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SbtB Part I: When Zack and Lisa Kiss



I spent this morning like I did so many mornings before high school: watching a combination of SportsCenter and Saved by the Bell. Unlike those bygone mornings, by morning today I mean 11:00 o’clock, not 7:00. However, the combination of terrible one-liners and wretched 80s fashion does just as much for the soul as it did a decade ago.

I only have one question: What about that kiss between Zack and Lisa? Whatever happened after that? I demand an explanation. Maybe you don’t remember this. Let me quickly bring you up to speed. In the final season—the gang’s senior year of high school—Zack decides to put on a fashion show to help Lisa get admitted into fashion school in New York. After days of preparation, Zack and Lisa kiss at her house. Eventually Screech finds out, sabotages the fashion show, and challenges Zack to a fight for Lisa’s love.


Zack and Screech work through their problems when Lisa convinces Screech that she will never date him—a heartbreaking scene. Zack and Lisa then confess their feelings for each other and Screech gives the blooming relationship his blessing. After years of Zack and Kelly, the show was setting up a relationship for viewers in the final season.

I have to admit: Zack and Lisa dating intrigues me. Of course, if you’ve seen every episode two to three times like me, you know the relationship is never mentioned again. Why?! There was so much potential. I read a number of explanations online. The two best are that the relationship never happens because the episode was more about Zack betraying Screech and that the show explores the ups and downs of a teenager, which involves relationships that only last a few days; therefore, there was no need to further expand on Zack and Lisa.

I’m not buying it, Peter Engel. You owe me an explanation for this one.

Nevertheless, this isn’t the only relationship involving Zack that disappears without explanation. Remember Zack and Screech’s cousin? Zack and Stacey from the beach episodes? Zack and Tori, the biker chick? Zack and the girl in the wheelchair (I also watched this episode today)? Zack and Mrs. Belding? Oh, made that one up. And I’m sure I am forgetting a few.



Outside of Kelly Kapowski, who at one point was the love of every man’s life under the age of 40 or so, Lisa was my next crush. I never really liked Jessie or Tori. Stacey from the beach wasn’t bad, except she had a really annoying voice and mannerisms. This leads me to the rest of the Saved by the Bell girls and off on a tangent.

One of my friends vehemently argues that the College Years is superior to the show’s high school installment. I have mixed emotions about this. Of course, my friend also has red hair. Never trust someone with red hair. But let’s consider this by looking at the quality of the female characters, Leslie Burke, Alex Tabor, and the college Kelly Kapowski.



As much as I loved Kelly during high school, and as happy as I was to see her on the College Years at first, I slowly started to loathe her. She just walks back into Zack’s life and expects him to drop everything for her. I mean, Zack had just convinced Leslie to trust him enough for a date. Then Kelly ruins everything. I can’t argue that the writers added depth to Kelly’s character. Gone was the long-haired, happy-go-lucky high school cheerleader who couldn’t decide between Zack or Slater. The old Kelly was replaced by a short-haired, troubled college student who cheats on Zack with her professor. I think I lost my innocence watching these episodes.

I can’t stand Alex Tabor to this day. Everything about her drives me crazy. Somehow she is worse than Jessie Spano. Not even gonna waste my time. On the other hand, Leslie Burke started to rival Kelly in my heart. Eventually I got on board with Zack and Kelly getting married. Maybe I should give the College Years another try, but it's hard to beat the original cast. Mike Rogers can't hold Richard Belding's jock strap--of this I am sure.

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Anonymous said…
Zack and Lisa could have been an incredible couple. The chemistry between the Lark and Mark was so genuine. I'm still annoyed they didn't at least explore that relationshop. I have a feeling if they did, the pairing would have trumped Zack/Kelly (in-fact it already does, and they didn't even get together). My favourite episode of SBTB is 'The Surgery', the two of them together are just so believable.
November 2, 2012 at 2:49 PM

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