The Best Man: The Final Chapters Review: Aging Like Fine Wine?
The Best Man: The Final Chapters takes Harper, Jordan, Lance, Quentin, Shelby, Robin, Candace, and Julian on an emotional, fun wild ride. Some of their journeys show positive growth for the characters, and other decisions seem like regressions.
The series gives fans a lot more time to see all the nuances of these characters. If you’re a fan of The Best Man and its sequel The Best Man Holiday, then you’re likely going into the show with high expectations.
It meets some of them.
For one, it may at times be even funnier than the movies. Additionally, none of the characters’ actions feel untrue to them. However, as with real life, sometimes spending more time with someone can make their flaws a lot more apparent.
By the end of The Best Man: The Final Chapters some characters become quite unlikeable. However, this makes them feel more human.
People suck sometimes.
The trick is to find ways to redeem them by the end of the show. It works for some characters. However, a few characters may have been better with limited exposure.
As said, these particular characters don’t do anything that doesn’t fit with their movie personas, but having too much time with them shows why he or she may have never truly been the best man or woman.
The Best Man: The Final Chapters is not afraid to add complexity to its existing characters. It’s not afraid to make them unlikeable.
It’s a respectable decision that feels authentic and real.
But it also makes characters that may have been one-dimensional, unlikeable, or just dull, come to life in this Peacock original. Characters such as Quentin, Shelby, Robin, and Julian finally feel alive, flaws and all.
Shelby and Quentin are very much the MVPs of this series. They’re both comedy reliefs at times, and at other times, they are the most stable people among their friends, surprisingly.
Robin has often been seen simply as Harper’s wife, but she is a much more dynamic character in this show than she has been in either of the films. Julian is Julian but he’s a very fun version of himself in the first half of The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
The characters in the Best Man franchise have always been its strength. This is still the case with The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
Each character goes through a series of character arcs. Some work and others feel melodramatic just to add as much drama as possible. The series also makes some predictable choices that end up working.
For example, a big question presents itself at the end of The Best Man Holiday. It reaches a resolution by the end of The Best Man: The Final Chapters Season 1 Episode 2, “The Wedding.”
Many can probably predict the outcome, but it’s still one of the show’s smartest decisions. It also includes a delightful twist that provides some fun content later in the season.
There is also an unpredictable storyline with one of the children and their parents that also works very well.
The show has so many storylines and arcs. Honestly, a few seem like one storyline or arc too much, especially for an eight-episode limited series.
However, a coming-out storyline, topics on aging, lifting up the Black community, race topics, and marriage problems are some of the strongest storylines of The Best Man: The Final Chapters.
A hoarding storyline, unretiring, boxing dreams, Karens, and new love interests are among the weaker storylines in this Peacock show. They just feel a bit unnecessary and don’t have the emotional or entertainment impact that they aim for.
Overall, The Best Man: The Final Chapters works because it stays true to the characters. It also makes far more smart decisions than some of the shaky ones.
It’s a show that fans of the original films should enjoy. It feels like a reunion with old friends. Messy at times but usually a fun time.
Stray Thoughts
- The show has plenty of fun cameos.
- Mia may appear in a flashback or two.
- The children of the main character are interesting enough that if the creative team wants to do a next-generation spin-off series, it could be entertaining.
- Harper deserves all the smoke.
- The Will Smith reference is kind of a golden moment in the show.
- The use of “Neither One of Us” by Gladys Knight is one of the perfect TV music moments.
What did you think of The Best Man: The Final Chapters? Share your thoughts in the comments below!
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The Best Man: The Final Chapters is currently streaming on Peacock.
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Jerrica Tisdale
Jerrica Tisdale is your favorite neighborhood pop culture junkie. She will annoy you with random TV and film facts, while complaining about whatever is the hottest new book. She has been a TV fan all her life but writing about it for over a decade. You may find her work all over the internet especially reality TV rants. She is a senior writer at Tell-Tale TV.
11 comments
Love it,thank you for show the new generation they can be non-binary.
No Harper doesnt deserve all that smokr alone without Robin sharing some of that.She knew who Harper was when she was pining for marriage.She opted in, then harbors resentment toward him throughout the marriage. Because she also had a 1000 dreams he should bury his and be her muse only? She could have found a space within America to be BLACK,but chose to drag her child away from her dad to find herself. That is until she gets over THAT to persue another whim.But then again lets honor her with a parade for putting herself first while vilifying Harper for doing the same.He never discouraged her from persuing own dreams, even as frequently as they changed. But hell that’s not the modern narrative we’re aiming to shove down everyone’s throat.She says eff you,he says it back and the women lose their minds, typical. Snatch the child from daddys life then when she has daddy issues conveniently bash him for not ” being there” but omitt the fact that your own desires took precedence over the childs needs. There is pĺenty of blame for that marrige blowing up and it aint ALL Harper.pfft
I totally agree on all points and could not have said it better.
I totally agree as well
I concur 100 percent!
I absolutely agree!! They both had issues but Robin was annoying as hell every since the second movie and she got worse here. I’m glad they got a divorce because they just didn’t belong together, two totally different paths/wavelengths. Moving all the way to Ghana to be authentically Black? Robin was too much.
I mostly loved the series, especially loved the scenes with Quentin and Shelby, but I genuinely disliked Robin at the end. She complained that Harper was always reaching for something better, but would she rather he just settled? He provided her with a damn nice lifestyle to chase whatever she wanted whenever she wanted and she still bitched. And then she decides to take their child to Ghana? WTF? She is the most selfish, self centered woman in the series and I couldn’t stand her.
EXACTLY!!!
I totally agree as well
I just finished binge watching all 8 episodes and I loved it!! Would watch again. Well written script , actors were all on their A game. Good Final Chapter to the Best Man movies!
I loved it. It touched on a lot of things people are dealing with today. The aging parent as well as aging yourself. The children, anxiety, sexuality, social media. Mid life crisis, trying to find yourself. Trying to prove yourself. Marriage, relationships, the one that got away, moving on. I loved it all. Loved Shelby and Quintin and the love they have. The cast was superb. It was a great walk down memory lane and moving into the future with the characters we loved. I want more.
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