What is the title of the episode where Will and Carlton are arrested for driving a stolen car?

The episode where Will and Carlton are arrested for driving a stolen car is titled “Mistaken Identity.” The title points to the central injustice: the cousins are treated as criminals because police mistake their situation for car theft.

In the story, Will and Carlton are driving a luxury car connected to Philip Banks’s law firm when they are stopped and arrested. They are not aware of the circumstances that make the vehicle appear stolen, and the arrest quickly exposes how racial profiling shapes the officers’ assumptions about them.

The episode originally aired during the sitcom’s first season and became one of its clearest early examinations of race, privilege, and unequal treatment. Carlton initially believes that the justice system generally works fairly, while Will is more immediately suspicious of the police response.

The episode’s title is sometimes remembered as a generic “stolen car” episode, but “Mistaken Identity” is the canonical title. Its importance also comes from Philip’s response: he challenges the officers for judging the boys before properly investigating.