Bel-Air season 3 ending explained: does Hilary marry Lamarcus?

Justin Cornwell as Lamarcus and Coco Jones as Hilary in all white in the Bel-Air season 3 finale
Justin Cornwell and Coco Jones in Bel-Air season 3 (Image credit: Greg Gayne/Peacock)

Talk about an explosive season. Bel-Air season 3 certainly was never short on drama as it had a lot going on to entertain viewers.

Just touching on a few things: Will (Jabari Banks) worked to heal his relationship with his father; Carlton (Olly Sholotan) found love in his recovery journey; Hilary (Coco Jones) wrestled with her own torn heart thanks to Jazz (Jordan L. Jones) and Lamarcus (Justin Cornwell); there were marital problems between Philip (Adrian Holmes) and Vivian (Cassandra Freeman); and the past that came back to haunt Geoffrey (Jimmy Akingbola).

With the Peacock series juggling so many balls, we can hardly blame fans for sitting on the edge of their seats as they watched the Bel-Air season 3 ending, us included. Here are the biggest takeaways from the Bel-Air season 3 finale.  

Does Hilary marry Lamarcus? 

Justin Cornwell as Lamarcus and Coco Jones as Hilary holding hands in the Bel-Air season 3 finale

Justin Cornwell and Coco Jones in Bel-Air (Image credit: Greg Gayne/Peacock)

After meeting up with Jazz in episode 9 of the season for a night of closure, Hilary and her family meet to make final arrangements for her wedding to Lamarcus. Unfortunately for her, she's unable to find her engagement ring and voices her panic to Will and Carlton. Trying not to alarm her husband-to-be, she keeps the information from him, hoping to find it in time for the ceremony. This is another big secret she's keeping from Lamarcus, as she never told him about hanging with Jazz or kissing him weeks prior. 

With a lot weighing on her, including the guilt she feels for not being honest with Lamarcus, Hilary talks to her mom. Hilary caught wind that another woman once kissed Philip and she wants to know how Vivian handled the news. Vivian stresses the importance of couples working past problems and says sometimes she regrets knowing about the incident. 

Fast forward to the day before the wedding at Martha's Vineyard, Hilary still can't locate her ring. However, back in Los Angeles, Jazz finds it in a shoe by his bed. He calls Will to fill him in. Hilary and Ivy (Karrueche Tran) instruct Jazz to fly to them with the ring, which he does on the day of the wedding. 

Jazz personally delivers the jewelry to Hilary, wanting to speak with her before she gets married, thinking it's a sign he found the ring. But once she says she's happy with Lamarcus, Jazz doesn't say much more and hugs her goodbye, just in time for Lamarcus to see. Lamarcus becomes furious, and his anger only grows when Hilary confesses the truth about Jazz having her ring and even kissing him. Lamarcus calls off the wedding. 

Thanks to Will and Ashley (Akira Akbar) tracking him down, Lamarcus listens to Hilary's declaration of love and commitment. She tells him to meet her at the ceremony, but he never says he will. Once the event kicks off, with members of the wedding party walking down the aisle, there is doubt Hilary will get married as Lamarcus is a no-show. But he eventually pops up at the last minute and the pair exchange their I dos.  

Sadly, as the newlyweds spend their honeymoon together in Turks and Caicos, tragedy strikes. One moment the couple is laughing and enjoying the moment and in the next Hilary is fixing a drink as Lamarcus dies in the hotel room bed. She finds him lifeless.

What happens to Amira? 

Carlton also suffered some heartache. He is still dealing with the fallout of Amira (Alycia Pascual-Pena) nearly dying in the country club pool. Viewers see her alive and relatively well in the season finale, but she's on her way out of town to a rehab facility in Boston. Once she and Lisa (Simone Joy Jones) celebrate their friendship and Amira makes amends with Will, she says goodbye to Carlton before leaving Los Angeles. In some good news, she says she loves him. 

What happens to Blackcess? 

It should come as no surprise that after finding out their new investor for Blackcess is their high school nemesis Drew (Nicholas Duvernay) — well Drew's father — Will and Carlton scramble to see if a working relationship is possible. The trio certainly has reason not to like each other as Drew put Carlton on blast in front of the school, Carlton in turn beat up Drew and Drew had a previous relationship with Will's girlfriend. In a stunning twist, it's Will who plays peacemaker for the three of them. He states as long as they agree to approach decisions as a team and not lose sight of the mission of Blackcess, they should be able to work together. Drew and Carlton agree. 

Does Geoffrey leave town? 

Jimmy Akingbola as Geoffrey in an office in the Bel-Air season 3 finale

Jimmy Akingbola in Bel-Air  (Image credit: Greg Gayne/Peacock)

Geoffrey spends most of the finale dropping hints that he's leaving town. He previously spoke with Penelope (Lenora Crichlow) about running off with their son to protect the three of the from his past mistakes. 

During the wedding festivities, he pulls members of the Banks family aside, making note of his love for them and offering advice. Come Hilary's reception, Geoffrey looks at the Banks family one last time as they enjoy each other's company, then walks off. 

When the family returns to Los Angeles, Philip holds a press conference announcing that he, along with Black athletes and business tycoons, is redeveloping the area surrounding Jazz's vinyl shop. Even Omar (Dulé Hill) is on board with the project, helping to protect the community from outside developers. After the press conference wraps, Will and Carlton notice that Geoffrey was absent. Additionally, Philip finds a note at home from Geoffrey stating his farewells. 

A new Banks family member is introduced while another is kidnapped

In the final moments of the episode, two big things happened that set up potential season 4 storylines. First, Vivian pulls out an at-home pregnancy test that's positive. So it looks like a baby is on the way. If you watched The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air as we did, we think this ushers in the youngest Banks child, Nicky. 

The other big event occurs when Will goes to Geoffrey's apartment in an attempt to locate him. Upon arriving, Will finds someone else clearing out boxes. When Will leaves and walks along the street, the same car of thugs that beat up Geoffrey's son in the previous episode pulls up next to Will. The thugs grab him and throw him into the vehicle. 

All episodes of Bel-Air are now streaming on Peacock.   

Terrell Smith

Terrell Smith has a diverse writing background having penned material for a wide array of clients including the federal government and Bravo television personalities.  When he’s not writing as Terrell, he’s writing under his pseudonym Tavion Scott, creating scripts for his audio drama podcasts. Terrell is a huge fan of great storytelling when it comes to television and film. Some of his favorite shows include The CrownWandaVision, Abbot Elementary and Godfather of HarlemAnd a fun fact is he's completely dialed into the TLC 90 Day Fiancé universe.