NFL
By: Mark T. Wilson
One of the best storylines from the original Fresh Prince of Bel-Air was the episode that centered on Will and his father, Lou. Those 30 minutes have gone down in TV history, but what the Bel-Air reboot was able to do was what the original couldn’t. They made their version better by a wide margin.
Instead of giving viewers 30 minutes, Bel-Air expanded the Will and Lou storyline and provided viewers a better understanding of Lou not only as a father but as a man, and let us know that there was a deeper history between all parties involved.
But what stood out the most was a father and son who took a chance on each other. While it didn’t work at first, the writers circled back to Lou and gave him a redemption story that served everyone well.
The Lou we met in the original wanted a relationship with his son, but he was still stuck in his ways. The Bel-Air version entered like a storm but stayed the course. Yes, his storyline ended the same in a way, with Lou taking a job out of state and leaving Will; however, it was better than Lou just leaving without a word to Will.
Lou explained to Will why he was leaving, and while we thought maybe he would stay, we understood and even cheered him on in the end. Lou is human. He has his regrets, but the love he has for his son is real.
Will, while portraying that tough demeanor, needed that from his dad. Lou entered with a cold heart, but he did so with everyone believing the worst of him. He was in defense mode from the moment he appeared on screen. But his walls came down, and once they did, Will was able to let go of some of the tension he had towards his dad growing up without him.
Phil and Lou have their own history, and even in their moments of going back and forth with one another, they both wanted what was best for Will, but the men were too stubborn to take a step back and realize he needed them both.
Fans were eager to see if they would try to recreate that magical moment from the original, and it came out better than expected. It’s hard to travel back in time when it comes to classics; however, what Bel-Air was able to do with such a timeless storyline was nothing short of remarkable.
The Will and Lou storyline was great because it set Will Smith up as a serious actor even in a comedic sitcom. While Bel-Air offers a more serious tone, this was the perfect place to try a mulligan. Fans of both shows no longer have to wonder what happened to Lou and why we never received an update. Bel-Air gave Lou a great sendoff, and it would be an injustice if that’s the last we see of this father-son bond.
