TW for mentions of CSA and CP
Spoilers for Cheer Season Two!
When Cheer was first released, my sister and I watched all six episodes together. The show skyrocketed in popularity, with the main “characters” riding the wave of fame and appearing on Ellen and other shows. You couldn’t go anywhere on social media without seeing them, especially for my sister. She had only recently become a cheerleader, so for me, the show was a glimpse into what would’ve been expected from her if she joined varsity. She was always in dance and gymnastics, but none of that seemed as physically demanding as cheer. My sister already knew all the terms, but I was starting from scratch, learning what a full out was or what a tumbler did. For us, it was a show that brought us closer together, as I gained more understanding for the sport she was conditioning so hard to be better at.
I’ve never been very athletically inclined, so watching the team train so hard and push their bodies past the limit gave me a feeling of secondhand exhaustion. As someone who was a theater kid, I recognized “hell week”, but theirs was a new level of suffering I hope to never be so familiar with. The number of injuries that occurred during the second season appeared to be far less than on the first, and things almost felt too good to be true as they ran full out after full out and the months flew by. For those who had returned a third year, the loss of Daytona was a hard pill to swallow. Even though I’d been anticipating the event’s shutdown, I felt like I was reliving 2020 all over again. Everyone experienced losses that year of varying degrees, but to see them lose something they had prepared so much for was difficult.
The show has never shied away from sensitive topics, especially in La’Darius’ and Jerry’s backstories in the first season. As soon as I heard the news about Jerry, I thought of La’Darius. Social media was flooded with coverage about the FBI arresting him for producing child pornography, swiftly followed by the sexual assault allegations. The friendship between them seemed so close, between Jerry and all the cheerleaders. Before watching season 2 I had no clue that he already had relative influence in the cheer world. Something that is often said about the perpetrators in these cases is that they are the sweetest, the most trusted individuals. They are wolves in sheep’s clothing. The trauma of the situation seems to have been the last straw for La’Darius. While there is no excuse for La’Darius to have lied and hurt Monica so deeply, I was happy to see them make up. It felt voyeuristic to see such an emotional conversation between the two, but I feel that some fans would have been belligerent to him if there had been no footage in the show. He is building a life for himself that is devoid of the high cheerleading gave him, physically distanced from his old life. After all the betrayals and setbacks he’s had to experience, I hope that he truly is finding healing and growth after giving so much to Monica and the team. I was also surprised to see the twins, as I had never researched the identities of the minors involved. Hearing them give their testimony was uncomfortable, but to see their bravery and strength after their experience, both of them nearly simultaneously saying they would come forward again even after initially losing the support of their community, was moving. Whether there is another season or not, I’m sure myself and many others are hoping to see justice for them and the other victims in this case.
This season was an understated masterpiece in terms of the introduction of Trinity College and their team, the visuals and soundtrack, and following through multiple threads and backstories with the amazing people involved in giving these talented kids the chance to see their dreams come to fruition. It feels like the last year and a half summarized, a collective loss and disappointment, followed by confusion and hurt, but finally ending on a high note. Even though (spoilers!) TVCC won, Navarro did not seem defeated as some of the team were coming back to cheer for Monica again. Cheer Season 2 is as cathartic as it is heartbreaking, but it is definitely worth the watch.