Tamal Kundu
The First season of ‘Bel-Air,’ the dramatized re-interpretation of ‘the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air,’ comes to an explosive end. Will’s (Jabari Banks) father Lou makes his first appearance in the reboot, and it’s none other than Marlon Wayans. Predictably, the meeting doesn’t go well, and all the pain of abandonment pours out of Will. Meanwhile, it seems that Will and Carlton’s (Olly Sholotan) relationship has fundamentally changed for good. Hilary (Coco Jones) makes plans for the future. Lisa and Will’s relationship comes to a crucial juncture. Here is everything you need to know about the ending of ‘Bel-Air.’ SPOILERS AHEAD.
Bel-Air Finale Recap
The episode begins with the party celebrating Viv (Cassandra Freeman) getting the Neeman Artistic Fellowship. After speaking to Jazz, Will gets the courage to approach Lisa (Simone Joy Jones) and tell her that he loves her. In response, she tells him that they will speak the following day. It ends up not happening as Will’s father shows up.
Phil (Adrian Holmes) speaks to the reverend and another of his fraternity brothers, and they ask him what he will do. As we speculated after the previous episode, ‘Bel-Air’ is likely setting a conflict between Phil and Judge Robertson, probably leading to Phil becoming a judge himself. But for now, Phil is happy just with taking care of his family, and the family does need quite a bit of taking care of.
It turns out that Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola) contacted Lou to tell him that his son wanted to see him. Phil opens the door the day after the party to find Lou standing there. The few scenes that Wayans is in perfectly document his dramatic chops. His interpretation of Lou Smith is one of volatility and frustration. He arrives with a sly smirk on his lips, demanding to see his son. Phil placates him by saying that Will now lives under his roof; Phil has to speak to Viv first before making that decision. Lou seems to accept this and leave.
Meanwhile, Phil and Carlton had plans to spend the day together. That gets postponed after Lou drops by. After witnessing the exchange between his father and the man who is supposed to be his uncle, Carlton rushes into his father’s office, finds the envelope detailing Lou’s past, and opens it. He later goes to Will’s room and tells him what he has found: Lou was in prison. Will immediately confronts Phil, and the latter and Viv decide to set up a meeting between Will and his father. Will then calls his mother, demanding to know why she didn’t tell him that his father was incarcerated.
It seems that ‘Bel-Air’ has long-term plans for the relationship between Jazz and Hilary. They have been flirting for the better part of the season. In the season finale, they sleep together. It seems that Jazz will play a much bigger role in this series than the character did in the original one. Despite being not that old himself, he has seen the world for what it is. He helps Hilary figure out her future plans and then helps Will navigate his emotions when the latter seems to be at a breaking point.
Bel-Air Ending: What Is Will Going to Do? Is Will Going Back to the Banks Home (Bel Air) or His Mother (West Philly)?
The meeting between Will and his father initially goes well. Lou cuts through his son’s sense of abandonment and anger through apologies. He claims that he didn’t want Will to see him locked up. Things start to simmer down, and they talk about that one time when Lou took Will to see a Philadelphia 76ers game. But then, inevitably, Viv comes up, and Lou lets out all his bitterness at his former partner, not realizing that his comments will turn him back into a villain in his son’s eyes. Will defends his mother’s actions, and things suddenly get heated, going beyond the threshold of violence.
The characters never really address this, but Lou puts his hands on Will and tries to choke him until Phil and Viv rush into the room and intervene. After Lou is gone, Will packs up some of his things and leave, but not before accusing the Bankses of abandoning him and his mother just like Lou. The entire Banks family is at home at the time, and they try to stop him, but their efforts ultimately prove ineffective.
Jazz eventually finds Will on that cliff where the two of them stood in the pilot episode, looking at the spectacular view of Los Angeles. Will is adamant that he is not going back. He feels alone — as if everyone has rejected him. Jazz reminds him that there is a houseful of people — referring to the Bankses — that want him around. He perfectly sums up the basic notion behind any pursuit of success. You have to always remember where you have come from, but that doesn’t mean you can’t change your life for the better. The key to happiness is remaining true to who you are no matter where you are.
It seems that Jazz is getting through to Will, but the season ends before the latter makes any decision. We will likely see Will returning to the Banks household. Carlton and Lisa, who are also looking for Will, might find him and convince him to return. Even if he doesn’t do so immediately and decides to go back to West Philly, the plot revolves around Bel Air. The show’s name is ‘Bel-Air,’ and its protagonist has to return there at some point.
Will Hilary Go Back to the Crib of Influence?
Jazz advises Hilary to make the best use of her collaboration with Ivy and create a partnership with the more popular influencer. Hilary does exactly that by agreeing to help Ivy by becoming a member of her team. She also proposes a valid business idea by telling Ivy that she should buy Kylo’s share in the Crib of Influence.
Hilary now owes $50,000 to Kylo by walking out of their contract. If Ivy replaces Kylo as the head of the house, Hilary will not have to pay Kylo and probably can go back to the house. This, of course, entirely depends upon what Ivy does with the breach of contract issue if she does end up replacing Kylo. However, if everything happens just as Hilary has hoped, she can return to the Crib of Influence.
Read More: Who Is Lou Smith in Bel-Air? Who Plays Him?
