'Bel-Air' Episode 5 Review: Will makes a decision that upsets his close ones
SPOILERS FOR 'BEL-AIR' EPISODE 5
The previous episode of 'Bel-Air,' titled 'Canvass,' saw Will strike a deal with Vivian that would result in Tray getting to visit him, ending with Will finding out that the trip has been confirmed, and that Rashad has been gunned down. The small-time drug dealer from West Philadelphia, who had received a tip about Will's whereabouts, was killed by unknown assailants at a nightclub. However, the news troubles Will because the shootout happened just after he informed Geoffrey about Rashad, who also reveals that Rashad had been trying to extort the Banks for a while.
Taking off right after the above-mentioned events, 'PA to LA,' the fifth episode of Peacock's 'Bel-Air', begins with Will picking up Tray from LAX. The once-inseparable duo meets for the first time in months, and Tray is in awe after he sees the Banks' mansion and Will's new life. After the niceties, Tray pitches the idea of Will returning to West Philadelphia, and a concerned Vivian addresses it to Vy, who asks her to not make decisions on Will's behalf, reminding her that Will is not her child.
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Things take a turn for the better - and for worse - at a dinner party when a drunk Tray tells Carlton about the real reason behind Will's relocation to Bel Air. This comes as a shock to Carlton, and he begins to question the values imparted to him by his father after an argument. Carlton, however, decides to use it to his advantage and warns Will to back off both at school and from Lisa, threatening to snitch if Will doesn't do so. The following day, Will and Tray are taken to a D Smoke concert by Phillip, where Tray sees a side of Will that he isn't comfortable being friends with. While Tray is already making plans on what to do once Will returns to West Philadelphia, Will brings up the idea of staying back in LA and working on himself. This leads to a heated confrontation that ends with Tray wanting to cut his trip short and fly back home. Parallelly, Phillip's associates ask him to change his campaign approach, after he announces publicly that he will defund the police if he becomes District Attorney.
Episode 5 of 'Bel-Air' ends with Phillip being labeled an Antifa supporter, though his polls rise, while Tray leaves after Will fails to make him see otherwise.
With some debates on the Blue Lives Matter movement, conservative politics, and race relations, 'Bel-Air' has been taking some interesting turns as the series turns political in a way. Jabari Banks once again excels at playing a teenager who is trying to do the right thing for himself while not hurting his close ones. Episode 5 is also a tearjerker towards the end when Banks expresses his desire to stay back in Bel Air to his mother. In all, 'Bel-Air' continues to be an engaging watch and manages to not become a mediocre one.
'Bel-Air' is currently streaming on Peacock.