Bel-Air’s Season 3 Finale Is Messy!
Bel-Air has re-entered its extra messy era in the season 3 finale. There are small moments of healing, but the summer wasn’t as blissful or sunny as expected. Between Hilary and Jazz’s will-they-won’t-they and Carlton and Will’s new business Blackcess, this season was all over the place. Let’s recap the final two episodes and where things stand.
Amira (Alycia Pascual-Peña) — Carlton’s (Olly Sholotan) rock through his sobriety — turns out to not be as solid as he thought. Episode 8 ends with her lies unraveling. Will (Jabari Banks) confronts her like she always does him, but this sends her spiraling and nearly costs her her life. Though she survives, she leaves scars on those who’ve grown to care for her, setting them back too.
Carlton is overwhelmed with anger and sadness, fighting every urge to slip back into his old ways. He nearly does after finding out that Amira’s "dead sister" is not only not dead, but not real. Her addiction stems from a traumatic accident where someone died, causing her to create a false story. He blames Will — surprised? No. It’s always Will, as if Will is his default. Carlton can’t be mad at Amira for her addiction, so it’s easier to blame Will than face the truth. Amira needs help. She isn’t evil, but she’s untrustworthy.
Will processes things differently from everyone else, and let’s be real — he and Amira were never best friends. Will knows this. He’s not emotional affected about seeing her lifeless in that pool and more concerned with what it’s doing to the people around him, like Lisa (Simone Joy Jones). But she doesn’t get him and she doesn’t see him. Even though she’s dealing with her own home life struggles, she’s oblivious to who Will really is. Unlike Jackie, who understands him. We can only hope for her big return.
Anyone paying attention knows that since Carlton cares about Amira, Will cares about her too. But Will also knows the importance of looking forward. Between Jazz’s (Jordan L. Jones) arrest and Blackcess’s time-sensitive opportunities, he wants something to go back to when all this is over. It’s easy to paint Will as the villain when you haven’t lived a life with less opportunities. Will is fighting to succeed, which is something Carlton can’t fully understand. But Carlton is fighting to live, which Will doesn’t get. And yes, Will chose the worst investor for Blackcess — the father of an old enemy. But it turns out not to be as bad as they thought once they get past their initial pettiness.
Vivian (Cassandra Freeman) and Phil (Adrian Holmes), as a couple, seem to have magically found their stride. This was a story I was particularly interested in, but it felt rushed. Marriage is difficult and we didn’t really see them work through it. They reconnect with some old couple friends on a retreat and suddenly everything’s fixed. Phil, however, is having some major character development. He’s realizing that he represents his community in a big way and, as head of the house, the young men in his life follow his lead. So, he has to consider them in his decision-making. While logic is important, Uncle Phil is learning there’s room for emotions and honesty. Although this journey feels rushed, we’ve seen it through, and I think we’ll continue to see his growth. He ends the season on a high note, giving back to his community by supporting leaders who reflect it and backing Yolanda Porter, a pillar of the community, in her political run.
Meanwhile, Hilary (Coco Jones) got married — and no one saw that actually happening. Demarcus is a good man, but we haven’t really seen their relationship. However, in this finale, Hilary’s true feelings come to the surface. While she loves Jazz, she also loves Demarcus, and their love feels right to her. She makes a valid point: love shouldn’t be this hard. With that one sentence, her decision is clear — and convincing. But despite this beautiful love story, Demarcus’s health is in more danger than anyone realized. He passes out on their honeymoon and, it’s unclear if he’s died, but the story leans that way. The show gave us a moment of closure for Jazz and Hilary, but now it feels like the beginning of the end for her love story with Demarcus.
Then there’s Ashley (Akira Akbar), who’s gone from little girl to teenager right in front of everyone’s eyes. She’s in a secret relationship with a boy she claimed was just a friend, but it turns out to be more. This is complicated but thrilling for the storyline. Ashley’s journey of exploring her sexuality is new territory for mainstream TV, especially in a show about a Black family. I’m excited about the possibilities, but I’m hoping the next season is more focused and really allows this storyline to unfold, involving the whole Banks family.
Speaking of the Banks family, Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola) is a valuable member, but now his own family is here and he has to protect them. The deal he made with Roman wasn’t successful, putting his family in danger. His ex-wife even tries to set him up to protect their son. Geoffrey says his goodbyes at the wedding without revealing his real reason for the heartfelt praise he gives the family. But he won’t be gone for long. The season ends with Will being pulled into the same van that’s been following Geoffrey, which means one thing: they’re after him. And one thing about Geoffrey — he always shows up and he’ll show up for this.
The finale two episodes of Bel-Air are available now on Peacock.
