Bel-Air: Season 3 – Review

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Highlights

Seeing Black Men Be Vulnerable With Each Other

One of the most beautiful things this season is Black men being vulnerable with one another. Yes, some of it is light and comical, like when Phil and his friends discuss how they keep their marriage fresh, especially in the bedroom. But then there are the conversations Will has with Zaire, with whom he works at the country club over the summer, or Carlton and Spencer, who becomes a sponsor of sorts as he goes on his sober journey.

These conversations aren’t common to see on television, especially between not only Black men but Black men who appear to come from different socio-economic spaces.

Lou, Will, and Viola’s Reconciliation

When it comes to growing up and becoming an adult, one of the great challenges is reconciling how you saw your childhood and who your parents are, or were, outside of your purview and, in Will’s case, his primary caretaker in Viola. Having an honest conversation like the three of them did is a blessing, and you can see not only the healing Will and Lou experienced but also Viola in many ways.

For while you can see Viola DID NOT want to be part of this conversation; at the same time, she probably needed it as much as Will, but for different reasons.

Low Points

How Jackie Was Used

With Will exiting Zenith Hype at the start of the season, you’d expect all those from that chapter in his life to exit the show. However, Jackie, via Vivian, ends up back in Will’s life as Vivian helps Jackie get a job at the country club, and plans to help her, even if just with a letter, to get into Julliard, so you may think there were actual plans for Jackie – but there weren’t.

Beyond using her to drum up drama between Will and Lisa, the character that held so much potential ended up wasted. And honestly, as lovely as Lisa is, it can feel like Jackie was toned down and made into someone with a singular focus so Lisa could shine.

Destiny Just Disappeared

For a decent amount of time, there was this push that we’d focus on Vivian’s new job as the head of the Neeman Fellowship, especially as they search for an artist to feature and sponsor. That, you’d think, would be the storyline continued throughout the season to establish who Vivian is as an individual outside of Phil and her family.

This was done briefly, but after the build-up to revealing Destiny, who was a bit unorthodox in getting Vivian’s attention, the storyline is completely dropped. Vivian is regulated to being a wife and mother, the two things she has been pushing back as the sum of who she is since the show began.

On The Fence

Amira & Carlton’s Drug Recovery

I’m torn when it comes to the storyline of Amira and Carlton being in recovery. For Amira, the trouble is that, seemingly like so many women on this show, the focus is far more about how they can be someone’s love interest than an individual. Yes, she, too, like Carlton, is in recovery and has challenges because of what has happened in her past, but it isn’t until nearly the end of the season that we find out what that is. Thus, while we get bits and pieces of who she is, for the most part, she is defined as Carlton’s girlfriend.

Which sucks because there is always a shortage of stories focused on teen or early adulthood Black and Brown girls, and how many do you get to see who are dealing with grief, mental illness, or addiction like Amira? Never mind, add in Spencer, who is assumingly a queer Black or Brown person, and what their story could have been, and you just see characters who barely get featured in stories like this, with so much potential, and “Bel-Air” barely scratching the surface.

But what might really be a kicker here is that his storyline has weakened after Carlton dominated the show for two seasons. Yes, he is still dealing with addiction, as expected, but with a strong focus on Amira, you can see his addiction to drugs switched over to Amira. However, while Spenser has a conversation with Carlton, this is rare. So when it comes to Carlton getting better, like quite a few moments that could have been pivotal, you can see it as something that happened off-screen or not at all.

How The Majority Of Conflict Is Handled

It is only natural for there to be conflict when it comes to “Bel-Air,” but it can be submitted that the way conflict is handled is far more focused on dramatic build and bombastic moments than on equalling that with a notable resolution. For example, Carlton and Will blow up at each other throughout the season, and it could be submitted that, considering the things Carlton says especially, the resolution maybe shouldn’t have happened so quickly. Even if, sometimes, it was for the sake of the business, not their own relationship.

The same could be said about Vivian and Phil. Beyond the Erica situation, there are immense issues between them as the dynamic shifts, especially with Vivian having a full-time job. Yet, this doesn’t really get addressed. Like so much, the issue gets fleshed out but not the resolution, and I’d submit, especially when it comes to the depiction of a married couple working through their problems, that should have more focus than the husband gaslighting or teasing the possibility of infidelity.

Heck, keeping on the topic of Phil, the situation with him, Omar, Jazz, and Yolanda got heated to the point you’d think there would have been a civil war in the Banks household, but that never came about. As that storyline started to reach a major point, all the trouble and drama was squashed, either quickly or off-screen, in such a way that it made you question the point of the storyline?

Let’s throw in LaMarcus and Hilary’s situation for good measure. From her having residual feelings for Jazz, LaMarcus’ fate this season, and his relationship with his parents, too much felt like it wasn’t given the rise, fall, and overall oomph it deserved, particularly when you consider what has been delivered in past seasons.

Geoffrey’s Storyline

If anyone has seen “Pennyworth,” which portrays the life of Bruce Wayne’s butler, Alfred Pennyworth, before he became Batman’s right hand, that is the vibe you may get from Geoffrey’s storyline. From learning he is a former top boy, his ex showing up, the original Geoffrey coming about like the head of a mafia family, and more, Geoffrey does have an interesting storyline. The problem is that its tone is so different from the rest of the show that it feels like an extended backdoor pilot to see if people would even want a Geoffrey spin-off.

Which, by the end, you may want, even if for a season, but while watching “Bel-Air,” it can feel like time could have been allocated to other stories already in motion rather than set up a storyline that damn near begs to be considered separate.

Ashley

At times, “Bel-Air” can seem like a bloated show, as some characters seemingly exist purely because they were part of the original program. Ashley is one of those characters. Again, like many, there doesn’t seem to be a real plan for the character this season. Despite what was built up to the third season, it’s almost like all who were involved in making credible characters left, or whoever championed one person or another.

Does Ashley begin the season still pushing for the truth to be told? Yes. Does she make a non-binary friend in Eli as she seemingly outgrows her friend from the last season? Also, yes. But, again and again, we must note that relationships in “Bel-Air” rarely benefit female characters, and usually, they get consumed by them at the cost of their individual journey.

Because, of all people, I’d expect when Phil was working with Omar and ready to do Jazz dirty, Ashley would have been the first to speak, especially because she loves her some Jazz – in a platonic way. Instead, they had her on the path to starting her own band, which went nowhere, to her evolving relationship with Eli.

Lisa

With Angela going through postpartum depression and Fred focused on his job, Lisa is stuck raising her little brother while being treated, still, like the redheaded stepchild at times. Combine this with trying to get back into swimming and be a good girlfriend and a friend in general, and you’re given a really good story, right? But here is the thing: We don’t see Angela or the baby at all this season to see the stress Lisa is under at home. She meets with her swim coach once and barely has any scenes with Fred.

But, you know, she has a lot of scenes with Will since she (and I’m feeling like a broken record at this point) gets the same treatment as most of the women whose lives revolve around whoever they are dating – even when they have something far more interesting to offer fans.

General Information

Network

Peacock

Genre(s)

Drama

Renewal Status

To Be Determined

Start and End Date

August 15, 2024 to September 5, 2024

Number of Episodes

10