Bel-Air: Season 2/ Episode 9 “Just Like Old Times” – Recap/ Review (with Spoilers)

As Will confronts Doc about what he is doing, Doc’s long-term plans involving Phil come out. Also, Carlton is given a chance to tell the truth about what happened.

Aired (Peacock)	April 20, 2023
Director(s)	Tasha Smith
Writer(s)	JaSheika Ashel James, Janeika James
Previously Noted Characters
Will	Jabari Banks
Drew	Nicholas Duvernay
Connor	Tyler Barnhardt
Carlton	Olly Sholotan
Lisa	Simone Joy Jones
Vivian	Cassandra Freeman
Erika	Diandra Lyle
Jazz	Jordan L. Jones
Hillary	Coco Jones
LaMarcus	Justin Cornwell
Jackie	Jazlyn Martin
Ashey	Akira Akbar
Ivy	Karrueche Tran
Doc	Brooklyn McLinn
James	Reno Wilson
Phil	Adrian Holmes
Doc	Brooklyn McLinn
Geoffrey	Jimmy Akingbola

Recap

This content contains pertinent spoilers. Also, images and text in this post may contain affiliate links which, if a purchase is made from those sites, we may earn money or products from the company.

What Are Old Friends For? – Will, Drew, Connor, Carlton, Lisa

Carlton is freaking out. First, because Connor is nowhere to be found, and while he questions if he was set up, he also needs his fix. So when Connor and his mom are at his house, in his living room, and Viv is in pursuit of a new come to Jesus moment? Oh, Carlton is freaking out.

Luckily, Connor, for some reason, decides to co-sign Carlton’s lies and take the fall for what happened. He even explains what happened to Carlton’s car, and despite Connor lying to his mom and Viv, Carlton doesn’t think twice about Connor would lie to him about what happened to his car. His only focus is being more careful about getting his drugs from Connor, especially since Will is onto him; Lisa, via Drew, knows Connor and Carlton have associated again, and he has Geoffrey and Viv watching.

Well, That’s The End Of That – Viv, Erika, Jazz, Will, Jackie, Hillary, LaMarcus, Ashley, Ivy, Doc

Erika, to make peace, and secure Phil, makes peace with Viv, who seems all too ready to reconcile and talk about her situation with taking Janice’s job – which Erika supports. As that happens, Hillary and LaMarcus grow closer as he hosts an event for her and gets some of his boys to do a men vs. women, and Ashley, football game. It is good for their subscribers, and it seems, despite how many questions and issues Ivy should have with Hillary because of deals she has made, she is too distracted to know or care about that, especially with the potential of getting a baller boyfriend.

Speaking of boyfriends, there was a chance for Hillary and Jazz to get back together. However, when Hillary sees Jazz dancing with a bunch of girls at an event she helped him set up, when they were together, she is done and decides to give LaMarcus another chance.

Speaking of giving chances, Will wants to give Jackie a chance. His conversation with Doc didn’t go well, and no member of the team seems willing or able to join him in some moral crusade against Doc. So, with his faith wavered in damn near every person he knows, there is some hope Jackie could be an exception, but she isn’t. And with that, it seems the two break up.

An Offer You Can’t Refuse – Erika, James, Phil, Doc, Geoffrey

With Erika making peace with Viv, she thinks that sealed the deal with Phil, but really it is that key account and protection for James and the others. However, just as things seem good there, he tries to squash things with Doc, and has Geoffrey come along.

The problem with doing that is, Doc is in a tough spot, and just like his former partner, Lorenzo, will take down Doc is he has to miss out on the hustle, Doc will take down all the kids, Will included, if he goes down.

So, what’s the long version of all this? Doc and Lorenzo started Zenith, and while Doc and Lorenzo were originally good with just funneling players to different college teams, Lorenzo decided to start getting the hood investing in players, and getting a cut of their future. Now, being that Doc was trying to go as legit as possible, getting a bunch of undesirables involved he knew could ruin his relationship with agents and recruiters, so he tried to buy Lorenzo out. Lorenzo didn’t like that, so he is ready to burn what they have to the ground. Phil’s job is to keep that from happening, and because Will’s dumbass told Doc about Phil getting him off from a gun charge, Doc hopes and expects, for Will’s future, and with the information he has, Phil would pull a string and get his Lorenzo problem to go away.

Things To Note

1. Will tells Lisa that Drew is a light-skinned demon

Question(s) Left Unanswered

1. So, Ivy is not mad about the deal Hillary made or doesn’t know about it yet?
2. How Erika even get Viv’s address?
3. How is Joan going to feel about Erika and Viv reconciling?
4. What’s next for Jazz since he and Hillary are over?
5. With Phil stuck with Doc, what will come of Will and Jackie?
6. So, Reed really just went POOF huh?

What Could Happen Next

1. Carlton is going to OD eventually
2. Hillary being reminded of why she broke up with LaMarcus
3. Erika pulling something that gets her back on Viv’s bad side
4. Jazz making a play for Hillary or at least asking about her

Review

Highlights

Doc’s Plans For Phil Revealed

With Phil moving on to a bigger corporate environment than what he created, and with an ex no less, having Doc breathe down his neck and Will’s future in the balance is a lot to juggle. But, it is the most interesting storyline for an individual character, beyond Carlton’s pending fall from grace, right now.

On The Fence

The End of Phil and Jackie

I wanted more for them. She was an around-the-way girl with issues but a heart of gold. He was someone who needed someone real, familiar, but had something going for herself. They seemed like a good match, and between him hanging in her hood and her in Bel-Air, it seemed like a good opportunity for a culture exchange. But, alas, Will is being the soft thug he is and doing what he often does in cutting off people quick and making emotional decisions.

Which with him no longer part of Zenith, Jackie not going to his school, and not knowing his people, unlike Lisa, there isn’t a lot of reasons to believe she may come back around. Unless she gets messed up and tries to use Jazz to get an audience with Will.

Carlton’s Dark Path

It’s sad to see Carlton not learn from blacking out, losing his car, and feeling played by Connor. But he hasn’t hit his version of rock bottom yet. Our worry is they’ll drag out the fall longer than they need to and not go into the recovery until mid-season 3, if not season 4.

LaMarcus and Hillary

We love to see two Black, melanin-rich people in love. However, the way characters come and go or get cut off on “Bel-Air” bugs us a bit. So while we like LaMarcus and think he could be good to Hillary, our issue comes from the fact Jazz isn’t going anywhere. So, will this mean LaMarcus and Hillary will mirror Lisa and Will and have this vibe of them being inevitable, or will they truly move on?

Erika Still Seeming Like The New Reed

Someone with a romantic interest in an unavailable character who provides a great career opportunity? Sounds familiar, right? For Phil, it mirrors Reed, but you can even throw in LaMarcus for comparisons. But, hopefully, with the gender swap, and a different industry, things will be different.

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