Swagger Season 2 Episode 1 Review: Coming back to Apple TV+ to mark the beginning of the new chapter, the new season premiere opened the series on June 23, 2023, welcoming the beloved centre acts of Isaiah Hill as Jace Carson and O’Shea Jackson Jr as Ike “Icon” Edwards. Created by Reggie Rock Bythewood, the TV series is loosely based on Kevin Durant’s experiences during the onset of his young basketball career.
Keeping the game and the social commentary on the modern world real, the show also stars Shinelle Azoroh as Jenna Carson, Tessa Ferrer as Meg Bailey, Quvenzhané Wallis as Crystal Jarrett, Jason Rivera-Torres as Nick Mendez, Caleel Harris as Musa Rahim, Tristan Wilds as Alonzo Powers, and newcomers Orlando Jones as the athletic director at Cedar Cove Prep.
Swagger Season 2 Review for the First Episode Contains Mild Spoilers
The first episode of Season 2 is titled “The World Ain’t Ready”, and its been written and directed by Reggie Rock Bythewood. Its synopsis reads, “On the cusp of senior year, Jace is offered a college scholarship. Ike faces a career decision.”
Swagger Season 2 Episode 1 Review
Opening with a basketball match, the beginning moments of the episode establish the dynamic greatness of the show in terms of capturing the grounded reality of the physical and rough sport. The scene has somewhat changed as the players aren’t playing for the Swagger DMV’s name at the moment, but aiming high for the state championship to raise their school’s title higher. With just one last year of high school left to go, the players are keenly considering their future options and the top-player, Jace Carson, also lands himself a college scholarship early on.
Back on their family front, his mother, Jenna (Shinelle Azoroh) is working two jobs to allow for Jace to prioritise his final high school year over everything else, but being teenager, the drive to own up his act is greater than ever. Also, as always some close fears creep up upon him when he comes face to face with Semaj Samson, a former player in the game, who lost his golden change at the big leagues years ago.
In these moments, despite Jace having grown up, Isaiah Hill again essays the deep insecurities that have troubled his character since the beginning. It’s been equally hard for him to keep up with his mental game like his game on court. Although Ike has helped him make his way through all of that, some battles are for us to fight on our own, and in that way, the series realistically approaches the dampening impacts these players have to meet with day to day while balancing their young minds and lives along the ride.
Azoroh’s Jenna Carson came off as overbearing sometimes in Season 1, but that was what made her character headstrong too. Seeing her share a healthy relationship with Jace has always been a great delight. Just like Jace says it in the first episode of the new season, Semaj Samson probably didn’t make it to the big leagues because he didn’t have a mother as good as his.
Also read: Will There Be a Second Season of Hulu’s Class of 09?
Identity struggles are still the same – Swagger is grounded and sombre in the best way possible when it deals with its main characters and their identity crises, especially with Isaiah Hill’s Jace. Jackson Jr’s Ike is also made to choose between having to pick between living up to his and his father’s legacy by stepping as the head coach at his old school, or pull up to lead Jace and the others at Cedar Cove.
Moreover, just as before, the show isn’t just about the Black community’s inclusion into the mainstream narrative but also an appropriate representation of the same and its individualist stance. The opening credit sequence is also new this season, and it revives the dynamic incorporation of the colourful stories and representation of the community while also being vocally proactive about continuing the conversation off-court.
And coming back to how Jace broke down towards the end of last season and opened up to Ike about him having stepped in as more of a father than his actual dad had been there for him, the similar warmth extends to the new season’s first episode as well. Once again, we see them rely on each other for support and strength, and stand up as anchoring pillars for the other.
It’s merely the beginning, but we can expect more hardcore basketball games and even more in-depth relationship building in the upcoming episodes. The final scene of the premiere also set us this season’s eventful premise that will drag the Swagger players to their actions of the past, leaving them no choice but to deal with the consequences.
Swagger Season 2 Premiere: Final Thoughts
Keeping the narrative close to the ground, the first episode indulges in the same love for the vibrant sport, and mostly focusses on previously introduced main characters and the new changes in their lives. Not many new faces make their entry this time, but the ones who do, aren’t jarring introductions either. Their names and associations are tied up with the older names as we see newer interactions brewing up for the future.
The highlights of the episode have to be Jace’s relationship with his mother, with Ike, and with his fellow team-mates, especially Solomon Irama’s Phil Marksby, who’s parted ways with the remaining Swagger mates for a different high school experience. Yet, despite them playing on different teams, their friendship has stayed the same for good so far.