No, the Weeknd did not make an appearance in this week’s Grown-ish. However, this week centered on the star basketball player that we lowkey met during last week’s episode. Remember when Zoey ran into a boy asking for directions on campus? That boy has a name and it’s Cash Mooney, AKA Cassius Mooney (Da’Vinchi). We prefer Cash Mooney more though. Mooney received a full ride scholarship due to his A1 skills in basketball but he has zero skills when it comes to academics.
Ah, yes. This is where Zoey and Mooney’s lives become intertwined. After being brought into the dean’s office explaining to Zoey that she has to tutor Mooney for his midterm because one, she was part of the tutoring program and two, she still needed the required letter of recommendation for her Teen Vogue fellowship. Black-ish fans will remember the episode when Zoey killed it while interning at the coveted publication. So with full motivation to eventually receive that letter, she agrees to some tutoring.
Their first meeting doesn’t go as well. After cunningly popping in some adderall (we love tie-ins to past episodes!), Mooney catches up with Zoey and apologizes profusely for being late to their first tutoring session. Cue the awkward chase scene on campus which then turns to a successful meeting with a run-in by Aaron (Trevor Jackson) who seems somewhat jealous but who’s to say? We thought he’d moved on?
Anyway, it’s game night at Cal U and Zoey’s group of friends are cramped in the campus’ bar sadly watching Mooney flop his game on network TV. But the highlight of this part was the very real talk about the lives of student athletes in the form of a PSA. Twins Jazz & Sky (Chloe & Halle Bailey) explain the harsh reality that students don’t get paid and the “system” profits off of athletes, which explains why they idle by and grab onto anyone’s leftovers. It’s a much appreciated nod to Black-ish’s roots who have always shown the cold truth in a tasteful way. This is how we knew Grown-ish was slowly finding its grounding.
Although the school, including the dean, was ready to give up on Mooney, Zoey wasn’t. She proceeded to motivate Mooney to take advantage of what he has offered to him even though basketball wasn’t going his way. The show flashbacks to an interview after the last game with the interviewer calling him, “The biggest bust in the country.” Ouch, much? Thus, Zoey inspires him take a look at the school’s film program and realize he’s more than just a basketball player.
Next game, feeling discouraged by everyone putting so much pressure on Mooney’s shoulder to be the best player in the world, Zoey takes a very long stroll back to her dorms. Ana (Francia Raisa) greets her with extreme enthusiasm, pulling her back into their dorm since Mooney somehow made a record of 51 points. Zoey was elated, naturally, and was ultimately smitten when Mooney shout out the “curly hair cup bitch” with pride during his post interview.
Next morning is midterm time and to Zoey’s surprise, Mooney isn’t sitting next to her. In fact, it’s someone who she’s never seen before but as she peeks over this mysterious person’s shoulder, she realizes this person is taking the midterm on behalf of Mooney. Obviously conflicted, she goes to confront Mooney after the test who sees this as no big deal. As long as he’s good, he doesn’t need to do anything, right? As he gives Zoey a kiss on the cheek, you can’t really tell on her face if she’s upset about his cheating or her feelings for him. We’ll see.
Big ups to Grown-ish for a win on this one. The Black-ish ties were there with this episode. We know the show is still finding its footing and it’s almost there. Other than the main storyline focusing on Chris Mooney and Zoey, the show manages to throw in conversations regarding unfair treatment of student athletes and sexual identity. Props, major props. As much as Black-ish was known to be the family friendly content, parents might want to sit out on this one. Grown-ish is speaking to its audience and they’re doing amazing.
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College Grown-ish Tips We Learned:
- There aren’t any job results for “revolutionaries”
- Less than 1.1% college athletes play pro
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