It was two families attempting to heal.

The Bakers and the James (plus Darnell) tried to get past some of their issues on All American Season 2 Episode 7.

And the only football played was a backyard game, although football was an ever-present narrative device in the episode.

After all, Billy felt betrayed by Laura when she told him the time had come to give up on his pro football career.

At the same time, Corey was away focusing on his football-coaching career, leaving Grace feeling abandoned.

When the two of them came together, just to talk, they soon laid the seeds for the possible destruction of two families.

The two families tackled their problems in very different ways.

Let's start with the James family, who went old school, choosing to talk things out in isolation at Corey's family cabin in the woods.

Well, Corey didn't get a vote, as Grace, Spencer, Dillon, and Darnell just descended upon him in his hiding place where he had gone to die from cancer that had returned to plague him.

Corey thought he was doing the right thing running away so that he wouldn't be a burden to his family in his final days.

And it was up to Grace and Spencer to prove him wrong.

Damned if Grace wasn't, well, gracious, offering to care for the man who had pulled away from their marriage before eventually disappearing, leaving her to raise two boys on her own.

Granted, she was hardly innocent, taking temporary comfort in Billy's arms during an affair that would have long-lasting ramifications.

And she was determined to get her boys, Spencer, Dillon and even Corey's surrogate son Darnell, some answers, even if she knew they weren't going to be positive ones.

And it was sweet -- and melancholy -- to watch the five of them finally become a family, if only for a weekend.

Spencer and Darnell fought past the tension, the unspoken rivalry for Corey's affection, that had marked their interactions all season.

Spencer found out from Darnell what it was like to have Corey for a father.

Darnell, in turn, pointed out how much Spencer had turned out to be like Corey, even if Corey wasn't around for much of his formative years.

In the end, they were starting to becoming the brothers they were always meant to be. Let's hope Darnell stays around so that relationship can be explored further.

At first, the boys resisted expressing their feelings to Corey, since he was dying. But being hit with emotional venting can't be worse than cancer, so eventually, the feelings flowed, especially from Spencer.

It was touching in the end when Grace and Corey exchanged gifts, with the next generation (Spencer and Dillon) inheriting Corey's cabin and Corey finding out that Dillon was definitely his son.

In the end, sadly, Corey got his wish, dying peacefully before he could become a burden to his family.

And Spencer, expressing his pain, lost his father once again, this time for good.

This ending wasn't unexpected, but was powerful all the same. At least everyone got most of their questions answered.

The Bakers addressed their fractured family in a much more boujee way, utilizing a family counselor.

Laura was there under protest since rightfully she was the main victim in their scenario.

Jordan, being Jordan, wasn't taking it seriously. But, as Olivia pointed out, not taking life seriously is what got him into the mess he's now facing.

Both Billy and Olivia desperately wanted to salvage their family, so they were gung ho about this therapeutic exercise.

One scene encapsulated a problem with the Bakers' family dynamic.

After the twins fondly recalled their visit to the Harry Potter exhibit at Universal Studios, it was revealed that Billy wasn't even there, as he was still chasing his pro-football dream instead of enjoying family time.

It was wrong of Billy to blame Laura for the rending of their marriage.

All she did was to stop throwing him a pity party and to try to make him face up to the fact that his pro-football career was over and that he needed to move on with his life.

Yes, it was his dream, but it was time for him to find a new purpose, as his body was letting him down, not Laura.

The most touching Baker scene came when Olivia and Jordan were talking and she explained that she felt like she had lost her best friend, Jordan when he got involved with football.

Jordan countered that football was the only way he could get close to Billy.

Each thought the other had moved on to new friends and pursuits.

Now that they were starting to get close again, Olivia was afraid she was going to lose him to Simone and their child.

Laura overhearing the twins speaking so openly and honestly, led her to listen to what Billy wanted to tell her.

He exuded sincerity as he explained how he had lost his way and pleaded for her forgiveness and one more chance as a couple and a family.

But he sealed the deal by giving her the finder of all the notes that she had given him through their years together.

There's still plenty for them to work on but it appeared that they were off to a good new start.

This was an enjoyable change-of-pace episode, featuring one ending and one new beginning.

While I missed Coop, Asher, and even Layla, this episode went back to the basics: the Jameses and the Bakers.

To review what led up to these storylines, watch All American online.

Were you surprised Corey's death happened so suddenly?

Did his family get some closure?

Should Laura take back Billy?

Comment below.

Dale McGarrigle is a staff writer for TV Fanatic. Follow him on X.