24 Hour Person
In the fifth episode of Swagger Season 1, Crystal relives her horrific experience with her coach. She implores Jace not to tell anyone as she tries her best to get back in the zone. Crystal is stuck in her own head though, distracted and very clearly going through an internal conflict of her own. ..
Jace and Crystal head to practice after being dropped off by their parents. Jace wants to talk to Crystal but she’s not sure if anyone will believe her. When they finally arrive home, their parents are angry at them for being late. This leads to a heated argument in which Crystal storms off into her room.
Ike is approached by Alonso Powers, who used to play with him back in the day. He’s also the mouthpiece for Gladiator sneakers of course, and he tries his best to convince those inside the shop to see his way of thinking. They don’t bite though, Ike exhibits his concerns over Alonso’s methods, especially with Nick Mendez about to join the team.
Jace is surprised when he learns about Mendez from Ike over dinner. He shrugs off the idea that Mendez is best for the team, claiming that whatever’s best for the team is what he’ll do. The attention turns to Ike himself, and Jace sees a tattoo reading “24 hour person.” Jace immediately takes to this meaning, understanding that Ike is always there for those who need it and can be depended on. This makes Jace latch onto Ike as a valuable member of the team.
Bobby, Alonso, and Nick Mendez are all in the room when Alonso learns this. Mendez is not happy about it.
Jace is conflicted about how to take this news. He’s been invited to Swagger’s first training session, but not everyone is all claps and high fives. Some people are worried about what this means for the future of the team, while Jace is just happy to be there.
Jace is frustrated with Mendez after he’s hit him with a ball. He doesn’t want to play and Alonso tells him that he needs to. When Mendez comes home, Bobby convinces him to stay and play.
Crystal feels the eyes of her coach on her as she returns to practice. Jace is aware of how she’s feeling and this explains his bad attitude at training and being wound tighter than a screw. Well, along with Royal, Muse and Drew, they formulate a plan and corner the coach that night, beating him down out in the parking lot. ..
The Episode Review
Crystal’s return this week has me curious and excited, but I’m also a little worried about her character. Personally, I think she should have been the focus of the entire episode and not left to simmer in the background. However, despite some concerns, Swagger’s writing is still well done.
The conflict between Gladiator sneakers and the bubbling drama between Mendez and Jace is interesting, but one can’t help but feel Jace is being unfair here. Now, I understand that he’s going through a lot of issues, especially with the weight of Crystal’s abuse on his shoulders, but this whole show has been about teamwork and he hasn’t exhibited a single iota of knowledge that this has actually sunk in.
Despite the fact that the show is interesting, I feel like it should have been released in one go. Like many of Apple’s shows, the scriptwriting is pretty mediocre and there’s not that much here that’s mind-blowingly good. Given Apple have decided to release all of their shows every Friday episodically, I can’t help but this one this is going to get lost in the shuffle.
