Saved By The Bell

Retrospective

Original Cast Lost Appeal

It’s not so much the asthetic aspect of the show that I found dissappointing. In fact, I’d have to say that, if anything, the more recent episodes featuring the original cast (Zach, Slater, Screech, Kelly, Jesse, and Lisa) had a better production team. The sets were all very slick and the hair and make-up teams did great job making our favorite Bayside students look even better. Somehow, though, all that gloss and glamour couldn’t hide the fact that the show just didn’t reach me anymore. I felt like I was tuning in, just for the sake of watching, trying to attach myself to some abstract ideal - trying to fit in. It’s not like the old days, when the on-camera rivalry between Zach and Slater acually made me feel something.

The Zach-Slater Rivalry

Yes, we all watched every week to see which one of these two gorge titans would finally win Kelly’s heart. A.C. Slater, the son of military Dad, was always strong and honest, and even when Zach would really try to get on his nerves, he always managed to restrain himself (except for that one time early on in the first season, where an ugly fight broke out). Zach, however, was always the better-looking and more clever of the two. When Lisa crashed her father’s new car, who was it that organized a party to help pay for the repairs? Not A.C. Slater, that’s for sure. Yes, Zach always had something up his sleeve. Like that time he sold the Bayside Video Yearbook to other schools as a dating service! Boy, was Mr. Belding mad at him for that.

Mr. Belding

Through all the changes (on and off camera), Mr. Belding has been a stable in the Administration at Bayside. His benevolence is far-reaching and was tested on a regular basis by the original cast (and even sometimes by The New Class’ choice of words). But it seemed, the majority of the time, Mr. Belding managed to turn a blind eye towards all of Bayside’s antics.

2 Become 1 on The New Class

Some of you may remember a recent episode of SBTB: The New Class where Mario Lopez, who played Slater in the old show, did a guest spot. Some Hollywood cynics have suggested that Mario was ‘selling out to the man’ and compromising his artistic vision by doing an episode with TNC. But, as Mario has stated, he was feeling quite limited in his new role on SBTB: The College Years, and Name Your Adventure. It was like the in-your-face-hipster nature of these new shows somehow kept Mario from really discussing the issues he wanted to get at.

Next Season

Now that Mario has broken the unwritten rule, and crossed over to The New Class, will the others follow suit? It’s unclear, but a Hollywood insider says that Zach (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Lisa (Lark Voorhies), and Jesse (Elizabeth Berkley) have all offered to put their some-what more glamorous movie careers on-hold to appear next season on TNC. But, it seems, some of these vetrans feel they’re entitled to a little more than just going back to being actors. Apparently, both Mark-Paul Gosselaar and Mario Lopez have expressed interest in producing or even directing the upcoming episodes, and, at a recent production meeting, were prompty shouted down by members of The New Class and the show’s director. Dis-heartened, Mark-Paul and Mario say they will continue to work in television, whether it is with The New Class or not.

As for the rest of the original cast, it is unclear what next season will bring. Perhaps the Bayside kids, new and old, will be able to see beyond all the politics and posturing, or perhaps this bickering and one-ups-manship will continue. All I can hope for is that they do what is best for Bayside.