Will makes a bet that Carlton wouldn't last a weekend in Jazz's neighborhood, Compton. However, Carlton takes the bet too far and Will has to find a way to stop him from going to MacArthur Park at night.
This episode contains examples of:
- Almighty Mom: As tough as Jazz's gang tries to be, they immediately stand down once Aunt Viv starts barking at them.
- Aw, Look! They Really Do Love Each Other: Despite their constant bickering throughout the episode, Will's care for Carlton is shown when he refuses to let his cousin go into a truly dangerous area as part of the bet. Carlton calls him out on it at the end of the episode, despite Will's adamant denial.
- Batman Gambit: To get Carlton to come home early and not go to McArthur Park, Will claims that Geoffrey had a heart-attack and is in bad shape. It was working, until Vivian stormed in and demanded Carlton come home.
- Be Yourself: Phil delivers the lesson of the episode when reprimanding Carlton.Carlton: Dad, I know it may not make sense, but I had to prove that I had the courage to make it there.
Phil: That's not courage. Courage is being yourself no matter what anybody else thinks. - The Bet: Carlton has to last a weekend in Jazz's neighborhood. If he does, Will can never make fun of him again. If he doesn't, Will has essentially a constant green light for insults.
- Call It Karma: Will gets insulted by his friends at the end, and Carlton now he knows how it feels like, referring to Will making fun of him at the beginning.
- Consummate Liar: Will and Carlton lie to their parents about going on a trip to San Fransisco. Later, Will tells them the truth.
- Copycat Mockery: When sorting out the mess, Phil indulges in this when delivering the Be Yourself lesson to Carlton.Phil: Will makes fun of me all the time, but you don't see me going, "Yo yo yo, homie, yo!"
- Digging Yourself Deeper: Averted in one case.Phil: Why do I always have to be the heavy?
Will: ...Nah, I'm in enough trouble already. - Easily Forgiven: Averted. Will finds a simple apology isn't good enough for Vivian this time. She even notes she's getting really sick of hearing "I'm sorry" instead of seeing him be responsible enough to avoid trouble in the first place. All Will can think to do is try apologizing again.
- Everyone Has Standards: With Will claiming Geoffrey had a heart-attack, the rest of the group encourage Carlton to attend to family business and say that's where he's needed.
- Fantasy Sequence: Will has an extreme vision of hood-Carlton trashing the Banks' mansion and himself being beaten up by Uncle Phil as punishment.
- Hidden Depths: It turns out that Carlton actually can acclimate himself to Will and Jazz's world. Not only does he get in good with the group, but he manages to bring some of his own unique skills to the table.
- Hidden Heart of Gold: Will is deeply troubled by what could happen to Carlton at McArthur Park, which leads to the whole situation getting out to Phil and Vivian. To the very end, though, Will insists that he did not actually care about Carlton's safety and that he was only concerned about any punishment he'd get for his cousin being hurt.
- Hypocrite:
- In the end, Vivian chastises Will for both demanding to act however he pleases and always insulting Carlton for doing just that.
- In The Stinger, Will points out that Carlton gives Will a hard time for being different from him, yet complains when Will does it too.
- Ironic Nickname: Tiny is a hulking bruiser and towers over everyone else.
- Mama Bear: Rather than let Will quietly handle this, Vivian storms over to Jazz's apartment and forces Carlton to come home.
- Never My Fault: After just agreeing to back each other up, Will insists that the whole mess is Carlton's fault.
- Wham Shot: When Will and Jazz return to the apartment to find Carlton dressed in hood clothes and speaking fluent "hip-hop" language.
