‘Bel-Air’ Series Finale Welcomes Back Major Original Character From ‘The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air’
SPOILER ALERT: The following reveals major plot points from the series finale of Peacock‘s Bel-Air.
Across its four seasons, Peacock’s Bel-Air reimagined the Fresh Prince of Bel-Air in a dark, unique way, with little hints from the past via appearances by actors from the original series.
Among them were Daphne Maxwell Reid, who played Aunt Viv #2 in the OG series, portrayed Helen in Season 1, Episode 9; Vernee Watson-Johnson, who played Will’s mom Vy Smith in the OG series, portrayed Janice in same episode as Maxwell Reid; Tatyana Ali, who played Ashley Banks originally, portrayed middle school teacher, Mrs. Hughes, in Season 2; Joseph Marcell, who played butler Goeffrey in Fresh Prince, portrayed someone from Geoffrey’s past in Season 3; and Tyra Banks, who played Will’s (Will Smith) ex-girlfriend from Philly, Jackie Ames, appeared in Season 4, as did Janet Hubert, the original Aunt Viv, in Episode 7 of Season 4 of Bel-Air.
While the new series hoped to bring in as many former stars from Fresh Prince as possible, a few fell through the cracks, like Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, and DJ Jazzy Jeff. One name omitted from this list is Will Smith, the “Fresh Prince” himself, because, SURPRISE, he appeared in the final moments of the Bel-Air finale.
Jabari Banks and Will Smith in Peacock’s ‘Bel-Air’ series finale
Peacock
We can tease that Smith’s appearance alongside Bel-Air‘s new Will Smith (the character) almost didn’t happen. More on that from writer, showrunner, and executive producer Carla Banks Waddles, whom we caught up with last week to break down the events of the series finale to post later today.
So who does Smith portray in the series? It’s being left up to interpretation, but essentially, he’s Will Smith (the character) in the future giving advice to himself in the past. The character could also be viewed as a manifestation of his inner self, or however else any of you see him as.
To set the scene, Will (Banks), Carlton (Olly Sholotan) and Jazz (Jordan L. Jones) drive to an area where you can see much of the city before Will heads to the University of Pennsylvania in his hometown of Philly, where he was accepted early into the Business program. He asks his buddies for a moment to take it all in by himself when a stranger shows up with some words of wisdom.
“Steppin’ into the future is kinda scary, huh?” the stranger wearing sunglasses asks Will. When he removes them, viewers can see it’s Will Smith, the actor playing the character of the same name from the future.
“Nah, I’m cool,” Smith (the character) tells the stranger.
The stranger replies, “It’s okay, I won’t tell your boys.”
Jabari Banks and Will Smith in Peacock’s ‘Bel-Air’ series finale
Peacock
The pair shares a laugh before having a chat. The younger Will speaks on his fears of going home and forgetting who he became while living in Southern California. Will from the future reassures him that his feelings are natural because it means he’s become someone “worth holding onto.” Older Will also notes that not everyone has it all figured out yet, even if they pretend they do. Younger Will replies, “I don’t know, it sounds like you’ve got it all figured out, OG.”
Older Will quickly responds, “Oh no, no, sir. Trust me, you’re going to mess some things up and do some dumb shit. But, you’re human. You’ll learn, you’ll grow.”
This is a full-circle moment for Smith (the actor), who began his career with The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, which premiered in 1990 and ran for six seasons until 1996. It’s been 35 years since he first played the character and took the world by storm as an actor, singer, and producer with multiple accolades under his belt, like the Oscar and multiple Grammy Awards.
Future Will’s speech could also be interpreted as Future Smith speaking on the mistakes he’s made in his almost 4 decades in the industry, which haven’t been many. Either way, the heartfelt words and their many layers are beautiful, and anyone watching can take from them what they may. And for those of us fortunate enough to have been around for both shows, it’s also a look back at our lives, knowing that we’ve hopefully done the best we could.
All four seasons of Peacock’s Bel-Air are available to stream now in their entirety.
