A Fresh Start

**A Fresh Start** is the first episode of the second season of Peacock's modern-day reinterpretation, *Bel-Air*. It aired on February 23, 2023.

## Synopsis

Will works on being fully independent from the Banks after a fallout with his father, Lou.

## Plot

Will wakes up on Jazz's couch, having spent the last two weeks at his place. He gets dressed and heads down the street. Meanwhile, in Bel-Air, his family is still dealing with the aftermath of their fall-out and the ever so present emptiness within the mansion as a result of his departure. Viv believes they should give him time and allow him to come back when he's ready. She's at least grateful that he's been texting all of them, except for Phil, who is certain that Will will realize that they're his family and that he belongs with them.

Will meets with a street baller named JB, who hands Will a roll of cash. More than just money, Will is hoping that JB can introduce him to Doc, who JB explains is a busy guy that doesn't just meet with anyone, though Will isn't just anyone. And so, JB agrees to deliver the message.

Carlton heads out for school, with Hilary not far behind, prepared to celebrate her first day as manager of the influencer house. She and Ivy found out Kylo was in debt and behind on his mortgage, so they made him an offer he couldn't refuse, with Ashley interjecting that Ivy made Kylo an offer he couldn't refuse. Transitioning to the topic of Ashley's 13th birthday tomorrow, Ashley explains that she doesn't want any gifts and would rather people donate to a charity of her choice. But if she had to make a wish, it would be for Will to come home.

Will returns to Jazz's as he's doing his prayer, unintentionally disrupting his morning tradition. Having lived with him for the last two weeks, Jazz has noticed that Will has become quite comfortable in the streets and simply wants to make sure he's good. Will insists that he's fine and leaves some money behind for Jazz before heading downstairs to catch a ride to school from Carlton, who reveals that Aunt Viv and Uncle Phil are worried about him, though Will assures Carlton that he's fine. In fact, he's doing so well that he's able to pay Carlton back the money he slipped in Will's pocket previously. Carlton is concerned that Will may have obtained this money through illegal means, though Will is his own man and in charge of his own life.

Having made their way to the school campus, Carlton pries further about Will's future plans and recent behavior. Will reveals that he's simply been playing a couple basketball games. Carlton urges him to just ask for money, but Will refuses to accept any more handouts. He was being scouted to play basketball but that went quiet when he moved to LA. Hoping to get back on track, he's looking to get scouted by a big time scout named Doc, who's helped a lot of kids get to D1 schools and even the pros. Carlton wishes Will would let Uncle Phil help, but Will is determined to do it himself.

Phil asks for Viv's help in choosing a tie for his first day back at the firm. He then asks about her big upcoming interview for a feature article in Fine Art Quarterly. However, it's hard to celebrate given that Will isn't home. Viv urges Phil to apologize, though he doesn't believe he should, given that he was right about Lou and that he only had Will's best interest at heart. Though, Viv reminds Phil that they were still wrong not to tell him the truth. Phil maintains he did nothing wrong and blames Will's recent behavior on Lou's arrival.

Will notices tension between Carlton and the other lacrosse players due to Connor turning the team against him. While Carlton doesn't need him, he works better in a dynamic duo, looking to Will to be his new partner, naming them the Kings of Bel-Air. Admittedly, him being around Will makes him seem cool. Carlton proceeds to have a brief exchange with Yazmin, which doesn't go unnoticed by Will, not that it matters as far as Carlton as concerned. He doesn't know when he could even seize an opportunity to ever approach her, as they don't have any classes together, which Will offers to rectify.

As planned, Viv has her interview for the Neeman Fellowship at the mansion, where she explains her intentions to use her platform to give young artists of color access that she's never had, as the art world has been historically known as an elitist space, which she now wants to put emerging black talent at the focus of. However, according to Reid, the focus of her fellowship will be big events with more established artists, but Viv believes that approach is out of touch. She seeks to use this fellowship as an opportunity to change the game.

Will approaches Lisa in class, leading to an awkward exchange, as the two have been avoiding each other ever since Will left the house. Lisa has been trying to give him space but is open to an actual conversation. She proposes they talk at Ashley's party tomorrow, but Will isn't going due to the tension between him and Uncle Phil. Tyler then interrupts to show Will his new shoes.

Hilary, Ivy, Monica, and Phanta gather in the influencer house, where Ivy announces that her personal drink, H2Ivy, will be the official drink of their new house. She instructs the girls to grab a bottle and take a group picture. Then Hilary lights sage to cleanse the house of its past immature, toxic energy. Almost as if on cue, the Blackass Brothers, Jared and Nathan, enter the house, much to Hilary's surprise. She had assumed that Ivy fired them, but with Ivy having already fronted the capital and her name to buy the house, she left the task to Hilary, deciding then to leave as she doesn't want to be around when Hilary breaks the news to them.

Hilary expresses her frustration with Ivy to Jazz. She thought they would be a team, but Ivy seems to be farming her out to do the dirty work while Ivy makes important decisions without consulting her. Jazz urges Hilary to set the tone, or else Ivy will continue to walk over her. Hilary agrees to do so at Ashley's party, where Jazz hopes they can finally go public. Hilary fears they may ruin a good thing by labeling it too soon. However, Hilary kisses Jazz and invites him over to her place after the party.

As class comes to an end, Mrs. Hughes gifts Ashley a book to read: *The Revolution Has Come*. This author, Robin Spencer, takes more about the role black women played in the Panther Party, which Ashley is eager to read. Mrs. Hughes offers to give her extra credit if she writes a two-page summary of her thoughts, which doesn't go unnoticed by another student, Olivia.

Wills recalls Carlton mentioning them as a dynamic duo, but for this to work, he needs Carlton to follow his lead as Will leads them into the Black Student Union meeting, where Yazmin is the president. However, the room isn't so welcoming, with Drew accusing Carlton of only coming to their meetings previously to get their votes while running for class president. And after he got elected, he never came back. Carlton admits this is true, but the real reason he doesn't do BSUs is that they do a lot of complaining without any action. None of them show up for the student town halls or run for student government to actually change anything. Hoping to dissolve any further tension, Will interjects and adds that Carlton is willing to pitch bigger ideas for the union to tackle. Yazmin is open to any ideas Carlton may have and encourages him to keep coming to the meetings.

Phil returns to his firm after a failed run for DA. But it wasn't without its benefits, being out there with the people reminded him of why they started the firm. Phil believes there's a lot more they should be doing, like bringing in community leaders to support policy change, but his partner, James, stops him in his tracks and says no one expected him to be back or jump in as quickly as he is.

While walking down the hall, Ashley witnesses as Mrs. Hughes is being scolded by Mrs. Kwan for not following the school's curriculum process.

Will meets with Geoffrey and ask for his advice. He feels as though his entire life is based on a lie, and to make matters worse, Uncle Phil refuses to admit he did anything wrong. While he misses his family, things will never go back to the way they were. After the confrontation with Lou, it made him want to take control of his life, but Geoffrey reminds him it's not that simple, as he still needs money and a place to live. Though, Will has been staying with Jazz and hooping for money when he needs it, which Geoffrey remarks sounds a lot like Philly. Will claims that he's simply trying to be a real man, to which Geoffrey replies that a real man doesn't hide from what scares him, he faces them. Given how much his uncle loves him, enough to even fire Geoffrey, he advises Will to at least talk to his Uncle Phil.

Geoffrey stops by the mansion and asks Viv to send his regards to Ashley, whose birthday is in a few hours. While Viv would like to see him there, Phil, on the other hand, is less welcoming. Geoffrey reveals that Will reached out to him yesterday and seems like he's reverting back to some of his old ways through hustling and street ball. Will sees the streets as a safe haven, and Geoffrey urges them to get him back home as soon as possible. Lastly, Geoffrey admits that he let his personal sensitivities about his own son cloud his judgment with Will, and for that, he apologizes, as it was never his intention to do harm, but Phil doesn't seem moved, much to Viv's disappointment.

Jazz is happy that Will has decided to attend Ashley's party. This is a chance to fix his problems with his uncle. Will doesn't even know what he's going to say to him, but he can't keep avoiding him. Jazz wouldn't mind having his place back to himself, and he also promised Hilary they wouldn't be late, which leads to Jazz revealing to Will that Hilary wants to keep their relationship a secret. Will then gets a call from JB, who informs him that Doc has an exhibition game in Venice, providing Will with what might be his only chance to meet him, but it's in an hour. Jazz doubts he can make the game and the party, but Will argues otherwise.

Will and Jazz arrive at Venice Beach, where Jazz reminds Will they have less than 40 minutes to make the party. Will approaches Doc to introduce himself, but Doc doesn't have time for him, as the game is about to begin. Will return to the bench, where he meets Jackie, who is initially reluctant to reveal her name, explaining that she doesn't even know if she likes Will yet. She saw him trying to talk to Doc and advises him to play a good game if he wants Doc's attention.

Meanwhile, Lisa arrives at the ferry where Ashley's party is being held. She's greeted by Phil and Viv, who asks if she's talked to Will, which Lisa hasn't had a chance to.

Fortunately for Will, he gets his chance to impress Doc with a one on one game against Big Dre, who despite scoring the first three points in a game to seven, loses to Will, who makes a phenomenal come back to win the game and impress Doc, who reveals that he already knows who Will is after checking his stats. In Philly, he was averaging 25 points a game, but he's only averaging 17 at Bel-Air Academy, most likely sharing the time with a bunch of kids who shouldn't even be on the court. While Will may have heart, Doc isn't currently taking on any more clients. Disappointed, Will goes to grab his bag to leave for Ashley's party, at which point, Jackie congratulates him and officially introduces herself.

Will gets dressed in the car as Jazz frantically drives down the road. Meanwhile, at the party, Ivy has set up an entire table for her H2Ivy drink, much to Hilary's dismay. Hilary wishes to talk about their partnership and how they're supposed to be equals despite Ivy treating her as an inferior. Ivy claims that she's simply trying to bring the boss out of Hilary. Will and Jazz then arrive, sprinting down the dock towards the ferry. Ivy recognizes Jazz from Viv's art show and expresses an interest in him. Hilary initially says that he's not single but then revises her previous statement and says that she's not sure.

Ashley greets Will with a hug as he gifts her a journal. When he turned 13, his mom gave him a sketch pad to express himself. He is hopeful Ashley will do the same through poetry. Will is then greeted by Aunt Viv, who misses him dearly. She claims they all do, but Will isn't convinced by Uncle Phil's dismissive demeanor.

Hilary watches disgustingly as Jazz dances with Ivy, which Will can't help but point out even as Hilary insists that she's fine. Will reveals that Jazz talks about her all the time and tells her not to break his heart.

Phil is approached by Carlton, who suspects that he's avoiding Will and reminds him that tonight's about celebrating for Ashley, and despite everything that's going on between them, Will still showed, which encourages Uncle Phil to approach Will directly to address the tension.

When Will first came to live with them, Uncle Phil told him that a real man had to deal with the choices he made. Uncle Phil can't apologize because he doesn't regret wanting to protect Will from Lou. What hurt Will more than anything was learning that his entire family lied to him. Will put his trust in Uncle Phil, who let him down, and for that, Uncle Phil does apologize. He knows Will has been trying to find his way in south LA and says he's welcome to come home when he's ready, as he loves Will and they will figure out everything together.

Hilary asks for everyone's attention as she introduces Saweetie, who sings Happy Birthday to Ashley. They tell her to make a wish, but she sees her dad and Will together and says that it already has come true.

Will approaches Lisa so they can finally talk. He meant it when he said he loved her, but everything has been moving so fast since he got to Bel Air, and he jumped in without thinking. He apologizes for previously lying to Lisa, but her father has never liked him, and he's done hiding and apologizing for who he is. Moreover, Will doesn't want to bring her any drama and breaks up with Lisa, saying that if it's meant to be, then it will be. After he walks off, she says that she loves him too.

The Banks return home after the party. Ashley expresses how much fun she had before heading upstairs with Carlton. Just as Viv asks Phil to carry her upstairs, Will arrives with his bags and embraces his aunt.

Jazz helps Hilary and Ivy take their things back to the influencer house, where Hilary reveals she and Saweetie connected when one of her cooking videos went viral. Jazz then shares a photo of the two of them, with her holding Ivy's bottle. She suspects Jazz did this for her and kisses him. Unable to pretend any longer, Hilary confesses that she and Jazz are dating. She was reluctant to say so earlier because she was scared, but now she's ready for commitment and asks Jazz to be her man. Ivy isn't too upset, admitting that Hilary and Jazz are cute together.

Viv reveals her magazine article just got posted, but it was overtaken by Reid. The article reads as Viv being nothing more than a side piece to his genius. None of her quotes are mentioned, only Reid and his vision. Phil reminds Viv this is her fellowship and that Reid doesn't get to control what she does with it.

Carlton is happy to have Will back, seeing this as a fresh start. He's also in a good space right now, crediting Will for pushing him out of his comfort zone. As a show of gratitude, Will asks for Carlton's help to unpack, but he retreats to his room, at which point, Will is called by Doc, who admits that Will impressed him and is willing to check out his next game. After hanging up with Will, Doc reveals to JB that he does indeed like Will but that more importantly, Will comes from a wealthy family.

## 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
* Adrian Holmes as Philip Banks

Guest starring* Karrueche Tran as Ivy
* Reno Wilson as James Lewis
* Brooklyn McLinn as Doc Hightower
* Saweetie as Herself
* Charlie Hall as Tyler Laramy
* Jazlyn Martin as Jackie
* Riele Downs as Yazmin Staats

Co-starring* Aimee Li as Phanta
* Andi René Christensen as Monica
* Brandon Brown as JB
* Christian Germany as Jared
* Debbie Fan as Mrs. Kwan
* Nicholas Duvernay as Drew
* Nina Millin as Krystal
* Sheldon "Shel" Bailey as Big Dre
* Tash Jordan as Nathan
* Tammi Mac as Herself
* Reagan Marum as Olivia