The Fresh Prince Project

Season 1, Episode 1, Aired
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Episode Summary

Will comes to live with his aunt and uncle in Bel-Air. Philip isn't too impressed by Will's behavior, especially teaching Ashley to rap and ruining his image with the members of the law firm. Vivian tries to remain neutral in all this. Carlton and Hilary look at Will with disdain.moreless
9.2
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EPISODE RATING: Superb
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Fan Episode Reviews (26)

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  • Awesome way to start the series! This episode gave us a straight-up intro to what we would be seeing in future episodes.

    9.5
    "Superb"
    By Noteldnep, Dec 12, 2011 Report Abuse
    This is the episode where Will first gets sent to his Aunt and Uncle's house in Bel-Air. His mother wants him to stay out of trouble and graduate High School, and felt Bel-Air would offer more to him.
    Problem is, the way he is used to living life is completely different than the way his Aunt, Uncle and cousins have been living theirs. After an afternoon of antics (including taking a cheese cube and throwing it into the air and landing it into his mouth in front of important lawyers his Uncle works with), Uncle Phil harshly talks with Will before he goes to bed. Then he sees Will playing a classical piece of music on the piano (to me, this scene expressed his Uncle realizing that there is hope for Will after all).moreless

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  • The Pilot

    8.0
    "Great"
    By Lostindharma, Nov 28, 2011 Report Abuse
    I think was was a great start to a great season. I have seen this episode many times and come away impressed with the pilot. I still laugh when I hear some of the lines like when Will said the plane ride was neat in a geeky voice. It's interesting to see how much the characters have grown. The up and down relationship of Phil and Will. The big brother little sister relationship with Ashley and Will. And the relationship of Will and Carlton. Hard to believe from seeing this first show how much Hilary has grown. In fact all of them have grown from stiff to very likeable characters. This was a show from childhood and I will always enjoy it.moreless

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  • Pilot episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air"

    10
    "Perfect"
    By tigerdude22, Sep 16, 2011 Report Abuse
    I thought that this was an excellent pilot episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air". The writers handled the pilot episode very well since pilot episodes in great sitcoms or other genres can be weak sometimes. The pilot episode is about Will Smith (Will Smith) who moved to Bel-Air to live with the Banks family. All of the introductions to all of the characters are absolutely hilarious. His uncle Phil Banks (James Avery) wants to make sure that Will has good manners. Will also meets his cousin Carlton Banks (Alfonso Rebeiro). I'm not gonna list the actors in the parentheses because I don't know the name of the actors but the other characters are Ashley Banks, Hilary Banks, and Vivian Banks (Phil's wife). We also have Geoffrey the Butler who also manages to make me laugh very hard. The dinner scene with the whole family. Will teaching Ashley how to rap made me laugh pretty hard as well. I really loved how the whole introduction went. Will playing the piano after Uncle Phil had a serious conversation with Will about being respectful and having good manners is also very good. So yeah, the pilot episode was handled very well in my opinion. Overall, an excellent episode of "The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air" that every fan of this show should watch. 10/10moreless

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  • wow, a crummy show.

    1.0
    "Abysmal"
    By DisneyFreak33, Feb 03, 2011 Report Abuse
    The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is a horrible show!! I can't believe it lasted 7 seasons!! its not funny and the charecters are annoying!! especially Ashley!! this show is really dumb and pointless, I can barely sit through an episode of it. Overall not a good show in my opinion.

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  • 7/22

    5.5
    "Mediocre"
    By thefanof, Jul 23, 2010 Report Abuse
    The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air is one of the top ten, probably top five sitcoms of all-time. Just a perfect cast, and absolutely hilarious episodes week in and week out. But like so many other great sitcoms it did not get off to a good start with the pilot. This was all over the place and the characters were really exaggerated to drive home their point and place in the series.

    I still laughed at a few scenes, but the writing, the acting, the pacing, it all improved throughout the series' duration, it improved by great lengths. Just watch any other episode.moreless

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Trivia, Notes, Quotes and Allusions

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  • Trivia

    ADD TRIVIA
    • The cab driver in the opening sequence is The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air's executive producer, Quincy Jones. Edit
    • Will Smith recorded The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air theme song which is on his Greatest Hits CD. Edit
    • In the opening scene of the episode, Will sings Back 2 Life, which was a hit by Soul 2 Soul in 1989. Edit

  • Notes

    ADD NOTES
    • International Episode Titles: Czech Republic - Přílet (Arrival by Air) Edit
    • Alfonso Ribeiro's last name is incorrectly spelled 'Ribiero' in the credits. Edit
    • Will wears the same outfit he wears in the opening credits. Edit

  • Quotes

    ADD QUOTES
    • Vivian (to Ashley): Sweetie would you say grace? Ashley: Yes Mommy. (raps) Hey there Lord, my name is Ashley Banks. My family and friends want to give you some thanks, so before this dinner's all swallowed and chewed, thank you God for this stupid food. Edit
    • Philip: You deliberately tried to embarass me tonight and I don't get it. Your aunt and I went through a lot of trouble to bring you out here. And this is the thanks we get? Will: I ain't asked to come out here. Everyone's talking about shippin' me off, dressin' me up and changing me into something that I don't want to be. Philip: Nobody wants to change you. Will: You told me yourself I gotta straighten out and when in doubt act as Carlton. I don't want to be like Carlton. I'm a joker, I play around, I have fun. Philip: Being a joker is what got you into trouble. Now you may think its cool to out on the streets, but when you're my age its a waste. Will: Well, I can't think that far ahead. Edit
    • Philip: Will, we promised your mother you were here to work hard, straighten out, and learn some good old fashion American values. (Hilary walks in) Hilary: Dad, I need three hundred dollars. Vivian: Hilary, your cousin Will is here. Hilary: Hi. Dad, I need three hundred dollars. Edit

  • Allusions

    ADD ALLUSIONS
    • Will tells Ashley "Here's Ashley my little Fly Girl". The Fly Girls were dancers on In Living Color, a show that had comedy sketches. The series ran from 1990-1994. Edit
    • Will: Hey, look who's here Benson. This is an allusion to the butler on the 1970s sitcom, Soap. A successful spin off series entitled Benson was created in 1979 and ran until 1986. Edit
    • Philip: Will, this is Firth, Winn, and Meyer. This is an allusion to the 1970s musical group, Earth, Wind & Fire. They had hits such as September, Serpentine Fire , and Sing A Song among others. Edit

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