All American: The One Big Mistake The Writers Made
If you’re still having a hard time with the death of Billy Baker on All American, you’re not alone. As a writer and a fan, I’m still in shock. However, I do understand it’s a TV show which gives me some sort of solace in the fact that it was scripted. Nevertheless, it’s going to be hard to let go of such an amazing character. But watching the latest episode, I did notice something that threw me for a loop.
Now, as viewers, we haven’t seen exactly what happens that caused Billy to die but we sorta get the feeling that the bus went over the cliff with Billy in it. Following the crash, Billy, Grace, Jordan, and everyone else were talking as if everything was okay. But then tragedy struck and that right there is when the writers lost me. It was total confusion in my house.
Not here to call anyone out by names but whoever wrote this episode did not factor in a few things. First, when the bus first crashed, it was still in the middle of the day. It was broad daylight outside. Then we get back to the scene of the crash and it’s dark. How long were they at the crash site? I get that there was another crash and the first responders did not arrive for a while. Okay, that’s understandable but still, there was a brain fart somewhere in the Writers Room.
According to Billy, he got everyone off the bus. So how in the hell did he miss Jabari? If I’m not mistaken, Jabari was sitting at the back of the bus by the Emergency Exit with headphones on. Billy and Asher were at the front. So, departing the bus after the crash, did they just step over Jabari? How was he not the first one out? So, it begs the question as to why Billy had to return to the bus to save Jabari.
And yet, so much time had passed since the crash and Billy hearing Jabari on the bus when everyone was supposed to be accounted for. It was only like 10 people on the bus. How did everyone miss Jabari? I’m confused as hell on that one.
Now, we don’t know the full extent of what happened but I’m pretty sure the writers will figure something out as the next few episodes are supposed to give different views on what transpired before Billy’s death. In order for All American to save face, they must go back and hopefully reshoot that scene cause there is no way they missed that, right? Jabari should have been the first person saved as he was the closest to the door.
As I stated earlier, I’m a fan of All American and I’m hurt that Billy Baker is dead. There are other ways they could have written his character off the show and this was not one of them. But to say he died saving a kid hours later who was the closest to the exit, just doesn’t sit right with me.
Mark has been covering Sports and Entertainment for the past six years. His work has been featured on Bleacher Report, ESPN, Fox Sports, Teen Vogue, and many other websites.
