Bel-Air season 2 review: Will embraces his West Philly ways

The first season of Peacock’s dramatic The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air reboot introduced viewers to a both familiar and smartly different story of Will Smith (Jabari Banks) and the Banks family. The initial episodes were inspired by the premise of the original show, obviously, but Bel-Air steadily became its own unique series, one propelled by serious examinations of race, class, mental health, violence, and the need for family. With this second season, Bel-Air digs deeper into its dramatic strengths while focusing on Will’s attempts to balance his roots with his new fam’s expectations.

We pick up soon after the events of the season-one finale, which saw Will meeting and immediately falling out with his biological father, Lou (Marlon Wayans). After learning that his mom, Vy (April Parker Jones), Uncle Phil (Adrian Holmes), and Aunt Viv (Cassandra Freeman) had been lying about Lou’s whereabouts for his whole life, a betrayed Will stormed out of the Banks mansion, with no plans and no cash save for a money clip Carlton (Olly Sholotan) slipped in his pocket. Following the blowup, Will has plans to regain his independence after getting lost in the Bel-Air bubble. And in the premiere, he’s hustling and playing street-ball for cash while trying to get the attention of Doc (Brooklyn McLinn), a recruiter who could get him to the pros.

The series has consistently highlighted the differences between Will’s West Philly ways of handling life and the “proper” practices he needs to learn to find a place in Bel-Air. And Bel-Air’s’ creative team—which adds Half & Half and Good Girls alum Carla Banks Waddles as showrunner this season—has used that dichotomy to comment on Black masculinity and violence, as well as the pressures of freely cultivating and celebrating Blackness in predominantly white spaces. In these new episodes, Will leans fully into his braggadocious Philly self, as Doc encourages the sides of him that are prone to anti-establishment and reckless decision making. Even though Will sees his return to his old ways as a good thing, Doc’s unknown, possibly shady intentions come into conflict with Uncle Phil’s role as the teen’s father figure.

Uncle Phil continues to be one of the most unexpected and well-crafted innovations of this reboot. Last season, the cracks in Phil’s attempts to protect the people he loved began to show, with the patriarch pushing Will and firing “house manager” Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola) when he learned about Geoffrey’s role in getting Will in touch with Lou. Now that his time isn’t taken up with the demands of the election, Phil’s attempts to regain trust with both his nephew and his friend become a major part of his storyline, as well as his return to his law firm.

While Will and Uncle Phil’s relationship explores the limits of trust and how parents can give their kids space to make their own decisions, Will and Carlton are learning how those decisions will affect their futures. The duo are the heart of the show, having evolved from beefing cousins to near brothers over the course of season one. And even though they now respect each other’s opinions, they still have to deal with their very different ways of navigating Bel-Air Academy. In an excellent arc, they have different responses to a protest calling out the termination of one of the school’s few Black teachers, with Will being as militant as expected and Carlton wavering when his Princeton dreams are thrown into question. The protest also puts increased pressure on Carlton’s anxiety, as the series continues its much-needed discussion of mental health among teens.

And about those Banks women: Hilary (Coco Jones) moves forward in her influencer career, which consists mostly of butting heads with her new business partner, Ivy (Karrueche Tran, always a breath of fresh air). Meanwhile, Aunt Viv is pushed a bit towards the back of the pack. Although the season-one standout gets less screen time here, her scenes naturally fit in with the many plotlines of each hourlong episodes. And Freeman is still a the scene-stealer, as is Akira Akbar, who plays Ashley alongside a significant guest star from Fresh Prince.

Though everything about the aforementioned guest star should remain a surprise to viewers, we will say that their entry as a new character is why Bel-Air has found such a loyal fanbase. The series has stood out against the vast selection of nostalgic reboots by taking the themes and heart of the original series and building a world that can stand on its own as a solid dramatic series. And now that the show’s new version of the Banks family has been firmly set, Bel-Air can continue to welcome viewers into its unique story.