Back to Bayside
First Impressions:
I spent most of the time watching Saved by the Bell so steeped in the 90s nostalgia that I’m not sure I have too much to say right now. The intro, which is pretty much a full-on, multiple verse, song, is only heightened by the typical show clips that look like they are being shown from the inside of a trapper keeper. It is chaotically glorious.
And now for the show itself:
The episode, “The Last Dance” is in the fourth season of Saved by the Bell, and centers around Zack and Kelly’s breaking up. The cacophony of sound coming from the outfits is enough to keep watching (not to mention the Mario Lopez mullet!), but the soap opera-esque overacting is really the best reason to stay. The Halloween dance is coming up soon, so the gang is prepping. Kelly can’t afford a costume, so she gets a job as a waitress at The Max, a place where apparently the only things on the menu are burgers and milkshakes. Here she meets Jeff, the new manager who is a sophomore at UCLA. He just transferred there from Michigan (irrelevant information we are supplied with right when we meet him). Their flirtation turns to real romance, culminating in a kiss that effectively ends Zack and Kelly’s relationship. The fallout of this is bizarre in how mature these two teenagers end things. First off, they just break up with relatively no conversation at all. Kelly cries horribly, and Zack quietly agrees to staying friends. It is all very formal and business-like, which is insane and hilarious for two sixteen year-olds who are supposed to be totally in love with each other. It is the most civil breakup in the history of teenagers (possibly even adults). All the while, the audience reacts in exactly the same way no matter what the situation is on screen, so the jarring “ooohhhs” that come with the same tone and intensity as when someone says something mildly interesting is kind of amazing.
Also the kids have a band. This has not been acknowledged before – Jesse casually brings up band practice as if they've been doing this for years, but this “band” has never even been mentioned before in all four seasons of the show so far - yet they manage to finagle their way into performing at the Halloween dance, which is its own reward in the lip syncing. Jesse and Zack lead the band (called Zack Attack, of course), and their voices are those of adults who have been worked over by the music industry. They are all inexplicably good at instruments and one of the songs is a Michael Bolton slow jam. At a high school dance. Enough said.
If nothing else, this episode bears watching for the best high school band ever and the completely anti-climactic demise of star-crossed lovers Zack and Kelly (they went to the dance as Romeo and Juliet). To be continued.
And now for the show itself:
The episode, “The Last Dance” is in the fourth season of Saved by the Bell, and centers around Zack and Kelly’s breaking up. The cacophony of sound coming from the outfits is enough to keep watching (not to mention the Mario Lopez mullet!), but the soap opera-esque overacting is really the best reason to stay. The Halloween dance is coming up soon, so the gang is prepping. Kelly can’t afford a costume, so she gets a job as a waitress at The Max, a place where apparently the only things on the menu are burgers and milkshakes. Here she meets Jeff, the new manager who is a sophomore at UCLA. He just transferred there from Michigan (irrelevant information we are supplied with right when we meet him). Their flirtation turns to real romance, culminating in a kiss that effectively ends Zack and Kelly’s relationship. The fallout of this is bizarre in how mature these two teenagers end things. First off, they just break up with relatively no conversation at all. Kelly cries horribly, and Zack quietly agrees to staying friends. It is all very formal and business-like, which is insane and hilarious for two sixteen year-olds who are supposed to be totally in love with each other. It is the most civil breakup in the history of teenagers (possibly even adults). All the while, the audience reacts in exactly the same way no matter what the situation is on screen, so the jarring “ooohhhs” that come with the same tone and intensity as when someone says something mildly interesting is kind of amazing.
Also the kids have a band. This has not been acknowledged before – Jesse casually brings up band practice as if they've been doing this for years, but this “band” has never even been mentioned before in all four seasons of the show so far - yet they manage to finagle their way into performing at the Halloween dance, which is its own reward in the lip syncing. Jesse and Zack lead the band (called Zack Attack, of course), and their voices are those of adults who have been worked over by the music industry. They are all inexplicably good at instruments and one of the songs is a Michael Bolton slow jam. At a high school dance. Enough said.
If nothing else, this episode bears watching for the best high school band ever and the completely anti-climactic demise of star-crossed lovers Zack and Kelly (they went to the dance as Romeo and Juliet). To be continued.
AN INDISCRIMINATE AMOUNT OF TIME LATER...
Second Thoughts:
About this title sequence. It’s kind of long. This thing goes on for a little over a minute, with time in there for an electric guitar solo. Though, it does get you right in the mood for a rip-roaring, high-energy, high school show about typical teens like this one.
There is so much more to this episode than I at first let on. Zack strides through the halls of Bayside High, stopping to address the audience - a fourth wall break that just makes me feel special. He tells us of the upcoming Costume Ball, which he intends to attend as Romeo with his lovely Juliet, Kelly. Kelly then proceeds to remind us all that she’s poor, explaining that she can’t afford her costume. She ultimately gets a job to pay for this at The Max, a burger joint that seems to only exist for the high schoolers. When she applies for the job, we meet Jeff, the hot older college guy who steals her away from Zack with a kiss, ending their relationship. Talk about star-crossed lovers!
The hair game in this episode is especially strong. Though the main storyline is about how Kelly and Zack break up, the setting for this is centered on a high school dance. Everyone comes with their best 'dos, and the volume of these majestic manes is almost too much too handle. I shall push on. The gang continues to go on about their costumes, and just before they break to head their separate ways (to actually do school, I guess?), Jesse says, “Hey guys, don’t forget about band practice later.” Oh, okay. They have a band. A band that has never even come close to having been mentioned before (and only one time since). We’ll just let that go for now.
As Kelly works at The Max (clad in a cropped tee and a bedazzled apron – not part of the uniform of any other Max employee), she ends every shift with a mention of how much she made in tips, so she’s getting to that costume total pretty quickly. Jeff gives her the night off to be able to go to the ball and that excitement turns into the kiss, which really isn't much to phone home about, but of course the audience ooohs as if they were going a lot further than they did. Nevertheless it sets Kelly into a world of confusion.
When the dance finally comes Zack and Kelly roll in like the Elizabethan royalty they are (by the way, Zack BOUGHT HER THE DRESS ANYWAY. She just kept working because suddenly things were tight at home, because, remember now, she’s poor) and it looks like a grand teenage time. Zack Attack is all set up and ready to play, and the ensuing harmonics that cascade from these young angels’ voices is just unbelievable. Truly. The voices of the gang (Jessie and Lisa especially) sound like a group of has-been artists who have all been put through their paces by the music biz - they've definitely been through some things. That type of Rock n' Roll anguish coming out of the mouths of the most popular kids of Bayside is absolutely fantastic, making the Zack and Kelly drama all the more intense. These adult voices are echoed in the actual breaking up of the storied pair. Excerpts from the tragic scene outside the ball (all while the rest of Zack Attack sings Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”. At a high school dance.):
KELLY: Zack, it wasn't supposed to be this way for us.
ZACK: I’ll miss you Kelly. Well hey, how about one last dance?
KELLY: I’d like that. Can we still be friends?
ZACK: Always.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Is this how Gwyneth and Chris Martin consciously uncoupled? These two had the most mature departure from each other I have ever seen. The civility, the calm, the whole ending was probably the strangest thing about the whole thing. Aside from Kelly’s horrible sobbing, the two of them may as well have just completed a business transaction or made plans for brunch. And then slow danced to shake on it.
I have to say this was a bizarre and complicated episode, but I’m pretty sure, when you really think about it, all the episodes of Saved by the Bell are. The fall of high school royalty Zack and Kelly? The dawn of Zack and the gang’s band, complete with multiple performances? What’s not to love? PLUS IT’S A TWO-PARTER Y’ALL.
There is so much more to this episode than I at first let on. Zack strides through the halls of Bayside High, stopping to address the audience - a fourth wall break that just makes me feel special. He tells us of the upcoming Costume Ball, which he intends to attend as Romeo with his lovely Juliet, Kelly. Kelly then proceeds to remind us all that she’s poor, explaining that she can’t afford her costume. She ultimately gets a job to pay for this at The Max, a burger joint that seems to only exist for the high schoolers. When she applies for the job, we meet Jeff, the hot older college guy who steals her away from Zack with a kiss, ending their relationship. Talk about star-crossed lovers!
The hair game in this episode is especially strong. Though the main storyline is about how Kelly and Zack break up, the setting for this is centered on a high school dance. Everyone comes with their best 'dos, and the volume of these majestic manes is almost too much too handle. I shall push on. The gang continues to go on about their costumes, and just before they break to head their separate ways (to actually do school, I guess?), Jesse says, “Hey guys, don’t forget about band practice later.” Oh, okay. They have a band. A band that has never even come close to having been mentioned before (and only one time since). We’ll just let that go for now.
As Kelly works at The Max (clad in a cropped tee and a bedazzled apron – not part of the uniform of any other Max employee), she ends every shift with a mention of how much she made in tips, so she’s getting to that costume total pretty quickly. Jeff gives her the night off to be able to go to the ball and that excitement turns into the kiss, which really isn't much to phone home about, but of course the audience ooohs as if they were going a lot further than they did. Nevertheless it sets Kelly into a world of confusion.
When the dance finally comes Zack and Kelly roll in like the Elizabethan royalty they are (by the way, Zack BOUGHT HER THE DRESS ANYWAY. She just kept working because suddenly things were tight at home, because, remember now, she’s poor) and it looks like a grand teenage time. Zack Attack is all set up and ready to play, and the ensuing harmonics that cascade from these young angels’ voices is just unbelievable. Truly. The voices of the gang (Jessie and Lisa especially) sound like a group of has-been artists who have all been put through their paces by the music biz - they've definitely been through some things. That type of Rock n' Roll anguish coming out of the mouths of the most popular kids of Bayside is absolutely fantastic, making the Zack and Kelly drama all the more intense. These adult voices are echoed in the actual breaking up of the storied pair. Excerpts from the tragic scene outside the ball (all while the rest of Zack Attack sings Michael Bolton’s “How Am I Supposed To Live Without You”. At a high school dance.):
KELLY: Zack, it wasn't supposed to be this way for us.
ZACK: I’ll miss you Kelly. Well hey, how about one last dance?
KELLY: I’d like that. Can we still be friends?
ZACK: Always.
TO BE CONTINUED…
Is this how Gwyneth and Chris Martin consciously uncoupled? These two had the most mature departure from each other I have ever seen. The civility, the calm, the whole ending was probably the strangest thing about the whole thing. Aside from Kelly’s horrible sobbing, the two of them may as well have just completed a business transaction or made plans for brunch. And then slow danced to shake on it.
I have to say this was a bizarre and complicated episode, but I’m pretty sure, when you really think about it, all the episodes of Saved by the Bell are. The fall of high school royalty Zack and Kelly? The dawn of Zack and the gang’s band, complete with multiple performances? What’s not to love? PLUS IT’S A TWO-PARTER Y’ALL.
Special Third Thought: Watch the second part of this. It’s called “The Aftermath” and features multiple trips to the world’s cheapest-looking movie theater, awkward love poetry recitation, jukebox controversy, and the expectation of Zack to get over Kelly, the love of his life, by the Very. Next. Day. I also suggest the fabulous podcast Go Bayside! Comedian April Richardson hosts with a weekly guest, talking about every episode of Saved by the Bell. This one (Episode 37) is guested by comedian Erin Gibson, and the conversation is thoroughly enlightening with regard to this episode. And the next one (with the especially hilarious Paul F. Tompkins). And then you won’t be able to stop listening and watching and I’ll have done my job.
Jasmine Penny