Under Pressure is the seventh episode of the second season of Peacock's modern-day reinterpretation, Bel-Air. It aired on April 6, 2023.
Synopsis[]
Will and Carlton prepare for the Founder's Award, but the Zenith team interferes with Will's focus.
Plot[]
Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv surprise Will and Carlton with a breakfast celebration to honor them both being nominated for the Founder's Award. However, Viv is worried about them competing with each other, though Will and Carlton both insists that they're fine and that it's nothing more than healthy competition.
Uncle Phil offers to help Will
After breakfast, Uncle Phil and Geoffrey take Will and Carlton to the golf course, as golfing is a Founder's Award event, specifically the alumni golf tournament. While Carlton has been playing for years, Will continues to struggle. Along with teaching him to golf, Uncle Phil offers to help him pull together some talking points for "Meet the Nominees" forum, revealing to will that he's a "Distinguished Toastmaster." Phil then gets a call from Viv, who has arranged a meeting with Geoffrey's son, Frederick.
Geoffrey arrives at the diner with Will, Carlton, and Phil in tow. He approaches Frederick, who is seated at the table with Viv. Geoffrey proceeds to greet his son with a handshake, and the two of them sit down for lunch. Frederick got adopted when he was five years old. When he was a kid, Frederick thought that he made Geoffrey up as a story he told himself to get to sleep, as it was easier to pretend he never existed. Frederick heard stories about Geoffrey over the years, which is why he came, because he wanted to learn the truth.
Phil is glad to see Carlton focused on the award and is hoping that he is okay with the extra help he's been giving Will, as he needs all the support he can get. Carlton insists that he's fine with it, understanding that Will requires more attention, but he is clearly bothered.
Will inquires about the status of Jazz's relationship with Hilary. Will claims that Hilary simply wants Jazz to take charge and make his presence known before it's too late. He then goes to Hilary and claims that Jazz feels bad for allowing the situation with Lamarcus to get to his head. With the intel he gathers from Hilary, he reports back to Jazz and encourages him to make an effort and show Hilary that he cares. With encouragement from Will, Jazz plans a date.
James informs Phil that the firm has grown nervous. Losing Garrison Automotive as a client put them at a huge disadvantage. James wants to know where Phil is at in reclaiming them, but it's taking longer than anticipated. With it being the only way they can stop the acquisition, Phil assures James that he has it handled and just needs a bit more time. James isn't convinced, but Phil reminds him that they've been friends for over 20 years and that he's always delivered.
Hilary shows Viv how to use social media
Janice keeps emailing Viv negative reviews of her show and has expressed her condemnation of the anonymous piece for being too provocative, though Hilary disagrees, citing her post of the painting on Instagram, which is her most popular post with 746,365 likes. Viv then unintentionally reveals that she's the anonymous artist, with Hilary encouraging her to tap into her newly found audience.
Will calls Uncle Phil to reveal that he won't be able to make their meeting due to the fact that Doc has called an extra team practice. He's still committed, but he's also trying to find a way to balance it all.
Carlton is approached by Connor at school, who accuses Carlton of going with the overachiever's angel, whereas Connor claims to simply be giving the people what they want.
Drew attempts to apologize to Lisa for his fight with Carlton. He insists that he's not a bully and that he likes Lisa. He proposes they catch up tomorrow after school and start over. Lisa agrees to think it over, at which point they notice that Will has yet to arrive for the "Meet the Nominees" forum.
Erika brings Phil to her firm
Erika convinces Phil to meet with the top leadership of her firm. What he's done at his firm is beyond impressive, but they'd like to bring him in as an equity partner to control their west coast team, consisting of an army of seasoned attorneys and law school graduates, to make some legitimate progress on those social justice reforms Phil sought to implement as DA. He suspects that there's a catch, but an offer has already been emailed to him, catch free. Erika adds that the sky is the limit and that Phil can create whatever future he sees for himself. They just want to be a part of it.
Geoffrey brings Frederick back to the mansion, where he is greeted by Viv and Hilary, who claims that Geoffrey keeps the house running like a well oiled machine and that they're blessed to have him in their family.
Carlton is exposed
Will is late for the "Meet the Nominees" forum, where Carlton and Connor attempt to persuade the student body into supporting them. When asked about his thoughts on the history of the Founder's Awards, Will confesses that he doesn't have an agenda, so instead, he speaks from the heart about what a true leader looks like. With Will struggling to answer the follow-up questions, Carlton declares himself the award recipient and says that he looks forward to attending the leadership summit in Washington, D.C. Unfortunately for Carlton and Connor, someone has just air dropped the video of Carlton allowing Connor to sing Bobby Shmurda's Hot N*gga.
Phil tells Viv about his meeting with Erika's firm. He's noticeably excited, with Viv joking that she's concerned to know another woman has him this worked up. Phil admits that it does feel good to be wanted and validated for what he does. At the very least, he's considering the offer.
Viv on live
With help from Hilary, Viv has created a social media account and goes live to talk to her fans, revealing that she's feeling like she's suffocating in silence, which led her to create the anonymous painting to begin with. She was afraid to claim it as her own, which is ironically what it represents. When will it be her time to feel valued and wanted. At this point, she reads the comments and takes in all the love she receives.
In the aftermath of the school wide text, Connor has withdrawn from the Founder's Award, claiming that he doesn't need the award, as his mom is a trustee at Yale. He then shares his theory that Will leaked the video, as he's the one person in the clip that looks like a hero.
Will insists that he didn't leak the video, but Carlton doesn't believe him, which they reveal to Uncle Phil and Aunt Viv, whose worse fears have come true. Carlton accuses Will of not actually caring for the award, as he couldn't even bother to show up on time, adding that it's also the reason Uncle Phil has been offering Will assistance. Admittedly, Phil does think Will could be more disciplined when it comes to his future, leading Will to reveal to Aunt Viv that Uncle Phil didn't even want him to keep his name in the running, but Doc told him not to count himself out. "At least he believes in me," Will says, which rightfully upsets Uncle Phil given all that he's sacrificed for Will. Uncle Phil wonders how much Doc will believe in Will when he stops putting money in his bank account every month. Will replies that he will take care of himself, as he always has.
As planned, Jazz takes Hilary out on a date to her favorite restaurant. He congratulates her on the Simply Spiked deal and says he wants to give her the world.
Hudson and Brian are in disbelief when they see Will near his luxury car. If they had his ride, they'd have girls every day. Brian then reveals that they're about to hang out and get something to eat, inviting Will to join them, at which point, they make themselves comfortable in the backseat of his car.
Frederick wants to leave
Frederick looks around the house and sees a photo of Geoffrey with Will and Carlton, which evokes emotion from him. Geoffrey was thinking of taking him to one of his favorite pubs tomorrow, but Frederick wants to head back home to London. Admittedly, this is all weird to him. Geoffrey is important to the Banks, who can't seem to get on without him, whereas Frederick did just that for years. Despite knowing Geoffrey's reasons for leaving, it doesn't hurt any less. Geoffrey pleads for him to reconsider. While Frederick doesn't hate Geoffrey, he doesn't know him either, and proposes that they leave it that way.
Jackie is drunk
Brian reveals that he got a scholarship to UCLA. Once he goes pro, he can buy a place to look after his sister and grandma. They refer to him as Bel Air, but Will explains that while he lives with his aunt and uncle, he is actually from Philly. Jackie then joins them, visibly drunk. She accuses Will of trying to blow her off and pushes him away.
Carlton admits that his mother was right about the competition between him and Will ending badly. He fears that he has no choice but to drop out, as his classmates have lost faith in him after the clip with Connor. Carlton is trying to be someone different from who he was in that video, but all people see are his mistakes. Viv also made mistakes in her youth, but during her time, everything wasn't recorded. At her current age, she's still on her own journey, revealing to Carlton that she's been posting on social media. And she's learned that whatever they're going through, there's someone else feeling the same way.
Will approaches Jackie, whose heavy drinking persists. Jackie bumps into another girl, almost escalating into a fight until Will intervenes. She tells him to let go of her and that he doesn't know anything about her. As Jackie stumbles away, Hudson and Brian tells Will that it's up to him to get Jackie home and to not mention them to Doc when he explains it to him.
Hilary has enjoyed her date with Jazz and says that she misses him. He was hoping they could go back to the way things were. Just as they're about to kiss, the waitress reveals that his card has declined. Jazz becomes upset and insists that his card has money. Hilary offers to pay, frustrating Jazz even further.
Doc thanks Will
Will drives Jackie home and carries her to the front door, where Doc answers. He brings Jackie inside and tells Will to wait outside. When he returns, he extends his gratitude to Will for looking out for Jackie. She's strong, but she has her demons. Doc's little sister had Jackie when she was in high school. Doc pretty much raised Jackie himself and is trying to make sure she doesn't pay for her mother's mistakes. They do what they have to for family. Will would be in a cell or a casket if not for his uncle, who is from an entirely different world from him or Doc. Doc then concludes that Uncle Phil got Will out of trouble back in Philly.
Phil has called a car for Frederick, but before he leaves, Phil speaks on his father's behalf, informing Frederick that Geoffrey has been looking out for him even when he didn't know it. It's how his family afforded his private school and why those British street gangs he tried to run with turned him away. Additionally, both his parents were out of work for a full year at one point when his dad was on disability and his mother lost her receptionist job, but not a meal was missed for him and his siblings, nor a bill unpaid. This is something that Frederick is going to have to process on his own, but Phil wanted him to at least know who his father is.
Viv watches her recorded live, discussing her artistic voice. She then gets a direct message from the Neeman Artistic Foundation account.
Hilary breaks up with Jazz
Jazz insists that he had the money and wishes Hilary would've given the waitress enough time to check his card. He's upset that she didn't believe he had the money and brings up Lamarcus, though she insists that wasn't the case. She tells Jazz that he's ruining the night and that she's tired of dancing around his insecurities. She asks him about the date and says that how much money he has doesn't matter to her. Jazz doesn't believe that's true and is doubtful she wants to walk red carpets with an Uber driver. He sees how her influencer friends look at him as nothing more than a setback for her and a come up for him. Hilary refuses to argue any further. If Jazz can't look past their differences, then they can't be together, with Hilary declaring the end of their relationship.
After hearing Drew speak poorly of Carlton, Will comes to the conclusion that he air dropped the video. Though Drew isn't concerned, telling Will that he can't prove it. Lisa then joins them, reminding Drew of their lunch plans.
Frederick has decided against leaving and joins Geoffrey for a game of pool.
Doc announces that Will is running with the ones today, given that Brian didn't come in.
Carlton goes on live and admits that the video of him and Connor is real. What else is real is the ups and downs he's experienced while trying to figure himself out at Bel-Air Academy. He's done many things to fit in and not stand out, making him feel like a fraud. He became his own worst enemy, unable to get out of his own way. The live quickly circulates around school, with Lisa, Drew, and Connor watching. Meanwhile, Phil considers Erika's offer while Viv considers calling Erika. After ending the live, Carlton proceed to snort the drugs he previously scored from Connor.
Cast[]
Starring[]
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Guest Starring[]
Co-Starring[]
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Gallery[]
Promotional images[]
Episode guide[]
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| Season 1 |
| "Dreams and Nightmares" • "Keep Ya Head Up" • "Yamacraw" • "Canvass" • "PA to LA" • "The Strength to Smile" • "Payback's A B*tch" • "No One Wins When the Family Feuds" • "Can't Knock the Hustle" • "Where To?" |
| Season 2 |
| "A Fresh Start" • "Speaking Truth" • "Compromised" • "Don't Kill My Vibe" • "Excellence Is Everywhere" • "Let the Best Man Win" • "Under Pressure" • "Pursuit of Happiness" • "Just Like Old Times" • "Don't Look Back" |
References[]