Having a Zack attack!

Recently, some friends told me they were going to a Saved by the Bell trivia night and I was totally jealous. I could have totally won a trivia game like that. I know this because when my husband and I were first dating, we kept quizzing each other on Saved by the Bell questions and I knew even the most obscure details. (A few years later, I made him a cake that said "Happy wrong number by the sea.")

Saved by the Bell is such a pop culture icon. If you went to high school in the 90s, it's almost a guarantee that you watched it. There was a lot of cheesiness throughout the series, but also some great heartfelt moments that just made it that much more special.

I found it interesting that Zack was the protagonist because he acted selfishly most of the time. He would do some manipulative thing in order to get Kelly to go out with him and it would somehow backfire. However, he'd still end up being the good guy somehow. Maybe because the show was from his perspective? If Slater had been the lead narrator of the show, Zack would have totally come off as a jerk. It's just amusing that Zack will do something appalling but then we'll cheer for him to come out on top, even when his friends are trying to teach him a lesson.

And really...his friends?!? I don't get how Zack, who was apparently the most popular guy in school, even with his giant cell phone, had the desire to hang out with Screech. I don't even get where Screech fit in, other than to be Zack's accomplice in his mischevous plans. And I recently found out that Lark Voorhies, the actress who played Lisa, is having some sort of nervous breakdown. Maybe it's because Screech was in her face all the time on the show. I would have a nervous breakdown as an adult too! I like geeks (I watch The Big Bang Theory, after all), but Screech was just over the top. He even stuck around for the new class in order to annoy Mr. Belding some more. Then there's Slater, who was apparently Zack's frenemy. They fought more often than they got along. I think the only time they started to become real friends was when Slater gave up his dreams of chasing Kelly in order to go out with Jessie instead.

In any case, Zack was a memorable character. Mark-Paul even brought his persona to Late Night with Jimmy Fallon, complete with the large cell phone.

There's something that just drew me in to watching every week. Maybe it was because I thought Mark-Paul Gosselaar was a hottie and would have totally played the role of Kelly and just threw myself at him instead of thwarting his attempts at courtship. Sure, Mario Lopez was cute too, but I had a thing for Mark-Paul. It also could have been wanting a show with people my age to whom I could relate in some way. Each character was diverse (maybe that's why they needed Screech, to add that balance in) and there was at least one that each viewer could identify with. I could relate to Jessie a lot. I still do sometimes. I know I could relate to DJ on Full House too, but this was just different. The vacation episodes helped a lot. I felt like I was at the beach club or in Hawaii or at some fancy hotel for Jessie's dad's wedding. I liked that not every episode took place at Bayside.

My favorite episode of all time is when Jessie takes caffeine pills to keep up with her stressful life. It had such a real moment, when Zack finally figures out that she really was taking the pills and Slater wasn't lying after all. Then he tries to get her to stop taking them and she sings "I'm So Excited" but then says she's so scared and breaks down crying while he hugs her. Then he tells her all these things she used to do as a kid to show her how she'll get through this rough patch in her life. I actually cry during that scene every time I watch it. For a cheesy and campy teen show, it was an incredibly heartfelt moment between two friends and I wanted to savor it for as long as I could. (You can watch it right here.) Another reason is because I feel like Jessie sometimes and want to scream "there's no time!!" (And sometimes I do!). Also the music video was pretty advanced with all the costume flips and the song was good too. (Of course, when you put it up against "Let's Go to the Mall" from How I Met Your Mother, suddenly there's some competition.)

The runner-up favorite episode is "Zack and Kelly's Prom." Kelly has to give up her dream of going to the prom when her dad loses his job and somehow relies on her for money (although it's irksome that a dad would do that to their teenage daughter....maybe he didn't want her to give him the money, but she felt compelled and he took it anyway.) So, she's sad about not going to prom and avoids Zack. He's worried though, and when he finds out the truth, he creates a prom for just the two of them, right outside the real prom. That way they can hear the music and dance together. It was so sweet and romantic, making me wish I had a boyfriend in high school.

I could go on and on about this show. It was such a staple of my teen years and something I'll still watch in syndication. I'd love to hear about your favorite SBTB memories and episodes. I'm sure it will bring back even more memories for me.