The football season that began with a brutal hit and tons of promise (before injuries and mistakes plagued the team), draws to a close, and players have to make important decisions about their futures. There is something exciting about that final sequence with a familiar drum cadence playing, as updates are given about the young men we’ve followed over the last 8 episodes, but before that, there was still plenty to be determined, and more of their stories to be told.
As we move into Episode 5 of Last Chance U, we see it become the most compelling of the season both from a storyline standpoint and most especially in regards to the action on the football field as Laney squares off against their rival from San Francisco. It’s a battle of The Town versus The City, and it’s clearly a game that means more than simply being an opportunity to get back into the race for the playoff eligibility. It serves as a tremendous way to begin closing out player’s formative backstories and a way to transition from the turmoil that the team has been facing up to this point.
Before the game, Cornerback Rejzohn Wright pays a visit to a barbershop his father used to frequent, and he along with his family discuss the man that he was, and also the tragedy that befell him. It’s certainly more than two young brothers should have had to deal with, but its also clear why they both worked as hard as they did to earn scholarship offers. It perfectly sets up the biggest story arc for Wright, and as always, the interviewers and camera crew do a great job capturing their emotions.
While there are a lot of positives to build on following the City game, mental mistakes and discipline issues continue to be headaches for Coach Beam to deal with as they head into their toughest test of the year against undefeated San Mateo. Off of the field, the episode focuses on Offensive Lineman Nu’u Taugavau, opening at his child’s first birthday party, which is an important one in Polynesian culture. While his wife Tia talks lovingly of him and the responsibility he took within their relationship, there are clearly still better choices for him to make in regards to his schoolwork, which we learn is something that derailed his older brother’s football career. A larger backstory of his homelife growing up is also told, mainly regarding his father who battled addiction when Taugavau was younger, and as a result missed out on much of his life.
Following a tough defeat, WR Dior Walker-Scott visits his Grandmother, and his fears are realized as he sees that his estranged father is there waiting for him. The awkward tension and coldness of their relationship is tough to watch. Sadly, you can see the impact his father’s presence has on him emotionally, and It’s the authenticity of the series, good or bad which makes the show as captivating as it is. You continue to have to root for this kid that’s doing his absolute best to hang on.
Episode 7 begins rather unconventionally, following Officer Shavies as he drives around Oakland and discusses the contrast of the Oakland that he grew up in filled with crime and violence, with the positive changes that he’s seen through gentrification of the city. While he applauds the fact that people can feel safer walking the streets, he does also acknowledge that people may feel lost in this “New Oakland” and not see a place for them in it. That discussion builds into a conversation that Shavies has with the Laney players after being invited by Coach Beam to speak with the team about police relations with the black community.
Larger conversations outside of football continue to be the overwhelming focus of the episode, with further discussions around cost-of-living, poverty and homelessness impacting the players and coaches but also the city as a whole. It’s a deeper dive into a wider picture than any episode of Last Chance U has chosen to do before, and it’s a unique element that continues to aid the argument for this being the best season of the show. They don’t shy away from discussing topical issues like social justice and even Covid-19 in the finale, which is commendable.
Unfortunately, the Laney football team hit their stride too late in the season, and missed the Playoffs and their shot to defend their Championship from last year. For many of these players, football is over for them when the season comes to an unceremonious end. It’s a harsh reality to face, especially when so many of them haven’t achieved what they had ultimately hoped to, and the last episode focuses on that conclusion for each of our stars, most of whom still have a lot of work to do in order to reach their goals.
It was a little disappointing that they chose to forgo the traditional drumline in favor of more solemn tune as the final writeups on the players show on the screen, but that’s the only real knock on an otherwise stellar season. Nu’u and Dior make All-Conference, with Nu’u and his family moving to Kentucky after accepting a scholarship offer to play at Murray State University, and Dior joining the University of Hawaii as a preferred walk-on, where he is finally able to have his own bed again. RJ Stern is seen making phone calls to college coaches seeking an opportunity to walk-on and play before its shown that he signed with DII Tusculum University. Rejzohn ultimately decides to join his brother at Oregon State in order to stay closer to home and bring attention to his family and improve his chances to make the NFL. Coach Beam talks about getting back to the team’s winning ways in what will be his 41st year coaching football, a season which unfortunately was delayed until Spring of 2021 due to Covid-19.
Last Chance U Season 5 is currently streaming on Netflix.
