Bel-Air: Season 4 Episode 2 – Recap and Review

As Geoffrey’s situation looms a dark shadow over Bel-Air, the kids seek reinvention and find themselves flirting with trouble.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Episode 2 “Be a Kid” Recap and Details

If They Only Knew: Olivia, Ashley, Eli, Carlton, Marisa, Amira

Olivia, Ashley’s ex, decides to talk out the side of her neck, and Ashley, already dealing with the pressure of living up to her siblings’ legacy, snaps on her. Thus leading to this desire to reinvent herself that Eli is trying to dissuade her from, but who knows if his feelings for her may overpower her feelings of independence and autonomy?

But, Ashley isn’t the only one having issues with an ex. Amira being around continues to be an issue, even with Marisa being more than willing to take the initiative in asking Carlton to homecoming and not play games regarding how she feels. Thing is, though, Amira does hold a special place in Carlton’s heart, and if she didn’t disappear on him when she went to rehab, there might not be a Marisa right now, and he knows that.

However, there is a Marisa, Amira being so open, flirty, and a good dancer has her seen as someone popular, and when she gets asked out, Carlton starts feeling assed out.

Blackccess Homecoming/Reinvention: Lisa, Amira, Will, Drew, Carlton, Connor, Marisa

Ashley finds herself going through a lot of the same things as her elder family members, whether by blood or chosen family. Lisa, for example, is having a similar issue to Ashley in terms of trying to escape a reputation she doesn’t feel gives her credit for who she is as an individual. Yes, she is an athlete and has mostly kept her nose clean, but she isn’t an “Auntie” in the making or someone that is such a good girl she is bland – that’s offensive.

So, after Connor tries to mock Blackccess with Whitccess hoodies, and various complaints leading to the school cracking down on any form of diversity to create a sense of oneness, so comes the Blackccess Homecoming. After all, Drew is still part of the BSU, and his father has money. Will loves a party, and who is better at logistics than Carlton?

What may not have been expected by those boys, though, is Lisa joining Amira as a dancer and not only showing up but showing out. Add in wanting to hook up in a shack, with a wall barely separating Will and Lisa from the rest of the party, it seems Lisa is really trying to break the perception a select few have of her. As for Amira? Carlton ends up focusing so much on her that Marisa decides to step aside, but it might be too late for Carlton and Amira to maybe reconcile and pick up where they left off.

The Easy Way Leads to The Hard Way: Geoffrey, Phil, Vivian, Dominique

While Phil thinks he can deny Geoffrey’s request to wash money, then his home is broken into and ransacked. With that, he meets Dominique, the current head of the syndicate, who introduces herself as Geoffrey’s sister. Note: Geoffrey is quick to clarify it isn’t by blood, but with being raised by the same man, even if Geoffrey killed her father, she still claims the man.

She also makes it clear to Phil that she wants their business relationship to be amicable and mutually beneficial. However, Geoffrey not being loyal and Will and Carlton busting up the car of one of her soldiers can’t be taken lightly. So, on top of Vivian having to worry about her pregnancy, security, Ashley getting into fights, and the house, she has to worry about Dominique having Will and Carlton arrested.

New Characters in Episode 2

Dominique Bridges (Caroline Chikezie)

Dominique Bridges (Caroline Chikezie) – Bel-Air Season 4 Episode 2 – Peacock
  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Dominique is the current head of the Syndicate that Geoffrey is in indentured servitude towards.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Drew and Carlton’s Relationship [84/100]

There is something about how Carlton handles his male friendships that is intriguing to me. They all feel very intimate and intense, ranging from jealousy, if not envy, where he clashes with them, to poking fun at them, but knowing, when things go down, they have each other’s back. It creates an avenue to truly understand and realize what platonic male relationships look like in ways that don’t present a bromance or anything geared towards homo-erotic undertones, but simply male friendship.

On The Fence

Ashley’s Drama [72/100]

The best and only interesting thing about Ashley’s drama is Olivia calling her a flip-flopping b**** and Ashley, later, attempting to whoop Olivia’s behind. Beyond that, I feel like we get let down by Ashley’s storyline too much to really dig into what is being sold here, be it about bi-erasure or even Ashley having to live up to or step out of what the Banks family name means.

Dominique Seems Cool, But The Storyline Still Feels Beyond The Core Of Bel-Air [74/100]

We love bad ass Black women who are the head of criminal organizations. The balance between their characters’ masculine and feminine qualities usually equates to some kind of femme fatale, and Dominique is no different. However, her storyline remains the most unnecessary part of Bel-Air, so while I want the character and actress to succeed, I also don’t find myself setting aside my dislike of the show jumping the shark because of the performance offered.

Lisa’s Reinvention [71/100]

I fully understand, and a part of me appreciates Lisa’s journey to reinvent herself. The problem, I think, is that I don’t want Will to be part of it. I need this to be a Lisa thing, her solo journey, and if Amira is involved, that is perfectly fine. But I think Lisa’s relationship with Will isn’t as great as she thinks, and for him, it may not be either.

For him, I think Lisa is safe, and with winning her back multiple times, he knows what buttons to press and how she operates enough to not bring out the best in her, but keep her around and get that energy and ego boost on a consistent basis. For her? She gets access to the excitement, the social opportunities, and a deeper connection to Vivian’s family, but I don’t see him as the partner meant for the long term.

Now, let it be clear, Lisa has planted the seed that her going to DC for school will challenge their relationship, and she is prepped for that. But maybe it would be best if it also ended it, so both can remain friends, and be with people who they don’t feel like they settled for.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [75/100]

We very much feel like we’re watching this because we’ve come so far rather than being excited about what happens next. Yes, we may forever enjoy Carlton’s interactions and his pursuit of growth, but this isn’t his show it is an ensemble, and unfortunately, the majority of characters feel like their storyline lost its oomph one to two seasons ago, and they got lucky enough to get the chance to wrap it up on their own terms.

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Amari is the founder and head writer of Wherever-I-Look.com and has been reviewing media since 2010. He approaches each production with hope, rooting for every story to succeed, and believes criticism should come from unmet potential, while praise is reserved for work that meets or exceeds expectations.