Where To?

**Where To?** is the tenth and final episode of the first season of Peacock's modern-day reinterpretation, *Bel-Air*. It aired on March 31, 2022.

## Synopsis

Will's father shows up and tells the truth about where he's been, exposing a long-buried secret.

## Plot

The Banks family attends the Neeman Artistic Fellowship Governor's Reception in honor of Viv, whose paintings are featured throughout the gala. Uncle Phil joins Will as he gazes upon Aunt Viv's painting, which depicts him with a crown. Aunt Viv managed to capture his best qualities: courage, resilience, and ability to adapt and shine, Uncle Phil remarks. It's only because of them that Will was even afforded this opportunity. Growing up without a dad was hard for Will, but his aunt and uncle stepped up, gave him a second chance and saved his life. Will again apologizes for Uncle Phil having to step back from the race, but Uncle Phil has no regrets and would do it again.

Viv is approach by her fraternity sister Denise, who congratulates her on the fellowship. Even back then, they knew she was destined for something great, but Viv feels a bit guilty, as the fellowship usually goes to young, emerging artists of color, not someone living in a mansion. However, Denise reminds Viv that she's re-emerging and then asks about Reid, who came by earlier, but left, as he thought it best that all attention be focused on Viv. They are joined Hebru Brantley, who is proud of Viv and all she's accomplished

Hilary and Ivy arrive at the reception, where Ivy is enamored with the crowd and culture. So much of what she does, pulls from this community, and what she and Hilary do as influencers is a form of art as well. Ivy advises Hilary to embrace it, especially if she wants to break free from the Kylo entanglement. Jazz arrives not far behind them and greets Ivy, though he is a bit flirtatious, which doesn't go unnoticed by Hilary.

Ashley suspects that Carlton is jealous of their mom's painting of Will. Ashley believes that the crown means Carlton should've perhaps watched the throne a bit closer.

Phil is joined by Reverend Lamonte and Henry Miles. Now that he's out of the DA race, they wonder what's next for him. He doesn't know yet, but for the time being, he intends to spend time with his family.

Will approaches Lisa but she isn't interested in speaking to him after he lied to her about why he's in Bel-Air. Will explains that he had no other choice and that what Uncle Phil did for him could get them all in trouble, but Lisa isn't concerned with his point of view. Taking Jazz's advice, Will tells Lisa that he loves her. He has never felt this way about a girl before, and if she can't forgive him, then he has to live with that, but he has to let her know how much she means to him. Just as it seems Lisa is about to say that she loves him too, she falls back and tells him they'll talk tomorrow.

The following morning, Hilary and Jazz are in bed when Jazz tells Hilary that he's glad she left the influencer house and that he wants to keep whatever they have going for as long as possible. Hilary then gets a message and shares with Jazz that Ivy's post at her mother's gala got her followed by Edward Enninful and Aurora James, two top tier influencers. This couldn't have happened without Hilary, similar to how she got Jazz's record store up to 5,000 followers. Jazz believes that her ability to strategize is worth more than just posing for some pics. He thinks she should start thinking of Ivy as a partner. Hilary then gets a call from Will, which she ignores, leading Will to call Jazz, as he knows that they're together. Lisa said that she'd give him one more chance, and he needs Hilary's help not to miss his shot.

Phil asks Carlton what he has planned and tells him that he's arranged for the both of them to get some time on the track with a couple F1 teams that are in town for Grand Prix West. This is for them to spend some time together, without Will.

Carlton questions why they have no food in the house, to which Ashley explains it is another side effect of not having Geoffrey around. Carlton was under the impression that he went on vacation, while Will heard he had a family emergency. This is why Ashley checked his room and discovered that all his stuff is gone. This leads Will to suspect that Uncle Phil fired Geoffrey after he found out information about Will's dad.

Viv pays Reid a visit. They haven't spoken much since San Diego, but he's a big part of why she was awarded the fellowship, and she simply wanted to thank him. Helping artists such as Viv share their gift with the world is what makes him happiest. Which is why Viv would like to work with him to help other artists of color get the same opportunities she has. Before agreeing, Reid asks how her husband feels about this. She claims that Phil has moved past all his initial objections to her working with Reid.

Will leaves Lisa a message in hopes they can continue their conversation from the night before. Shortly after hanging up, Lisa texts back and tells Will that they can meet to talk at the coffee shop at 3:00 pm.

The gates open as Will exits the Bank mansion for basketball practice, and Lou drives in behind him whilst the gate remains open. He rings the doorbell and surprises Phil with his arrival. When Phil asks what he wants, Lou replies that he heard Will was asking about him.

After being filled in by Geoffrey about how bad Will wanted to see him, Lou hopped on the next plane, but Phil questions why he didn't do that three years ago when he got out of prison. No ex-con wants to look his boy in the eyes, Lou retorts. Not to mention, he couldn't find a job for months, but Phil doesn't show much sympathy. This leads to an argument over money, pride and dignity. Lou has been out for three years and is still scraping by. He had to ask his pastor to pay for his plane ticket. He's been working hard and has nothing to show for it. And then Geoffrey showed up and revealed that Phil was against him meeting Will. Lou insists that he's not the same man from 13 years ago and that he just wants to see his son. Phil agrees to talk to Viv and get back to Lou.

Phil informs Viv of Lou's unexpected arrival in Bel-Air. He suspects that Lou wants something, as he's had three years to reach out to Will, but didn't show up until he learned Will was in a Bel-Air mansion. Viv isn't as cynical, but Phil reminds her why Lou went to prison in the first place. Viv argues that people can change, but Phil isn't convinced Lou has.

Carlton sneaks into his dad's office in search of the report Geoffrey made of Lou. He finds it hidden under a folder and reads the report before informing Will that his dad stopped by the house. Carlton isn't sure what he wanted, but he's certain it was Will's dad and hands Will the report to read for himself. Will is hesitant to read it, but Carlton convinces him otherwise, and he learns that his dad was in prison for ten years.

Phil wants to offer Lou a chance to come back out, but only after they're sure Will can handle meeting him. Viv questions if it's even their right to decide, suggesting they call Vy, but before they can, Will confronts them both for lying to him about his father all these years. Will asks what his dad wants, but they can't give him a simple answer. To be blunt, Uncle Phil doesn't trust him and tells Will that Lou was convicted of robbing an old man he said owed him money, and Uncle Phil was his lawyer. Will then mentions Geoffrey's report, which Viv was unaware of and suspects as the reason behind Geoffrey's absence. From the report, Will also learned that Lou's father was a gangster who got killed in jail, his mom died when he was 15, and he dropped out of school at 19. He later got arrested for stealing a car, so he already had a prior when he was facing the assault charges. He didn't get a second chance like Will did. Reading that report led Will to realize he's been wrong about his dad, as everyone always told him that his dad walked out on him, but he was actually arrested. Phil explains that they were simply trying to protect Will from his volatile father. Viv then tells Will that the decision to see his father is still his to make.

Before making a decision, Will calls him mom and reveals his dad is in Bel-Air. He asks her why she lied to him. Vy explains that she thought that was the best decision at the time, given that he was only four years old. Will understands that, but he's not four anymore and they've lied to him for years. Vy explains that they made that choice out of love, but she is sorry he had to find out this way. After hanging up with his mom, Will decides to meet with his dad.

Hilary sits in on Ivy's photoshoot, where Ivy asks her opinion on her dress. Hilary initially claims she looks good, but reveals that the picture relies too much on her dress and body rather than her story and drama. It's hard to get your audience to see you in a different light, Hilary says, before advising Ivy to move more and give "Michelle Obama *Elle* cover 2018." Ivy appreciates her input and wishes someone on her team had similar ideas. Hilary offers to be that person. When she saw the boost they both got from one event, she realized they are stronger together. Hilary suggests that Ivy buy Kylo out of the influencer house. They clear out Kylo and rebrand as a female forward space, which would include Phanta and Monica. In buying the house, she would also be buying Hilary out of her contract. Ivy takes the idea into consideration and speaks to her accountant first.

Viv invites Lou inside and warns him that he better be on his best behavior with Will. She needs him to tell Will that he thought about Will every day and that bringing him into the world was the best thing he'd ever done. And if he fails to make Will happy, Viv threatens to kick him out herself. Lou complies and remarks that she still has some West Philly in her. Uncle Phil arrives with Will, who then asks to speak with his father alone. After Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv retreat to his office, Will asks Lou what does he have to say for himself after being gone for 13 years.

Lou explains that he never reached out from prison because he didn't want Will to see him locked up in a cage. That would've been bad for them both. But Will argues that he needed his father. It messed up his head; sometimes imagining his dad with another family and other times, imagining him dead. Lou understands Will's frustration, but he thought of Will every moment he was locked up. Lou's dad was locked up when he was a little boy. Seeing him all those years behind that glass changed him. Every time he went to visit, it got worst for them both. So, when it was Lou's turn to serve time, he made the choice he made the choice to distance himself from Will.

Meanwhile, Lisa is sitting at the coffee stop, waiting for Will to arrive, but he never does.

Will and Lou are becoming better acquainted. Will recalls when his dad took him to a Sixer's game when he was 3 or 4 years old. One of Lou's friends worked security and even got them into the locker room, but then Will wandered off when Lou was getting Iverson's autograph. This leads to Will's mom, who Lou says that he never could win with. They were good initially, but then Viv and Phil started getting money, and all of a sudden, Lou wasn't making enough. Wills recalls his mom saying that Lou was always scheming, but Lou claims that it was Vy's idea for him to hustle. True or not, Will doubts it was her idea to beat an old man half to death. Lou exclaims that she pushed him and calls her ungrateful. Will becomes upset and warns Lou to watch his mouth when referring to his mother. They both jump to their feet, and Lou tells Will that being with his mother was the worst decision he ever made. Will becomes upset, and a fight nearly ensues until Phil pulls them apart. Will went looking for his father, but now regrets it and tells Lou to never call him "son," as he didn't earn it. And with him trying to place the blame on Will's mom, Will tells him to leave and says that he doesn't ever want to see him again. Viv tries to convince Lou to stick around and give Will time, but as far as Lou is concerned, Will has made his choice.

Will heads upstairs and begins packing his bag to leave. Carlton enters his room and asks him if he wants to talk, but talking hasn't done any good today as far as Will is concerned. With his bags in hand, he heads downstairs, where Uncle Phil, Aunt Viv, Hilary, and Ashley join them and try to convince him to stay. Will blames his aunt and uncle for lying to him. He also accuses his aunt Viv of abandoning him and his mom. In ten years, she didn't visit a single time. He then looks to Uncle Phil, who he accuses of selling him false dreams. With all the lies, he's finding it hard to trust them. Carlton hugs Will and slips a clip of money in his coat pocket before he leaves. Will looks to his family, tells them that he loves them, and flees the mansion.

Phil calls the car GPS company to track Will's car, but since Geoffrey set up the GPS, he's the only one who can track it, and they haven't been able to get in touch with him. Carlton asks his dad about Geoffrey and why he isn't returning their calls, but Phil lies and says that he doesn't know. After Carlton leaves to find Will, Hilary and Ashley reveal that they already know the truth about Geoffrey.

Vy calls Viv to ask what happened with Lou. Viv reveals that it went as bad as possible and that Will fled the house with tears in his eyes. Vy blames herself for not telling Will sooner. Had she been there, this all could've been avoided.

Carlton stops by Lisa's to ask her for help in finding Will. Lisa reveals that he stood her up after claiming he loved her, but Carlton explains that his dad showed up at the house and that it went terribly after Will learned the truth. Carlton doesn't know if he's coming back, so he needs Lisa's help, because Will never turned his back on Carlton, and he needs that now more than ever. As tears fill his eyes, Lisa embraces Carlton.

Jazz joins Will on the side of the road as he overlooks the city. Jazz reveals that Will's whole family is looking for him, but Will doesn't care. He still blames them for lying to him about his dad. Jazz claims they were looking out for him, but Will doesn't see it that way. He feels as though nobody wants him, but Jazz reminds him that there's a house full of people in Bel-Air who want him. Still, Will refuses to go back. He recalls one of the first things Jazz said to him, that the city would try to make him forget who he is and where he comes from. Will realizes that Jazz was right. Jazz tells Will that remembering where he comes from doesn't mean he can't change his life for the better. "The key to happiness is staying true to who you are, no matter where you are." Jazz tells Will that this moment is all him and that he has all these possibilities and choices in front of him. Now, it's up to him to make a choice himself.

## Cast

* Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks
* Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey Thompson (credit only)
* Olly Sholotan as Carlton Banks
* Coco Jones as Hilary Banks
* Akira Akbar as Ashley Banks
* Simone Joy Jones as Lisa Wilkes
* Jordan L. Jones as Jazz
* Adrian Holmes as Philip Banks

Guest Starring* Michael Ealy as Reid Broderick
* April Parker Jones as Viola "Vy" Smith
* Karrueche Tran as Ivy
* Ben Cain as Reverned Robert Lamonte
* Hebru Brantley as Himself

Co-Starring* Benita Krista Nall as Denise
* Carl Gilliard as Henry Miles

## Trivia

* This episode marks the first appearance of Lou, portrayed by Marlon Wayans.

## Gallery

### Videos

Bel-Air - Will Confronts His Father for Leaving Him