Pursuit of Happiness

**Pursuit of Happiness** is the eighth episode of the second season of Peacock's modern-day reinterpretation, *Bel-Air*. It aired on April 13, 2023.

## Synopsis

Will discovers the truth about his teammate's absence; Carlton spirals out of control.

## Plot

Viv pins an apology to the Neeman Fellowship after they accuse her of tarnishing their reputation through her Instagram lives. Will and Ashley argue that she shouldn't have to apologize at all for stating what she believes in. Just as Uncle Phil walks into the room, Will plans his exit, but Phil seeks to address the tension between the two of them. Uncle Phil promised to support Will when he came back to the house, but if the support is starting to feel like control, he will ease up and allow Will to decide when he needs his help. Will expresses that this is all he wanted and shakes Uncle Phil's hand, much to Viv's relief. And just in time for Will's first game with Zenith Hype, which Uncle Phil and Geoffrey will be front and center for. Viv, unfortunately, has to attend a Neeman meeting. Carlton then enters the kitchen, and Will leaves abruptly. Carlton's nose then begins to bleed, but he insists that he's fine.

At Zenith Hype, Jackie thanks Will for getting her home the other night. She was drunk and doesn't remember what she even said. When Will forgives her, she offers to share more of her world with him. He then asks if Jackie knows why Brian isn't on the team anymore, as he can't get a straight answer from anyone. She does know, but tells him that it can wait until their date tomorrow. After Will leaves, Doc warns Jackie to be careful and not to say too much.

Phil is sorry that Frederick left so soon, but Geoffrey insists that it's the safest way. He then thanks Phil and Viv for making it happen. While his focus has been off lately, he's now back 100%.

Doc hands Will his jersey for his very first game. Hudson asks why he picked 14, to which Will replies that his mom had him on the 14th at 4:14 pm. It simply reminds him of the day he came into the world. With game time approaching, Doc encourages the team to go out there and earn Compton's respect.

Hilary is laying in bed, reading old messages between her and Jazz when Monica and Phanta enter her room. They begin cleaning up and announce their plans to get Hilary out of her room. While they understand that she's suffering from heartbreak, their Simply Spiked post with Lamarcus has gained them true visibility, and they need Hilary to build on the momentum.

Phil and Geoffrey watch from the stands as Will and Zenith Hype play against a local Compton team. As the game nears the end, Will goes for the winning shot, but is fouled aggressively, earning him a free throw shot, putting Zenith four points in the lead, at which point, Hudson alley oops the ball to Will for the final score of the game, which ends 86 to 80. Afterward, the team and Doc celebrate in the locker room.

Viv sits down with the heads of the Neeman Fellowship board. While her comments were harsh, they agree with her statements. Her IG presence has already opened up a wider and younger audience. While Janice's criticisms have been stifling, she doesn't speak for the entire fellowship, who now see Viv as the future. They want to offer her the executive director position, which is currently Janice's title, but they believe it's time for a change.

Phil and Geoffrey observe Doc getting into an argument with another man just after the game.

Carlton gifts Lisa a swimmer charm, but she wonders what's the occasion. Carlton explains that he's still in the Founder's Awards race and the fact that Lisa is always the person encouraging him to speak his truth. No matter the obstacles, she always has his back. He simply wanted to show her how much he appreciates her. He then kisses her on the cheek and leaves.

Phil heads to the firm to celebrate the life of an old friend of his and James'. James seeks to pay tribute to Derek, but Phil questions if it's a good idea given the acquisition. James remarks that they have to remind people why he, Phil, and Derek started the firm in the first place, but the people need to hear from Phil more than anything.

Will spots Lisa and Drew holding hands and informs Carlton that Drew is the one who leaked the locker room video. The only reason he's telling Carlton is because him and Lisa are linked up right now. He urges Carlton to tell Lisa the truth, as he can't do it, given that they're not on the best of terms. That said, Carlton then apologizes to Will, though he doesn't accept it.

Viv invites Joan over and informs her of the position with the Neeman Fellowship being offered to her. They celebrate over drinks, despite the fact that Viv hasn't actually accepted the position. She is reluctant to accept. While Janice isn't a friend, Viv can't help but feel she's stabbing her in the back. While Joan respects what she's done for the art world, Janice should've retired a long time ago. Joan then reveals the real reason she came over, to discuss Erika Baker, who Joan claims still owes her $20 in gas money. Viv remarks they're not in college anymore, but Joan refuses to believe that Viv has forgiven her for all she's done. Still, Viv takes the high road, given that she and Phil now have a professional relationship. However, all Joan sees is Viv putting herself second to everyone else's feelings.

Ashley is paired with Olivia in creating a functional robot, capable of completing three tasks.

Lamarcus invites Hilary to his new house, which only needs furniture and a woman's touch, he remarks. Hilary recalls his first place in Santa Monica that he bought with his rookie signing bonus. As he walks her through the house, he flirts with Hilary, who reminds him that she's come for business. She's looking to get more engagement for her influencer house, and has some football cross promotion ideas. She's created a business strategy and asks Lamarcus to connect her with his marketing people. Without even looking at it, he agrees to her terms.

Phil and James host the tribute for their late friend Derek. When the three of them started the firm, they made a pact to watch out for each other and change the world, kicking down the doors so that the next generation doesn't have to. Not everyone wanted to see three brothers succeed, and they even alternated paying their mortgages just to keep the business afloat. So when they lost Derek to a massive heart attack, they feared the end of the firm, but they fought harder in Derek's honor, which is why they gather every year in his honor.

Carlton sees Lisa and Drew extremely close in the halls, where the two of them even share a kiss, angering Carlton, who proceeds to confront Lisa. She explains that people can change, citing Carlton as a prime example. However, he informs Lisa that Drew is responsible for air dropping the locker room video. Ever since he came to the BSU, Drew has had it out for him, but Lisa doesn't believe him and suspects that Carlton is lashing out as a result of her relationship with Drew. In case there was any misconception or misunderstanding, Lisa informs Carlton that all they'll ever be is friends. Heart broken, Carlton says that he's sorry that Lisa is so desperate to get over Will that she's willing to jump the first asshole that pays her any attention. "Fuck you," Lisa replies as she walks away.

Carlton reluctantly asks Connor if he has any more "peace offerings," which doesn't go unnoticed by Drew.

Will texts Jackie that he's on his way to meet her, but he becomes distracted after noticing that Lisa's car won't stop. Will offers to give her a ride home, but she's going to the hospital, as Angela is in labor. And so, Will offers her a ride to the hospital, but Lisa insists that she's fine. However, Will refuses to leave her and stays by Lisa's car until she relents.

Ashley wants to make a robot that can sort recyclables, but Olivia prefers a cleaning robot that sweep floors. To begin, they see what parts they have. Olivia asks if Ashley has spoken to Mrs. Hughes, as she was also Olivia's favorite teacher. Assuming that's true, Ashley questions why she turned Mrs. Hughes in and got her fired, but Olivia insists that she did no such thing. While she was jealous given that she used to be Mrs. Hughes favorite, she didn't get her fired. Ashley apologizes for jumping to conclusions, as does Olivia, who initially assumed Ashley was a stuck up mean girl.

Carlton follows Connor to his dealer's house. They met at a girls pool party and hang out on occasion. Inside, doing drugs and playing Fortnite, is a couple of guys named Parker and Lance.

Phil admits that James was right about going through with the tribute, though James confronts Phil after learning that he was offered a new position with Carson & Lake. Phil called him out about having secret meetings while having his own. Phil explains that Erika is a partner there. She asked him to come in as an introduction to the team, though Phil would be lying if he said he wasn't considering her offer.

Will escorts Lisa into the hospital. She's visibly nervous and is unsure about having a younger brother. Her dad has built a new life, wife, and now a baby. It's as if she's on the outside, watching an entirely new family spring up that isn't hers. Will then gets a text from Jackie, which he ignores to further comfort Lisa.

Viv pays Erika an unexpected visit to discuss her working relationship with Phil.

Lisa informs her father that Will gave her a ride after her car broke down, though Fred isn't worried, reminding Lisa that today is supposed to be a happy occasion, but she doesn't feel the same and says that her father has other priorities. He then leaves as it almost comes time for Angela to push. Will joins Lisa and offers her some chips, at which point, Jackie texts and asks Will where he is, to which he replies that he's running late.

Lamarcus has gifted Hilary a billboard on Sunset. While he claimed to only want to be friends, as soon as he saw her, there was no question he wanted her back. He refuses to lose Hilary again, and for as long as it takes, he will continue to pursue her. He's now left her speechless twice in one day, leading Hilary to hug Lamarcus, who then takes a photo of Hilary in front of her billboard.

Phil informs James that he's not leaving the firm and that he's always going to do what's best for their future. He'll take a look at the terms of the acquisition and will work it out. No matter what, he's on James' side. They started it together, and will finish it together.

After all these years and the bad blood between them, Viv questions why Erika didn't come to her instead of approaching Phil and accuses her of having a pattern, reminding Erika that she slept with her best friend's boyfriend in college, but Erika reminds Viv that she and Phil were on a break when they started dating for those two years. But ultimately, things didn't work out, and he ended up with Viv. She just needed to be sure that moving forward, whatever Phil decides, that Erika doesn't have another agenda. Erika gives her word that her interest in Phil is strictly professional.

Carlton and Connor snort an abundance of drugs and drink alcohol, at which point, Carlton passes out. When he awakens, he is alone on the couch. He calls out to Connor and the others, but no one answers. He then looks outside and sees his car his gone, as well as Connor's. Carlton is forced to wait at the bus stop in the rain until Viv picks him up. Carlton explains that he and Connor were hanging out after school and that they grabbed a few beers with Connor's fake ID. He claims to have only had half a beer. He was headed home until he felt nauseous and disoriented. He pulled over to the side of the road and began walking until not realizing where he was. He's had drinks before, but this was something else, claiming he was somehow affected by the meds.

Lisa thanks Will for staying and says that he's a good friend. For Will's whole life, it was only him and his mom. And then he moved out to Bel Air, where he went from a family of two, to a family of six, but family is still family, even if they don't look like the one you're used to. Will also says it takes a lot of energy to keep making one's self the outsider, at which point, Lisa grabs his hand. Fred then joins them and offers Lisa the opportunity to meet her little brother. After Lisa agrees, Fred thanks Will for being such a good friend to Lisa.

Viv has taken Carlton home, where Geoffrey watches over him with a suspicious glare whilst she and Phil discuss how little sense his story makes. He knows better than combining his meds with alcohol, but Viv is happy that he at least called her and admitted to drinking when he didn't have to. If they attack him for it, he'll never tell them anything. And Dr. Richardson confirmed that tapering off his meds can lead to such episodes. Viv believes this story holds out, but Phil is skeptical. He then approaches Carlton and says that they will be keeping a closer eye on him. After Viv and Carlton exit, Geoffrey tells Phil about the information he's learned on Doc.

Will arrives at Zenith Hype in search of Jackie, but she's already gone home. He then runs into Brian, who reveals that he's come to get his belongings, leading Will to questions what happened. Brian reveals that Doc is not who Will thinks he is.

Carlton e-mails Connor and asks what happened last night, but before he can send it, Geoffrey enters his room and reveals that he found Carlton's car. It was completely out of gas, with sand on the seats, on the corner of Reseda and Victory. He asks Carlton if any of this sounds familiar, but Carlton sticks to his story of memory loss. What Geoffrey finds interesting is that it was about ten miles from where Viv found him, though Carlton claims he doesn't recall what happened yesterday. After returning Carlton's wallet and phone, he says that sooner or later the truth will have no choice but to reveal itself.

Will speak to Uncle Phil about Zenith and Doc. He reveals that Doc has been taking bribes to steer players to colleges and agents. And now someone is threatening to blow the whistle on Doc and the entire team.

## 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 Philip Banks
* Reno Wilson as James Lewis
* Brooklyn McLinn as Doc Hightower
* Joe Holt as Fred Wilkes
* Diandra Lyle as Erika Baker
* Wendy Davis as Joan
* Tyler Barnhardt as Connor Satterfield
* Jazlyn Lopez Martin as Jackie
* Nicholas Duvernay as Drew

Co-starring* Aimee Li as Phanta
* Al-Shabazz Jabateh as Hudson
* Andi René Christensen as Monica
* Courtnee Mignon Smith as Zenith Attendant
* Charlotte Kyle as Nurse Ali
* Gabe Kessler as Parker
* Jacob Nichols as Lance
* Jeris DuPree as Brian
* Jill Lover as Yvette
* Karolin Luna as Mrs. Foust
* Keith Arthur Bolden as Lorenzo
* Lorenzo C Davis II as CBC Coach
* Martin French as Referee
* Reagan Marum as Olivia
* Valerie Wildman as Cora
* Zachariah Norman as CBC Player