At the climax of the first episode, an enraged Carlton pushes Will into a swimming pool after he sees Will and Lisa dancing. Will, who can’t swim, is rescued and proceeds to pummel his cousin. But Carlton wasn’t the only one who felt Will’s wrath. His friend Connor met Will’s right hook as well. When episode 2 opens, we see a video of the beatdown is circulating and putting everyone’s future in jeopardy.
Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil are furious that the video is now circulating among the Bel-Air elite. This could jeopardize Uncle Phil’s campaign for District Attorney of Los Angeles and the family’s reputation among their peers. The two decide to speak to Will about his future in Bel-Air and find him in tears. His friend Tray has been shot. It looks like the wrathful drug lord from the pilot episode isn’t letting go of his grudge anytime soon.
Breakfast is tense at the Banks house the next morning. Will laments over Tray, and Carlton is upset that he has to speak at a school assembly with a bruised face, and even worse, a bruised ego. The rest of the family is sympathetic to Will’s situation, while Carlton sulks.
Hilary is gearing up for her taste test interview with Haute Cuisine and plans to use a new recipe she tested out that morning. When Aunt Viv offers her suggestion for what Hilary should cook, Hilary reminds her that she doesn’t tell her mother how to teach her college students. A tense exchange follows, and Uncle Phil must intervene to diffuse the tension. He also demands that Will and Carlton put the events of the previous night behind them and start anew.
Uncle Phil’s words take root in Will, but when he attempts to make peace with his cousin, he’s rebuffed and left needing a ride to Bel-Air Academy on his first day of school. He arrives in style thanks to Aunt Viv’s Lexus. Will is ready to integrate himself into his new environment, but immediately realizes his new classmates aren’t too friendly. Will arrives to his first class to find no one there, and after a tense encounter with campus security, stumbles into a junior class meeting being led by Carlton.
Inspired by the arrival of his less fortunate cousin, Carlton informs the junior class that their upcoming service project will involve sponsoring a struggling local high school like the one his cousin came from in West Philadelphia. Carlton’s pettiness and need to remind Will that he’s better undercuts the generous suggestion.
Elsewhere, Uncle Phil is doing a radio interview and speaking about his childhood growing up on a farm and watching his parents lose their property because they didn’t know how to legally fight back. The radio show host points out that Uncle Phil is the only black candidate campaigning for the LA District Attorney’s Office, and comments on how that puts him in a unique situation to represent the black community. Uncle Phil realizes many people can’t get past his extreme wealth. Although he’s trying to champion people from all socio-economic statuses, it looks like it will be an uphill battle to gain their respect.
Back at Bel-Air Academy, Will is eager to bring his phenomenal basketball talents to the high school’s team, but finds the coach to be less than welcoming. He knows how talented Will is, but also knows about the video of Will and Carlton’s brawl. He has no interest in inviting a hothead onto his team but does offer Will the opportunity to tryout. While initially put off about the idea of having to tryout, Will decides he’ll do it.
Will also manages to convince Lisa to help him clear up his reputation among their fellow students. Carlton has convinced them his hoodlum cousin attacked him at random. Lisa isn’t sure it’ll work but promises to help.
Back at the Banks home, Hilary meets with and wows the Haute Cuisine representatives with her culinary talents, but bristles when told she’ll need to tone down her personal style and her recipes if she’s offered the job. When Hilary mentions how much her family complimented her new recipe that very morning, she’s informed that her family isn’t the target audience of Haute Cuisine just yet. Hilary reads between the lines, and later makes an Instagram post about Haute Cuisine’s comments. While we don’t see the fallout from this just yet, it will surely come back to haunt Hilary in the future.
During lunch time at Bel-Air Academy, Will has an embarrassing encounter with Carlton’s friend, Connor, who reveals he now has a restraining order against his new classmate. Will once again tries to make amends with his cousin, but Carlton tells him its tool late. Lisa’s attempts to clear up the rumors surrounding the cousin’s fight has only made him more vengeful.
Later, Will and Jazz head to the basketball court to help take Will’s mind off his troubles at school, and it’s here that we realize Will is suffering from PTSD. The memories of what happened back in West Philadelphia, paired with Tray in the hospital because of a gunshot wound, is breaking him down. Jazz, who is proving to be a great new friend, encourages him to work through it.
Although he doesn’t know it yet, Will is receiving support and understanding from an unlikely source. Geoffrey advocates for Will during a sit down with Uncle Phil. He urges his boss to be more understanding and offer Will a little grace. This leads to a great bonding moment between Uncle Phil and Will that provides well needed catharsis for both characters. Carlton looms nearby, brooding as he watches his father bond with his “new” son.
Will is in high spirits as the episode ends. He receives a call from Tray, who is on the mend. He does well at his basketball tryout and is ready to move forward with the new status quo in his life. It all comes crashing down when a school security guard finds drugs in Will’s backpack. Carlton and Connor watch smugly as Will is led away.
Jabari Banks continues to shine as our lead. He brings vulnerability, likeability, and a fun-loving portrayal of the character that makes him easy to watch. In any incarnation, you can’t help but root for Will. He’s a good kid who is doing the best he can.
Olly Sholotan and Coco Jones continue to nail their respective roles as Carlton and Hilary Banks. Jones brings vibrancy, intelligence, and drive to our new Hilary. She’s determined to prove to her mother that she’s more than just a vapid Instagram influencer who can cook well. She’s a future businesswoman and mogul, and she’s unwilling to compromise her personal brand for the sake of a real career.
Adrian Holmes portrayal of a determined, but seemingly out of touch Uncle Phil is great. He wants to do right by his family and his community. At heart, he’s still the farm boy who was angered when his family’s land was stolen by a greedy corporation. Reconciling that with his present status in life is a struggle, and Holmes portrays that realistically.
Aunt Viv, Geoffrey, and Ashley still don’t have much to do. Aunt Viv has tense conversations with several characters in this episode, including her sister, Vy. The sisters don’t have the best relationship, and hopefully, the show will explore their own childhoods as the series progresses. Geoffrey is empathic but shrouded in mystery. Ashley is a socially conscious tween, but her characterization hasn’t been developed much past that. I’m hopeful these three will get more development as the season progresses.
This is a good show that has updated the original characters in believable ways for a modern audience. To fully appreciate this new incarnation, you must let go of any expectations you have because of the original. If you can do that, I promise, you won’t be disappointed.
Writer. Video Essayist. Film/TV Critic. Pop Culture Enthusiast.
When he isn’t writing for Geek Vibes Nation or The Cinema Spot, Tristian can be found typing away at one of the novels or screenplays he’s been working on forever.
