Bel-Air Season 2 Episode 3 Review: Compromise
Denis Kimathi
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Are one person's dreams and ambitions bigger than the common good?
Carlton and Will faced different dilemmas on how to be team players on Bel-Air Season 2 Episode 3.
Will made a half-assed excuse about why he kept going against the team while Carlton was confronted with two incompatible choices.
The constant self-centeredness displayed by Will was frustrating to the other team members. They all know he's good, and the problem is that he knows it too.
It is for the simple reason that they need him in the team that they haven't kicked him out of it. How long they will put up with it remains to be seen.
Carlton's chat with the BSU representative made some things clear to him. He was made aware of what he stood to lose by participating in the protest.
Carlton has big dreams and has charted a clear course on how to make them happen. His ultimate goal is to join Princeton on his merit and start his legacy. He has an advantage with his dad being from an Ivy League school, but he doesn't want to rely on him.
Advisor: Your name has come up in faculty discussions about the Founder's Award. President of the student body and the first Black student to win the school's highest honor. You'd love that, right?
Carlton: Yeah, of course, I would.
Advisor: Then shut this protest down.
Making it to an Ivy League school is no small feat, and he was well aware. Being awarded the Founder's award would go a long way toward helping achieve that.
Schools are not in the business of awarding students they deem "troublesome." Carlton knew the only way to get that award was to work hard and keep his head down, and it would happen. A protest was not the way to go.
Will clocked the hesitation and was ready to jump in to give his cousin some encouragement. And while it is great that Will is there for Carlton, he might be doing slight damage.
Carlton is a less self-aware person.
He succumbs quickly to outside pressure. He is easily suggestible and goes out of his way to accommodate someone, especially when he wants to impress them. He and Will are in a good place right now, and he doesn't want that to end.
See how he quickly returned to BSU because of the girl he likes?
Uncle Phil talked to Will and had him look out for Colton since he was weaning off anti-depressants.
Well, you know, usually, we respect his privacy when it comes to this kind of thing, but, um, Carlton started weaning off the medication, and we just wanted you to keep an eye on him. Let us know if you see anything off.
Phillip
That seemed like a line was crossed there.
Mental health is a very fragile issue. People with some mental illnesses don't appreciate being talked about behind their backs. It makes them feel abnormal, which can be even more detrimental to their mental state.
Slowly, Will and Carlton had been slipping into their former dynamic, where Will sucked all the air out of the room. When Carlton tries to do something by himself, Will swoops in and usurps everything.
Protests are powerful since people can't ignore the noise being made. The school demanding they don't use any graphic material was a calculated effort to have the protest go unnoticed.
If they had followed those demands, it would have been an exercise in futility.
Protests are supposed to fuck with authority, Carlton. If they're okay with doing what you're doing, then you're doing it wrong.
Will
I have experienced first-hand how effective a well-planned protest, walkout, or go slow can be. They force both parties or the stubborn party to negotiate or take action, which is hard to achieve through dialogue.
It is usually the last option.
If it doesn't happen, though, it can feel destructive. It takes a lot of courage for someone to participate in any radical behavior or act. When there are no tangible results, it is wrecking.
Will did what needed to be done by hanging that banner, and while Carlton might have felt like this was an affront to him, it got the message out loud and clear.
That look on his face when Will displayed the Black Teachers Matter banner spells trouble for their fragile relationship.
Things continued to deteriorate in Hilary's content house when Ivy didn't want to be part of a promotional campaign.
It was hard for Hilary not to take it personally, considering how much she had worked to secure that endorsement. Hilary has always been on the receiving end of most people in her life. It is a wonder where she finds the energy to soldier on.
Hilary: We need to talk about the Simply Spiked collab. I already told them I'd call them by the end of the day, and I really do not want to lose this opportunity.
Ivy: Yeah, uh, about that, didn't we agree that H2Ivy would be the official drink of the house?
Hilary: Agree? No one agreed to anything. There was no agreeing. You didn't even ask me.
Maybe this will be the final straw that breaks the camel's back, and she can cut ties with Ivy because she is being fu**ed over.
Suspicions about Geoffery were confirmed when he snooped on Phillip's computer.
It was unclear what he was looking for, but if there is dirt to find on people nowadays, their personal computers and cell phones are the first places to look.
I'm sticking with the theory that he and Will's father are still in touch, and they are planning something.
What was he looking for? Has he truly gotten over his feelings, or is he pretending?
"Compromise" was another great episode that upped the stakes, especially the dynamic between Will and Carlton.
Going forward, some stories would be interesting to explore, especially concerning Phillip.
After abandoning his political aspirations and finding out he was unwelcome in his former law firm, what are his next steps?
Vivian decided to take matters into her own hands concerning her art career, and we would love to see how that is going.
What did you think of it?
We always love reading your thoughts, so don't hesitate to comment.
Denis Kimathi was a staff writer for TV Fanatic. He has watched more dramas and comedies than he cares to remember. Catch him on social media obsessing over [excellent] past, current, and upcoming shows or going off about the politics of representation on TV. Follow him on X.
