BONUS: Catching Up On Season 2 of Bel Air

Published Mar 24, 2023, 7:00 AM

The Therapy for Black Girls Podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia, about all things mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves.

A heads up that this episode does contain spoilers for Season 2 of Peacock’s Bel-Air. 

This week I’m joined again by TBG podcast producer, Ellice Ellis to talk all things Bel-Air Season 2. In our conversation we discussed Will finding a new sense of independence, the continuous complexity of Cartlon and Will’s dynamic, Hillary and Jazz and their growing relationship, and Uncle Phil and Jeffery and their continued bromance fueled drama.

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Our Production Team

Executive Producers: Dennison Bradford & Maya Cole Howard

Producers: Fredia Lucas, Ellice Ellis & Cindy Okereke

Welcome to the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast, a weekly conversation about mental health, personal development, and all the small decisions we can make to become the best possible versions of ourselves. I'm your host, Doctor Joy Harden Bradford, a licensed psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. For more information or to find a therapist in your area, visit our website at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. While I hope you love listening to and learning from the podcast, it is not meant to be a substitute for a relationship with a licensed mental health professional. Hey, y'all, thanks so much for joining me for a special bonus episode of the Therapy for Black Girls Podcast. We'll get right into our conversation after a word from our sponsors. Before we get into it, please note that this episode does include spoilers for season two of Peacock's Belair, so if you haven't had the opportunity to watch, please put this episode on pause and come back once you've had a chance to enjoy the series. This week, I'm enjoined again by TPG podcast producer Elise Ellis to talk all things Belair season two and our conversation. Elise and I discuss Will finding a new sense of independence, the continuous complexity of Carlton and Will's dynamic, Hilary and Jazz and their growing relationship, Uncle Phil and Jeffrey and their continued romance fuel drama, and of course, the aspects of the season thus far that have had us delighted, concerned, and are rolling our eyes to the back of our heads. If something resonates with you while enjoying our conversation, please share with us on social media using the hashtag TVG in session, or join us over in the Sister Circle to talk more in depth about the episode. You can join us at community that Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. Here's our conversation. So we are back with another conversation about one of our new favorite shows here on the podcast bel Air. So we were fortunate enough to talk to Carla Banks Waddles a little while ago and have been very excited to see how season two is unfolding. So as we get started today elist So usually we have our full producer panel here today, but Elise and I are hanging out solo today, so before we get started, at least I do want to hear what have you been most excited to see in season two as an expansion from season one. So I think I'm the most excited to see how they will develop Ashley as a character, because it seems like she's a lot more timid, a less I guess social, and so I'm just excited to see where they take her storyline because in the first season we definitely got to see who she is. She cares a lot about like social issues, She's queer, and so I'm happy to see them develop that, but especially in a younger character. And then, of course, Jazz and Hillary's relationship was one of my favorite in season one, so I'm definitely excited to see where they take that. And then Aunt Viv's art career that is a complete departure from the original Fresh Print, and I think we got a pretty interesting storyline just with her applying for this residency and seeing how Uncle Phil responds to her newfound career independence, and so I'm excited to see it how we see her girl as an artist in season two as well. Yeah, I think I am very excited to see how that storyline will continue to develop with on Viv. But I have noticed that we haven't seen Michael Eally's character yet this season, and so they've made references to him like, oh, him being in his office or he's away at a meeting, but we haven't seen him, so I'm not sure if working on another project right now see him like later in the season, but it does seem like we have a stalled a little bit in that storyline just because we haven't actually seen him. So I'm definitely looking forward to seeing kind of but we know when he comes back the action will pick up for sure. I'm definitely interested in seeing that. And also the storyline with Will and how you know, his basketball career continues to shape up. So they've introduced this new character, Doc, who is like a it seems like, I guess an Aau kind of coach and you know, kind of helps develop players. But it seems like there's like something lurking there, Like it seems like he's trying to get over on Will in the Bank's family in some way. And I know we'll talk about that later, but I'm definitely interested to see where that goes. Yeah, I think well, compared to the original, Fresh Print is taking basketball a lot more seriously, and so in these first couple episodes, we've seen him kind of grow as a basketball player and then as someone who's kind of taking the reins of his own career. And so he definitely, I don't want to say sidesteps, but we see like Aunt Viv kind of sidestepping Uncle Phil and talking to talk about Will playing for the au basketball team. And then we also just see Will becoming more of a I would say, maybe a star on his basketball team at school, but I'm not a leader, but I do think in several areas of life he's stepping up. So in the first couple of episodes, him, Carlton, and like the Black Student Union are planning a walkout, and we see him like play a really large role in that. We see him take charge of his own career, and as he starts to rebuild his relationship with Uncle Phil, I'm curious to see how Will having his own dependence might have some tension with Uncle Phil being his guardian. Yeah, I definitely feel like we can already see that kind of bubbling under the service, right, And so at the end of the first season, we were kind of left on a cliffhanger because Will had moved out because you know, he found out that they were kind of keeping all this information about his day from him, and he was really angry about that. And so we come back this season and we see that he is living with Jazz, right, and so you know, he is kind of living this more independent lifestyle, right, like he's kind of living with the roommate. He's just crashing on the couch. But in that first episode or was it the second and I can't quite remember, we do see that they make up, right, So Ashley really wants him to be at her birthday party. He comes to the birthday party, they have a chance to talk and on Viv and Uncle Phil, and he decides to come back home. And so since then, we do I think now that Doc is in the pictures, see a little bit of tension rising. But we do see that Will has really become more independent, and I think thinking through more of Okay, what does this look like for me, like after high school and like when I finally leave this house and what other ways do you feel like we've seen him maybe become more independent this season? Well, I even think about how he is exploring more of La. So it seems like season one everything was really set in bel Air and now he's in South central LA. He's at Venice basketball tournaments. I think he's taking control of his own experience in the city, especially considering that bel Air socially might not be like the best fit for him, and so we see him kind of connecting with people outside of that, which is really cool. And I think it's very different from what we got in the original Fresh Print. A lot of it was set in bel Air, or we saw how Will experience the city through the Banks's social experience and their wealthy black people who live in bel Air. So that was I don't want to say limiting, but it wasn't really until Will got to college that we saw him like moving and shaking with quote unquote like regular La people. But now we kind of see him all over the city. I'm decided to see how they show La in that way. I love that they how they did that on Insecure, so I hope they kind of do that on bel Air as well, kind of like making the city like an additional charage, right, so you see all these different yea places to eat and where people spending their time and that kind of thing. So I know, something that we talked about a lot when we've had these conversations in the past. Is the relationship between Will and Carlton, right, And so we know in the original Fresh Prince there is this, you know, kind of sibling rivalry kind of thing with Will and Carlton, and I think that that was even more pronounced here in this reboot of bel Air. And at the end of last season it kind of seemed like they got to a good place, you know, like they were supportive of one another. It seems like they kind of had an understanding of one another. And I think as we begin this season, they're also in a good place, but it does seem like there is some tension now brewing following like the protest and like the involvement with the Black Student Union. So you know, Will has more of this like North Philly kind of sensibility, like you know, we gotta fight for our rights and that kind of thing, whereas Carlton is more well, it sounds like he was kind of going down that path until like the assistant principle or whatever role I forget the administrator plays got into his head and said, hey, you know, like this could kind of mess with your college chances, you know, do you want these awards like trying to kind of lure him into like, Okay, let's try to play this safe. And it seems like now there is some tension brewing between them after Will kind of stood up on the roof at the protest, because Carlton makes comments around like, oh, you were just doing that for yourself, So what are you thinking about the way that we see kind of Carlton and Will's relationship kind of progressing this season. I think the matter of fact is that Will is a lot more outspoken, a bit more confident in than Carlton, but especially considering that he's in a new environment, I think it's very threatening to Carlton to kind of see Will fry in sport socially with Carlton's ax while Carlton unfortunately suffers from anxiety, and so I think that tension is really difficult for him. And it seems like even in these first four episodes their relationship is ebbing and flowing, because there's a moment where Carlton asked Will not to tell his parents about the panic attack that he has or the anxiety attack that he has at the protest, but he also it seems like there's some resentment that how we'll act at the protests in general, and so it seems like we're gonna see Carlton battling between like is Will my friend and my cousin? Who I can trust? Or is he a threat to the status quo and who I am at bel air socially, And we even see how easily the Black Student Union responds to Will, how they like his ideas, and how the first meeting they did not like Carlton. They're like, you never come here, and they felt like he was using them. And so I think as we see Carlton try to I would say he readjust himself socially, like he says his cross team doesn't like him. I think we'll start to see whether or not he'll use Will to his advantage and see him as like a partner or someone who can move around with socially, or he'll continue to see him as a threat and as someone he has to kind of beat or like elevate in front of. I think it's really interesting because Carlton has kind of like grown up in this life. Right. These are probably kids he's going to school with. Most of his life have been in organizations with he's played lacrosse with in different kinds of things, but in was it episode three or four? I think it may have been three when he gets into the fight at the bowling Alley and he says, you know, like I have anxiety because I'm trying to like fit into this like bel Air bubble. And I found that interesting juxtaposed to Will saying something like that after he got suspended and saying like, oh, you know, nobody here really likes me, or like I don't quite fit in. And then he walks into the hall and like the entire Black student union is cheering for him, and so it does feel like there is like fuel on the fire that now you know, Carlton has worked so hard to try to fit in with these people who's grown up with, and here is Will who comes in and easily like people love him in his ideas. But I wonder what it is that makes Carlton feel so on the outside of this community that really he has grown up in. It's interesting because in these first couple episodes, I think what I've learned is that Carlton has never been quote unquote like in with the black kids of bel Air, like maybe Lisa and a few friends here are there, but it seems like he's always tried to fit in with the white kids at his school, and so now I think that he sees how Will is navigating the black community after school. He's trying to navigate it like that, and I think that is what's also overwhelming him. It's like, Oh, I'm black, I should fit in here, but I feel like I don't because I haven't really gotten to know these people and know this social environment. So that really does seem interesting as well. And then I think even I'm thinking back to season one, the scene where Will gets into it with a white guy for saying the inn word, like they're in the locker room, and it seems like Carlton he was very complacent in that situation. I think what's maybe very triggering for him is understanding that he can no longer take that position or have that place, and like Will is forcing him out of that complacency, and so I think that's a struggle for him to navigate. And it's very hard understanding that I've been so almost like domicile in this like white environment and not called out things that bother me. Now someone here is like pointing out how all these things are not okay, and they're naturally more outspoken. I feel the pressure to be the same way, but that's maybe not who Carlton is now, and that's who he's trying to become, but it's not who he's comfortable. So we see Lisa continue to be really good friends to both Will and Carlton right, Like, to me, it feels like there is more chemistry Will, but there's still a very like ease and like comfort when we see her talking to Carlton. How are you thinking we are going to see Lisa play out with either of them? Or do you think we're going in season or episode three and four, we kind of see that she's kind of it seems like casually dating Drew right, But it does see feel like there's some chemistry and energy with both Will and Carlton. What do you think we might see with in terms of her character this season, Oh, Lisa. Lisa was a really interesting character in season one because I think she was one of the elements of the show that really brought out the tension between Will and Carlton. And now that she has a new love interest, Will has a love interest that will get too later and then Carlton also has one. Two. I think that we'll see them working together Morris friends. Instead of there being kind of that romantic undertone, it seems like they're all past it. Really, yeah, all parties, I think. So it definitely does not feel like Will is pasted. Oh really, I have been reading like this and I can't quite tell if it is, like because it seems like it's most pronounced when like Drew is lurking in the background. Right, So then there's still this like, oh, like you you are kind of dating her now, but like I was with her first kind of thing. It does seem like there is something there to me with Will and Lisa. See now that you say that, I also feel like it still feels like he's there with Carlton too, because I think if Carlton hadn't dated Lisa, the Drew situation would have been less pressure. Maybe he wouldn't have gotten beat up, but that seems like the extra player to it. I think we'll definitely see Lisa be a good friend to both Will and Carlton as they just maneuver Will like basketball things, living in bel Air, Carlton his anxiety because she knows them. Will right when he got to belle Air and Carlton for a long time. I don't really we don't really know how long, but I think that could definitely be a point of tension, like navigating a friendship with people who you were romantically linked to before. Very good point. More from our conversation after the break, so you know, it talks about the protests where we haven't really talked about why the protests happened. So going back to your earlier comments around Ashley, we see these protests happen because a black teacher who is played by the og Tatiana Ali, so the original Ashley. I kind of love that they brought her back in this way. So she's a teacher at bel Air Middle School, I guess, And so she's encouraging Ashley to like read all these books six span her mind and like having a conversations about social justice kinds of issues in the classroom. And we see like a white student telling the administration about the fact that she's like introducing these conversations, and so, yeah, I think it's interesting that they have brought in is kind of book band crt looking at the curriculum that we see in the news right now and kind of brought it to bell Air. And I wonder if that was always the plan, right, because it feels like we have been kind of having these conversations at least for a year or so. But I wonder if it was in time for bell Air to have like included this from the writing room. Well, what are your thoughts about like this kind of storyline playing out. I like the storyline. I think it's really clever, especially because it involves Ashley and not the older children. So and why I say that is because I think from my own experience, like my teachers at that age, it seems like actually's like in middle school were really foundational, especially like some of the books I was recommended, whether I write them in class or outside of class. And so actually it's so important to her to have like a relationship with the teacher or a relationship with any adult kind of like outside of the home who's not her parents. And I think a lot of those relationships are really foundational, like our coaches, our girl Scout leaders, our teachers. And so it's sad that she seems like really crushed when the teacher gets fired, because we know Ashley she really cares about these issues. She seems like an avid reader, and so I thought that was really interesting from that standpoint, just seeing how even in you know, those moments where we saw Tatiana Ali and Ashley was like five seconds, ten seconds, but to see how much of an impact she had on her and then to see kind of the consequence of her leaving, I thought that was really cool. So they showed the importance of it from like Ashley's character development, but then also kind of the larger social issue. And so that's why I really appreciate that storyline. I know it can get really tricky when you're incorporating themes and plots that are like happening in the real world, how to do it authentically, and so I think it was done in a very authentic way. And then on the other hand, why like the storyline is I think it gave Will the edge and anks that he has been looking for, like the expression because he can and we see it like when he played his basketball, he plays harder than everyone else on the team. He has like I would say, like a little more his as he's like rougher than the other his other teammates. And I think, you know, although this wasn't like a physical thing, the protests allow him to express himself in a way that I didn't think we saw Will do previously, or we may see it like in how What He Wears, And I think what he did at the fraternity cookout that was in season one, and so Will being able to like speak out, I think it is always instrumental to his character in the old in the Fresh Prince, and in this new in the reboot, and so I really like that we kind of got to see Will in his element, but in a new situation, and so I'm excited to see just in the future how this storyline plays out, but also continue to see how they highlight the racial dynamics of Will being black and being in a and Carlton being black and being in the air and what that means outside of a more like miniscule scene like Carlton's teammates saying the N word. I think this was a really big kind of institutional thing that was important to talk about, and they did it in a way that felt very authentic and then allowed us to see character development from all sides. Yeah. I also really love that they brought in the element of some of the older students having been taught by the middle school teacher, right, so we see Yeah, the high school is getting ready for the protests at Will's parents or Vivian uncle Field's house, and they talk about like how important this teacher had been to them and this is why they feel like it's important. So I appreciated them bringing in that element as well. We talked a little bit about what's happening with Will's basketball career so this season. Early on in the first couple of episodes, we see, you know, continuing tension with the coach and tension between Will and his teammates because Will is kind of like a win at any cost kind of a player, it seems like. And no, it doesn't always like take the team into consideration, right, So he's supposed to be passing he's not. So we see the introduction of this character Doc, who is the AAU coach. Seems like he is scouting like the local pickup games, and you know he's around. But also I think has allure in the community of being somebody who can shepherd players into like maybe the NBA or really help them take their career to the next league. So what are your thoughts about the introduction of this character and what we might see with him as this season unfolds. I think from the jump I thought he was a little shady, because well I thought he was shady, and then immediately thought, this is maybe not the best person for Will to like look up to or be kind of vying for that external validation, because it seemed like Will was just doing a lot to get Doc to like him, and so not playing the game for himself, but playing a game so like he could get in docs good graces, and he didn't even know that he had a whole au team or anything like that. It was just like, I know, this guy's a basketball scout, like I want him to know me, which is a great goal, but I think it was a red flag, like no, like, oh, I want to meet your parents and all like, yes, Will is older and has autonomy over what he wants to do, but I think want any like guardian or adult who is going straight to you and not talking about your external support. I was like, Okay, this is a red flag. But I also think why, Like the storyline is that it forces Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv to really understand like what Will wants to do in the future, what his goals are, things like that, and I think we start to see that play out. Will is very knowledgeable about like what he wants in the future and like how he can maneuver his situation to get it. And so I, like we said earlier, appreciate it for us being able to see how Will is just growing as a young man. It's interesting because we just talked about kind of real world storylines and we know, like now at college collegiate athletes can make money off their own name, and there's like in il deals and things like that, and so I think this Doc's involvement kind of touches on all of that. And I love how we see Uncle Phil advocate for Will get his contract right. Doc is not making as much money as he could off of Will, and I think that's also like a very important touch point and another part where I mean, we know later on that Doc and Will's new love interest they're related, but they also might not have the best intentions. And so I think with the introduction of Doc, we could see another father figure that Will might be looking for now that the truth is out about his father, and we don't really know if he's settled into that or if he's still looking for something externally because of that, But that's what it seems like he's doing. But then we also see how Will needs to kind of lean on Uncle Phil's support, which is something he might have a hard time given what happened in season one. I agree with you, like it definitely seemed like shady circumstances. When Doc is introduced as a character, and in one of those early episodes where you know, we first see him, he I forget who he was talking to. I don't know if it was Jackie or if it was someone else, but like you see him pull a newspaper clipping about Uncle Phil. Yeah, right, And so it seems like, okay, like what is this about, Like it doesn't seem like it is just about his ability to like even make money off of Will. It seems like it is something like involving the family, Like is there going to be like a kidnapping or like, in what ways is he planning to like extort the bank's family. It seems like very much there's a plot with him and Jackie to kind of like, you know, lure Will into this web of who knows what? We just don't know what it is, right, And I guess we have officially talked about who Jackie is so for people who may be confused or need a refresher. She is a girl that Will meets at kind of like an outside pickup basketball game, and he obviously likes her. They're flirting, she invites him out, shows him her side of La and it seems like there's definitely gonna be a thing between them. But Will knows that she's related to Doc and we know it too, But what he doesn't know is that they're kind of like in cahoots. Part of her I guess goals with hang out with Will is like to get him to sign with Doc, which we find out at the end of episode four. And so I'm sad because I don't know. I don't want Will to get his heart broken or like his basketball dreams crushed anything like that. But I think it's really cool for people who didn't know, Like Jackie's character was the character that Tyra Banks played on the original Fresh Friend, So I think it's cool to see how they brought her back in like a different way. I didn't even put that together into we were talking about this episode and I'll be like, oh my gosh, that's right. Yeah, So it is interesting that they you know, she's a very different because in the Fresh Prince of bel Air, like Jackie is a college she works in the bookstore in college, right, and so she meets Will much later in life. But they've introduced this character now, so it be interesting to see like how much we see of her. But you're right, like they have this kind of like flirty tension and he finds out at the club that she's actually related to Doc. So the first couple of times they talk, he didn't even know that there was any connection between her and Doc, and then he finds out at the club that she's related to Doc. But it definitely seems like a recipe for like a heartbreak, which I you know, I'm wondering as we go back to or at least thinking about, like, Okay, could this be like a second chance for him and Lisa, because we definitely know, we definitely know this is going to come to a head. You know, I don't know if if it's this season we'll see that, but exciting they have announced that they've been picked up for a season three, so we will get a season three, So I don't know if we're going to see it this season or next season. Like when he finds out the truth about who Jackie is and what's going on with Doc. Yeah. So the other thing that we have not talked about that I feel like it's kind of huge is that we see Jeffrey is back this season, So very excited to see him back on our screens. But it does seem like there is some weird tension. It feels like it's a word we keep using a lot. So there's a lot of tension this season between lots of characters, but there is this tension between he and Uncle Phil even though he's back. So what do you think is going on? Because we also see him like snooping in Uncle Phil's like on his computer, and it's like, what's happening here? The bottom line is that they don't trust each other and they're trying to act like they trust each other. We see Uncle Phil asked Jeffrey to like, well, Jeffrey's been snooping and he knows that something's going on at Uncle Phil's wall firm, and they were talking about it. It's very open, but I think for both of them it was like a test. It was a test for Jeffrey to see if Uncle Phil would tell him and use him as a resource. Which he did, and then a test for Uncle Phil to see if Jeffrey found anything else out he would tell him directly. And so I think that's very characteristic of what happened with the Will situation. They weren't communicating openly with each other, and they had set boundaries, and both of them, I guests like crossed the boundaries or like they expressed like, oh, I think you should do this, you should do that, and they were both like no. And so I'm very curious as to what the climax is gonna be in this new relationship between them, Like when is it going to be exposed that they don't trust each other? And like how are they going to move through that? I think, just knowing who this new Jeffrey is, he's probably not gonna get caught snooping or anything like that. I think it's gonna be on Uncle Phil, who we kind of see right now is not trusting his law firm, and so it's gonna have to lean on Jeffrey's for support. I hope we see them more honest and more candid with each other because of that. But yeah, I think it's just very interesting. But to me, it makes sense Jeffrey went behind Uncle Phil's back, and so having him back in the house, even though it was something so small, he's trusted him for so long and will shook that up. And so I think Uncle Phil almost feels threatened, and I think Jeffrey understands that, and it's trying to maybe like get ahead of anything he can find out for Uncle Phil. Or I'll stay in the know because Uncle Phil might not be telling him what's up. So yeah, so I think it makes sense why Uncle Pheel would still be kind of distrustful of a mistrustful of Jeffrey. I don't know that I know what Jeffrey was looking for on the computer, though it seems like he's thinking, don't find something, And I'm wondering what is his lack of trust about. I'm not sure. It seems like both of them repeatedly kind of mentioned Jeffrey's relationship with his own children, and so I know that's like a small tension point that continues to come up. But I think what Jeffrey doesn't trust Uncle Phil about is that, given that trust is broken overall, is he gonna tell me everything I need to know to do my job? Is our relationship with the same okay, And so yeah, I guess he's trying to get back that trust or get back that intimacy in the relationship by snooping. Interesting, you know, so you brought up the law firm, and I don't think that unless I forgot, I don't know that I really understood like what's happening at his law firm. So he clearly had stepped away, and had he only stepped away to kind of run for da and he had been in the firm before. But it seems like there's like some you know, like his partner is kind of going behind his back. And but we don't ever see Uncle Phil at the firm, So what exactly is there one this season and we saw him there once, and so it seems like at the firm they're struggling financially. Uncle Phil kind of brought in the most clients. He was the big fish, the big shark there, and since he entered, like the election cycle, the election process, a lot of those clients and the attraction to the firm kind of wavered. And so now his partner, who looks like does more like business development things like that, is looking to get bought out, to get acquired or to partner with another law firm, and so Uncle Phil, I guess there's a little shocked by that, and the guy says, well, you weren't here, and like this is what, you know, my contribution to the businesses and we can pair up and try to get the situation right. But we're in a bad situation, and so I'm curious to see how Uncle Phil will handle that. But yeah, it doesn't seem like they've given that storyline some real weight given we only aren't episode four. So I hope that we do see more of that. But what are you like excited to see from Uncle because I feel like there's a lot of dynamics going on with him between this season and last season, So I'm curious, like what you're most excited to see from that character. So I am really curious like you to see if we get more like meet around what's happening at the firm, because what it feels like is there is this dynamic setup between Uncle Phil and multiple people in his life where they feel like they have to go around him, right. So we saw this with on vill who went to talk to Doc instead of like having a conversation with Phil about like, okay, Ken will start working with this guy, and then here in the law firm situation, we see his partner like go behind his back and take these meetings. And so to me, it feels like he has some kind of dynamic with multiple people in his life where people don't feel like they can go to him to like problem solve, and so I would like to know more about what's going on there, Like why didn't the partner feel like he could talk to him and say, hey, we're in trouble and let's work together to like come up with a solution. So I think that, yeah, very about that. And then on Viv's side, like why didn't you think you could really talk to him about Will joining the AU team or like why did you feel like you had to go alone? And so I think it's gonna have Uncle Phil reflecting on some of his habits and behaviors that make people feel like they can't come to him, because I'm also curious and we haven't talked about this. Hillary is running her own business or working with Ivy on the Influencer House, and it does seem like she could come to Uncle Phil for a lot of her questions and a lot of the decisions that she's making. We haven't seen that much, but I'm curious if their relationship will grow in that way. Because he runs his own business, Hillary's dealing with influencers. She's always talking about contracts and things like that. So I hope there's some synergy there and it'll be a good switch up from what we got in the Fresh Prince of bel Air, where the og Uncle Phil was like really hard on Hillary, like get a job, do something serious, and this Hillary is doing that until I want to see how she'll use Uncle Phil to her benefit. More from my conversation after the break, so while we're talking about Hillary, it does seem like so it feels like in certain situations we see her like very assertive and like in a take charge kind of situation. But it does feel like in this relationship with Ivy there is some kind of like holding back and like not wanting to talk to her about like what's happening with the business or that she needs her to do certain things. What are your thoughts about like the dynamic we see between Ivy and Hillary. I think with Ivy and Hillary, Hillary does not understand like financially, Ivy has the upper hand, and so she can't lose out in that situation because technically, like Ivy could fire her from We're Hands the Influencer House. And so it seems like Hillary is in a position where she knows business wise that like her ideas are the best, but she doesn't have the upper hand. And it also just seems like Ivy doesn't listen to her and that Ivy's more focused on growing her brand why Hillary is focused on having everyone level up together. The other thing that we see, we talked about this a little bit with Hillary this year or this season, is that the relationship with her and Jazz has become more formal now. So they were kind of like sneaking around at the end of the the last season, and this season we see she introduces him as her boyfriend, he meets the parents, she meets his parents, but this only happens after Ivy kind of like is making a play for Jazz, Right, So, what do you think we're going to see with Hillary and Jazz's relationship and what do you what are your thoughts about what we've seen so far in terms of the meeting the parents and stuff. So it was interesting because I first Hillary introduced Jazz reintroduced Jazz her parents as her boyfriend, and they you could tell like they weren't upset or anything, but there was something going on. And so then for it later to be revealed that Aunt Viva was just like, no, he's not like other guys that you've dated. I think that's really interesting, and i think them being linked romantically might bring out a lot of themes about it, just like class in general, because it did seem like that's what she was hinting at a bit. And then on the other hand, we Hillary meets Jazz's parents and we learned that he's Muslim, and Hillary wears a his job and she's like quoting the Koran and things like that, and so I think it's interesting seeing Hillary constantly shift herself in different situations to fit other people's expectations. I think she did that in the original Influencer House, and she kind of did that with Jazz's parents, And so I'm excited to see one Hiller and Jazz like their relationship. Girl, I really like them together. But also how she'll stay like authentic to herself when like trying to get something from someone. It seems like she went through that with her parents not in season one, but they kind of alluded to that, like she was doing all of these different things like please her parents instead of what she actually wanted to do, and so it seemed like she did the same thing with Jazz's parents, like I'm addressed like this and know all of this to impress you guys, but not show up as myself. And so it seems like she's battling that in her relationship with Ivy, like I'm gonna take Jazz's car because I know I really wants it, and I'm gonna let her drive. But that's not really what I wanted to do, and that's not what I thought was best for the situation. And so I think we're gonna see it a lot in both of their relationships. But I am very curious to how it'll also affect like Will, because I know it can be super weird and like your family member is like dating a friend, And if something bad happens between Jazz and Hillary, how will kind of well be wrapped up into that. I hadn't even thought of that, but you're right, I mean, you know, if it goes left, we see that their friendship has gotten even closer because he stayed with him while he wasn't in the house, right, So that's a good point. We'll definitely keep our eyes open for that. But I you know, a part of what I really love about Hillary and Jazz's relationship is that I think he really helps her to be her authentic self. Right, So he tells her like, my parents would have loved you even if you didn't do all of that, Like why did you feel the need to do that? And so it really seems like he helps her to like stay grounded and be true to herself. But you're right, like she does switch up in all of the different situations, and like she shows up as who she thinks other people want her to be as opposed to just who she is. And originally, you know, when she came to the dinner with his parents, I thought, Okay, well, she's like, you know, wearing a hee job, maybe as a respectful kind of thing, and so initially it kind of seemed like it was okay. But then when she started like doing all these like Qoran facts and like he said, like you like a Muslim Wikipedia page or something like that, right, Yeah, then I was like, Okay, she's really going too far now, So I do hope that we will continue to see her like refine her voice as this season progresses in into season three. Do you think this relationship with Ivy and the Influencer House is sustainable for Hillary? M? I do not think. I do not think it's gonna end well. So I think either, like you said, Ivy is going to fire her, or Hillary is going to realize, you know what, like this might not have been a great partnership, like just because she has the social media following, Like you can't just work with anybody just because you know, you think it's a good idea. So I think either we're gonna see her fire Hillary or Hillary is going to decide to start her own influencer House and kind of do things on her own. Yeah, yeah, I don't. I don't really see this kind of going a long haul with them too. So the last thing that I do want to make sure we talk about is that we do kind of cont and you and we've talked about it a little bit today. We do continue to see this storyline with Carlton and his anxiety concerns. Right, so we see like a virtual session it looks like that his parents are having with the psychiatrists, So he is on medication. I know, did they ever name what medication he was on? They never say that, but we do see them in a virtual session with the psychiatrist talking about keeping him at his dosage and you know, thinking about, okay, what happens if we do increase it. We do see Uncle Phil talk to Will about, you know, if there are any kind of side effects or things that you notice, and so it makes me wonder what they're like planning, and I definitely feel like the fight might have been like one symptom quote unquote of what they're trying to build towards in terms of medication and like side effects. And yeah, but I do think it was interesting that Carlton said, I feel like I'm drugged up and I'm out of it all of the time. And so it made me wonder like what kind of medication or thinking he would be on, because that is something you know, you will hear people say sometimes. I think typically people who are on things like like an anti anxiety or sometimes even antidepressants, we'll talk about feeling like they're not really in their life and life is kind of just passing them by. And so it felt like he was kind of alluding to that. So it does feel like we will continue to have conversations around like what's happening with his mental health and his medication, and I hope we do, and I hope we start to see Carlton flip. I'll say this, it seems like in his mind he sees the medication as like a crutch and something that's very like debilitating, which it can be. But I think a lot of it is more how like other people perceive him and how he perceives himself for taking the medication, like I don't want to be on this because of X y Z, how it makes me feel like physically, but also how I don't feel like as confident or I feel like I see Will doing all these things without medication and I have to use it. And so you know, we see in the fourth episode he's opened up a conversation about mental health and he seems like very excited for that, and so I kind of hope he leans into that, like people are open to talking about mental health. This is not a bad thing, that's something that everyone goes through, as opposed to like let's keep it on the hutch hutch. And so I think we'll continue to see Carlton have that tension, but I'm curious if we'll see Carlton talk more about very specifically what he's experiencing. I think they've like tiptoed around that a bit, especially in a more I guess I don't know if like clinical is the right word, but this is the first time we've ever seen him talk to a therapist ever, and so I'm curious to see if the show will explore more of that side of it, because I do think from a viewers standpoint, I do have a lot of questions about, like, well, why was Carleton like initially on anxiety medicine, and like how does he articulate his own anxiety experience. I think we see it in very like hiding moments like the fight or like the protests, but not kind of like the everyday ebbs and flows of what Carlton has experienced. And I think we saw some of it in season one. So the first instance I remember was him singing in the choir, do you remember that? And like he got really anxious then, and so it feels like what we saw in season one was a lot of him self medicating with I think it was cocaine he was using, right, and so you know, after it came out how he was struggling, it looks like they, you know, got him connected to a psychiatrist who started him on some you know, prescribe medication. But you're right, like it doesn't seem like he really likes to be on it, and he may not like the way that it makes him feel. But it also seems like he is like trying to keep some of that from his parents because he doesn't want them to increase the dosage. Right. It seems like he's really, yeah, yeah, he's really afraid of like what could happen if they increase the dosage or even keep him on, and he wants to just kind of come up at all together. But you're right. I also think it seemed like when he found out that the black student was having conversations about mental health and they were going to start all these initiatives after what he shared at the Bowling Alley, it did seem like he was like, oh, Okay, this is not something that you know, they're gonna kind of like stigmatize me for like I opened up these conversations. So I agree with you. I hope we see him continue to lean into that and like seeing more of you know, the way that the school kind of tackles mental health concerns through the black Suit Union. Yeah, so I have one final question before we go a little game, So who is at the top of your bell Air pyramid? Like who's thriving? Who are we rooting for? And then what two people are at the bottom? We think they need some work, We need them to switch up their storyline, get their act right. Oh you know, I think it's interesting because right now I feel like I am most interested in drawn to Carlton's character. But last season I didn't feel like that. Like last season I was really like, oh, what's happening? Like I don't know that I like this and he's taken. But this season I do find myself really invested in, like what is going to be his trajectory and like is he going to get his mental health under control and like take good care of himself in that way? So I would say, right now, he's probably at the top of my totem pole. I think at the bottom, oh, at the bottom, I would say Hillary because I really wanted to kind of see this assertiveness and like her, you know, kind of being herself, So I really feel like she needs some work. And Uncle Phil, I think, you know again, so much mystery around like what's happening? Like I really want to see more there, I agree with At the bottom, definitely Uncle Phil, so much mystery around him, and I think we do see him leaning more into like being compromising a lot more, and so I like that from him, But I'm just curious to see how that will play out with his partner at the law firm, with Jeffrey. With Will and then Hillary, definitely I want to see her assert herself more, be herself everywhere and also just like not be afraid to tell other people know or to like take no as an answer. And then at the top, I definitely am very interested in just Will storyline in general, like his love, why, his social dynamic at school basketball, And so I think I guess Coulos to the entire writing team because they've kept us really interested in Will but also really like breathe a lot of life into all the characters around him, so it doesn't feel like it's the Will Show. And so yeah, I'm excited for these next We got six episodes, oh, we got that many left, So we got ten episodes. Okay, yeah, so' and then one's releasing this okay, okay yeah, And I was gonna say the same thing, like, I really love that they took a show that was very will focused, right, Like, even though we saw some of the other characters in The Fresh Prince, it didn't feel like we got the depth of story lines that we are getting in mill Air. So I agree with you. I'm just very very excited that we get such you know, meaty stories around so many of the characters. I'm very excited to see where they continue to go this season. Yes, we'll definitely follow this up at the end of the season and hopefully we can have Frieda and Cyndy on and some other team members who watch it outside of the podcast. I'm ready for our listeners to be introduced to everyone, all the team members. Perfect. Well, let us know at Lease again where we can find you on the socials. I'm on Instagram at Elise Ellis, so it's just my first name and my last name, but the ease are connected at the end, and I'm on Twitter at the Elise Ellis, same vibe. All the ease are connected at the end. That's where you can find perfect. Well, thank you for joining me again today, Atlis. I appreciate it all right, thank you. I have fun, you know. I love talking about team. I'm so glad Elisa was able to join me for this conversation. If you've been watching the show, share your thoughts with us about season two of bel Air using the hashtag tbg in session, and be sure to share this episode with the other bell Air fans in your life. If you're looking for a therapist in your area, check out our therapist directory at Therapy for Blackgirls dot com slash directory. And if you want to continue digging into this topic or just be in community with other sisters, come on over and join us in the Sister Circle. It's our cozy corner of the Internet designed just for black women. You can join us at community dot Therapy for Blackgirls dot com. This episode was produced by Frida Lucas and Elise Ellis and editing was done by Dennison Bradford. Thank y'all so much for joining me. We'll be back next week with our regular episode on Wednesday. Until then, take it care

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The Therapy for Black Girls podcast is a weekly conversation with Dr. Joy Harden Bradford, a license 
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