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

As Carlton learns whether he will be accepted to Princeton, some familiar, and unwelcome by some, faces have news.

ByAmari Allah Hours Posted on

Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.

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Episode 4 “Brother’s Keeper” Recap and Details

A Leg Up: Phil, Geoffrey, Jazz, Pamela

As Geoffrey and Phil find businesses to wash money through, they hit a snag when the fifth business, a convenience store, rejects their influx of cash. Thankfully, Jazz, who is looking to update Charlie’s so that it has vinyl and weed, needs a quarter of a million dollars, and being that it is Phil, he doesn’t think twice to sign on the dotted line.

But what also helps is Viv’s friend Pamela, who is on the State Cannabis Commission, who is guiding him through the process and, by the end of the episode, guiding Jazz’s hands to her hips.

Why Can’t We Be Friends?: Lisa, Jackie, Erika, Viv

Viv is still mentoring Jackie, and since Lisa is like her third daughter, she tries to have the two girls come together. In her mind, both lost their mothers, have strived and struggled, and could use someone who understands what they are going through and have been through. In fact, this advice triggers Viv to make peace with Erika, who has decided to be a single parent.

You see, trying to keep up with the young moms, first timers, or those into the latest trends, doesn’t work well for Viv. So, initially, upon seeing Erika, she is brief and cordial but wants nothing to do with her. However, with it being clear her friends aren’t stopping their lives to be there for Viv, having someone in the same circumstance as her is a must. So, bygones be bygones, and the two become friends and support each other in the pregnancy classes.

Short Term Decisions & Long Term Consequences: Will, Carlton, Amira, Gavin, Ms. Bassin, Leroy, Lisa

Carlton gets into Princeton! But, for Will, it still isn’t clear if USC might be an option. Lisa advises him to network with a current player named Gavin, who is also from Philly, but Gavin doesn’t make things easy on Will. First, he has Will come to a party the same night he is supposed to be volunteering at Promising Choices. Which, with an instructor like Mr. Leroy Carter, who doesn’t tolerate being tardy, puts Will and Carlton at risk of failing their end of the deal to not have a record.

Second, Will decides to show his behind when in front of Gavin, and clown Carlton to boost himself up. Thankfully, he makes up for it later by joining Carlton in doing the iconic dance from the original The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. Now, why do they do this? Well, Amira.

Ms. Bassin learns of Carlton and Amira using the same story for their college applications, and she believes Amira lied. So, to make it up to her, after Amira arrives at the party, she makes it clear what he has to do to make it up to her. Thus leading to Amira, Jackie, and Lisa watching Carlton, and later Will, do the Apache (Jump On It) dance.  

Which, with sticking up for his cousin, in the long run, leads to Gavin being willing to talk to the USC coach, but making no promises. But, while Will gets a win there, he and Carlton are late for Mr. Leroy’s class, so they get two strikes, out of the three they are allowed.

New Characters in Episode 4

Pamela (Jill Marie Jones)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Pamela is a friend of Viv, a member of the DCC board, and she advocates for businesses like Jazz’s who wish to get into cannabis, for she knows all too well how long people who look like them have been arrested, while now many who don’t look like them get rich.

Gavin (Devin Brown)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Gavin is a star player at USC, from Philly, whom Lisa advises Will to connect with in hopes that their shared origins may lead to Gavin putting in a good word for Will.

Leroy Carter (Snoop Dogg)

  • Check out other productions we’ve covered starring this actor: [Link to Actor’s Tag]
  • Character Summary: Leroy Carter is an instructor at Promising Choices who 100% believes in tough love. This includes cursing at the people he is meant to help and setting his expectations as firmly as possible.

Review and Commentary

Highlights

Closure For Jackie [83/100]

Jackie is our favorite female character on the show, and probably only second to Carlton when we speak of characters on this show in general. So it was great to get a sense of where she is, where she is going, and that she is on a path towards healing. Because of the binge way this show has operated, and the length between seasons, I’ll admit I forgot about the situation with her mom. However, I do appreciate her reaching out, extending the olive branch to her, and trying to reconcile.

It is unfortunate we won’t get a follow-up to see what comes of that, but beggars can’t be choosy.

The Iconic Dance [82/100]

Seeing the new version of Will and Carlton doing the dance was such a treat. The setup was a touch weird, for you do have to wonder when Carlton learned the routine, never mind Will? Also, considering Amira made it seem she would record it, why didn’t she? But, questions aside, it was a fun homage to the series this is based on.

On The Fence

Jazz and Pamela [74/100]

While Coco Jones being away means Hillary and Jazz wouldn’t have enough time to work through their issues, heal their friendship, and maybe become something more, I’m unsure if Pamela is a good placeholder or replacement. Yes, we enjoy seeing an older woman and a younger man, and love whenever Jill Marie Jones pops up on screen. But something about this feels weirdly forced, like plans changed, and they wanted Jazz to have a love interest, so here is Pamela.

Lack Of Investment [73/100]

Bel-Air is approximately 48 minutes, and I feel like the majority of the time I’m watching because I made it this far. Vivian’s storyline lacks oomph, Phil and Geoffrey’s still feel out of place considering where this show has been, Ashley is MIA, Hillary video calls in, and while Will and Carlton still have their moments, this episode didn’t highlight what makes them special.

Overall

Our Overall Rating [78/100]

As we speed towards the end of the series, it is hard to say whether the show may stick the landing or be yet another case of an IP that was milked for all it was worth.

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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.