History TearJerker / TheFreshPrinceOfBelAir

-->'''Phil''': I'm sorry, Will.\\

'''Will:''' ''(gradually getting angrier)'' Hey, you know what? You ain't got to do nothin', Uncle Phil. It ain't like I'm still five years old, you know? Ain't like I'm gonna be sittin' up every night askin' my mom, "[[WhenYouComingHomeDad When's Daddy comin' home]]?" You know? Who needs him? Hey, he wasn't there to teach me how to shoot my first basket, but I learned, didn't I? And I got pretty damn good at it, too, didn't I, Uncle Phil?\\

'''Will:''' Got through my first date without him, right? I learned how to drive, I learned how to shave, I learned how to fight without him. I had FOURTEEN great birthdays without him! He never even sent me a damn card! '''''[[SuddenlyShouting TO HELL]] [[IronicEcho WITH HIM!]]'''''\\

'''Will:''' I didn't need him then and I don't need him now.\\

'''Will:''' No, you know what, Uncle Phil? I'ma get through college without him, I'ma get a great job without him, I'ma marry me a beautiful honey, and I'm havin' me a whole bunch of kids. And I'ma be a better father than he ''ever'' was! And I sure as hell don't need him for that, ''[='=]cause there ain't a DAMN THING he could EVER teach me about HOW TO LOVE MY KIDS!''\\
(''Will begins to tear up'')\\
'''Will:''' (''shakily'') How come he don't want me, man?\\
''(he and Phil embrace, Will quietly crying into Phil's shoulders)''\\

*** Likewise, the StudioAudience is ''completely'' silent throughout - you could hear a pin drop in the studio. No gasps, no "awww"s, no heartwarming applause, ''nothing'' that could possibly take the people watching at home out of the scene. This extends to the ending credits, which do not show the usual HilariousOuttakes.

* In "The Alma Matter" Will and Carlton are both interviewed by a Princeton official scouting for interested applicants, and so naturally Carlton has prepared for his make-or-break case for acceptance. Will's record does little to impress the man until he starts playing it cool with his usual antics, which greatly amuses the representative and earns Will a conditional acceptance, much to Carlton's shock. Not believing it, he springs the same act upon the man, only for him to be instead convinced that Carlton is ''clinically insane'' and turn him down flat. Carlton panics and tries to convince him otherwise, and when this fails, he attempts to bribe him with money or a date with Hillary. This only serves as proof to the man of Carlton's craziness, and Carlton, losing his patience, then actually threatens the man's life on an impulse and [[MyGodWhatHaveIDone catches his mistake too late]]. Getting himself suspended, Carlton tries to pretend nothing is wrong and lies to everybody that he's been accepted with a full scholarship, much to the joy of everybody, especially Uncle Phil. And then they receive a call from the school:

'''Uncle Phil''': Excuse me. Fourteen years and acts like nothing has happened. Wake up, Will. This is the same guy who didn't think enough of you to pick up ''the damn phone!''\\

'''Aunt Viv''': Hey, just cool it. Just cool down. We can talk about this another time.\\

'''Uncle Phil''': Oh yeah, I don't think so.\\
'''Will''': Who cares what you think?! '''[[YoureNotMyFather YOU ARE NOT MY FATHER!]]'''

--->'''Will''': So, what, you don't think I'm mad, huh? I'm laying up in this hospital an inch away from being paralyzed. You don't think I wanna get up this bed and catch...
--->'''Carlton''': Well, it's not gonna happen again, not to me.

--->'''Will''': Carlton.

--->'''Will''': I saved your life, man. I saved your life. '''''You owe me!''''' Now, give me the gun, Carlton. Give me the gun. I saved your life. ''I want the gun!''

* "Papa's Got a Brand New Excuse" contains what many consider not only the greatest scene in the entire show, but some of the most powerful acting ever put to TV. In the episode, Will's deadbeat dad, Lou, comes back into his life after fourteen years, and Will tries his best to get to know him better. Even after [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech Uncle Phil calls out Lou about not being there for him when he was a child]], Will, for the first time in the show, outright defies Phil by telling him that [[YoureNotMyFather he isn't his father]]. In the end, Lou becomes more concerned over some new business and has to cancel a planned summer trip with Will. It's clear from their last talk together that Lou's not coming back -- and Will doesn't want him to. Will tries to shake it off and [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GmerFuzRNZ4 launches into a monologue]] about all of the things he learned to do, and hopes to accomplish, without his father around to help him. However, as the weight of the situation fully hits him, Will finally just looks at Uncle Phil with the saddest look on his face and says, "How come he don't want me, man?". Phil then gives him a CooldownHug (seen in the page image) as the camera then zooms in on the present that Will had bought for his father: [[{{Irony}} an African-style wood carving of a father holding a young son]].

'''Phil:''' Will, it's all right to be angry.\\

'''Will:''' ''(gradually getting angrier)'' Hey, you know what? You ain't got to do nothin', Uncle Phil. It ain't like I'm still five years old, you know? Ain't like I'm gonna be sittin' up every night askin' my mom, "[[WhenYouComingHomeDad When's Daddy comin' home]]?" You know? Who needs him? Hey, he wasn't there to teach me how to shoot my first basket, but I learned, didn't I? And I got pretty damn good at it too, didn't I, Uncle Phil?\\

'''Will:''' Got through my first date without him, right? I learned how to drive, I learned how to shave, I learned how to fight without him. I had FOURTEEN great birthdays without him! He never even sent me a damn card! '''''[[SuddenlyShouting TO HELL]] [[IronicEcho WITH HIM!!!]]'''''\\

-->'''Will:''' All I know, is that somebody real close to me, that I love a whole lot, could be dead right now. And it'd be all my fault....

--->'''Will''': [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness That's not you, man]], [[HeWhoFightsMonsters that's them]].

* Carlton losing his virginity in "It's Better to Have Loved and Lost It..." -- First, he's made fun of by Will and their friends for being the only one among them to not have had sex, and is further ridiculed when he explains he's waiting for the right person. And he seemingly does in Jo Ann. They have sex after a date and Carlton is thrilled not only because of the sex but because he believes he's finally met the woman of his dreams... only to later find out she's ''married'' and was using him to get over her issues with her husband before coldly telling that the sex was a one-time thing. Carlton is crushed, to say the least.

'''Will:''' ''(gradually getting angrier)'' Hey, you know what? You ain't got to do nothing, Uncle Phil. You know, It ain't like I'm still five years old, you know? Ain't like I'm gonna be sittin' up every night askin' my mom, "[[WhenYouComingHomeDad When is Daddy comin' home]]?" You know? Who needs him? Hey, he wasn't there to teach me how to shoot my first basket, but I learned, didn't I? And I got pretty damn good at it, too, didn't I, Uncle Phil?\\

'''Phil:''' Will?\\
'''Will:''' No, you know what, Uncle Phil? I'ma get through college without him, I'ma get a great job without him, I'ma marry me a beautiful honey and I'm havin' me a whole bunch of kids. I'ma be a better father than he ''ever'' was! And I sure as hell don't need him for that, ''[='=]cause ain't a damn thing he could ever teach me about how to love my kids!''\\

* Carlton [[TheReasonYouSuckSpeech railing against Top Dog]] in "Blood Is Thicker Than Mud" for [[CategoryTraitor believing him not to be "black enough"]] is a mix of this, with MomentOfAwesome.

* "Not with My Pig, You Don't" involves Uncle Phil's parents coming to visit and telling tales of Phil growing up on a farm in North Carolina. At a certain point Will shares the stories grandma told him with a reporter. Phil finds out and is furious because he is ashamed of his background. By the end of the episode he realizes the depths of his ingratitude. His parents - who never had the opportunities that he had - worked insanely hard to provide him with anything he needed to build a good life. By the end of the episode Phil has come around and is very proud of his family. The episode ends with the slave song "Wade in the Water". It is immensely humbling , a reminder that many people didn't get your opportunities and that ingratitude can be the worst sin of all.

[[caption-width-right:350:[[DisappearedDad "How come he don't want me, man?"]]]]

'''Uncle Phil''': The hell with your father.\\

'''Uncle Phil''': Excuse me. Fourteen years and acts like nothing has happened. Wake up, Will. This is the same guy who didn't think enough of you to pick up the damn phone!\\
'''Will''': He made a mistake. I'm sorry that everybody can't be as perfect as you, Uncle Phil, but if I can forgive him, how come you can't?\\

'''Will''': Who cares what you think? ''[[YoureNotMyFather You are not my father!]]''

'''Will:''' Got through my first date without him, right? I learned how to drive, I learned how to shave, I learned how to fight without him. I had FOURTEEN great birthdays without him! He never even sent me a damn card! '''''[[SuddenlyShouting TO HELL WITH HIM!!!]]'''''\\

'''Will:''' Got through my first date without him, right? I learned how to drive, I learned how to shave, I learned how to fight without him. I had FOURTEEN great birthdays without him! He never even sent me a damn card! ''[[SuddenlyShouting TO HELL WITH HIM!]]''\\

** Even before this scene, Carlton's despair was evident when he was arguing with Phil about whether any justice will come of it. This is the same Carlton who still believed in the system [[Recap/TheFreshPrinceOfBelAirS1E06MistakenIdentity after being wrongly pulled over]]. Gone is such naïveté, despite his father's reassurances.

---> '''Will:''': Do I detect a little hostility? You owe me some flowers mister!

--->'''Will''': I saved your life, man. I saved your life. '''''You owe me!'''' Now, give me the gun, Carlton. Give me the gun. I saved your life. ''I want the gun!''

* In "Bullets Over Bel-Air", Will takes a bullet for Carlton when the two are mugged while withdrawing money from an ATM. After seeing Will hurt so badly, Carlton's feelings of helplessness push him over the edge, and he buys a gun and even brings it with him to the hospital. Will ends up ''begging'' Carlton to get rid of it so that he doesn't intentionally or accidentally hurt someone in the same way that Will was. After convincing Carlton to give up the gun, Will breaks down in tears. [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rJ31eBipr_g Link]]
** And then there was the way in which Carlton finally relented in giving the gun. Will tried joking about his situation, he tried to calm Carlton down, and he tried to reason with him. None of that worked. Will had to use a desperate, last-resort YouOweMe. You can hear his voice break as he was essentially ''ordering'' Carlton to give him the gun.

-->'''Will''': So, what, you don't think I'm mad, huh? I'm laying up in this hospital an inch away from being paralyzed. You don't think I wanna get up this bed and catch...
-->'''Carlton''': Well, it's not gonna happen again, not to me.
-->'''Will''': Carlton, Carlton. I understand that you're scared, man, but the world can be a scary place. You just got to learn how to deal with it.
-->'''Carlton''': Yeah, well, I found my way.
-->'''Will''': [[OOCIsSeriousBusiness That's not you, man]], [[HeWhoFightsMonsters that's them]].
-->'''Carlton''': Look, I didn't come here for your approval, all right? I came here to see how you were. I'm out of here.
-->'''Will''': Carlton.
-->'''Carlton''': No more hugs, Will.
-->'''Will''': I saved your life, man. I saved your life. You owe me! Now, give me the gun, Carlton. Give me the gun. I saved your life. I want the gun!

'''Will:''' ''(gradually getting angrier)'' Hey, you know what? You ain't got to do nothing, Uncle Phil. You know, It ain't like I'm still five years old, you know? Ain't like I'm gonna be sittin' up every night askin' my mom "[[WhenYouComingHomeDad When is Daddy comin' home]]?" You know? Who needs him? Hey, he wasn't there to teach me how to shoot my first basket, but I learned, didn't I? And I got pretty damn good at it, too, didn't I, Uncle Phil?\\

'''Will:''' No, you know what, Uncle Phil? I'ma get through college without him, I'ma get a great job without him, I'ma marry me a beautiful honey and I'm havin' me a whole bunch of kids. I'ma be a better father than he ''ever'' was! And I sure as hell don't need him for that, cause ain't a damn thing he could ever teach me about ''how to love my kids!''\\

'''Will:''' (''shakily'') [[WhamLine How come he don't want me, man?]]\\

** Also look carefully at the hug; Phil knocks off Will's baseball cap, symbolically removing his tough, outer street persona to take care of the scared, sad little boy still wondering why his father abandoned and doesn't love him that hides inside of it.

*** Likewise, the StudioAudience is ''completely'' silent throughout - you could hear a pin drop in the studio. No gasps, no "awww"s, no heartwarming applause, ''nothing'' that could possibly take the people watching at home out of the scene. This extends to the ending credits, which does not show the usual HilariousOuttakes.
*** In addition, his [[ManlyTears tears]] were for the friends that he knew growing up that didn't know their fathers, [[http://liamdryden.tumblr.com/post/12603197358/shyhook-a-little-backstory-to-this-clip-before not, contrary to popular belief, for his own father.]]
*** [[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=91693DJcMK0 Will Smith reports]] this sequence was difficult for him to shoot, as he was not sure his acting was up to the task, especially when he was performing with a talented actor like Creator/JamesAvery. Finally, Avery told him to use Uncle Phil as the impetus for Will's reaction, as he needed his scene partner to get the character to that point. After doing a good take, Avery proceeded to whisper in Smith's ear as they embraced, "That's [[PrecisionFStrike fucking]] [[SoProudOfYou acting right there]]."

** Immediately preceding the rant, Phil confronts Lou for running out on Will, and Lou [[DirtyCoward asks him to break the news for him.]] Phil refuses, and demands that Lou tell him himself, and Lou says he'll [[BlatantLies give him a call]] as he begins to leave. Then Will bursts in, all packed and ready to go for the trip, forcing Lou to come clean and say the trip isn't going to happen. When he says, "It was great seeing you, son," Will responds, "You, too..." before [[YoureNotMyFather calling him "Lou" instead of "Dad"]], thus cutting off ties with him for good.

** In the banquet hall's bathroom, Uncle Phil and Will have a talk over how the former's accomplishments (being the first black president of the Young Farmers' Association and going into a white's only bathroom despite being told to leave) seem like nothing compared to the likes of Martin Luther King. Then he looks at himself in the bathroom mirror and makes this speech after realizing how ungrateful he had been.

** Immediately preceding the rant, Phil confronts Lou for running out on Will, and Lou [[DirtyCoward asks him to break the news for him.]] Phil refuses, and demands that Lou tell him himself, and Lou says he'll [[BlatantLies give him a call]] as he begins to leave. Then Will bursts in, all packed and ready to go for the trip, forcing Lou to come clean and say the trip isn't going to happen. When he says, "It was good meeting you, son," Will responds, "You, too..." before [[YoureNotMyFather calling him "Lou" instead of "Dad"]], thus cutting off ties with him for good.

* In "I, Stank Horse", Carlton is devastated when he learns that the horse he bet on at the horse track is to be euthanized on the orders of the track owners due to being "too old and slow", and no longer in in the physical shape to win races. The almost apathetic manner in which the doctor announces this to him does ''not'' help matters at all. Naturally, Carlton goes to great lengths to see that the poor animal is spared such an unfair fate, going so far as to sneak him home with Hilary's help. One must hope that upon being caught, Carlton convinced his folks to use their influence to see that the horse was given a new lease on life.

---> '''Phil:''' And cheesecake is my Kryptonite, huh?