Bel-Air Review: PA to LA (Season 1 Episode 5)

Bel-Air is finally beginning to establish some level of status quo for the series. It’s always been close, but after this week’s events, it’s much closer. 

On Bel-Air Season 1 Episode 5, “PA to LA,” Tray comes out to LA for a visit. This, of course, leads to some existential questions about whether Will will go back to Philly and why.

Tray visiting the Banks residence in Los Angeles is yet another borrowed story from The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, but mostly a necessary one. It’s necessary because, however flimsy the reason, Will needs to decide to stay in LA. 

Rashad being “dead” (not sure I’m buying that) destroys the premise that sends Will to Bel-Air in the first place. So in order for Will to stay for the long-term, there has to be a reason. According to “PA to LA,” that reason is…because he wants to stay.

There’s a lot to be said for wanting to take advantage of a fresh start, especially when you come from a neighborhood like Will’s. So there are certainly a lot of valid reasons that Will would want to stay in LA, despite pleas from Tray and his mom. He’s stumbled into a pretty good life. 

But the main issue with “PA to LA” is that none of that reads to the viewer. Will clearly avoids any mention by Tray of returning to Philly for most of the episode, and later Will explicitly says that he wants to stay. So “PA to LA” technically accomplishes the bare minimum.

Will’s decision doesn’t feel earned, though. Sure, he’s starting to fit in and is getting along better with his family, but all it took was learning the truth for Carlton to completely lose his mind again. It doesn’t fully make sense why Will would want to stay, other than because the show has already been renewed (or you know…mansion!). 

A more believable time for Will and Tray to have this happen might be at the end of the season, once Will has completed an arc of some kind. Instead, he’s still pretty close to the beginning of his time in LA, so the decision doesn’t land.

The saving grace for Bel-Air thus far has been the performances. Jabari Banks proves each week that he can carry his own show, both with talent and Fresh Prince style swagger. Viewers are made to feel his pain when Tray ends his trip early.

Each member of the Banks family gives a phenomenal performance, really. Their performances will keep people watching Bel-Air. That, coupled with their willingness to tackle issues facing the black community, make the show worth tuning into again.

A few stray thoughts:

• Don Cheadle plays Tray in the original series, and Stevonte Hart looks just like him. I will die on this hill.
• The new version of this story in Bel-Air has mainly been humorless, but Hilary’s dinner with her influencer friends is the funniest scene yet.
• My working theory is that this story with Tray happens in the middle instead of the end of the season because Rashad is actually alive and waiting for Will to come back to Philly.  Otherwise it’s too easy.
• Michael Ealy is in this episode, and he’s clearly going to cause some level of problems in Phil and Vivian’s relationship, right? He couldn’t be more obviously into Vivian.

What did you think of this episode of Bel-Air? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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New episodes of Bel-Air stream Thursdays on Peacock.

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