Nostalgia Time: Rewatching Saved by the Bell

     If you are like me, a twenty-something female who watched TV when you were younger, then you know about the greatness that is Saved by the Bell.  Made in the late 80's and early 90's, the show has pretty much been in constant syndication for the past twenty years.  Well, in a fit of nostalgia, I purchased all seasons of the show on DVD, and my sister and I have been binge-watching it for the past several nights.  It has definitely brought out feelings that you only feel when you are young, before you've lived a little bit of life.  When you are in high school, every little thing that happens to you feels like the end of the world, but like the students at Bayside, you realize that life goes on, and your true friends will be there for you no matter what.
     Apart from the crazy fashions the teens were rocking, a lot of the storylines leave a lot to be desired these days.  From Jessie getting hooked on caffeine pills so she can stay awake to study to Zack's fear of having knee surgery, these days teenagers are facing much bigger problems than having to sell buddy bands for a class project.  However, if you look at the deeper meaning behind the episodes, you find lessons that are still relevant today.  By watching Saved by the Bell, you learn that telling the truth is always the best policy, or that sometimes in life people will let you down.  You also learn that your friends will be there for you no matter what, even if they are like Zack and try to make money off of you at every turn.  You learn that your true friends will tell you the truth about yourself, like when you need to act like an adult and let your dad remarry or not be superficial just because a zit cream turned your face beet red.  Your friends will love you even when you make a fool of yourself, or when you act like a jerk as so many teenagers do.  In today's world of high schoolers having sex with each other at the drop of a hat, and teen drinking as rampant as if it isn't even illegal, it's very refreshing to go back to a simpler time when there was "no hope with dope" and drunk driving was looked at as the horrible decision it really is.  Friends quit being your friends because of the stupidest things these days.  Everyone is looking out for themselves, but in Saved by the Bell, they stick by each other's sides through thick and thin.  The world might be a better place if everyone had to watch Saved by the Bell.
     Now that I am getting off my soap box, let's get to the best part of Saved by the Bell--Zack and Kelly.  Before there even was such a thing, Zack and Kelly was the first relationship many girls "shipped".  Zack was the adorable blonde who always had a trick up his sleeve, and he didn't really take anything seriously.  Zack had his eyes on Kelly from the very beginning, and when they finally started "going steady", girls across the country found a couple they could root for.  Kelly was everybody's favorite girl next door who was as nice as they come.  You fall in love with the couple all over again, especially when Zack throws Kelly her own prom since she can't afford to go to the real one, or when he bonds with Kelly's baby brother when he has to babysit one day.  Despite Kelly dumping Zack for that jerk, Jeff, they eventually reunite and get married sometime after The College Years, giving young girls hope of true love conquering all.  Even re-watching the show now, I worry about if Zack and Kelly are going to make it through Kelly's modeling days in Paris or Zack's always being in trouble for some scheme he cooked up, but I know their love survives it all.  You also had Jessie and Slater, whose sexy back and forth banter made them another couple to root for.  They always gave each other a hard time about his being a male chauvinist pig or her being a neurotic feminist, but they still loved each other in spite of their differences, and they heated up the screen for viewers everywhere.
     Sure, if you go into the show with the cynicism that plagues so many of us today, you will laugh at the childishness and innocence of what the teens at Bayside High go through.  It's hard to worry too much about Lisa having to sell her wardrobe because of a $300 charge on her daddy's credit card when today's kids are more materialistic than ever.  When kids are getting brand new cars as soon as they turn sixteen, it doesn't sink in for them that there is a big responsibility when it comes to driving a car, or repairing one when you crash the principal's.  Even when Zack is playing pranks or getting in trouble, he always has good manners, and says "yes sir" and "no ma'am".  However, if you go into the show with an open mind, you will fall in love with these kids all over again or for the first time.  You will cry when Jessie admits how scared she is of the future.  You will cheer the kids on as they defeat the evil oil man.  You will wish that you had a cool high school band of your friends like Zack Attack or Hot Sundae.  You will find Mr. Belding endearing when he fills in for his reckless brother to take the kids on their white water rafting trip.  You will become obsessed with Zack, Kelly, Slater, Jessie, Lisa, and Screech just like so many of us did all those years ago.