Bel-Air: Season 3 Episode 10 – Review & Recap
In the third season finale, at best, you can say season three is a transition season for what could happen in season 4. At worst? This could be a sign the show has peaked.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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The Gist
The TLDR Recap/ Review
- It’s time for Hilary and LaMarcus’ wedding, and it is a complete hot mess due to Hilary forgetting her ring at Jazz’s place, having to tell LaMarcus about that and the kiss at the wedding, and then LaMarcus dying during their honeymoon.
- Yeah, this is a drama-filled episode that includes Geoffrey, Penelope, and Frederick leaving, as well as the people who were after him kidnapping Will.
- Also, Amira leaves, Aunt Vi finds out she is pregnant, Will’s mom, Viola, brings a man named Gerard to Hilary’s wedding, and Lisa gets the sign she needs to get back into swimming.
- Oh yeah, Ashley and that boy Eli decide they are going to date.
- I’m not going to lie to you; I thought Jazz was going to pull a Dwayne and interrupt that wedding, and if he did, I would have gagged.
- But the most dramatic thing that could have happened and made sense didn’t. Instead, we got Will getting kidnapped, which has me tired, and I’m not looking forward to how that will unravel in season 4.
- However, to be honest, not much is presented for season 4 to get excited about for any character. From Hilary grieving to Aunt Vi getting pregnant, Carlton and Drew having to work together with Will as mediator? What is there to look forward to?
- But, as we’ve said repeatedly, this was a rushed season, and expecting that to change with the finale would have been naïve.
Storyline Recap
Before Martha’s Vineyard – Drew, Carlton, Hilary, Will, Phil, Vivian
Drew is a PITA for Carlton. He wants to change the look, logo, and vibe of Blackccess, and all this makes Carlton want to hit Drew as he did before. Thankfully, Will is a good mediator; cooler heads prevail, and he is able to get Carlton to open up to some of Drew’s ideas.
But, what Will can’t mediate, and surely doesn’t want to get involved in, is the stumble Phil and Vivian have regarding his kiss with Erika, which Hilary picks up. But, hearing about this gives her the push she needs to come forward for if her parents could survive a kiss and talk about it as they do, surely she and LaMarcus could as well, right?
Lord Give Me a Sign – Jazz, LaMarcus, Will, Ashley, Hilary, Lisa, Viola, Gerald, Vivian, Eli
Lisa is still going through it after seeing Amira float, but after Aunt Viv introduces her to an Olympian who happens to be in Martha’s Vineyard, she feels like she has a sign to get back to business. Speaking of business, Will meets his mom, Viola’s new boyfriend, Gerald, who has likely been giving his mother the business. Though, as Gerald notes, he hasn’t been the only one trying since Ms. Viola has been on some dates.
That aside, getting to the reason everyone is in Martha’s Vineyard, Hilary’s wedding, let’s just say the drama starts almost as soon as the family gets to Martha’s Vineyard. From Hilary leaving the ring at Jazz’s apartment, LaMarcus finding out Jazz has come to the wedding to drop off the ring, and he and Hilary kissed? Hilary knows that man has heart problems, yet was stressing him out.
You could even say the reason he died later that day was because all she put him through, and he went with, just to keep the peace. Even with both Ashley and Will, when convincing him to do the ceremony, starting off saying they wanted Jazz over him! But, while karma gets Will for that later on, by the end of the day, Ashley has a boyfriend in Eli, who seems as tired as her of hiding what they could have.
Time To Say Goodbye – Amira, Carlton, Geoffrey, Phil, Will
With needing to go to rehab again, off Amira goes, and her mother is kind enough to allow Carlton to see her off. As that happens, Geoffrey is heading out, leaving Phil only a note to say he will be gone. Will, who ends up being at the wrong place at the wrong time, goes to Geoffrey’s apartment and sees it is empty, and as he leaves, gets kidnapped.
To New Beginnings – Omar, Yolanda, Phil, Vivian
But not to end on a negative note, Vivian reveals she is pregnant with who is likely to become Nicky. Phil brokered a deal between Omar, Yolanda, and other leaders of the community so that Omar’s original vision could come to pass. The vision of creating something which is for, owned, and now financed by Black people.
New Characters
Check Out The Character Guide For More Information.
Thai Douglas As Gerald
Gerarld is a doctor at Viola’s hospital who has been liking her for a minute.
Review
Highlights
Jazz Not Pulling A Dwayne At The Wedding
Jazz certainly would have the audacity to pull a “Baby, Baby Please” at Hilary’s wedding as Dwayne did in “A Different World,” but I’m glad he didn’t. This show has more than enough drama, and while Ashley would have lost her mind, in a good way, everyone else would not. Plus, there is something about Jazz and Hilary being endgame and coming naturally together rather than some weird ultimatum situation that just makes for a better journey for the two.
Mind you, there is still much need to handle him being the second choice, but they could try to talk their way out of that.
Will, For Now, Squashing The Drew Drama
Will’s gift is bringing people together, as his mom notes, and you can say that he shows that gift when it comes to Drew and Carlton. But what we love about his gift is that it allowed Carlton to end this season on a decent note. Not on the high note he had last season, but at least he wasn’t getting arrested at the country club for whipping Drew’s behind.
That’s a win.
On The Fence
The Drama Setup For Next Season
Some of the drama may make you roll your eyes, like Carlton and Drew’s beef, but you can deal with it. I’d even throw in Hilary’s guilt over thinking she stressed LaMarcus out to the point of dying. However, this kidnapping storyline? GTFOH! That, to me, is the first notable sign that this show has or is about to peak because that is so out of the realm of what is normal for this show that it can only be seen as escalation.
Rather than develop what is already going on or those who got left behind, like Jackie, let’s do something over the top! Bad enough, the Geoffrey storyline felt like they were building up to a spin-off, but now that Will was dragged into it, is this their way of bringing Geoffrey’s drama into the main storyline?
All I will say is that the original “The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air” lasted for six seasons, at 148 episodes. With the way “Bel-Air” is going, it would be lucky to have a wrap-up fifth season.
Phil’s Resolving Issues Between Yolanda and Omar Being Done Behind The Scenes And Not On Camera
I appreciate Phil brokering peace between the community and the ambitious Omar, but I think seeing him work his magic and bring these adversaries together could have been something notable. Far too often, we see situations like what Omar and Yolanda have, where people are advocating for what they see as a positive change, but that change means sacrifice as businesses will have to close, many businesses and homes will get priced out due to raised taxes, and more. Sadly, we didn’t get to see any of that. Everything just got smoothed over and the hard part, which could be in season 4, is sidestepped.
General Information
Additional Information
- Previous Episode: Season 3/ Episode 9
- Series Page
Episode Title
Save the Best for Last
Release Date
September 5, 2024
Network
How To Watch
Director(s)
Nick Copus
Writer(s)
Carla Banks Waddles
