Lisa Wilkes

"*My mom loved poetry. Maya Angelou, Langston Hughes. And my mama loved her some Tupac. Towards the end of her life, I read to her a lot of poetry because she said that it eased her pain. And after she passed, I started writing poetry because it eased my pain about saying goodbye to her as a tribute to her and her memory.*"
—Lisa at the service[src]
**Beulah Lisa Wilkes** is a main character on Peacock's modern-day reinterpretation, *Bel-Air*. She is portrayed by Simone Joy Jones.

Lisa is a scholarship student at Bel-Air Academy and Carlton's ex, who befriends Will almost immediately upon his arrival in Bel-Air.

## Biography

### Early life

Lisa grew up in Bel-Air with her mom and dad, who grew close to the Banks family over time. So much so, that Lisa used to have girls nights with Aunt Viv, Hilary, and Ashley. She also went to grade school with Carlton and Connor. In 2019, Lisa would lose her mother to Lupus, and within a year of her death, her father would be engaged to another woman.

### Meeting Will

Lisa meets Will while attending a fundraiser at the Banks house. She admires his wardrobe, remarking that the kicks with the suit cut quite a figure. They are joined by Carlton, Lisa's ex, who she has a bit of an awkward exchange with before departing. However, this isn't the last she sees of Will, running into him again at Bel-Air Academy while doing laps in the pool, where she pulls a 22.64 during her last lap, her best time yet. She invites him to join her in the pool, but he can't swim and instead asks if she's going to Connor's beach party, which she was considering but doesn't want Will to think that it's a date, given that she's Carlton's her ex.

Nevertheless, she approaches Will at the party and asks him to celebrate with her after her 22.64 lap time, as it means she's on track for the Olympic trials next year. Unlike everyone around her and despite the fact that she attends Bel-Air Academy, Lisa's family is not wealthy; she attends the school on scholarship, meaning she has to work harder than everyone else. She then inquires about Will and why she's never heard of him before his arrival in Bel-Air, leading her to also wonder how well he knows Carlton. The two then share a dance, which is interrupted by Carlton, who pushes Will into the pool.

### Helping clear Will's name

When Will approaches Lisa in the hallway, she tells him that when she broke up with Carlton, it's all anyone could talk about for months. He was their heartbroken hero and she was the cold-hearted bitch, and she doesn't want to be involved in that again, which Will understands, but Carlton's been telling people he knocked Will in the pool on accident and that Will got out and attacked him. Will is hoping she will tell everyone the truth, but in doing that, she'd be exposing herself to more criticism. Even if she did help, she's not sure if it will do much, as Carlton's word is like gospel to the school. Still, Lisa helps and begins spreading the word.

After telling as many people as possible about the truth behind Will and Carlton's fight, she approaches Carlton and tells him that she has no intention of stirring anything up between him and Will, and she wishes he would stop bringing her into it. She then notices Xanax residue on his nose, though she insists that it's no longer her problem and says that Will doesn't deserve Carlton's wrath. She simply wishes he would get away from Connor and get some help, but he ignores her advice and instead tells her to keep clear of Will, who is later suspended for having drugs.

Lisa joins Will for lunch after learning that he's been 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. She then accidentally spills mustard on his jacket, which Will proceeds to flip inside out to hide the stain.

Lisa is joined for her pre-meet tradition by Carlton, who supposedly came to apologize for getting her involved between him and Will. While he could have handled things better, 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. Lisa later attends Will's game, during which he scores the game winning point.

### A fight with Will

Lisa is invited over by Will for a study session for their art history course. She is doing her term paper on Kara Walker, the installation artist and her mom's favorite artist. Lisa's mom died three years ago to Lupus. She usually only talks about her mom to people who knew her, who knew how amazing she was, but since her and Will are friends, Lisa realizes that it's a part of who she is. Will then asks if she's still coming to his uncle's fundraiser, which she assures she will be, as she's unmatched on skates. As planned, Lisa arrives at the skating rink, where she is greeted and embraced by Aunt Viv, who hopes they can have one of their girls nights again with Ashley and Hilary. They also need to talk about plans for this year's Lupus fundraisers. The sorority sisters came through with donations and sponsors, as Lisa's mother loved her sisters, and they loved her as well.

Lisa is confronted by Will after discovering that her dad is the Chief of Police. He accuses her of hiding this from him, but Lisa explains that it simply never came up. And it's not like he told her what his dad does for a living, which Will can't answer, as he hasn't seen him since he walked out on Will and his mom. Lisa apologizes, but Will brushes her off.

### Her mother's memorial benefit

Lisa meets with Carlton to plan her mother's memorial benefit. At the house, she runs into Will, who is acting strange, and introduces her to Tray, who is visiting for the week. Despite Will's weird behavior, they continue to plan the benefit. Lisa settles on a Mardi Gras theme, as her mom used to visit her family in New Orleans during Mardi Gras when she was younger, and she loved everything about it. Carlton offers to help in any way possible before hugging Lisa and going in for a kiss, but she pulls away and tells him that her feelings haven't changed.

Lisa comes over the Banks' house for her final rehearsal with Carlton, but she doesn't actually believe the poem she's expected to read, as her mother's death wasn't the dawn of anything good. The only people who may believe that are her dad and stepmother, who are having a baby and plan to move into a new house. Lisa can't help but feel as though Angela is trying to erase her mother. Before returning home, Lisa approaches Will, but he's very standoffish. Will claims that he simply wanted to give her space, especially after seeing her and Carlton together earlier, under the impression that they're back together, but Lisa explains that he was comforting her while she was upset about her mom.

Lisa returns to the Banks' house with her father and stepmother, who she can barely stand to even be in the company of, excusing herself after a conversation with Aunt Viv and Joan about college when Angela begins talking about the baby. Will finds Lisa and attempts to comfort her during her time of need. She hates her stepmother. This day is supposed to be about her mom, but instead, Angela is making it all about herself. Will can relate, as he knows what it feels like to be reminded of a missing parent, but he advises Lisa to hang on to the good memories of her mother. When Will mentions Carlton, Lisa reveals that she thinks he is using her vulnerability to get closer to her. Tiptoeing around his emotions is exhausting, and she has enough things to work through as it is. Unbeknownst to the two of.

Lisa's mom loved poetry, from Maya Angelou, to Langston Hughes, to Tupac. Towards the end of her life, Lisa read her poetry because it eased her pain, and after she passed, Lisa began writing poetry because it eased her own pain. With Will at her side, Lisa reads a poem she wrote in her mother's memory. Afterward, she is embraced by Angela, who is inspired to go up and say a few words, but Viv says otherwise and asks them to leave, with Lisa staying behind to relax at the pool, where she is joined by Will. Aunt Viv said everything Lisa's mom would've wanted her to say, and everything that Lisa has been wanting to say. It feels good knowing that people have her back. She also thanks Will for stepping in for Carlton. Lisa misses hanging out with him and asks why he's been so distant lately. Will doesn't want to be another person in her life that she has to navigate around and is willing to fall back if necessary. However, neither of them want that, so instead, they share a kiss.

### Dating Will

On the ride to practice, Lisa's dad asks about her relationship with Will and just how close they are to each other, as he wants her to create some distance from Will and the Banks family, at least until the election is over. However, this doesn't stop her from meeting up with Will at school to sneak a few moments together, during which Lisa tells Will that they have to tell Carlton the truth about their relationship. Later that night, she lies to her dad and attends Will's party, during which she explains to Will how difficult Bel-Air has been for Carlton and black people in general, before heading up to his room, in an attempt to get to better know Will. But first she shares a secret with him -- that Lisa is her middle name and that her real name is Beulah. She then asks why he moved out to Bel-Air. Will claims it was simply for a better education. She admires his courage and kisses Will, which leads to the two of them having sex. However, their first time together ends abruptly when the police arrive and they're forced to out themselves to Carlton. Though, Lisa does manage to get the police to Lisa, introducing herself as Chief Wilkes' daughter.

### Will's birthday

Lisa meets with Will in the pool house, where they kiss until Lisa learns that Will's mom is in town for his birthday and proposes that she come by tomorrow during his birthday dinner for a formal introduction. Lisa can sneak past her dad, but Will is going to have to handle Carlton. Ever since he found out that they're together, he's been freezing her out. And so, as planned, Lisa attends Will's party, where she is embraced by his mom, who asks if Will is treating her right. Lisa insists that he is.

### Breaking up with Will

Lisa gets into a fight with her father over her relationship with Will. He tells Lisa that Will is trouble and that she has to stop seeing him. As proof, he shows her Will's mugshot and reveals that it was sent to him by Judge Robertson. Will was arrested in a fight in Philly, where there was a gun involved. Phil reached out to Judge Robertson for a favor, to make it all go away. Lisa suspects that it's a lie and decides to learn the truth from Will himself, who admits that it's true. Will lied to her when all she's ever done was take up for him, especially when her dad would say that he's trouble. They had sex, and now she feels like she doesn't even know him. Will admits that he had the gun, but that he shot it in the air to break up a fight. Lisa thanks him for finally being honest, but she tells him that her dad also knows and plans to use it at the debate. And unfortunately, there's nothing she can do to stop it. Lisa attempts to leave, but Will grabs her hand, if only to have one final moment with her.

Lisa attends Aunt Viv's gala, where she is honored with the Neeman Artistic Fellowship. There, she is approached by Will, who is hoping to make up, but Lisa isn't interested. All she can think about is how he lied to her and how they had sex. However, Will insists that he had no other choice and then tells Lisa that he loves her, 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 can meet tomorrow at the coffee shop to talk. However, when the time comes, Will never shows. But later that night, Carlton comes knocking on her door to inform her that Will is missing after having met his dad.

It's been two weeks since Lisa and Will last spoke, as she's been giving him space since moving out of his family's house. He approaches her at Ashley's party and says that 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.

Lisa, like many others, is sympathetic to Will's suspension, though she understands Carlton's frustrations as well, with much of the BSU suspecting he sabotaged the protest, when in reality, he had a panic attack. Lisa urges Carlton to let Yazmin in and let her know what he's dealing with. Otherwise, they'll only think the worst of him. However, Carlton is initially reluctant to do so, only revealing this information after he explodes and attacks Drew during the BSU bowling party. As Carlton makes his exit, Lisa confronts Drew for instigating the fight. They're supposed to be the BSU, and yet they're treating each other like enemies. She then leaves after grabbing Carlton's bowling ball and catches a ride home with him.

### Unfriending Will

Lisa agrees to teach Will how to swim in preparation for his AAU training. Will embraces Lisa and thanks her for being a great teaching, leading to a briefly awkward exchange, which Lisa attempts to divert from by instructing Will to simply practice for an hour a day. He once again thanks her, as he doesn't have a back-up plan if AAU doesn't work, though Lisa reminds Will that anything can work if she wants it bad enough. Lisa then heads inside and helps Aunt Viv with the gallery, where Lisa meets Jackie, who she later discovers is Will's new girlfriend, which breaks her heart, though she doesn't blame Will. If anything, she blames herself for holding out hope that he might still have feelings for her, too. Being friends isn't enough for her anymore, and Lisa tells Will that they can't be friends anymore.

Lisa is taken by surprise when Carlton kisses her on the cheek after gifting her a swimmer's charm, though he claims it is simply a means to express his gratitude for her always believing in him. Later that day, she is confronted by Carlton after he discovers that she is dating Drew. Lisa explains that he's changed and suspects that Carlton's jealously stems from the misconception that they're anything other than 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. After school, her car breaks down just as she's headed to the hospital for the birth of her baby brother. Will offers her a ride and comforts Lisa, who is feeling out of place in her own family.

Lisa finds Will on Venice Beach after receiving his message for help, given his downward spiral after the Zenith Hype fiasco. Lisa's mom used to always say that life doesn't give you what you want, but it gives you what you need, and Will simply needs to figure out what that is for him. Will thanks Lisa for coming out, to which she replies that's what friends do, leading Will to question if being friends is what's best for them, which Lisa believes to be the case, as she hugs Will. However, on the night of the Founder's Award, Will tracks Lisa down to the library, teary-eyed. He tries to explain his relationship with Jackie, but Lisa reminds him that they're just friends and that no feelings have to be involved, but Will says it's too late for that and that he needs Lisa in his life, before kissing her.

## Appearances

* Keep Ya Head Up
* Yamacraw
* Canvass
* PA to LA
* The Strength to Smile
* Payback's A B\*tch
* No One Wins When the Family Feuds
* Can't Knock the Hustle
* Where To?
* Speaking Truth
* Compromised
* Don't Kill My Vibe
* Excellence Is Everywhere
* Let the Best Man Win (credit only)
* Under Pressure
* Pursuit of Happiness
* Just Like Old Times
* Don't Look Back

## References

1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Season 1, Episode 4: ***Canvass***
2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Season 1, Episode 2: ***Keep Ya Head Up***
3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 Season 1, Episode 6: ***The Strength to Smile***
4. ↑ Season 1, Episode 1: ***Dreams and Nightmares***
5. ↑ Season 1, Episode 3: ***Yamacraw***
6. ↑ Season 1, Episode 5: ***PA to LA***
7. ↑ Season 1, Episode 7: ***Payback's A B\*tch***
8. ↑ Season 1, Episode 8: ***No One Wins When the Family Feuds***
9. ↑ Season 1, Episode 9: ***Can't Knock the Hustle***
10. ↑ Season 1, Episode 10: ***Where To?***
11. ↑ Season 2, Episode 1: ***A Fresh Start***
12. ↑ Season 2, Episode 4: ***Don't Kill My Vibe***
13. ↑ Season 2, Episode 5: ***Excellence Is Everywhere***
14. ↑ Season 2, Episode 8: ***Pursuit of Happiness***
15. ↑ Season 2, Episode 8: ***Don't Look Back***