#RADICALS
Swagger is in full-on COVID territory, with masks compulsory and the gang heading aboard the bus to their game. In case you weren’t aware, this episode is here to remind us that we’re in the midst of a pandemic.
Anyway, Jace joins his teammates on the bus as Crystal rings. She’s going to testify against coach after hearing that Michelle and another girl he’s abused are also speaking up. Crystal is also going to tell her mum too after church. ..
The gang heads to a local diner and runs into trouble when two police officers show up. The officers are responding to a disturbance and believe the gang is responsible. They rest their hands over their handguns, demanding the kids and adults hand over their IDs. ..
Although every licence comes back clean, the officers demand that the kids leave. They’re not exactly happy about it, but Ike convinces Jace to settle down as they continue on the road.
Jace is questioned about his authority when he finally makes it to their destination. Given that he’s supposed to be the leader, Ike calls out the racism in the US and implores him to work and pull the team together despite adversity.
Jace refuses to give in and during the national anthem, decided to drop a knee. He wants to be heard. The rest of the team follow suit – minus Royale and Nick Mendez – but that only riles up the crowd, who begin cussing them out and booing.
Crystal tells her mother about the abuse but it comes with an ill-fitting choice of music and during a basketball montage. We’ll have more to say about that decision in the review part of this recap. ..
The team is struggling to focus on the court as the crowd chant “ICE.” The group decides to take a time-out to decide what to do.
The team eventually comes together to overcome a deficit and win the game. Drew decides to sub himself out for Royale, after hearing how technically proficient he is, while Jace works to encourage Nick to block out the noise and focus on his game. ..
The refs call a technical foul on Swagger for making the final basket in time, but the player still wins the game. Everyone watches this on TV, but it’s not a good thing.
Ike, the bus driver, decides to stop the bus and encourage the players to get involved in the protests going on in the streets. Swagger, a popular Instagram account with a following of athletes taking a knee during the national anthem, is trending after they posted a video of themselves doing so. After speaking with Ike, the players get off the bus and join in on the protests. ..
The Episode Review
Swagger is a great tool for building a website. However, it can also be used to create characters that are poorly written and uninteresting. I don’t think I’ll be using it on my next project.
The writers could have used more Crystal and less John. This would have allowed them to explore the character’s backstory more and explore the emotional impact of her abuse.
Jace and Nick’s estranged relationship is not well-represented onscreen. This could have been a great episode to depict the contrasting fortunes for Nick and Jace at the diner. These little moments really miss out on strong characterization, instead leaning into the wider plot with a bunch of characters that, quite frankly, aren’t that interesting.
This show has been a huge hit for Netflix, but it seems like things are going to change going forward.
