Week 12 Story : All American
Author's Note : This famous CW drama TV show ended its first season with the cliffhanging question of whether Spencer James's little brother, Dillon, is the child of Spencer's father, Corey, or the child of Billy Baker, with whom Spencer's mother had an affair with years ago. We are entering episode one of season two when Corey James and Grace James meet and get some time to talk and discuss everything that is going on and Grace finally admits that she has no clue who Dillon's biological father is and resorts to taking a DNA test as she is frightened to bring that upon Billy Baker who has his own marriage and life falling apart because of the affair. This story resembles the "Ox Who Envied the Pig" jataka. In the jataka, the ox were given regular and boring food even though they did the most work on the farm and went out of their way to get stuff done, while the pig was given a full three course meal for sitting around and playing in mud everyday and not doing anything useful. The young ox was jealous of the pig who was getting fed for acting lazy up until both of the oxes realized that the pig was getting pampered just to get eaten. They had realized that they were getting jealous for no reason and were content with the lives that they were getting to live and were grateful for the food that they were given to eat as they could actually live out their lives unlike the poor pig. Likewise, Spencer gets jealous when he sees his dad giving affection and getting close with a young man on the South Crenshaw football team and all his emotions come out as he was left "fatherless" for eight years just to find out that his father had made a new family in Nevada and now the boy himself is here just to play with Spencer's emotions.
"Who's children are they then?" asks Corey quietly as both Spencer and Dillon are in the next room.
"They're mine. Not yours, not Billy's, they are mine. So please do us a favor, and just leave and bail on this family like how you did eight years ago." replies Grace stubbornly.
"They should know the truth Grace." replies back Corey.
"And the truth is that they are my kids as I have stayed with them and raised them from the very beginning and I will stay with them till the very end." Grace firmly states with tears in her eyes.
Grace and Corey talk about what they want to do with Dillon's paternity. Grace states again that she thinks the best option would be to get a DNA test done as everything will be crystal clear by doing that. Corey tells her that it would be best if he left again so that they would not need to put both Spencer and Dillon through all of that as if they had not been through enough already. Since Corey had thought that Grace had known who Dillon's father was all this time, he wanted that piece of information to make the family complete and for him to fully be present in their children's lives, but as he comes to know that Grace has been in her head and been unsure of the entire situation, he decides that it would end up being a mess to bring everything back up again so he just tells Grace to leave him and the kids out of all of this and to carry on with their lives.
Corey opens the front door and takes one look back at the family picture that is still sitting on the front table next to the sofa. He holds back his tears as he heads out once again.
Although Dillon's paternity is unknown, the show takes another turn since it leads Corey leaving the James' household and puts him at the bus station picking up a young African American boy, looking similar to Spencer James, and embraces him at the bus stop.
"How was your ride up from Nevada?" asks Corey to the young man.
"It was very long, but I'm glad to see you again." replies the boy.
"I'm happy too" replies Corey.
"Thanks for convincing mom to allow me to come stay with you" replies the boy after sharing a long loving hug that does not seem new to them both.
The next day, Spencer heads out to South Crenshaw, the school he used to play football for before being recruited to Beverly Hills to play for Billy Baker, and Corey stuns him with an important question.
"Spencer, how would you like to play for me and bring it home for us this year at the state championships?" asks Corey frantically.
"Wow, that's a big offer dad" replies Spencer shocked at the timing of everything.
"Think about it and let me know son. I would love to have my boy finish if off and take us all the way" replies Corey before heading back out to the field.
Spencer considers his dad's offer to come back and play football with South Crenshaw but he also thinks about passing up the offer that Billy Baker had brought him into and playing at Beverly Hills would definitely get him into the NFL and professional standings as he wanted to. But how could he give up the chance and possibility of playing and being around his father who had been out of his life for eight good years? The time that he finally wants to be present, would Spencer ruin it?
Spencer returns to Beverly and continues with football practice like usual until his best friend, Coop, sends him a video of the South Crenshaw practice and Spencer notices something strange about their practice. He notices that his father, Corey James, is all around this one boy who looks just like him and around the same age as Spencer.
Spencer later finds out information about this new boy and finds out that he has come from Nevada to play football as the quarterback for Corey's team at South Crenshaw. Darnell, the new player on South Crenshaw's team, is Corey's girlfriend's son from Nevada. Corey tries to elaborate on this topic and explain his and Darnell's relationship as it is very obvious that this father-son duo is the new hype and is what a father and son relationship should be like.
Spencer stops Corey at his football field and takes him aside to address these concerns. Corey can tell that Spencer is jealous but at the same time, hurt by having Darnell on the football field vying his way into Corey's heart and life as Spencer finds out from the other players on the football field that Darnell is living with Corey for as long as he is here.
"I thought about your offer" says Spencer right away.
"What decision have you made?" asks Corey.
"I decided that you have to choose" firmly states Spencer.
"Choose what?" replies Corey confused.
"You have to choose. Me or Darnell." replies Spencer leaving Corey shocked.
"Spencer, I can't" mutters Corey.
"Choose between your boys because that will be your answer" says Spencer and jealously leaves the situation and returns home holding back his tears.
Corey tries going after him but is stopped by Darnell as practice isn't over.
Corey gets in his car after football practice and drives straight to the James' household to talk things out.
Spencer faces his father when Corey comes to the James' household to explain.
"You raised him as your son while your own was left without one" Spencer replies as tears are streaming down his face.
"I always wondered why you never missed your family or never called to check up on me or see how I was doing" continues Spencer as the emotions are flooding in the entire household.
Corey is left speechless and embarrassed as Spencer continues.
"Now I know, You did not miss us, you just replaced us." Spencer bursts into tears.
Corey tries to comfort Spencer but Grace interjects into the conversation as nothing Corey says or tries to do will help make Spencer feel better.
"Corey, I think it is time for you to do what you are known for best. Leave." says Grace.
And just like that, Corey heads for the door once again.
Spencer avoids his father for two days after getting leaked information that Corey brought Darnell down from Nevada just to win a state championship. He finds out that after Darnell brings it home for the team, Corey is sending him back to Nevada to allow him to go live out on the streets. At this time, Spencer realizes that he has been upset with Darnell for no reason when his father, Corey is the problem. Spencer heads out to the bus station where he knew Darnell would be as Darnell decided to head home because he did not want to be the cause of a father-son relationship breaking up. Spencer went to apologize as his issues were with his father and not Darnell who got caught in the crossfire. Spencer told Darnell that he should stay and live out his dreams by playing in the school football team and then trying out for either college of NFL level teams and at this point, the boys are friends and the past and the jealousy and hate that was once there between them is put behind them.
Billy Baker and Spencer James
This picture shows Spencer James on the right while Billy Baker is shown on the left in the famous TV show, All American on the CW.
BIBLIOGRAPHY :
(tv show) : All American
(jataka) : Ox who Envied the Pig
(week 12 story) : All American - google sites
"Who's children are they then?" asks Corey quietly as both Spencer and Dillon are in the next room.
"They're mine. Not yours, not Billy's, they are mine. So please do us a favor, and just leave and bail on this family like how you did eight years ago." replies Grace stubbornly.
"They should know the truth Grace." replies back Corey.
"And the truth is that they are my kids as I have stayed with them and raised them from the very beginning and I will stay with them till the very end." Grace firmly states with tears in her eyes.
Grace and Corey talk about what they want to do with Dillon's paternity. Grace states again that she thinks the best option would be to get a DNA test done as everything will be crystal clear by doing that. Corey tells her that it would be best if he left again so that they would not need to put both Spencer and Dillon through all of that as if they had not been through enough already. Since Corey had thought that Grace had known who Dillon's father was all this time, he wanted that piece of information to make the family complete and for him to fully be present in their children's lives, but as he comes to know that Grace has been in her head and been unsure of the entire situation, he decides that it would end up being a mess to bring everything back up again so he just tells Grace to leave him and the kids out of all of this and to carry on with their lives.
Corey opens the front door and takes one look back at the family picture that is still sitting on the front table next to the sofa. He holds back his tears as he heads out once again.
Although Dillon's paternity is unknown, the show takes another turn since it leads Corey leaving the James' household and puts him at the bus station picking up a young African American boy, looking similar to Spencer James, and embraces him at the bus stop.
"How was your ride up from Nevada?" asks Corey to the young man.
"It was very long, but I'm glad to see you again." replies the boy.
"I'm happy too" replies Corey.
"Thanks for convincing mom to allow me to come stay with you" replies the boy after sharing a long loving hug that does not seem new to them both.
The next day, Spencer heads out to South Crenshaw, the school he used to play football for before being recruited to Beverly Hills to play for Billy Baker, and Corey stuns him with an important question.
"Spencer, how would you like to play for me and bring it home for us this year at the state championships?" asks Corey frantically.
"Wow, that's a big offer dad" replies Spencer shocked at the timing of everything.
"Think about it and let me know son. I would love to have my boy finish if off and take us all the way" replies Corey before heading back out to the field.
Spencer considers his dad's offer to come back and play football with South Crenshaw but he also thinks about passing up the offer that Billy Baker had brought him into and playing at Beverly Hills would definitely get him into the NFL and professional standings as he wanted to. But how could he give up the chance and possibility of playing and being around his father who had been out of his life for eight good years? The time that he finally wants to be present, would Spencer ruin it?
Spencer returns to Beverly and continues with football practice like usual until his best friend, Coop, sends him a video of the South Crenshaw practice and Spencer notices something strange about their practice. He notices that his father, Corey James, is all around this one boy who looks just like him and around the same age as Spencer.
Spencer later finds out information about this new boy and finds out that he has come from Nevada to play football as the quarterback for Corey's team at South Crenshaw. Darnell, the new player on South Crenshaw's team, is Corey's girlfriend's son from Nevada. Corey tries to elaborate on this topic and explain his and Darnell's relationship as it is very obvious that this father-son duo is the new hype and is what a father and son relationship should be like.
Spencer stops Corey at his football field and takes him aside to address these concerns. Corey can tell that Spencer is jealous but at the same time, hurt by having Darnell on the football field vying his way into Corey's heart and life as Spencer finds out from the other players on the football field that Darnell is living with Corey for as long as he is here.
"I thought about your offer" says Spencer right away.
"What decision have you made?" asks Corey.
"I decided that you have to choose" firmly states Spencer.
"Choose what?" replies Corey confused.
"You have to choose. Me or Darnell." replies Spencer leaving Corey shocked.
"Spencer, I can't" mutters Corey.
"Choose between your boys because that will be your answer" says Spencer and jealously leaves the situation and returns home holding back his tears.
Corey tries going after him but is stopped by Darnell as practice isn't over.
Corey gets in his car after football practice and drives straight to the James' household to talk things out.
Spencer faces his father when Corey comes to the James' household to explain.
"You raised him as your son while your own was left without one" Spencer replies as tears are streaming down his face.
"I always wondered why you never missed your family or never called to check up on me or see how I was doing" continues Spencer as the emotions are flooding in the entire household.
Corey is left speechless and embarrassed as Spencer continues.
"Now I know, You did not miss us, you just replaced us." Spencer bursts into tears.
Corey tries to comfort Spencer but Grace interjects into the conversation as nothing Corey says or tries to do will help make Spencer feel better.
"Corey, I think it is time for you to do what you are known for best. Leave." says Grace.
And just like that, Corey heads for the door once again.
Spencer avoids his father for two days after getting leaked information that Corey brought Darnell down from Nevada just to win a state championship. He finds out that after Darnell brings it home for the team, Corey is sending him back to Nevada to allow him to go live out on the streets. At this time, Spencer realizes that he has been upset with Darnell for no reason when his father, Corey is the problem. Spencer heads out to the bus station where he knew Darnell would be as Darnell decided to head home because he did not want to be the cause of a father-son relationship breaking up. Spencer went to apologize as his issues were with his father and not Darnell who got caught in the crossfire. Spencer told Darnell that he should stay and live out his dreams by playing in the school football team and then trying out for either college of NFL level teams and at this point, the boys are friends and the past and the jealousy and hate that was once there between them is put behind them.
This picture shows Spencer James on the right while Billy Baker is shown on the left in the famous TV show, All American on the CW.
BIBLIOGRAPHY :
(tv show) : All American
(jataka) : Ox who Envied the Pig
(week 12 story) : All American - google sites
Hi Asha!
ReplyDeleteI appreciated that the Author’s note was at the beginning here to give me a little background before I dove into the story! I think this definitely made the story more meaningful since I had some knowledge going in since I haven’t seen that show. It is cool that you were able to make a connection between the Jataka tale and this TV show!
Hi Asha. Combing the Jataka tale "Ox who Envied the Pig" with the TV show All American was really clever. I haven't watched All American yet but this has made me very curious about the show. Like Sarah, I think adding the Author's Note at the beginning was a really good way to ease the reader into the story. Without that introduction, I would have been very lost.
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