Family Affair

**"Family Affair"** is the sixth episode of the first season of *All American: Homecoming*. It first aired on March 28, 2022.

## Synopsis

**SPEAKING YOUR TRUTH** - Simone is excited that Baby Shay is coming to town, but another visitor she wasn't expecting surprises her as well, thanks to Amara. Damon struggles on the field, while family drama could threaten his new bond with his mom. JR goes home to try to get to the bottom of what is going on with his parents, but not before he does something rash. Meanwhile, Cam helps to push Keisha to follow her dreams, but her decision could ruin an important relationship.

## Plot

Simone exercises in the gym, trying to work through her Damon issues. She intercepts him as she misses her friend. She wants him to meet Shay if he’s still part of her Bringston family. He won’t turn a page just because Simone wants him to. JR tries to convince Damon to go easy on Simone but he refuses to give up. JR is also quitting the team. At the game, Damon talks to his mother who knows something is wrong. Marcus interrupts to begin a pre-game talk. Two players need to volunteer for a community event. He moves Santiago to catcher to fill the roster gap. Shanelle, Simone, and Amara gush over Shay as Simone volunteers to watch him on Sunday. Tina arrives at Amara’s doorstep.

Keisha has won the dance competition and gets the scoop from Nate. Cam greets Keisha, and they make out in her dorm until her dad calls. She lies to him about studying as she doesn’t want him to know about her dancing yet.

Damon talks to Marcus about Santiago filling in for JR. Marcus needs to win and Santiago can do that. As they talk, Damon admits he has questions about his biological family.

Simone and Tina set the table until Simone asks why she’s there. Amara invited her so they could all talk, though Tina showed up without confirming. Tina hates how they left things and wants to talk.

JR returns to his family house to learn it’s been sold. His parents explain they have fallen out of love but still love him.

Elsewhere, Tina and Simone talk while looking at the legacy walls. Tina admits she was wrong about Bringston and she’s truly sorry. A photographer takes their picture and Simone realizes the apology was all a lie for a profile. Tina tries to bribe Simone but she refuses to be paid off.

JR and Santiago practice one-on-one, though they end up arguing instead. Marcus intervenes when the fight escalates, volunteering them for the community event so they can get along.

Keisha, Simone, and Nate prepare for baby Shay’s arrival tomorrow. Keisha and Nate think Simone should have taken the money from Tina since she needs the cash, but Simone doesn’t want to be treated that way.

Damon and Keena discuss his fight on the field and his actions. He thought he was building a family until Simone and JR lied, so Keena presses that he can tell her what’s going on. She urges him not to let drama ruin that.

JR and his father talk about him quitting the team, with Mr. Raymond believing it was a mistake to quit. JR doesn’t want to go back to the team which upset Raymond as he’s a legacy player who fought to even play. His aplastic anemia was crippling but he fought to survive and isn’t a quitter.

Santiago and Damon try to remain cordial at the event despite the hostility between them. The players want them to sign their baseballs, as neither believed playing for a college was an option.

Keisha explains that she was pulled from the audition because she’s pre-med and the choreographer didn’t think she could split her focus. Cam sympathizes as he played football and baseball in high school and it was hard to choose. She’s still uncertain about her father so he urges her to fight for what she wants and believe in herself as they do.

Santiago and Damon talk to the kids about getting a good education at an HBCU combined with the need to be who you are. They have to represent something bigger than themselves to be good examples for others. Once alone, the pair begin to speak about meeting their idols and who they looked up to as children. Santiago wants to hit the majors and bring his father from Columbia with his money. He’s too slow of a pitcher but can be a great catcher, which would make him in high demand.

Simone tells Tina that she doesn’t need her anymore and won’t accept her financial support. Amara stands up for Simone but Tina feels she lost time after dropping from the fellowship, though Tina explains she didn’t go to a fellowship she dropped out of law school. When their father died there was only enough money for one to continue their education, so Tina chose Amara’s education over her own. Simone notes that while her mother supported Amara she never supported her daughter.

Tina and Amara continue to argue even after Simone leaves. Tina wonders where the Amara she fought for went as she shouldn’t be railroaded by others.

Shanelle drops Shay off with Simone but the baby begins to scream and won’t stop regardless of what the girls do. Meanwhile, Bringston takes the diamond for their game and a tough decision makes Damon finally agree to try things Santiago’s way. Keena and Damon celebrate in the dugout. He took her advice to trust people and it worked.

Keisha’s dad confronts her about not becoming a doctor. Keisha admits it’s not the path she wants to take. She’s good at dancing and wants to do it as a career. He’s skeptical as he wanted better for her. Her mom would be disappointed in her career path.

JR’s parents begin to argue over JR leaving the team. She thinks Raymond pushed him into baseball and is driving a wedge between the family. She refuses to let him turn his back on JR as he did her. Damon drops by to see Simone and meets Shay, who is throwing a fit. He takes Shay and holds him until the crying stops. He thinks he can teach Shay how not to be an ass, how to trust, and forgive. Simone opens up to feeling like Shay doesn’t know her anymore and that’s why he’s fussy. She’s worried that her relationship with Tina will impact her relationship with Shay. Damon doesn’t think that’s true. Shay will know where to find Simone if he has a problem and that’s the best gift. She urges him to be honest with Keena and he remarks on how much he missed her.

In the gym, Nate confronts Cam over convincing Keisha to drop out of pre-med. She knows they’ve both caught feelings but he claims it’s a no-strings-attached relationship. She tells him to figure out how he feels and be honest about it before Keisha gets hurt, and then Nate has to whoop his ass. Later, Cam and Keisha do talk in her dorm and he asks her to meet him out that night.

Damon talks to Keena about wanting to find his birth parents. She’ll always be his mom but he feels as though a piece of his identity is missing and wants answers. She can’t help him with that as it was a private adoption - his father handled the adoption. His Alzheimer's is robbing him of the answers. JR only knows that they went to Bringston. She promises they can ask Damon’s father on a good day.

Tina and Amara settle their issues as they recognize what the other has done to help them. Amara isn’t living her dream to the fullest and is glad Tina pointed that out. She promises to call Tina for free legal advice if she needs it. Amara gives her advice about Simone. Tina visits Simone who is still struggling with Shay. She admits to her wrongdoings and why she feels the need to overly control her daughter's life, which was wrong. She knows it won’t be easy to change but wants to try. Simone wants to try too and they hug. Tina agrees to incorporate Shay into her life more.

Keena and Marcus have a discussion in his office about Damon wanting to find his birth parents. They have a heart-to-heart about Damon’s birth mother not replacing Keena. Cam waits in the diner for Keisha but she never arrives, instead, going to Amara’s for dinner. JR arrives at the family dinner to talk with Damon. They might not be on good terms but they both need answers so he proposes a DNA test.

## 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
* Mitchell Edwards as Cam Watkins
* Netta Walker as Keisha McCalla

### Guest Starring

* Joe Holt as Jesse
* Tamberla Perry as Keena Sims
* Leonard Roberts as President Zeke Allen
* Crystal Lee Brown as Celine
* Shelli Boone as Tina Hicks
* Rhoyle Ivy King as Nathaniel Hardin
* Derek Rivera as Santiago Reyes

### Co-Starring

* Azrael Araujo as Alejandro
* Christian Isaiah as Jaden
* Jelena Nik as Ashley Ryan
* Alison Segura as Nicole
* Erica Michelle Singleton as Shanelle

## Trivia

* This episode's title originated from the song "Family Affair", originally sung by Mary J. Blige.

## References

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