The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air: Difference between revisions

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''I'll tell you how I became the prince of a town called Bel Air!'' }}

 

* [[Break the Haughty]]: Done to Carlton a few times, mostly in the first season when he continues to look down his nose at Will's rough background. Ironically also happens to Will when he looks down on Carlton for not being "black" or "street" enough.

* [[Breaking the Fourth Wall]]: One of the best TV shows as far as incorporating this trope from time to time.

'''Jazz''': So, who's playing [[The Other Darrin|the wife]] this year? }}

** In one instance during [[The Tag]], Will counter-pranked Carlton by claiming to have killed Lisa (a woman who would later become his girlfriend, was initially sent to embarass him due to how he treated women). Carlton ran off the house shrieking. The camera followed him for a several minutes as he ran around the various sets, passed through the studio audience and eventually exited the studio where he hugged Will.

* [[The Cast Showoff]]: Alfonso Ribiero [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DDyfKIKYmcA getting to show off his dancing chops.]

* [[Casting Gag]]: "Hey! Your Isaac Hayes impression '''[[Your Costume Needs Work|SUCKS!!]]'''"

* [[Celebrity Lie]]: Early on, Hilary often claimed to be friends with a lot of celebrities as part of her activism and such. By [[Christmas Episode|"Deck the Halls"]], Will gets so sick of it that he tells her to stop lying about it - only to later be surprised to find the trope inverted. Both Evander Holyfield and later Ronald Reagan stop by the house due to the episode's events and personally greet her.

** In another episode, Will claims to be friends with Boyz II Men and promises to get them for Nicky's christening. After he fails and prepares to admit the truth, the group actually does show up, singing "Silent Night" and telling Will "Merry Christmas".

* [[Comedic Sociopathy]]: Geoffrey has his moments.

** Vivian is horrified when Will walks in the door with his long-lost father:

'''Geoffrey:''' Mm, I thought it would be more fun this way. ''And I was right!'' }}

* [[Crossing the Burnt Bridge]]: Will and Carlton trick Geoffrey into thinking he's won the lottery, causing him to cheerfully dance around and call everyone out before the truth is revealed. In a variation, while everyone forgives him (the boys take most of the blame) he's too embarrassed to return, and is the one that needs to be coaxed back.

* [[Depraved Homosexual]]: Will checks out an apartment and the landlord implies Will is going to have to have relations with him to stay there.

** Also, in the episode where Will is in the witness protection program (coughnotreallycough):

* [[Drop in Character]]: Jazz, though he's more like "Throw Out Character"....

* [[Dropped a Bridge on Him]]: Trevor, Hillary's vacuous co-host and later finacee, got killed during a botched bungee wedding proposal. On live television. [[Crosses the Line Twice|With the entire family watching]].

* [[Double Entendre]]: In "Be My Baby Tonight", Will is on the phone with his girlfriend, when Ashley and her friend Kevin walk in. He then changes his the subject to his "book report on Alaska". "And the United States said, you know, I'm thinking of laying a pipeline, are you interested?"

* [[Elephant in the Living Room]]: "Am I alone in this, or did y'all know he was white? I mean - tall."

* [[Embarrassing Middle Name]]: Geoffrey's middle name is "Barbara".

* [[Expansion Pack Past]]: Geoffrey claims to have been butler to both [[Chuck Norris]] and [[Led Zeppelin]] before his tenure with the Bankses.

** It also turned out he was a hilariously failed Olympic runner, [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txv0hUPW1_k the "Shame of a Nation", as the documentary on him was titled]. [http://runningtimes.com/Article.aspx?ArticleID=6417 The taxi story actually happened, to Rosie Ruiz at the 1980 Boston Marathon], and led to much more race security since.

* [[Gosh Darn It to Heck]]: Carlton. Actual quote: "Heck, you guys! ''Heck!''"

* [[Ha Ha Ha No]]: Used many times by Uncle Phil, which is always followed by an explosion.

* [[Happily Married]]: Phil and Vivian.

** There was a two-part estrangement episode, however.

* [[Heterosexual Life Partners]]: Will and Jazz are a... mild version. They even had a break-up episode.

** There was also ''this'' exchange:

'''Jazz:''' ''Oh, so now I'm old?'' }}

*** From that same conversation:

'''Will:''' ''Well, maybe if you fixed yourself up a little!'' }}

** Although Will was slow to admit this, he was also this with Carlton after a while.

* [[Jerk Jock]]: One shot character Hank Farley.

* [[Just Smile and Nod]]: When Will and Carlton are about to have a meeting with some record company executives:

'''Will''': ''[[[Beat]]]'' Even better. }}

* [[Killed Mid-Sentence]]: {{spoiler|HILLARY BANKS! WILL...YOU...MARRY M-*THUD*}}

* [[Lampshade Hanging]]: On Nicky's [[Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome]], and some other occasions.

** Another occassion:

* [[Last-Name Basis]]: This is how the staff at Bel-Air Prep address their pupils, with the exception of a third grade class of [[One-Episode Wonder|One Episode Wonders]].

* [[Let's Get Dangerous]]: Threatened by Vivian to a racist cop who [[It Makes Sense in Context|wrongfully locked up Will and Carlton]]:

'''Vivian''': ''(taking off her earrings)'' Oh, honey, we're about to get ''very'' busy here! }}

* [[Life Isn't Fair]]: [[Played for Laughs]].

** Played much more seriously during heavy moments, usually with Carlton. One particularly dark moment occurred when Will was shot.

* [[Light Feminine and Dark Feminine]]: Ashley and Hilary.

* [[Papa Wolf]]: Uncle Phil, full stop. Usually either [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AW9pklBXqk4 a ] [[Crowning Moment of Awesome]] / [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|Heatwarming]], or [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ANEur7L9dVU a] [[Crowning Moment of Funny]].

* [[Periphery Hatedom]]: Dougie the Dinosaur, who is totally not Barney. Will, of course, finds the idea of someone loving everyone to be [[Lampshade Hanging|impossible]]:

* [[Pick Up Babes with Babes]]: When Will sees how popular a single father at school is, he lies that his cousin, Nicky, is his son. He then embellishes the story even further which causes people to start giving more and more stuff, culminating in a trip to Hawaii because of his "courage". Will feels bad, comes clean and gives everything to a guy with a baby. When everyone leaves, the guy thanks him... and adds "Just Between You and Me, this isn't my kid. Aloha." OUCH.

* [[Popular Saying, But...]]: Sticks and stones may break my bones, but a fifty foot fall will kill y'all!

** The Carlton Dance has remained a very popular gag, and Alfonso Ribeiro is frequently asked to perform it.

* [[Sad Clown]]: Will. When his father walks out on him, his veener of indifference completely cracks.

* [[Saw Star Wars 27 Times]]: When Carlton's ex-girlfriend comes back with a baby she claims is his, Will explains to Phil and Vivian that the baby belongs to "a young man who has seen ''[[The Little Mermaid]]'' eight times."

* [[School Bullying Is Harmless]]: When Ashley is bullied by another girl, it turns out {{spoiler|to have just been a misunderstanding, and they talk and reconcile.}}

* [[She Is All Grown Up]]: Ashley in the later seasons.

* [[Soap Opera Rapid Aging Syndrome]]: Nicky Banks goes from a baby to six over a season break.

* [[So Proud of You]]: In the [[Grand Finale]], Philip tells Will that he considers him to be his son.

* [[Shout-Out]]: Though Will Smith's birth name is "Willard", his character's official name is "William". Occasionally people will call him "Willard", under the guise of giving him a hard time.