The Fresh Prince Of Bel-Air - Series 4 (Box Set) (DVD)

...Tatyana Ali.

The original show was first show aired in September 1990 with this fourth series airing three years later (1993), although not getting onto DVD until 2007 (region 2).
This 4 disc set contains 26 episodes, (out of the 148 from the entire series), thankfully still with the same old faces and the same old attitudes, only a bit more mature and a lot more comical.


==MAIN CHARACTERS==

...originally from the tough streets of West Philadelphia, but now living with his rich relatives in Bel Air due to his mothers fear of him growing up without a proper education.
He is still the is a typical loud mouth young man with an eye for the ladies and a lot of confidence and attitude. He is maturing well amongst the Banks family and is turning into a very respectable gentle man, although he still likes to wind up his frighteningly large ... more

Creators: Andy and Susan Borowitz
Stars: Will Smith, James Avery, Daphne Maxwell Reid , Alfonso Ribeiro, Karyn Parsons and Tatyana Ali.

The original show was first show aired in September 1990 with this fourth series airing three years later (1993), although not getting onto DVD until 2007 (region 2).
This 4 disc set contains 26 episodes, (out of the 148 from the entire series), thankfully still with the same old faces and the same old attitudes, only a bit more mature and a lot more comical.

MAIN CHARACTERS

Will Smith (himself)is yet again the street wise teenager, originally from the tough streets of West Philadelphia, but now living with his rich relatives in Bel Air due to his mothers fear of him growing up without a proper education.
He is still the is a typical loud mouth young man with an eye for the ladies and a lot of confidence and attitude. He is maturing well amongst the Banks family and is turning into a very respectable gentle man, although he still likes to wind up his frighteningly large Uncle Phil

Philip Banks (James Avery) Will’s rich uncle with a very ‘large’ personality, who after many years of hard work now sits as a Judge. His no nonsense attitude to teenage delinquents is still being put to the test with Will, although there relationship has grown stronger over time.
He is still mainly seen as a miserable man, who dotes on his wife and kids.

Vivien (Daphne Maxwell Reid ) is the beautiful wife of Philip who has turned from a teacher to a devoted housewife, taking care of her new born baby and the rest of the Banks family.

Hilary (Karyn Parsons) is Philip and Vivian’s eldest daughter, who is still a very spoilt young lady, demanding everything and anything from her parents, usually getting her own way with her father, although she is standing on her own two feet as she grows up, but is still lacking in life’s capabilities when trying to take care of herself, continuing to rely heavily on the Banks’s butler.
She is seen as a bit of a bimbo and spends her time mainly pampering herself and shopping for the latest fashions, on daddies credit card of course.

Carlton (Alfonso Ribeiro) is the slightly pompous, but very funny, son of Vivien and Philip, another one with a selfish attitude and rather immature behaviour.
Although he tries to be cool in character, secretly looking on in admiration at his street-wise cousin, he is soon showing his true colours with his love for Tom Jones songs and his very jittery dance steps.
His relationship with Will is becoming stronger as they spend more time together.

Ashley (Tatyana Ali) is the youngest of the family, (until Vivien has another baby in this series) and loves spending time with her mother, that is until Will appears on the scene with his calm outlook on life, slowly changing her way of living, much to her parents horror as she grows up.

Geoffrey Butler (Joseph Marcell) is still the Banks’s household butler., almost being part of the family. He has a very calm attitude, which helps a lot considering the people he has to work for, and his proper use of the queens English, who seems to bond well with Will. He has a very dry sense of humour and enjoys making witty remarks, especially to Philip.
He has spent years as a butler for people such as Led Zeppelin and Chuck Norris.

Jazz (Jeffrey A. Townes) is Wills friend, who continues to come across as a very irritating person indeed, especially to Uncle Phil.
He still has an almost unhealthy crush on Hilary and is always trying to get her to go on a date with him, with many disappointments.
He dresses a bit like a pimp and has a personality to match, much to the disgust of Philip, who, in many episodes deals with Jazz in a certain way.

BRIEF IDEA…

In the beginning, Will’s mother shipped him off to her sisters large house in Bel Air, aiming to get him a better education and a good start in life, keeping him away from trouble in Philadelphia.
Will has know properly settled into his new life in Bel Air, living with relations who seemed initially to be the total opposite to himself, but as time passed he was soon bonding with them, becoming part of the family as time goes on.
Even though Will is liked by his new family he still causes no end of troubles for everyone, many times involving his rather soft cousin Carlton.
So with Will still relishing his new life with his rich relations in there huge mansion he is still creating a lot of hassle for everyone, especially his Uncle Phil, who is still often surprised by some of Will’s actions, but has become attached to the teenage joker, seeing him as another son along side Carlton.
But once again, Uncle Phil is the least of Wills trouble as he has to contend with his cousin, Carlton, who, although a little older, is still a child in a mans body, with his bad dancing style and his love of Tom Jones songs, Will certainly has a lot to deal with in his new ready made family.

SERIES FOUR… DVD

1 & 2) Where there’s a Will there’s a way (two parter) …
Will and Carlton have moved out of the Banks mansion, although not too far, and are preparing for there time at college and the new born baby arrives at the Banks mansion.
Meanwhile, Hilary is in for a surprise from her boyfriend

3) All guts no glory…
Will is soon regretting quitting a class when he realises who the teacher is.

4) Father of the year…
When Will pretend his baby cousin is his own so as to impress the girls at college he is soon in above his head, especially when he is nominated for a father of the year award.

5) It’s better to have loved and lost it…
Carltons luck is in when he meets a girl at college, finally becoming a man.

6) Will goes a-courting…
Will and Phil end up fight it out in court over a broken air conditioning unit and unpaid rent.

7) Hex and the single guy…
Will brings bad luck on the banks family when he mocks a medium during a séance.

8) Blood is thicker than mud…
It’s initiation time at the college for Will and Carlton but Carlton is in for a bit of a rough ride from some of the boys due to his rich background.

9) Fresh prince after dark…
When Hilary is asked to pose for a certain magazine Will and Carlton are in there element at the certain magazines mansion.

10) Home is where the heart attack is…
Phil is on a diet but Will buys him a cheeseburger and is soon feeling guilty when the big guy has a heart attack.

11) Take my cousin-- please…
Will tries to help his unhappy professor by organising a date for him with Hilary, but has he done it for his own needs?

12) You’ve got to be a football hero…
Will gets himself into a bit of trouble after a drinking competition with a college football player.

13) Twas the night before christening…
It’s baby Nicky’s christening and Will is trying to impress everyone by promising to provide the entertainment by a well known band.

14) Sleepless in Bel Air…
The Banks mansion is a hive of activity but Will and Carlton are trying to study and are not impressed at all.

15) Who’s the Boss…
Will is not happy when Carlton is made Boss of the college restaurant, refusing to work for his cousin.

16) I know why the caged bird screams…
Carlton is made the football teams mascot, dressing as a large peacock, but when he is kidnapped by a rival team it is up to Will to step into his shoes.

17) When you hit upon a star…
Wills is suddenly feeling a little less confident when his new girlfriends ex lover turns up on the scene.

18) Stop Will, in the name of love…
Ashley’s goes on a date but it is not what she hoped for when Will offers to be the chaperone…

19) You’d better shop around…
When Will drops out of his classes to become a car salesman Phil is not happy at all.

20) The Ol ball and chain…
Jazz is about to get married but Will has doubt about his soon to be wife, especially when she makes a pass at him.

21) The harder they fall…
It’s not the ideal time for Will when he is stuck in the middle of nowhere with his new girlfriends father.

22) M is for the Many things she gave me…
An old flame of Philips comes to stay at the Banks house, much to Vivian’s disgust. But Will is a little confused at the attention the strange woman shows him.

23) Mothers’ day…
Jazz asks Will for a rather serious favour which involves helping him father a bay with his new wife.

24) Papa’s got a brand new excuse…
Will meets his real father after a gap of nearly 15 years, but Phil and Vivian are not too happy about it.

25) For sale by owner…
Phil and Vivian are offered millions of dollars for their home they have to really consider what to do.

26) The Philadelphia story…
The Banks family spend a short vacation in the tough streets where Will grew up, only to find a few hidden secrets about the fresh prince.

* This series is the first starring Daphne Maxwell Reid as Vivian Banks, (replacing Janet Hubert Whitten from the first three series)

==Extras on this disc set==
None in this set, sadly.

Special guests include

Boyz II men, Michelle Michaels

IN CONCLUSION

Another excellent series from the well established Fresh Prince show, with only one change in the cast list, (Vivian), keeping the rest of the same old faces to show how they have grown throughout the previous three series.

Personally it did take a little while for me to adjust to Daphne Maxwell Reid playing Vivian but it didn’t spoil any of the show at all, giving the family atmosphere in the banks mansion a little bit of a good change.
This show, together with the characters, having matured very nicely with age, bringing the day to day lives of a family into the households of millions.
Smith as still the slightly smug yet very comical young man with a zest for life, coming together with Rieiro, as his cousin and now new best friend Carlton, the mini man with a passion for Tom Jones songs and a dodgy dance technique, their one to one banter is getting better as he show roles on.
Rieiro has well and truly made his character of Carlton become a more confident person, becoming more like Smith’s character, but not quite as cool and calm. The pair still being a little less like Laurel and Hardy and more like Morecombe and Wise, with the non stop witty comments bouncing off each other.
But once again, the show wouldn’t be as good without the rest of the Banks family, with Avery continuing to portray the big guy uncle Phil, who is defiantly getting bigger as the show rolls on.
Parsons, as Hilary, although still giving her character the spoilt but likable mannerism that the audience have come accustomed to, has grown up a lot since the very beginning, now a woman and seeming to stand on her own feet more than ever.

Thankfully, we are seeing a lot more of Geoffrey who Marcell still portrays with so much humour and a that brilliantly ‘spiffing’ English accent, his calm outlook on life and very dry witty remarks so hilarious.
So again the writers have chosen to continue to involve the very comical character of Townes as the ever so colourful yet slightly irritating Jazz, still dressing like a colour blind, part-time pimp, although giving him a few more scenes during this series, testing his capabilities as an comical actor.

In all, still continuing the great combination of characters, creating yet another hilarious series…this entire show is definitely one of the best sitcoms ever made… ( IMO anyway)
This fourth series is available on DVD from amazon, again, like the previous series, for just under a tenner, having nearly 14 hours of continuous comically witty entertainment split onto 4 discs… well worth the money you’ll find.

(this is the last full series on DVD for all regions to date,)

 

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