Product: The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: The Complete Fifth Season (2010)
Rating: 5.0
Five stars for Season 5 of The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air!!!!!
Season 4 of The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air ended on a poignant cliffhanger. With Will becoming reminded of how much he truly loved his Philadelphia roots upon experiencing them firsthand during the Banks' family vacation thereto, Smith hesitates to return to Bel-Air. But, after thinking it over (in this case, by contract agreement [gotta love the hilarious opening scene of the Season 5 debut]), Will quickly heads out west to resume his alter ego.Speaking of the season opener, the two-part beginning to the series's fifth year in operation ("The Client"/"What's Will Got To Do With It") parodies Motown in its caricature of record company founder, Berry Gordy, as "Gordy Berry". (For those viewers who have seen the miniseries, The Temptations, actor Obba Babatunde played Berry Gordy in that movie in 1998, four years after the brief stint as "Gordy Berry" in Fresh Prince.) In terms of the plot of this episode, Will attempts to help Ashley launch her signing career through auditioning for Gordy, with the hopes of getting her discovered in the music business. While the result is unfortunate, the hilarity and cleverness that ensue in the buildup are not to be reckoned with!Many of the episodes of Season 5 contain thick plots and detailed storylines--whether elaborated upon over two episodes, or packed into one, each--which help to make them (and the season itself) quite memorable. A lot of classics are featured this year, including "The Wedding Show (Psyche!)"--in which Will and his girlfriend-turned-fiancee from this season (Jackie from Season 4 has querily vanished from the face of the earth), Lisa, flee from their fathers' bickering about wedding arrangements and head to Vegas for a trippy yet hilarious Shaft-style "wedding ceremony" (the late, great Isaac Hayes guest stars in this episode). By replacing "Shaft" with "[Will] Smith", and absorbing Lisa's father's fiery wit towards Uncle Phil during the opening scenes: [Lisa's father, to Uncle Phil] "Have you ever worked one honest day in your life?!" [Uncle Phil] "Excuse me?! I happen to be a judge!" [Lisa's father] "I'm a take that as a 'no'", this episode will have you rolling in hysterics! One other gem of an episode is "To Thine Own Self Be Blue...and Gold"--in which a college fraternity friend of Uncle Phil's con's Will into working a mob-related job for him, jeopardizing his and Uncle Phil's old friendship. Regardless of the dark humor, the highlights of that particular episode involve Will, Uncle Phil, and Uncle Phil's friend gettin' down to "Ain't Too Proud To Beg" at the beginning and end of the story (this was a throwback to the entire Banks Family dancing to the same song in Season 1's Thanksgiving episode, "Talking Turkey").With regards to the other characters on the show, Hilary is still Hilary; Ashley progresses further into womanhood, and her rebellious outlook increases from that which she held in Season 4 (now leaving Will to frequently come to her rescue); Carlton's regard for Will grows, especially when Will gets shot in the two-part "Bullets Over Bel-Air/"A Decent Proposal" episode; Jeffrey increases his sarcastic nature, also gaining the Will Smith influence of permanently poking fun at Uncle Phil's massive bodyweight and temperament. (Will, however, briefly experiences life through the opposite physical angle when he wears a body suit to simulate weight gain and corresponding public ridicule, in "Will Steps Out".)So although the show begins to fade from its outlandish comedy once held at the beginning of its run, Season 5 remains intact with charm, depth, and lots of smiles. See for yourself!