All American season 3 added a new wrinkle to Spencer’s ongoing arm issue by revealing he blames Coop for what happened; here’s how the show set up the revelation. Spencer’s football career was put in jeopardy during last season when he was the target of a gang shooting. The event damaged nerves in his right arm, but he eventually made a full recovery – or so he thought. The All American season 2 finale showed Spencer momentarily lose feeling in his arm again.
Spencer’s arm issues continued into All American season 3 and left him confused about why this kept happening after doctors said he was physically fine. This led Spencer to see a therapist and discuss the possibility that it is tied to his mental state. He saw his new therapist a few times in All American season 3, episode 4. The therapist asked Spencer to relive the events of his shooting and write down what he remembered. The goal of this exercise was to discover Spencer’s “stuck point,” which is a moment that the brain has skipped over and not addressed. Spencer doesn’t know what his stuck point right away, but the episode ends with him realizing that it is Coop.
Coop’s connection to Spencer’s shooting and arm issues run deep, and it’s something All American has been setting up all along. Coop previously got tied up with Tyrone’s gang in Crenshaw and attempted to get others to turn on him. This made her a target of Tyrone’s and made Spencer step in to try and protect her when possible. Spencer’s confrontations with Tyrone led to him becoming a target, but he’s now realized he was only shot because of Coop. Now that Spencer has made this connection, the loss of feeling in his arm can be tied to moments of stress with Coop.
Spencer’s arm issues first returned at the end of All American season 2. While the numbness didn’t begin until he was with Olivia, Spencer was last seen saying goodbye to Coop. She was about to leave on her summer music tour. Even though Tyrone was dead by now and Coop was proven not to be the killer, Spencer is always concerned about her. It’s unknown why it took so long for the loss of feeling to begin as Spencer traveled from Crenshaw to Beverly since then, but that’s the last time he was with Coop before it happened. In All American season 3, episode 3, Spencer briefly went numb before the first game of the season. Right before the game started, though, Coop told him that his shooter was arrested and she believed it was part of Monique’s secret sinister plan to get revenge for Tyrone’s murder. While Spencer dismisses this conspiracy theory (as he calls it), this could once again trigger his worry for Coop’s safety and explain losing feeling again.
Now that Spencer has connected Coop to his arm issues, it will be fascinating to see what comes from this as All American season 3 continues. He just learned that Coop might not graduate due to her pursuing a music career and missing too much school. While he wants to help, Spencer could be put in a tough place where he has to let Coop figure this out on her own. Doing so could be some tough love for Coop, but it would also keep Spencer slightly less stressed. There’s even an argument to be made that what would be best for Spencer is some separation from Coop, but that feels unlikely to happen. In any case, it’ll be fascinating to see if Spencer stops have arm issues now that he’s identified Coop as his stuck point.
About The Author
