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In the Bel-Air season finale, Lou arrives and reveals his side of the story as Hillary plans her next move, and Lisa decides whether to give Will a second chance.
| Aired | 3/31/2022 |
| Network | Peacock |
| Directed By | Dale Stern |
| Written By | Morgan Cooper, TJ Brady, Rasheed Newson |
| Introduced This Episode | |
| Lou | Marlon Wayans |
Recap
Life After The Campaign – Viv, Reid, Phil, Carlton
It isn’t clear how much time has passed since Phil dropped out of the race to become district attorney, but it seems we do get a taste of how things were. That is Vivian being the star of the relationship and Phil just being her support. For with him seemingly unemployed right now and with no clients he is representing, Phil is just chilling.
But, in doing so, it seems he opens himself up to spend some time with Carlton, without Will, which delights Carlton to no end. Yet, in Phil being supportive and trying to be there for Viv like he hasn’t in quite some time, it opens the door for Viv to want to deepen her relationship with Reid. Nothing romantic or flirtatious – all professional. But remember, she will have to tour the country soon, so it does open the door to Reid acting up when he knows Phil isn’t close enough to put them paws on him.
Work A Different Angle – Jazz, Ivy, Hillary
Kylo remains a major obstacle to Hillary getting back to work, but Hillary has an idea. With Ivy enjoying access to the high life or rather high society, Hillary sees this as an opportunity to rebrand and open Ivy up to new opportunities. This idea is partly inspired by Jazz, whose record shop now has 5,000 followers thanks to Hillary.
So what’s the big idea? Well, if Ivy can buy out Kylo, thus freeing Hillary, in the process, Ivy can also invest in the other ladies on Kylo’s roster to make a girl-power brand. One that will give Ivy access to Phanta’s jewelry line and Monica’s credibility.
The idea is of interest to Ivy, and it isn’t lost on her how much this all would benefit Hillary. But with Hillary already showing her worth by not being a yes man during a photoshoot Ivy does, she seems genuine and could be an asset rather than a liability.
When Words Don’t Match Actions – Viv, Vy, Lou, Will, Phil, Lisa, Carlton, Geoffrey
Despite Geoffrey usually acting discreetly, that seemingly wasn’t the case with Lou. He did more than observe him but interacted with him, and on top of letting Lou know Will was looking for him, he noted Phil was trying to impede them from connecting — This immensely complicates things.
Why? For one, Phil was Lou’s lawyer when he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for robbing an elderly man who allegedly owed him money. On top of that, Lou’s story complicates the one Viv, Vy, and Phil presented to Will. Lou’s story was that he hustled and got in trouble since Phil making money seemingly stirred jealousy, or envy, with Viola, so she wanted her man to step up. However, with both of his parents dead by 19 and already a record thanks to stealing a car, for reasons not gone into, it was a struggle to reach the heights Phil had.
But as for why he didn’t see Will all these years? With Lou’s dad being in jail and dying in jail, Lou knew how it could break your spirit to see your father in prison, and he didn’t want that. Now, does this excuse the lack of communication, including when he got out? No. However, as made clear when Lou talks about Viola, their relationship was toxic. And it is because Will hears his father’s side, he goes from trying to have empathy for the man to pushing him away and even lashing out at Phil and Vivian over both keeping him from his father and lying regarding the full story.
This ultimately leads him to run away, which causes Carlton to search for him and even end up in Lisa’s arms since he feels inconsolable regarding being unable to help Will as Will did him. Though it should be noted, he slipped some money to Will right before Will made his grand exit.
However, while no one else can find Will or know where he is at, Jazz does, and he talks Will out of possibly ruining a good thing. But, it won’t be until season 2 when we’ll learn how and if Will reconciles with his family. Never mind if he may ever reconcile with his father.
Things To Note
- Unexpected Content Advisory: Cursing (A little more than usual)
Question(s) Left Unanswered
- Where is Geoffrey now, and why did he give Lou so many details?
- Did Phil screw Lou over to get him out of Vy and Will’s life?
- Considering Ivy and Jazz were flirty, could that cause problems down the line, or with Will officially knowing the two are messing around, is that not going to be an issue?
- Why did Lou steal that car?
What Could Happen Next
- Ivy not being the savior Hillary wanted
- If Viv isn’t hit on by Reid, her seeing him live up to his reputation and her questioning her part in it – as if she was recruiting young talent for him to prey on
- Lisa getting back with Will, at least until high school is over
- Jazz and Hillary potentially being end game
- Phil becoming a judge
Collected Quote(s)
Rich folk always say the rest of us are being prideful whenever us common folk insist on holding on to our dignity.
— Lou
Remembering where you come from, doesn’t mean you can’t change your life for the better. The key to happiness is staying true to who you are, no matter where you are.
— Jazz
Review
Highlights
Will and Lou’s Scenes
Marlon Wayans being cast as Lou is just perfection. There is enough charm there for you to understand how Vy fell in love with him and allegedly was seduced into stupidity, yet this deviousness to make you see the dark side. But, what took things to the next level was seeing Jabari Banks’ version of Will getting to expand on the conversation we saw in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and present to us this whirl of emotion that wasn’t open and shut. Lou is complicated in ways where it makes you want to reconcile his perception of events with Vy’s. Not to say Vy was lying or playing the victim, but clearly, no one desires to co-sign what Lou did or didn’t do. Viv barely wants to give him the benefit of the doubt of not robbing that old man.
Yet, and this is where Banks shines, you can see that willingness to see everyone else as wrong to have that missing part of Will filled. For while Will has been giving Phil his accolades and praise, there is a world of difference between someone stepping up and the person who was expected to do their job doing as expected. And I think Will so badly was willing to paint his family as villains, especially once he learned his dad’s background, that he would have defended his dad tooth and nail if Lou didn’t go so far as to paint Vy as the biggest regret of his life.
Jazz and Will’s Scene
As part of Bel-Air adapting to modern times, one of the focuses have been on intra-male relationships. As noted in the previous episode, that includes showing men being vulnerable with one another, beyond special episodes or incidents. Jazz and Will’s scene is no different but what makes it special is that part of Will’s issues with his family, and Bel-Air as a whole, is the idea it is changing him.
Now, Jazz gets that since he is from Compton and, naturally, being part of Will and Hillary’s world is an adjustment. But, at the same time, Jazz is older, and he can recognize the opportunities that come from having access to the lifestyle Phil provides his family. Hillary having the ability to fail and land somewhere softly has allowed her to develop a business acumen that, for people like Jazz, has given them a social media presence. Also, it allows for people like her to have access to people like Ivy who can not only be investors but get out of jail free cards (sort of speak).
Which with Will not being 18 yet, and his only means out of a bad situation formerly being sports, it is easy to see him wanting to revert when he realizes that sometimes privilege comes with caveats. Beyond dealing with extended family members, it means having to navigate more than just your feelings and that of your mom.
I’d even say what we see Will go through represents some of the things kids from single-parent homes deal with, especially if it is a Black mom and Black son. You have a father demonized for most of your life, so reconciling the individual man with the absent father and the bad partner to your parent is a challenge that can take quite a bit of your adulthood. Following that, with being your mom’s everything, it makes sharing, personal responsibility, and handling conflict all the more difficult. In Will’s case, he has to handle three adults and their methods of parenting, then his cousins.
Yet, as Jazz tries to push into Will’s head, in order to make it out here, you have to learn to adapt. No one is saying you have to assimilate and leave yourself behind, but you can’t let your baggage keep you from great things. I mean, isn’t that what Lou did in the long run?
Carlton Wanting To Be There For His Cousin
You could submit Carlton running to Lisa’s house could have been inappropriate and emotionally manipulative. However, I think Carlton has truly moved on and wishes the best for his cousin and ex, so we’ll sidestep that possibility and look at this as Carlton genuinely wanting someone as invested in Will as him to help.
After all, as much as Will upended his life, he also helped to correct its dynamics. Carlton no longer has to suffer Connor’s tyranny in order to have some semblance of friendship. His family, who seemingly saw him as someone on auto-pilot, and didn’t need to be taken note of, seems to interact with him more, and Phil even invests time in him beyond what is in his own self-interest.
Heck, while we may not see any development until season 2, Will’s introduction of Aisha could mean Carlton’s next girlfriend. Never mind him getting from Bel-Air academy what he lost in having a sense of community, despite formerly going to a Black church and all the frat activities his dad could have taken him to.
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