Friday, May 02, 2003

 

Patterned Sweaters, Fake Hair, and Leafblowers: Senior Year at Bayside High

First Day of School, Senior Year, Bayside High. Zack is elated because the fact he is a senior means no more algebra. He also gets to pick on poor, unwitting freshman. Slater and Zack fool this ‘freshman’ (he looked about 23 years old) into buying an all-inclusive pass so he can go to the roof to use the restroom. Everyone meets up right around the stairwell, as always, and the topic of the convo is finding dates to the senior kickoff party. Zack and Slater act as if they are turning girls away in droves. Lisa spots a hottie (Darren) across the hall and fixes her date dilemma in an instant. He must go shopping at Sears, too. He is wearing the exact same green patterned sweater that Zack is wearing in one of his opening credits clips. Then everyone’s favorite principal walks in wearing a wig with a small ponytail in back.

AFTER the bell rings, everyone disperses and decides to go to class. Except for Zack, that is. He lingers out in the hall and runs into a new girl, Joanna. Not really that beautiful, but Zack thinks so and makes a move on her.

Zack goes to class and makes a fool of himself in front of the new, ridiculously hard teacher who gave a test on the first day. Slater also meets Joanna, and is instantly in love with her.

At the Max, Kelly finds out that Lisa’s dream date Darren is a FRESHMAN!!! Zack and Slater are both discussing the hotties they scoped earlier in the day, not knowing it was the same bland girl. They decide to double date to the senior party… Jessie and Kelly break the news to Lisa that she is dating a freshman in the place that bad dating news is always shared—in the girls’ locker room. Lisa is mortified that SHE is the loser senior girl dating a freshman.

Slater and Zack discover they are lusting after the same girl and get into a fight in the hallway. Zack ends up making the first move and makes a study date with her. While Zack and Joanna are hitting the books in his bedroom, Slater comes in to clean with a LEAF BLOWER!! This blower also sucked, because it sucked Zack’s homework up. Zack was all ticked off, like he would never be able to retrieve his work, when in fact it is sitting there, fully intact, in the leaf blower bag. Joanna, who obviously didn’t think she was on an exclusive date, invited Slater to join.

Sometime later, Slater and Joanna went on a date to the movies, where Zack has paid Screech to dress up like an usher and some random woman named Martha to pretend she’s Slater’s mom and crash their date. They see Darren there, waiting for Lisa. Darren asked Slater if he had seen Lisa, who had apparently stood poor Darren up. The boy had faith, though—it was almost 9:15 and he had been there waiting for her to see the 7:00 show. Faith, or maybe he just couldn’t find a ride home. Anywho.

At the party, which no parents, chaperones, or principals are allowed to attend, Lisa shows up with Darren. They must have gotten over the fact that they were carrying on a May-December romance. Zack and Slater get into another fight at the party and Slater pours red punch all over Zack’s gay white pants. Mr. Belding, who showed up to the party despite the fact he wasn’t invited, ends up having his fake hair thrown in the punch after all is said and done. Zack and Slater decide this mediocre looking girl shouldn’t come between them, and they make up, officially kicking off senior year for the Bayside crew.

--Bri

Quote of the episode
“Why is Mr. Belding dressed like Sinbad?” --Kelly

Grade
Bri: B. This episode, while it didn’t have many memorable lines, was good because it was set in the school and had all major characters. After all of these on-location shows, it was good to see ol’ Bayside high once again. And to see Slater cleaning Zack’s room with a leaf blower. Also, Joanna’s bodysuit/vest combo was a great flashback to early/mid nineties fashion!

Clare: B. Like Joanna's looks and personality, this episode was pretty average. Belding's new image was mildly amusing, but Slater's leaf-blowing antics were the only real standout.

9:24 AM