Yamacraw

**Yamacraw** is the third episode of the first season of Peacock's modern-day reinterpretation, *Bel-Air*. It aired on February 13, 2022.

## Synopsis

Will attends Uncle Phil's Black fraternity event and finds his groove with his family and peers.

## Plot

Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil question Will about the drugs in his bag, which he insists aren't his and that were planted. They question Carlton as well, as Will suspects that either he or Connor were behind it, but Carlton insists that isn't the case.

The next day, Will and Carlton come down for school, and Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil intend to get to the bottom of the drugs in Will's bag, as they will be meeting with the school principal. Carlton maintains his innocence, but if there is foul play, both Vivian and Phillip threaten serious consequences.

Carlton confronts Connor for setting Will up; he went too far, and now they're on the verge of being found out, as his dad has busted five LAPD cover-ups and made Fortune 500 CEOs cry under oath and his mom is equally dangerous. Between the two of them, there's nothing they can't find out. And so, they have to free Will before the truth comes to light.

Will is being held in in-school suspension. Meanwhile, Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil meet with Principal Hartwig, who walks them through the process of how Will was suspended. However, when Vivian asks about the cameras, Hartwig reveals that they didn't review the tapes, reasoning that it could take them a week to look through it all, but Vivian gives them a mere 24 hours. In the meantime, Will is released and is allowed to return to class.

Lisa congratulates Will for getting unsuspended, and though they both already know it was Connor, Lisa tells him not to count on justice, as kids like Connor side step punishment every time. When a couple girls stop to wish Will good luck on the game, he accuses Lisa of being jealous and asks if she's going to attend his game, but she has a swim meet. When he mocks her, she accidentally spills mustard on his jacket, which Will proceeds to flip inside out to hide the stain.

Vivian asks Hilary if they could discuss tomorrow's menu for the fundrasier with his sorority sisters. They initially agreed on cupcakes and champagne, but Vivian was hoping that maybe Hilary could prepare some finger food, which she reluctantly agrees to do. However, she has a secret agenda, offering Hilary a chance to hang out with the ladies, which could potentially lead into another job opportunity.

Will approaches Carlton in the library after learning from the principal that a witness came forward, saying he saw a guy that doesn't go to Bel-Air Academy messing with his bag, but they won't say who the witness is, and because of him, they're not going to review the school footage, leading Will to suspect that Carlton and Connor were involved in his suspension.

Phillip tells Geoffrey how good it felt to come through for Will today. Now that Will's in the clear, all that remains are campaign troubles, as the black voters are feeling disconnected from him. So, he decided to attend the Alpha crawfish boil tomorrow to win over Reverend Lamonte and lock in his support. Geoffrey would join him, but he'll be sailing off to Catalina with a woman from yoga.

Carlton joins Lisa for her pre-meet tradition to supposedly apologize for getting her involved between him and Will. Admittedly, he could have handled things better, but seeing her with Will hurt him. He was there for her when her mother died, and she was there for him while he was dealing with anxiety. She brings this up to say that the care she has for him remains.

Uncle Phil hands Will a book, the Alchemist, and invites him to the Alpha crawfish boil tomorrow, as it's really important for his campaign. Will agrees to join him and then gets a DM on Instagram from an account threatening to kill him.

Vivian wishes Carlton would start showing some love towards Will, but Carlton remarks that it's hard to love a person he doesn't know and that it's even harder when that person doesn't respect him, to which Vivian replies that respect is a two-way street. Vivian reminds Carlton that she loves him and that he will always be her first priority. Phillip joins them and reveals that not only is Will coming along for the boil, but that they're also only going to be there for half of Carlton's game, as Will's first game is the same night.

Will, Carlton, and Uncle Phil attend the Alpha crawfish boil. Phillip approaches Reverend Lamonte, who brushes him off, but he is welcomed by Derrick, who remarks that it's been a while since they've seen Phillip, who insists that he hasn't forgotten about his brothers and have brought Will and Carlton as volunteers.

Vivian and her sorority sisters gather to discuss their plans for the annual lupus fundraiser. They refer to Vivian as the multi-task queen and ask about her secret to maintaining it all. Joan recalls when all eyes were on Vivian, who was taking the art world by storm, and Phillip was merely the lucky guy on her arm, but that all changed when she got pregnant with Hilary, speaking of whom, Vivian gives her a shout-out for catering the event and suggests that all her sisters get in contact with her.

While unloading the chairs off the truck, Will asks about Reverend Lamonte, who has been shading Uncle Phil all evening. Carlton explains that he leads the largest black church in LA. Carlton suspects they had a falling out after his dad got too successful, but Will argues that maybe it's the wealthy who tends to lose touch. Carlton then catches sight of Henry Miles, who's a major philanthropist and sits on the board of the Black Minds First Initiative, which would be the perfect internship for Carlton's application to Princeton, which he wants to get without his parents' money or help.

Much to Vivian's dismay, Hilary reveals to the ladies that she dropped out of school after two semesters. Vivian accuses Hilary of self-sabotaging, but it only seems that way because her mother keeps trying to control her narrative. Furthermore, Hilary can create her own opportunities.

Phillip catches up with Derrick and all his old fraternity brothers. Reverend Lamonte joins them and asks for one good reason he should endorse Phillip for DA.

Vivian tried being a progressive mom, giving Hilary space, but it seems she's content on living out in the pool house, rent-free. Joan and the other ladies advise Vivian to simply kick her out of the house, as she seems to be too entitled. Kendra interrupts, as she's been waiting for an apology all evening after she booked Hilary's Haute Cuisine interview up as a favor to Vivian, only for Hilary to accuse them of being sexist and racist. Kendra is expecting an apology, but Hilary isn't sorry for her actions.

Meanwhile, Phillips explains to Reverend Lamonte that he's running on a platform of juvenile justice and police reform. He hopes to serve the people, but Lamonte doubts that he even knows what the people have to worry about on a regular basis. When the soup kitchen was foreclosed, they held phone banks and town halls, but Phillip was nowhere to be found. The same can be said when his first roommate, Brother Jamison, relapsed in 2015. Phillip unfortunately didn't know about that, leading Reverend Lamonte to believe that he only came today because he needs their votes. Embarrassed and no longer feeling accepted, Phillip intends to leave.

Vivian and some of her sorority sisters watch the IG live of Hilary trashing Haute Cuisine, which they celebrate, with the exception of Vivian. However, Joan believes that there is something beautiful about Hilary and her generation's refusal to swallow subtle racism, but Vivian argues that Hilary's live lacks tact and good judgement, especially considering that Vivian got that interview as a favor to Hilary, who reveals that she never asked her mother to do that. However, Hilary dropped out two years ago without a thing to show for it, and Vivian was simply trying to help.

Carlton asks for a moment of Mr. Miles time to discuss the Black Minds First Initiative, but Mr. Miles is no longer on the board, he resigned last month, and Derrick runs it now.

Will gets on stage, grabs the mic, and encourages his Uncle Phil to show him a few steps, which he does after a bit of encouragement and support from his frat brothers. Even Reverend Lamonte is impressed and agrees to hear out Phillip's proposal.

By the end of the fundraiser, only Vivian and Joan remain. She has taken notice of Vivian's painting hanging on the wall near the front door, the same painting that when she initially finished it years ago, she wouldn't allow Joan to sell. Joan insists that the world needs to see her talent again and asks what's stopping her. Phillip then returns with Carlton and Will, revealing that he managed to get Reverend Lamonte's support. Joan restates her stance that Vivian should return to the art world, before flirting with Geoffrey and leaving. When Vivian asks how everything went with Carlton and Henry Miles, he exclaims that he doesn't want the internship anymore.

Will returns to his room to find his stuff from Philly waiting. Among his items are his cherished Air Jordan 5 Retro 'Alternate Bel-Air' shoes.

Vivian, Phillip, and Hilary attend Will's basketball game. Meanwhile, Carlton looks on the sidelines of his lacrosse game, but his family is nowhere to be seen, leaving him shaken and off his game. While the game is underway, Vivian tells Hilary that it's time she cut the strings and kick Hilary out the house, considering that she insists on finding her own opportunities. Vivian struggled for her passion, but because it was real, she was willing to sacrifice. And now, she wants to see if Hilary's is real, too, which is a decision that Hilary takes in stride, though she does have a question. If her mother's passion was so real, Hilary questions why she walked away from it. However, before she can reply, Will is put in the game and instantly begins scoring. Lisa is in the crowd as well. Will is fouled, but he keeps his composure and even holds back Tyler, who briefly loses his composure. Will only continues to score from this point. Unfortunately, Carlton's game isn't going nearly as well, and he is kicked out of the game. Upset at his parents for missing his game, Carlton goes to the locker room, where he snorts some Xanax, before heading into the gym to find Lisa, his sister, and their parents cheering Will on as he makes the game winning shot.

Rashad discovers that Will is in Bel-Air after one of his boys make him aware of a highlight reel from Will's latest game.

## Cast

* Cassandra Freeman as Vivian Banks
* Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey Thompson
* 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 (credit only)
* Adrian Holmes as Phillip Banks
* Tyler Barnhardt as Connor Satterfield
* Eazy the Block Captain as Rashad Denton

Co-Starring* Ben Cain as Rev. Robert Lamonte
* Wendy Davis as Joan
* Benita Krista Nall as Denise
* Saudia Rashed as Monique
* Holly Hyman as Kendra
* Sam Daly as Coach Johnson
* Rachel Leyco as Chloe
* Bayley Corman as Hannah Lennox
* Thomas Crawford as Principal Bernard Hartwig
* Tim Powell as Mr. Silverton
* Ahmad Dugas as Derrick
* Carl Gilliard as Henry Miles
* Cullen Chambers as Isiah
* Kareem Stroud as Nestor
* Norm Johnson as Kevin
* Jalen McKoy as Marcus
* Scot Ruggles as Lacrosse Coach
* Miguel Cohen as Ref
* Kennedy Porter as Dope Boy

## Soundtrack

 *Electric Relaxation* | A Tribe Called Quest
 *Dkn the Hte* | Cady
 *It’s About to Go Down* | That Kid CG

## Trivia

* The episode title, *Yamacraw*, refers to Uncle Phil's nickname and place of birth, Yamacraw, North Carolina.