Before he was a big screen star and before he got jiggy with it, Will Smith was known as the Fresh Prince. He had a few family friendly hip-hop albums and he was the star of his own show. Here in the fifth season Will does a whole lot growing up masquerading as maturation. But has he grown enough to embrace marriage?
For being five seasons the show is still as fresh as ever. I always enjoyed the show when I was younger and was curious to see how it would hold up, as I hadn’t seen it in years.
One interesting thing that I noticed while revisiting this show was that there are moments on the show when you can really see that Smith has a successful film career ahead of him. Sure this is just a silly sitcom but there are scenes here and there where he’s really allowed to show his acting shops. There’s a moment where he breaks into a radio station and pretends to be several different callers in a row.
If you’re a fan of this show, this season is filled with tons of classic moments. Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) and all the rest are all in top form and Nia Long joins the cast as Lisa, the girl who finally tames Will’s wild heart, if only for a short time.
This isn’t one of the greatest shows ever, but it’s a solid comedy and while most shows really start to show cracks around season five, Fresh Prince is just as funny here as it was in season one.
Episodes:
Disc 1:
What’s Will God To Do With It?/The Client 9-19-1994
Ashley proves she’s got singing talent and Will takes it upon himself to be her manager but soon a real managers muscles Will out of the picture.
Reality Bites 9-26-1994
Will takes little Nicky to see his childhood hero, Dougie The Whale, at a local mall. However Will ends up getting in a fight with the actor playing Dougie and puts a strain on his relationship with Nicky.
Grumpy Young Men 10-3-1994
Things turn sour between Will and Carlton when the girl Will is hitting on kisses Carlton instead.
Fresh Prince, The Movie 10-10-1994
To distract Jazz during a poker game, Will spins a wild tale about his summer away from Bel-Air.
Will’s Misery 10-17-1994
Hilary gives her parents some really ugly shirts that they hate. That is until they see Kareem Abdul-Jabbar wearing the same sweater. Meanwhile, Will’s date with Lisa turns out to be a nightmare!
Father Knows Best 10-24-1994
Ashley starts going to public school without her parents’ permission and asks Will to help her out with parent teacher night.
Sooooooooul Train 11-7-1994
It turns out Phil proposed to Vivian on Soul Train and are invited to the 25th Anniversary show, but Phil doesn’t want to go.
Love Hurts 11-14-1994
Will’s manhood is put on the line when Lisa steps in to knock out a bully who is bothering them.
Disc 2:
Will’s Up The Dirt Road 11-21-1994
To impress a journalist, Will goes out to take some photos and catches Jay Leno seemingly committing a criminal act. But does Will have all the facts?
Will Steps Out 11-28-1994
Will goes out on a date with another girl only to realize he’s in love with Lisa. Meanwhile fitness guru Susan Powter tries to help Phil out.
Same Game, Next Season 12-12-1994
Will spends some time with Lisa’s dad (John Amos) to win him over, but it works too well.
Three’s A Crowd 1-9-1995
Carlton tries to drive off Lisa when he becomes jealous of her time with Will.
It’s A Wonderful Lie 1-23-1995
Will and Lisa sneak off to spend some time apart, but wind up at the same party!
Bullets Over Bel-Air 2-6-1995
When Will is shot and hospitalized by a robber, Carlton freaks out and buys a gun for the house and it’s up to Phil to calm him down.
A Decent Proposal 2-13-1995
Lisa visits Will in the hospital and Will ends up proposing to her!
Will Is From Mars… 2-20-1995
They aren’t married yet, but the honeymoon may already be over when it turns out they can’t agree on anything. So they go to counseling where they meet up with George and Louise Jefferson!
Disc 3:
The Wedding Show (Psyche!) 2-27-1995
When Phil and Lisa’s dad start to argue about Will and Lisa’s wedding, the two run off to Vegas to get married by a Shaft impersonator (played by Isaac Hayes!)
Slum Like It… Not! 4-3-1995
Will presents Phil with a financial opportunity that turns very sour.
As The Will Turns 4-10-1995
Will goes overboard when he gets a role on a soap opera and Phil hires a private investigator when he thinks Vivian is cheating on him.
Save The Last Trance For Me 4-17-1995
Phil asks the family to be on best behavior when Nicky’s school admissions officer makes a home visit. Too bad Will has been put under a trance and believes he’s four years old.
To Thine Own Self Be Blue… and Gold 4-24-1995
An old friend of Phil’s visits creating what could be a nasty rift between Will and Phil and might even land Will in prison!
Cold Feet, Hot Body 5-1-1995
Will goes to visit Lisa at her university where a girl tries to seduce Will away from Lisa.
Love In An Elevator 5-8-1995
Will, Carlton and Jazz get stuck in an elevator and reminisce about past encounters with Vanessa Williams and Queen Latifah.
For Whom The Wedding Bells Toll 5-15-1995
Will and Lisa’s wedding grows ever closer but things get strange when love begins to bloom between Will’s mother and Lisa’s father.
The episodes are presented in fullscreen 1:33.1. Sound is Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo Sound. The show looks and sounds fine.
None.
This is a fun show and was a joy to watch again. I wouldn’t say it’s good enough to want to own, but if you’re in the mood then renting this might be a good time.
Warner Bros. presents The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air: Complete Fifth Season. Created by Andy and Susan Borowitz. Starring: Will Smith, Alfonso Ribeiro, James Avery, Karyn Parsons and Tatyana Ali. Running time: 575 minutes on 3 discs. Not Rated. Released on DVD: May 11, 2010. Available at Amazon.com.
