Raquel Saldana, Asha Hayes, Jelena Howard, and Kyle Hart Hit The Floor season 2
I’m not one to feel guilty about anything I watch so I’m not going to call Hit The Floor a guilty pleasure, it’s just one of those shows I watch in the comfort of my own bed, with the phone off, and the door closed. And as much as I hate soaps, I am very happy to watch a show filled with drama, some adequate writing that is delivered by pretty decent actors. Criminal Minds it isn’t, but I’m hooked, and since its back for yet another season, I believe that I might not be the only one.
This show about a fictitious basketball team is set in Los Angeles, and follows the dancers and management more so than the players. In fact, if the players are involved it is only to add additional dimension to the main characters, Asha Hayes (Taylour Paige), Jelena Howard (Logan Browning), and Kyle Hart (Kathrine Bailess). There is, however, a very seedy underside to the business of basketball in this scripted game, with prostitution, gambling and rape. Not to mention… murder. As the main character dancers navigate what they preserve to be the real threat from each other, they are more than oblivious to the real danger surrounding them. Actually, they are unusually naïve to the dead former dancer and prostitution that is abutting the seemingly childish antics that the girls are dealing with, like their fight for a spot on the all-star team.
This show about a fictitious basketball team is set in Los Angeles, and follows the dancers and management more so than the players. In fact, if the players are involved it is only to add additional dimension to the main characters, Asha Hayes (Taylour Paige), Jelena Howard (Logan Browning), and Kyle Hart (Kathrine Bailess). There is, however, a very seedy underside to the business of basketball in this scripted game, with prostitution, gambling and rape. Not to mention… murder. As the main character dancers navigate what they preserve to be the real threat from each other, they are more than oblivious to the real danger surrounding them. Actually, they are unusually naïve to the dead former dancer and prostitution that is abutting the seemingly childish antics that the girls are dealing with, like their fight for a spot on the all-star team.
Asha Hayes played by Taylour Paige
Aside from the two main characters Asha, novice, and Jelena, team captain, butting heads, there are several other storylines that help to hold the attention of the viewers. Asha’s mother has been keeping the name of her father a secret until Jelena reveals it in an attempt to weaken Asha’s resolve at a very pivotal moment in her career. Her father is Dean Cain who plays the coach of the basketball team, Coach Davenport. Soon mom, Sloane Hayes (Kimberly Elise) and estranged dad become an item once again, but this time in secret. Asha comes in with a bright smile and boyfriend German Vega (Jonathan McDaniel), both of which slowly fade by the end of the season. She is persuaded by Derek Roman (McKinley Freeman), one of the star players on the Devil’s team.
Jelena Howard played by Logan Browning
Jelena is a manipulative fighter who is doing all she can to make sure she gets what she wants, but most all of her effects become poison to her own life. She not only goes after Asha, like the time she gives her the February position in a calendar thinking that the newbie could not handle it well, but ends up surprised. She also helps to remove Raquel Saldana (Valery Oriz) from the team, because she speaks out against her and ends up losing a friendship. When threatened with the potential loss of her relationship with boyfriend Terence Wall (Robert Christopher Riley) star Devil, she somehow drugs him and ruins his chance to transfer to an out of State team. Soon he finds out and she loses yet another relationship.
Kyle Hart played by Katherine Bailess
Then there is Kyle Hart who is trying her best to sleep her way to a better life… or as we come to know of her, she is trying to sleep her way out of a life she perceives as flawed. She is married to a gambler who is a criminal and she fights for the chance to divorce him and start a new life free of her past mistakes. And the sweet and somewhat timid Raquel who has a 4 year old son with one of the agents for the team who is a jerk and doing all he can to mess with her head. She has to fight for her son while maintaining her sanity and financial responsibilities.
The worst drama in this show is shockingly perpetrated by the owner Oscar Kincade (Don Stark) who is involved with gambling, prostitution, the cover up of the rape of Mia a former dancer whom he elicits to help him win bets. He is also implicit in her death, and possibly the death of Olivia Vincent (Charlotte Ross).
When the first season ended last summer, Asha was falling for Derrek, getting to know her father, and shunning her mother. She was getting to the levels she only dreamed of on the team she’s always idolized. Sloane, Asha’s mother, ended her relationship with the coach, and ends up taking Olivia’s place as the coach of the Devil girls. Her relationship with German ends in heartbreak, but Asha quickly rebounds with Derek. She leaves for Allstar week as LA’s Allstar.
Jelena is still plotting to rid herself of Asha while dealing with the loss of Terrence. Asha’s mom has entered back into the sporting arena as an informant bent on protecting her daughter at all costs. Her relationship with the coach has ended, while he is starting a new one with Raquel who he tries to help with her custody battle. Mia, former Devil girl has been found dead, and owner Oscar appears to be the culprit. But Olivia goes missing and we only think that German has faded away.
During the opening of this season, we see that Asha has moved past German in a way that is a little too abrupt for this sensitive character. It has only been a couple weeks and they are already living in the same house and her feelings for him have grown way past their flirtation. Personally I think this is a little rushed, but I guess the writers are doing their best to keep our attention on Asha. Just as she is moving past German, he is moving into the arena. He is a high school coach and college basketball star in his own right, and moves up in the sport when Coach Davenport offers him a position as assistant. Jelena is still picking at Asha’s skin, trying desperately to get under it.
But no one seems to be dealing with Mia’s death in any meaningful way. It’s as if she was just a foot note, and was never a fully realized character. However, the first season suggested that she was a good dancer, a friend, and a person of great interest to the team and its owner. It is very understandable that Asha would have no reason to mourn the death of this ex-teammate as they had never met, but it is unclear why no one else on the team, even Jelena, would be suspicious of her death. As a woman who’s worked in several different industries, it is just not plausible that a group of women wouldn’t have started some rumor about the events surrounding Mia’s death.
Asha is trying to push Derek away because of her job. Apparently the dancers and the players are forbidden to date unless you’re Jelena and you somehow have everyone wrapped around your fingers. The tug of war builds somewhat during the first episode, but is quickly resolved as Asha relents and gives into trying to make a go of the potential relationship. Asha’s mother is in town and she is not very happy about it, and neither is Jelena and this begins a yet another drama for the captain to insert herself into.
Coach Davenport seems to be moving on from Sloane, Asha’s mother, with Raquel, but is set back when his gold-digging ex-wife shows up. This woman would also like to see Raquel and Coach split, so she is doing the best she can to keep them apart, and she appears to have elicited the help of Oscar’s son in her efforts.
The relationship between Jelena and Terrence was only ended two weeks prior and he seems to be dealing with it very well. She however is chasing him. She is trying hard to get back into his good graces, but it isn’t clear if she misses him, or misses her position in the power couple. Enters a new player, Zero (Adam Senn), who appears to be one way, but is almost a mirror image of Jelena as he pretends to be nice to Terrence in one scene, yet makes a move on his ex in another. Jelena and Zero links up at the end of the episode, but his motives are unclear, while she appears to be doing it to make Terrence jealous. There was no fall out from this as yet, but it did seem a bit anticlimactic as Terrnce merely walks away from the situation of Jelena seemingly accepting an offer of a date with Zero, right in front of him. I doubt that this would happen in a testosterone charged world like basketball, but maybe it’s a build up for next week’s episode.
In this opening Raquel seems to be rid of her ex and Miguel, her little boy’s father, for good and her character’s story seems to rest on her budding relationship with Coach Davenport. While Kyle is heading down a very different direction, yet same path, as she is confronted by her ex-husbands bookie. The ex still owes money, and has provided the bookie with their divorce papers, and now he’s holding them hostage. This is what will pull Kyle back into her pursuit of rich men, but this time it’s more danger as she is partnered up with a dangerous criminal.
At the end of the episode, it is clear that the shock value that the show has on us, is actually lost on the character’s themselves. The ineptly buried dead body of Olivia is found as owner Oscar attempts to break ground on the new stadium, yet Asha and Jelena appear to be too busy engaging in their petty fight to notice. But, maybe this is also a build up for next week. I would be sorely disappointed if this doesn’t start the rumor mill going, especially since Kyle knows a little bit of the dirty dealings of the owner. The finding of the body was somewhat contrite, and leads me to believe that Oscar is in trouble with someone who is out scheming him.
We will just have to wait and see what happens, but for now, this is a very interesting opening and it can only get even more twisted from here.
When the first season ended last summer, Asha was falling for Derrek, getting to know her father, and shunning her mother. She was getting to the levels she only dreamed of on the team she’s always idolized. Sloane, Asha’s mother, ended her relationship with the coach, and ends up taking Olivia’s place as the coach of the Devil girls. Her relationship with German ends in heartbreak, but Asha quickly rebounds with Derek. She leaves for Allstar week as LA’s Allstar.
Jelena is still plotting to rid herself of Asha while dealing with the loss of Terrence. Asha’s mom has entered back into the sporting arena as an informant bent on protecting her daughter at all costs. Her relationship with the coach has ended, while he is starting a new one with Raquel who he tries to help with her custody battle. Mia, former Devil girl has been found dead, and owner Oscar appears to be the culprit. But Olivia goes missing and we only think that German has faded away.
During the opening of this season, we see that Asha has moved past German in a way that is a little too abrupt for this sensitive character. It has only been a couple weeks and they are already living in the same house and her feelings for him have grown way past their flirtation. Personally I think this is a little rushed, but I guess the writers are doing their best to keep our attention on Asha. Just as she is moving past German, he is moving into the arena. He is a high school coach and college basketball star in his own right, and moves up in the sport when Coach Davenport offers him a position as assistant. Jelena is still picking at Asha’s skin, trying desperately to get under it.
But no one seems to be dealing with Mia’s death in any meaningful way. It’s as if she was just a foot note, and was never a fully realized character. However, the first season suggested that she was a good dancer, a friend, and a person of great interest to the team and its owner. It is very understandable that Asha would have no reason to mourn the death of this ex-teammate as they had never met, but it is unclear why no one else on the team, even Jelena, would be suspicious of her death. As a woman who’s worked in several different industries, it is just not plausible that a group of women wouldn’t have started some rumor about the events surrounding Mia’s death.
Asha is trying to push Derek away because of her job. Apparently the dancers and the players are forbidden to date unless you’re Jelena and you somehow have everyone wrapped around your fingers. The tug of war builds somewhat during the first episode, but is quickly resolved as Asha relents and gives into trying to make a go of the potential relationship. Asha’s mother is in town and she is not very happy about it, and neither is Jelena and this begins a yet another drama for the captain to insert herself into.
Coach Davenport seems to be moving on from Sloane, Asha’s mother, with Raquel, but is set back when his gold-digging ex-wife shows up. This woman would also like to see Raquel and Coach split, so she is doing the best she can to keep them apart, and she appears to have elicited the help of Oscar’s son in her efforts.
The relationship between Jelena and Terrence was only ended two weeks prior and he seems to be dealing with it very well. She however is chasing him. She is trying hard to get back into his good graces, but it isn’t clear if she misses him, or misses her position in the power couple. Enters a new player, Zero (Adam Senn), who appears to be one way, but is almost a mirror image of Jelena as he pretends to be nice to Terrence in one scene, yet makes a move on his ex in another. Jelena and Zero links up at the end of the episode, but his motives are unclear, while she appears to be doing it to make Terrence jealous. There was no fall out from this as yet, but it did seem a bit anticlimactic as Terrnce merely walks away from the situation of Jelena seemingly accepting an offer of a date with Zero, right in front of him. I doubt that this would happen in a testosterone charged world like basketball, but maybe it’s a build up for next week’s episode.
In this opening Raquel seems to be rid of her ex and Miguel, her little boy’s father, for good and her character’s story seems to rest on her budding relationship with Coach Davenport. While Kyle is heading down a very different direction, yet same path, as she is confronted by her ex-husbands bookie. The ex still owes money, and has provided the bookie with their divorce papers, and now he’s holding them hostage. This is what will pull Kyle back into her pursuit of rich men, but this time it’s more danger as she is partnered up with a dangerous criminal.
At the end of the episode, it is clear that the shock value that the show has on us, is actually lost on the character’s themselves. The ineptly buried dead body of Olivia is found as owner Oscar attempts to break ground on the new stadium, yet Asha and Jelena appear to be too busy engaging in their petty fight to notice. But, maybe this is also a build up for next week. I would be sorely disappointed if this doesn’t start the rumor mill going, especially since Kyle knows a little bit of the dirty dealings of the owner. The finding of the body was somewhat contrite, and leads me to believe that Oscar is in trouble with someone who is out scheming him.
We will just have to wait and see what happens, but for now, this is a very interesting opening and it can only get even more twisted from here.
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