Start Over

**"Start Over"** is series premiere of the first season of *All American: Homecoming*. It first aired on February 21, 2022.

## Synopsis

**NEW BEGINNINGS** - Simone is excited to move into her dorm and start navigating life on her own terms, but her past choices present unexpected setbacks. Eager to turn the baseball team around, Damon and Coach Marcus are thrown an even bigger curve ball than they were anticipating. Meanwhile, Amara faces the consequences of her actions, and what that means for her future.

## Plot

Simone Hicks pushes two carts full of bags through campus as she recaps her crazy year. She never thought she would end up at Bringston University, but fell in love with the campus during a visit. She thinks the fresh start will be good for her, and maybe she'll find her people.

Twelve hours earlier, in Beverly Hills, California, Simone says bye to her boyfriend Jordan, her son Shay, and Beverly Hills.

In Atlanta, Georgia, Damon Sims does a press conference with his mother. She discusses him giving up the pros to save the HBCUs baseball program. She disagrees with his career change. He and JR go to the field to practice, and he makes JR go hard no matter what.

Nathaniel and Keisha McCalla meet Simone at Bringston, scolding her for being inactive in the group chat. Keisha is now the RA and has to deal with other students. Nate asks about her boyfriend or entourage, as she’s alone. Nate steps up to help her despite her protests. Room 211 is hers and it's a single room. Once alone, Simone wants to text Jordan about missing him and the baby but erases it. She mumbles that she needs to be a Bringston girl and wear her big-girl pants.

Damon and JR go back to their dorm, where Damon doubles down on the pitcher and catcher being the heart of the team. They have to set the tone. JR knows it’s for the best after the scandal. JR knows the team will bounce back. Especially since they have Damon and Coach Turner in their corner. Damon isn’t sure the teammates will accept him, but JR suggests he change his tone instead of reminding everyone he gave up the pros for Bringston.

Simone is practicing when Thea and her friend intervene. Thea makes a point of telling Simone that four other girls are striving for a spot on her team. On this team, things won’t be handed to her, it has to be earned. That’s why they’re the best. Only the best woman will win the spot. Simone wants to get back to practicing, so Thea reminds her that real practice starts tomorrow and since the NCAA limits coaches’ hours, she’ll be running the drills, and her opinion does matter.

Coach Turner gives a speech to the team, and they tease him for the long monologue. The team practices on the field. Damon continues to strike out the batters. Turner tells Damon to pull it back. When he doesn’t listen, Damon is pulled from the game. Damon tries to protest, but Turner tells him to shut up so he can run practice and find their weaknesses. Damon knows they’re all weak as the starters were suspended, and Santiago is too emotional. His speech is overheard by the team. Turner tells him to get off the field and into the dugout. Damon refuses as he didn’t give up the pros to sit in anyone’s dugout. He walks off the field despite Turner’s protests.

Amara stops Zeke to confront him over her lighter course curriculum not making sense. She wants the truth. He admits there are trustees and parents - parents of boys suspended for taking paper courses - putting pressure on him to let her go. She wasn’t responsible for the scandal - she just brought it to light and protected the institution. Zeke reveals some people aren’t happy with how that message came out. Her whistleblower title brings a lot of crap, and even though his feelings of not blaming her don’t matter, he warns her to keep a low profile. Lowering her course load is the best he could do to help protect her low profile.

Simone is practicing when Amara stops by to apologize for missing her move-in. To celebrate Simone's move, Amara gives her a gift basket. The basket includes condoms. Amara picks up that Simone is homesick, so Simone opens up about her struggles. Amara knows Simone will find her footing and her people. With time, Bringston will start to feel like her home.

Marcus coaches the team when Zeke comes to visit, wondering where Damon is. Zeke disagrees with Damon's benching, even though Damon is problematic. Zeke can’t wait for Damon to get his act together, especially with the budget cuts. Marcus realizes that the baseball program is first on the list to get axed. He has until the end of the semester to get the team back on track.

Amara visits Marcus in his office to apologize for exposing Coach Shaw’s cheating. Amara didn’t expect so many of her people to turn on her, and realizes now that her future isn’t the only one affected. Marcus's dream job is overshadowed by the scandal that Amara outed. He tells her not to apologize. Their meeting is interrupted by Damon. Marcus wants him to preface it with an apology. Damon asks if Amara knows that Marcus was the anonymous source of the scandal, but Marcus changes the subject. He’s worried about the program being cut and learns that it’s true. He panics, but Turner tells him to be patient as their first scrimmage tomorrow will prove the foundation is there. If Damon walks out again, he’s off of the team.

Keisha gives her roommates a welcome speech. She wraps it up so they can go party, much to Nate’s glee. Simone and Nate praise Keisha for her political future, and Keisha admits she wants Damon’s hot roommate in her future. Simone is surprised that Damon lives on-campus, so Nate and Keisha tease her about her excitement. Keisha plans to call Damon and his cute roommate to hang out, so Nate reminds Keisha of her vow of celibacy after the Lisa breakup. As they playfully bicker, Thea and her friend walk in, which annoys Simone. They invite her out to part, but she plans to shower and call it a night.

JR plays video games while Damon rants about Turner and how unfair the situation is. His enrollment in BU is contingent on Turner being his coach. JR thinks he should trust Turner. Damon accuses him of not knowing the severity of the situation, but JR counters as he’s well aware. JR is on a baseball scholarship, and the stakes are high for everyone, as they all have something to lose if the program gets cut. Damon should try thinking of someone else for once. He leaves to get the bonfire started.

Simone walks to her dorm from the sower in only a towel. She’s locked out of her dorm, and Keisha isn't answering the adjourning dorm. She grabs a blanket from the couch and then runs into Damon - literally. He remarks soulfully on it being Simone Hicks. Coming around the corner, Keisha spots them and smirks at the situation.

Simone FaceTimes Jordan so they can talk about being so far away from one another. She comments on the music in the background, and he admits JJ is throwing another party. Keisha interrupts to steal Simone for a party. She greets Jordan happily when she sees him on the call with Simone. He tells Keisha not to take no for an answer. Keisha nods and ends the call then tells Simone to get ready.

They head to a bonfire where JR, the Fraternity leader of Kappa Epsilon Kappa, gives a welcome speech. He makes them repeat after him, “I am! Brilliant! I am! A leader! I am! Black excellence! We are…Bringston Lions”. Even Damon is lured into the power chant.

The students dance around the bonfire to the DJ’ed music. Damon talks to JR and apologizes to him. JR’s been a solid friend since they met on the 15U National Team, and he’s been an ass since his enrollment. JR agrees with the statement. Damon adds that all he knows is competitive baseball, the pressure to win, to get on the MLB’s radar, but he came to Bringston to be part of something real, something better. He just lost track of that for a bit. JR promises to keep him on track, as life is too short to beef with his brother.

Simone is dancing with Keisha when Cam walks over, as he’s Damon’s roommate. Keisha wonders how they know each other, and Simone clarifies that he was Spencer’s biggest rival and was best friends with her ex. Keisha demands his last name, and he gracefully introduces himself as Cam Watkins. Simone proclaims it’s gross and pulls him aside to talk with him. She thought he was playing football in Alabama or Oregon, but he admits the coach made an offer he couldn’t refuse. He also wanted to be around his people with everything going on in the world. He asks about Keisha but Simone tells Cam to leave her alone. He stops her to clarify that Dane wasn’t his best anything. He was an ass and the way he treated her when she was pregnant wasn’t cool. She asks him not to spread her business as it’s not public knowledge that she had a baby and gave him up for adoption. Cam assures her that her secret is safe with him. College is about starting over. Damon intervenes to tell her their song is playing and guides her away. Once out of earshot, she wonders if he’s high. He chuckles that he’s saving her.

The pair sit on a bench and Damon asks if she and Cam are friends. She says they’re acquaintances but appreciates his misplaced gesture. He promises to mind his business next time. He’s happy to see her at Bringston after all, but also notes she doesn’t seem too happy. She admits she’s homesick and he asks if she misses her husband, which she does then corrects that it’s back to boyfriend now. She appreciates him minding his business on that one. It’s not just that, she saw all the families moving in and it made her realize the complications with her mother. Damon can relate to that. She wants what the other students have - a parent to help them hang their curtains so they don’t have to figure out power drills themselves. He remarks that statement is oddly specific. He thinks families are highly overrated. She wonders who hurt him as a child. He states that it could be the parents who put him up for adoption as a baby or the mother who loves the baseball player more than the son. She apologizes and he remarks that it came out more depressing than he meant. Keisha intervenes to pull Simone out to dance. She invites Damon but he has to go but thinks she deserves a crazy, great night. Simone begins to drink.

In the morning, Simone begins tennis practice and Thea warns them they’ll be there for a while.

At the scrimmage, Leonard Shaw arrives and upsets the Lions. Marcus wonders if Hawkins knows the reason Shaw was fired - that he was behind the fake classes for his players. Shaw chuckles that he resigned and since there was no NCAA violation, Hawkins didn’t have a problem with how he runs his program or raises champions. He adds that Bringston baseball is nothing without him. He built the program and promises no one will forget that. He tells him to buckle up. With that, commences a not-so-friendly scrimmage game

Thea drills Simone to hit ten in a row and refuses to move on until she does.

Damon strikes out a Hawkins batter, but one player hits and gets to first base.

Simone keeps trying but feels tired as she fumbles her shot.

Hawkins pitches and Bringston hits the ball, with their batter sliding into the first base a second too late. The second batter barely misses.

Tennis tryouts are almost over and Simone jogs off the court. Thea stops her as Coach Loni has seen enough and is sending her home. Simone is confused as Thea said Loni couldn't be on the field. Thea admits that she’s always watching, showing her a series of text messages in which Loni admonishes Simone for sloppy footwork and unacceptable training. She gestures to a parking garage where a car is parked.

JR is up at the bat and misses his first throw. Shaw laughs that JR doesn’t want that smoke, and JR misses the second swing as Shawn continues to chastise him from across the field. Marcus cheers JR on. He hits the third swing but the catcher catches the ball and he’s out. Shaw tells Damon that if he decides to play with a program worth his time, to give him a call.

Simone lays on Nate’s bed, worrying that the universe is telling her she picked the wrong college. Nate assures her the universe is just telling her that she’s grown and the late-night partying decisions have next-day consequences. Keisha enters and Simone invites her to sit as Nate is giving inspiration. Nate notices Keisha’s expression and asks what’s wrong. Keisha just got a call from the residential department, and there’s an issue with Simone’s campus housing. Only her tuition was paid for that semester, not her room and board. Her dorm assignment was a mistake. Simone knows it was paid as her parents paid for it.

Damon sits in the locker room deep in thought. Marcus joins him as it’s been a while since Damon’s lost like that. He doesn’t want a motivational speech and Marcus isn't giving one. Losing sucks and he knows why they were beaten out there - they weren’t better players, but they beat them mentally. Coach Shaw psyched them out and now they have to pick up the team with fundamentals and patience. The game showed him that pushing them past the limitations includes using Damon’s drive to win. He thinks that they can get there together, but the team has to respect and trust Damon first. They shake hands as Damon admits he’s ready.

That night, Simone reveals that her mother isn’t paying for her anymore. If she insists on defying her impulsive choices that will wreck her future, she wants no part of it. Anything outside of an ivy league or Stanford is wrecking your life. Keisha wonders why her mom wouldn’t take it all away, and continue to pay her tuition but not board. Simone’s father put his foot down on that one. Keisha remarks that he stood up for something, at least. Nate answers a knock on the door to find Amara, who hugs Simons as she heard the news. She and her sister will have words about this, regardless of whether they’re estranged or not. She offers to let Simone stay with her until they figure out the dorm situation. Nate adds that she’s the Queen of navigating the financial aid department and will help Simone navigate that. Simone thanks both of them. Amara knows the days have been tough but the blessing is around the corner. Keisha adds that she might have to fight harder for it. They have a group hug, and Simone has to leave to fight harder for something important to her.

Simone runs to the elevators as Thea passes. Simons wants to find Coach Loni but Thea knows the coach has seen enough today. Simone knows she’s messed up but she needs Loni to know she’ll never see Simone like that again. Coach Loni believes in actions and not words, but Simone plans to show it to her every day to prove she’s an asset. She walks off and Thea nods a bit impressed.

As everyone packs up Simone’s room, Damon, JR, and Cam arrive with power tools. Nate appreciates the image but wonders why they’re there. Damon admits they’re going to put up the curtain rods. Simone appreciates the sweet offer but she’s moving out so they are off the hook. Cam thanks her and gets ready to leave when Amara stops him as there is plenty of manual labor that needs to be done, and if they’re lucky, there’s a meal at the end of it. JR laughs that she had him at a meal. Damon and Simone exchange a smile.

At Amara’s house, the group sits around the table and laughs over dinner. Cam thanks Amara for the meal, and she acknowledges that any friend of Simone is welcome anytime. Nate wonders if the food will be this good so they can make it a regular thing. Simone likes that idea - a family dinner once a week. Simone thanks everyone for not only helping her move but everything else they have done for her in their short time together. She wouldn’t have made it the past few days without them. Amara knows she would as she’s resilient. Keisha adds that the same goes for Ms. P, as everyone heard rumors about them cutting back on her classes. This is news to Simone, but Amara assures everyone it’s okay. Keisha knows it’s not okay but as a people, they should be standing behind her for doing what’s right not tearing her down. Nate adds that everyone has her back - they aren’t going to let them take Amara from everyone. Amara doesn’t plan to let that happen either. She was rattled at first, but the youngins have inspired her. She plans to share her knowledge in any way that she can. She then has them help clean up the dinner. Damon tells Simone he was wrong for what he said before at the bonfire about family. JR overhears Damon talking about his adoption and how family comes in all forms. What she and her aunt have is special and she knows that. She gets up to help clear the table, and JR walks over, admitting he wasn't aware Damon was adopted. Damon reveals that his birth parents are Bringston alum, and that’s all he knows about them. He isn't interested in anything else either. JR looks serious as Damon walks away.

JR rushes back to his dorm and pulls a box down from the top of his closet. Inside are trophies and other sports paraphernalia. Near the bottom is a bible, which has two inscriptions - the top is written to JR’s mother from her mother. The bottom wishes JR a happy communion as the bible has been with her since her communion. He flips through the pages and finds a photograph of a little boy tucked in the pages. He thinks back on Damon admitting his parents were Bringston alumni. Now, JR admits that his parents were alumni too.

## 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

* John Marshall Jones as Leonard Shaw
* Tamberla Perry as Keena Sims
* Leonard Roberts President Zeke Allen
* Rhoyle Ivy King as Nathaniel

### Co-Starring

* Stefan Chase as Reporter
* Joe Daru as Coach Yee
* Terrence Hardy Jr. as Art
* Loren Maxine as Becca
* Derek Rivera as Santiago
* Erica Michelle Singleton as Shanelle

## Trivia

* This episode's title originated from the song "Start Over", originally sung by Flame.

## Multimedia

### Video

All American- Homecoming - Season 1 Episode 1 - Simone Won't Go To Party Scene - The CWAll American- Homecoming - Season 1 Episode 1 - Coach Turner Pulls Damon Scene - The CW
## References

1. ↑ *All American: Homecoming*: Season One Ratings