Movie
The Fresh Prince of Bel Air, Season 4
Plot
A comedy that ran in half hour segments from 1990 to 1996. A teenage boy is sent to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel Air because his mother is worried that he might not survive Philadelphia. She wants him to grow up to be a respectable, hardworking man with a future.
Starring
Will Smith, James Avery, Daphne Reid, Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons, Tatyana Ali, and Joseph Marcel.
Review
I love watching episodes of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air; especially when I need to be reminded that family is the most important aspect
of life. Will Smith and the cast of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air do a great job of reminding us that above all things—families stick
together.
As I watched season four this afternoon, I was not only reminded that even when our family drives us nuts and we’d like to escape them,
nothing is more important than family. But I was reminded how important it is to stay true to ourselves and to not allow outside
influences or the thoughts of others to dictate who we are, what we do, or how we live our lives.
In one particular episode, Will and Carlton consider joining a fraternity together. During pledge week, or hell week as we like to call
it, Carlton is worked harder than every other pledge there. But he doesn’t take it personally and he doesn’t give up. He completes every
task without complaining and keeps a cheery outlook on things.
When pledge week is over, the fraternity hosts an initiation party where Will learns that the “Top Dog” isn’t going to let Carlton join
but would gladly take Will.
When will enquires as to why Carlton was not fraternity material, Top Dog says, “Carlton is not exactly our type.”
Will probes deeper, “What type is that?”
Top Dog responds, “…Carlton is not like you and me…Carlton doesn’t exemplify what I think a Phi Beta Gamma is. It’s not Ralph Lauren
shirts and wing tips shoes in corporate America. We don’t need a brother like him in this fraternity.”
Will replies, “He’s exactly what you need in this fraternity. He’s a straight A student since preschool. He gives you 150 percent every
time!”
Disappointed in the fraternity’s leader, Will walks over to Carlton and tells him it’s time to leave—that he didn’t get in.
Carlton, upset, walks over to Top Dog and says, “How dare you not take Will. He’s full of potential.”
To which Top Dog replies, “That’s why we want him. We don’t want you.”
Carlton’s hurt, “Me? But I did everything…”
“Everything your butler does for you. We aren’t accepting no prep school Bel Air bred sell out in our fraternity,” says Top Dog.
Carlton, upset and fed up, replies, “You think I’m a sell out? Why? Being black isn’t what I’m trying to be. It’s what I am. I’m running
the same race and jumping the same hurdles you are. So why are you tripping me up? You said we need to stick together, but you don’t
know what that means. If you ask me, you’re the real sell out!”
When they arrive home, Carlton tells his father that he didn’t make it in the fraternity because he wasn’t brother enough. His father
replies, “This really irritates me. I’ve worked very hard to give my family a good life. Suddenly someone tells me there’s a penalty for
success?...When are we going to stop doing this to each other?”
Your Task
While The Fresh Prince of Bel Air was tagged as a comedy, and laughs certainly abound, I’ve also discovered it offers lots of
take-away moments. This week as you sit down to watch television, put in a copy of The Fresh Prince of Bel Air and use each
episode to teach valuable life lessons.
In Who’s The Boss, Will becomes jealous and angry that his cousin, Carlton, got the job of boss in the Peacock Stop. Ask your
children how they would’ve felt if it were them in Will’s shoes. Ask your children how they could’ve handled their hurt, frustrations,
and anger better? Talk about what the Bible says about “coveting” what others have.
In Will Goes a-Courtin’, Will and Carlton have a disagreement with Phillips Banks (Carlton’s father). Instead of sitting down to
work out their frustrations and come to a compromise, Will and Carlton take Mr. Banks to court. During the court preceedings, we
discover that everyone has a warped perception of really happened and what brought them to court in the first place. Ask your children
how things could’ve been handled differently. Explain to your children that while this episode may seem outlandish, it really does
happen to everyday families and they aren’t so easily repaired. In fact, many stop talking to each other for generations. Provide
Biblical and ethical examples of how your children could handle things different and then role play.
In It’s Better To Have Loved And Lost It, Carlton—at the age of 18—loses his virginity to a woman who turns out to be separated
from her husband. This episode offers lots of take home moments including the importance of waiting for Mr. or Mrs. Right instead of
settling for the next best thing because you’re tired of waiting to have sex, the importance of finding out who the person is your
dating or planning to sleep with before things go too far and you can’t take them back, why you shouldn’t fool around with married
people, and so forth.
Order The Fresh Prince Of Bel Air today!
About The Author:
Alyice Edrich is the author of Tid-Bits For New Signing Agents.
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