“Bel-Air”‘s Creator, Showrunner Break Down the Bombshell Moments in Season 2’s Emotional Finale

It’s no secret that Carlton was perhaps the most hated character in the first season of “Bel-Air”. Between his early disdain for Will and know-it-all, obnoxious ways, he became the villain no one wanted to look for. However, his touching mental health storyline finally brought him redemption. Carlton’s drug addiction (because of his anxiety) plays a big part in his troubles in season two, but as we see he gets a chance to confess his substance abuse in a major way in the finale of the highly anticipated Founder’s Award ceremony.

According to Banks-Waddles, the ceremony is the “big set piece” that makes Carlton’s shocking confession such a heartbreaking moment in front of his friends, family and colleagues at Bel-Air Academy. “We planted early in the season that this was something he wanted and was important to him,” she explains.

“It felt like the perfect place to bring that to a head. That big moment for a kid who’s been hiding all season trying to be strong and present himself in a certain way; for the biggest step we felt that he could put on the road to healing was this confession in a very public way,” she continues. “Especially with this audience at Bel-Air, because he’s been this character who’s lived in Carlton’s duality.”

Series creator Cooper notes that Carlton’s confession is also “a real moment of freedom for him to finally let go of the secrets he’s been keeping to himself.” After berating his sister Ashley (Akira Akbar) for catching him on coke at school, Carlton essentially “hit rock bottom”, as Cooper puts it, and resorts to disclosure to finally break free from his lies.

“It’s painful but powerful, and that’s the only way Carlton can move on in his life and really discover who he is in his true essence,” Cooper added. “He finds himself getting close to it, but it’s the trauma from his past and the challenges he’s been through become so overwhelming that he just has to tell the truth.”