Francia Raisa Talks Grown-ish's Sophomore Year Ahead Of Spring Finale 'Cliffhanger'

A word of secrecy as we inch closer to tonight’s Grown-ish finale: you could be left screaming, "NOOOOOOOOOO!" At your TV screen by the end of the night.


At least that’s what Francia Raisa predicts will happen, and she would know — her Ana is one of the characters who has elicited some of the most emotional reactions from fans for now this season. “They’re gonna tell us it’s not fair, they’re gonna be furious it’s not a hour long — which I keep seeing a lot — and they’re gonna be really angry that we’re leaving them with such a cliffhanger,” the actress forecasted with MTV News.


Sophomore year for the Grown-ish gang has been a wild ride, with every week seeing the sort deal with a new batch of very plausible situations that feel authentic to the modern college experience. Sure, it could be slightly more sanitary and with way better hair than the real thing, although the half-hour comedy supports the us laugh our via problems we can (see: Ana’s utterly exposing tips for social media stalking) and find help for those we can’t.


Here, Raisa looks back on the major story lines of the season and offers some clarity and insight into her fictional companions to make us for the heart-stopping spring finale.


Zoey


The cool-girl attitude that Yara Shahidi’s Zoey embodies on Black-ish looks a little different whenever you’re privy to her inner thoughts. Whereas freshman year was pretty much dominated by which guy she should date, sophomore year has been a little more hectic for Zoey’s schoolwork-life balance.


Completely lost in her relationship with Luca (Luka Sabbat), Zoey has been building a lot of decisions based around keeping him happy — dropping a competitive class with him, getting caught up in their social media perfection, spinning out over his ex — all moves that some Twitter critics have determined make her look stupid. “I feel like she’s almost losing her identity because she’s attempting to please him so much that she doesn’t even know who or what is going on anymore, to where she had to cheat [on her chem final] because she was so stuck in attempting to fit in,” Raisa said.


Meanwhile, Luca — whom the world wide web has deemed a dream boyfriend — routinely reacts maturely to Zoey’s needs, “but she doesn’t say what she needs,” Raisa mentioned. Yet that doesn’t necessarily make Zoey ridiculous. “She’s just being confused, and as a substitute opposed to trusting her instincts and really taking the time to resemble on it the way that she needs and converse with the genuine people that she needs to, she’s acting out of emotion.”


Ana


Raisa’s Ana has definitely turned up the heat this season. That bb freshman who couldn’t nickname her liquor right now has a steamy secret romance — with her best friend’s almost-ex, Aaron (Trevor Jackson).


“When it first happened, I had so several people just hate me because of girl code,” Raisa recalled. Nevertheless after awhile, most fans warmed up to the idea of ultra-conservative Ana and social justice warrior Aaron’s blossoming love, even if it did mean a little bit sneaking around.


“I feel like this is the initial time Ana was really seen by anyone,” Raisa assessed. “I have grace for her in the sense that she’s still so confused and attempting to calculate what she’s even feeling, nevertheless at the same time, this is her friend and I feel like she should have addressed it with Zoey before anything happened, especially immediately following the initial time they kissed.”


Right now that Ana’s realizing things with Aaron might be more than a fling, she’s summoning the courage converse with Zoey about it all — however yet still, it hasn’t been easy to play the role of a good friend. (Zoey does, as we’ve spoke, have her own problems to deal with.)


“Because I know her heart, I wouldn’t call her a bad friend,” Raisa mentioned. “It’s not like she did anything directly to her and she doesn’t love her and she’s not not thinking about her – she just handled it poorly.”


Nomi


Sophomore year has been per year of self-acceptance for Nomi, played by Emily Arlook. The mostly-out (just not to her parents) bisexual student has been taking some time to explore her queerness, beginning the season off by issuing a service of sorts to her fellow classmates — issuing an one-time, same-sex experience in bed to a rotating cast of nameless characters.


It wasn’t up until she got closer to the group’s teacher, Professor Hewson (Katherine Moennig), that she really got curious about the queer community. “I don’t think she realized what a pimp she was being with her other ladies and stuff and I’m glad that she’s getting in touch more so with her emotions and with her identity and who she is as a person,” Raisa mentioned. “But at the same time it’s like, well, is this the correct way to go about it?”


Oh, I’m sorry — did I forget to say that bombshell vehicle kiss? It turns out, Professor Hewson’s Intro to Queer crash course came with Halsey tunes plus a short make-out, leaving Nomi “deeply in like.”


Hooking up with a professor is a sticky line that some schools have outright banned because of the complex power dynamic at play in such a relationship. At the same time, Nomi is legally an adult and free to create her own decisions. The scenario is confusing all around, plus it could be also soon for us, the viewers, to adequately assess it. “Maybe they truly did have a connection, and for Nomi then, it’s like, this is someone that I’m finally feeling comfortable talking to about this and I get it — it’s so easy to feel such an emotional connection if this is the initial time you’re first up emotionally,” Raisa mentioned. “But on Professor Hewson’s end … is this different or is this a pattern that she has? We don’t know.”


Jazz & Sky


Played by the package-deal Chloe and Halle Bailey, Jazz and Sky really show their different personalities this season. If they continued to share a unbreakable sisterly bond, Sky took on a quieter persona, letting Jazz take the reins for the two of these as she attempted to modestly sex-up their Instagram game to get athletic endorsement deals.


Although one individual wasn’t a fan of Jazz’s bodily expression — her boyfriend, Doug (Diggy Simmons), who ended their relationship over the ordeal. “Jazz and Doug clearly don't know how to communicate and clearly are stuck in their own ways and their own pride,” Raisa assessed. “No one is attempting to please the other and so they don’t mind arguing.”


Can the once picture-perfect couple find a compromise?


We’ll have to tune in to find out. Grown-ish’s spring finale airs on Freeform Wednesday, March 6, at 8 p.M. ET.