NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
The series finale of Bel-Air has come and gone, and while the ending was great, it was not as perfect as it could have been. There was one issue, and that was the casting, or lack thereof, of a few of the original actors.
One guest appearance was Tyra Banks, who played the sorority sister of Aunt Viv. It was a great cameo, but as the scene progressed, I found myself waiting for the moment when she revealed at the end that she would return with her husband. I was able to hold out hope because there was a wedding ring on her hand.
The most notable cameo was at the end, featuring the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air himself, Will Smith. That was unexpected, even with his involvement in the show.
What would have made the ending more special would have been if Banks and Smith were married. In the original, Banks played the role of Jackie, a female who grew up with Will in Philly and later found her way out to LA, where they reunited. However, Jackie’s character’s arc didn’t last long, and Will would find love with Lisa Wilkes. Since the characters were changed, this presented a great opportunity for the writers of Bel-Air to make adjustments while still paying homage to the original.
Case in point was the classic Jackie and Will argument. This time around on Bel-Air, they had the scene go down between Aunt Viv and Regina Baxter. While not the same characters, it still held the same weight.
But still, the Fresh Prince and Bel-Air fan in me was hoping that Will and Regina were married and would appear onscreen together. Or, they could have taken it a step further and brought in Nia Long to play Will’s wife and complete that circle. As great as Bel-Air was, that’s the one piece of nostalgia they left out.
Yes, I know that’s nitpicking just a bit, but it would have been great to see. While it was Will and Lisa who managed a relationship, Jackie held a presence on the show.
Nostalgia on Bel Air was heavy throughout its 4-season run. Seeing the original Geoffrey, both Aunt Viv’s, and Ashley was great, but an appearance by Will Smith took the cake. However, it could’ve been much better with Banks or Nia Long with him. Give the OG fans something to smile about as the show came full circle just one last time.
And by the way, where the hell was Jazzy Jeff, Alfonso Ribeiro, and Karyn Parsons?
