s excerpt. Damon is also there, looking at a pro baseball pitcher Hank Dawson. He asks how she’s feeling, but she doesn’t know yet. She feels the pressure and he understands. He asks if a field will do instead of a court. They train together and he finally reaches 95 MPH while she gets her hits in. Simone's happy he has his groove back but knows it’s because Damon is having fun. He’s scared of carrying the entire team on his back. He struggles with uniting his team, but she encourages him to share his fears. To be a leader, he should be vulnerable and let others know that Damon Sims has fears. They both see traits in each other from Zora Neale Hurston’s characters. Simone figures out how to close their presentation tomorrow.

Simone, Damon, and Thea’s presentation goes well and the class claps for her. Damon praises her though Thea snips at her for going off-script. Professor Corte decides to go with Simone’s ideas, and Thea attempts to take credit but he cuts her off. Corte offers Simone a job working with the alumni office. Corte then asks Damon if Cam is okay as he wasn't in class.

Keisha and a student, Art, check on an AWOL Cam. They find him in his bed unconscious, so she calls an ambulance.

Simone gives Loni her clearance note from President Allen, making it in time for Queen of the Court. Simone outmatches everyone on the court and makes it to the last match against Thea. The girls square off with Simone scoring the first point. Their match is live-streamed and Damon proudly watches. The match is even set, but Thea ultimately wins. Thea praises Simone, and they shake hands. She gives props when due.

Keisha knocks on Cam’s door until he lets her in. She found out from Damon that he’s back from the hospital, and he claims to be fine. She pushes for the truth so he admits he has a brain aneurysm and can’t play football anymore. She sympathizes and tries to comfort him but he lashes out as her dream is still possible but she won’t do it out of fear.

Loni praises Simone for doing well in Queen of the Court and offers her the final spot on the team. Simone is overjoyed and hugs her, though Loni warns her to be ready. Simone then eagerly runs off.

Simone celebrates making the team with her friends and learns she’s being celebrated on Yard Yack. Nate praises her for getting everything she needed. Simone sets the table and confronts Damon for not talking to the team yet, as JR wouldn’t come if Damon did. She encourages him to face his fear and handle his business. Keisha overhears the conversation.

After dinner, Keisha goes home to speak with her father. His colleague at the hospital where Cam was taken praised her for passionately advocating his health needs. She had an elevated understanding of the medical care he needed. He knows she’ll make an excellent doctor and is proud, something her mom would be too. She decides not to tell him the truth.

Damon calls the team together under false pretenses so they would come. They go to leave, so he apologizes for being a lot lately. He admits the pressure is getting to him, and he worries about letting them down. Santiago points out that Damon is scared. JR thinks fear can be used as motivation if they do it together. Damon elects JR as being the team captain. JR is the kind of leader they need, including himself. The vote is unanimous, and JR accepts, so the boys praise him. They decide to play video games.

Amara meets with Marcus in his office. He admits he was the anonymous source that helped break the scandal. He knew she would do the right thing and should have told her sooner. It’s unfair that she suffers alone and wants to go public with his support. She refuses to let it happen as she can’t destroy what he’s building. He has the beginnings of something, and his team would lose their trust in him if they ever found out. She won’t let him torpedo himself or the team's lives. She doesn’t regret what she did and will give a fight if needed. She has herself handled.

The team plays video games when Marcus emerges. They quickly cover up the controllers. JR and Damon take responsibility for the antics. Marcus decided to play next. Damon tells Marcus he was right about being in his own head. Marcus knew he had to figure it out on his own, and he did. The team collectively plays video games.

## 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

* Jeremiah Birkett as Professor William Corte
* Leonard Roberts as President Zeke Allen
* Rhoyle Ivy King as Nathaniel Hardin
* Sabrina Revelle as Coach Elaine Loni

### Co-Starring

* Ari Beverly Carter as Female Student #1
* Jerimiyah Dunbar as Football Student #1
* Nicholas Duvernay as Emmitt Page
* Terrence Hardy Jr as Art
* Loren Maxine as Becca
* Daniel Matute as Manny Ruiz
* Cole Meyer as Erik
* Dominique Morton as Football Player #2
* Derek Rivera as Santiago Reyes
* Aahniyah J. Thomas as Pam

## Trivia

* This episode's title originated from the song "Under Pressure", originally sung by multiple artists.
* The book Thea chooses for the group project is "*Their Eyes Were Watching God*" by Zora Neale Hurston. The memorial wall for her reads:
	+ Howard University. Howard University's Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient.
	+ Most published Black woman author of her time.
	+ Major Movie Studio Story Consultant.
	+ Established a school of dramatic arts are Bethune-Cookman University.
	+ *I have the nerve to walk my own way, however hard, in search for reality, rather than climb upon the rattling wagon of wishful illusions.*
* Damon admires Hank Dawson's memorial wall. It had the following information:
	+ Bringston University. Negro League: Hall of Fame.
	+ Played for the Atlanta Griffins.
	+ Broke the world record for stolen bases.
	+ *I don't wake up and walk out on to that field and expect to be great. I wake up and I practice, then walk out onto that field and know I'm going to be great.*

## Multimedia

### Gallery

#### Videos

All American- Homecoming 1x02 Promo "Under Pressure" (HD) College Spinoff
## References

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