Jimmy Fallon did something awesome last week. Fallon is known for having a love for early 90’s sitcoms and made two hilarious videos that debuted on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon. The first was his version of the opening theme to The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air, the series that Will Smith starred in on NBC from 1990 to 1996. Then came something that fans never thought would happen. Fallon aired a video of himself roaming the halls of Bayside High with our favorite characters of Saved by the Bell, the Saturday morning series that ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993. Mark-Paul Gosselaar, Tiffani Thiessen, Mario Lopez, Elizabeth Berkley, and Dennis Haskins all showed up to play their iconic roles. However, Lark Voorhies and Dustin Diamond were no shows. You can check out the clip by clicking here. This awesome moment in pop culture history made us want to go and re-watch every single episode of the series, so we did just that. Here are our picks for the best episodes from the first season of Saved by the Bell.
“The Lisa Card,” original air date August 28, 1989
Lisa Turtle never got many storylines. Sure, she was there for the show’s entire run but she spent most of her time gossiping about everyone else’s problems which left little time for the show to feature a story about the fashionista. However, this episode is all about Lisa, with a little bit of scheming from her good friend Zack Morris. Lisa’s dad lets her use his credit card after she does well on her report card. However, she ends up going overboard and charges an exuberant amount. The gang tries to think up ways for her to pay her father back and Zack comes up with one of the greatest schemes ever in this classic Saved by the Bell episode.
Zack urges Lisa to hold an auction to sell off her clothes so she can pay her dad back. The sale takes place right at Bayside High School. Zack is able to rig up all of the lockers so they swing open showcasing Lisa’s fabulous wardrobe. Unfortunately, Mr. Belding patrols the halls, and Zack has to keep closing the doors. No wonder Zack hated school so much. If he (with some help from Screech) were able to create a mechanism that opened many lockers all at once, he most likely should be studying at an Ivy League college and not high school. Mr. Belding thinks that Lisa is donating all the clothing for the drive that just so happens to be going on at the school the exact same time this is taking place, so their plan is foiled. Lisa tries to get a job at The Max, but in the end, she tells her Dad what happened and he seems to not be very upset at his daughter.
Best Quote:
Zack: Screech even sold his body to science.
Jessie: Yeah, they gave him $20 to take it back.
“The Mamas and the Papas,” original air date November 11, 1989
I remember watching this episode of Saved by the Bell when I was younger and thinking that this would be a cool project to do in high school. Though I never got to do it myself, this concept is commonly seen on teen shows. The gang has a class assignment where they are paired as couples. We get to see a tad bit of foreshadowing as Zack and Kelly are paired up. Slater ends up being married to Jessie and Lisa is stuck with Screech. Lisa and Screech must end their nuptials as Lisa becomes allergic to Screech and cannot be around him. Funny that this subject was never addressed again, and she never has a single sneezing attack when around him for the remainder of their high school years.
In order for Screech and Lisa to complete the project, they end up becoming kids of the other two couples. Screech is the son of Zack and Kelly, while Lisa is the daughter of Slater and Jessie. In the end, the kids all learn a valuable lesson about being spouses and parents. Zack and Kelly’s relationship ends up working out well, while Slater and Jessie realize that their personalities do not mesh well. However, this does not stop the two from dating on and off over the next three seasons of the series. This episode is also at the top of the list because it is one of the few times that Screech’s character is somewhat tolerable.
Best Quote:
Jessie: Slater, haven’t you heard of the women’s movement?
Slater: Sure, put on something cute and MOVE it into the kitchen.
“The Zack Tapes,” original air date December 2, 1989
The concept of this episode of Saved by the Bell is absolutely ridiculous, but this is the reason why it is one of the greatest episodes of the series’ first season. The class is learning about subliminal advertising from Ms. Wentworth (one of one my favorite teachers on the show). Zack decides this tactic would be perfect to score a date with Kelly to the dance. He puts subliminal messages in a Bo Revere tape and gives it to her. She ends up lending the tape to Jessie and they both start pining over the “Blonde Tome Cruise.” Soon everyone realizes what Zack is doing. Also, Screech has done the same thing to Lisa to get her to fall in love with him. To get even with Mr. Morris, the girls and Slater end up playing a fake version of Kelly’s tape over the PA system at school and all the Bayside girls pretend to fall head over heels for Zack. The icing on the cake is when Zack rushes to Slater to help him ward off the women. Slater tells the girls to back off as he will be taking Zack to the dance, and in the end, Zack learns a valuable lesson. However, he is back to his old ways in the following episode.
Best Quote:
Zack (on tape): Zack Morris is a ten.
Kelly: Two fives is more like it.
What is your favorite episode from the first season of Saved by the Bell? Let us know in the comments section below.
[Photo via NBC]
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