24 Hour Person
Episode 5 of Swagger Season 1 picks up with Crystal reliving the 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. After being dropped off at practice, Jace heads off with Crystal. He wants her to open up but Crystal isn’t sure. She doesn’t think anyone will believe her and decides just to stay quiet about her abuse. When she eventually does head home, Crystal’s parents are annoyed at her tardiness – and absence from training – leading to Crystal storming off into her room. Meanwhile, Ike gets a haircut ahead of the next upcoming game. While there, he’s approached by Alonso Powers, who used to play with Ike 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, BS Ike exhibits his concerns over Alonso’s methods, especially with Nick Mendez about to join the team. Jace bites his tongue when he finds out about Mendez over dinner with Ike, shrugging his shoulders and nonchalantly claiming “whatever’s best for the team.” As the attention turns to Ike himself, he shows off a tattoo on his arm, which reads “24 hour person.” Now, the meaning behind this is that Ike is always being there for those who need it and can be depended on. And it’s something Jace immediately latches onto. Meanwhile, Alonso receives a massive wake-up call from Bobby when he learns Nick Mendez isn’t actually playing for the Dominion Ballers anymore. Given his sponsorship deal was specifically with Mendez onboard with them, he’s not happy. Mendez though, is unaware of all of this, as he’s invited in to Swagger’s first training session. Not everyone is all claps and high fives though, with Jace conflicted over how to take this news. When they start training, Jace shows just how much he hasn’t learned as he lashes out against Mendez. After striking him with a ball, Ike is furious and demands everyone go to the pool. But not Jace, he’s forced to sit this one out. When Mendez heads back home, Alonso plays a big pitch for him but it’s Bobby who convinces him to stick with Swagger. When Crystal does pluck up the courage to return to practice again, she feels the beady, disgusting eyes of her coach watching her. Now, Jace is well aware of how Crystal is feeling and this explains his bad attitude at training and being wound tighter than a screw. Well, along with Royal, Muse and Drew formulate a plan and corner the coach that night, beating him down out in the parking lot.
The Episode Review
Swagger returns this week with a slower chapter, slamming on the brakes as we explore Crystal and her abuse. Personally, I actually think the whole episode should have just exclusively focused on her and taken the time to show a deeper side to her persona, but alas what’s here is still pretty well written. The conflict between Gladiator sneakers and the bubbling drama between Mendez and Jace is interesting too, 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 that, the show is interesting enough but I can’t help but feel this should have released in one go. Like many of Apple’s show, 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.
