‘A League of Their Own’ Recap: ‘Stealing Home’

Written by John Edward Betancourt

Caution: This article contains spoilers for Episode Six of ‘A League of Their Own’. To revisit the previous episode, click here.

We are taught from a very early age… that the United States of America, is a true land of opportunity for everyone. One that comes with its own dream, and you too can have that… if you follow some critical steps. For instance, you need to be willing to put in the work to obtain the dream, and you need to give it your all and sacrifice where necessary and if you do those things, you will enjoy freedoms untold and respect and trust and of course… a comfortable life. One free of fear and full of contentment because you’ll have made it in America and well… it doesn’t take long for us to come to realize as we grow older… that this particular dream and the belief that it is available to all, is pure and utter nonsense.

Because, if you happen to be a woman, a BIPOC or LGBQTIA+ individual… your attempts to obtain that dream will be vastly different, regardless of if you follow the rules to obtain the dream. Because you will be second guessed and seen as second class, you’ll be judged, you’ll have zero trust, and your freedoms will indeed be limited. Which is why those exact individuals have to work three times as hard to even have a taste of the dream, provided of course they can get it, and their struggle is so hard and their path so difficult, sometimes they won’t even see the fruits of their labor if they run into the wrong individuals along the way. Which may sound dramatic, but it is not, it’s a hard and cold and scary fact… one that was explored in great detail in the next episode of A League of Their Own on Prime Video.

For ‘Stealing Home’ is an episode that featured two powerful storylines involving such matters, one of which involved great success for the Rockford Peaches. For Coach Shaw had done a wonderful job of moving them into position to potentially reach the playoffs. But since this was 1943, the thought of putting one’s trust into a coach that happened to be a woman, was unheard of and preparations were made to dismantle the team to strengthen others. Which forced Carson to push this team in a new manner and use her knowledge like never before so keep the team together and to prove to everyone the sheer talent of the Rockford Peaches and she did, since the team made the Championship round. But what matters more, is that the work she had to put in, and the doubt surrounding her as a skipper and leader… spoke volumes to the differences in the dream and that point was hammered home further by a secondary, stunning plot line.

Because in between incredible play from the Peaches, Shaw came to discover that there was a local speakeasy in town, one that was supremely unique in nature. For it catered to LGBQTIA+ individuals and it was run by an individual named Vi (played by Rosie O’Donnell no less) and they were eager to provide a safe space for anyone in need of it within the city of Rockford and the freedom that afforded brought just about every queer player on the team inside its comforting walls. But alas, while such a place would be far less of a big deal today, in 1943… being queer was somehow worse than a sin and when the cops came to raid this place… we and the characters were reminded of the ugliness of hate and bigotry that we see toward LGBTQIA+ individuals to this day, and of how the American Dream… isn’t for those that aren’t white straight males.

Which makes this… the most poignant episode of the series to date, one that takes the viewer on a powerful rollercoaster ride, emotionally. For there is joy to be found in the Peaches success, horror to be found in that shocking finale to this tale, and that is a testament to Will Graham’s poignant and honest script for this episode. One that dug deep into its powerful theme regarding the American Dream and also took a little time to once again work on Max’s journey of self-discovery. Since she worked hard here to figure out where she fit in. For she outright admitted that her sexuality might not be something quite as straightforward as ‘gay’, and that too is powerful and important and well, all this episode does is demand that we continue the journey. To see what comes out of that horrifying raid and to enjoy more of this show’s incredible and timely commentary. Until next time.

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