Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Saturdays, I will be reviewing Saved By The Bell, which ran on NBC from 1989 to 1993.  The entire show is currently streaming on Tubi!

This week, we begin season 2!

Episode 2.1 “The Prom”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on September 8th, 1990)

It’s time for the prom!

Wow, the second season really jumps into things, doesn’t it?  Most high school shows tend to take the “each season is one school year approach” but the second season of Saved By The Bell opens with prom.

It’s time for Kelly to finally decide who is going to be prom date (and boyfriend), Slater or Zack.  If the first season occasionally featured Kelly acting a bit flighty and, at times, self-centered, the second season introduces us to the new Kelly, who is in love with Zack but who also doesn’t want to hurt Slater’s feelings.  This is also the Kelly who suddenly comes from a huge blue collar family.  Kelly agrees to go to prom with Zack (and Slater, being awesome, accepts her decision with grace).  But when her father is laid off from his job at the defense plant (“World peace has broken out,” he explains — and you can thank Ronald Reagan and the first George Bush for that!  USA!  USA!  USA!), Kelly gives up going to prom because her family needs the money that she would have spent on the evening.

(Kelly, Zack’s superrich!  Just have him pay for everything….)

Zack is upset, until Slater tells him that Kelly’s father lost his job.

“Poor Kelly,” Zack says.

“That’s right,” Slater replies.  “Poor Kelly.  Not poor Zacky.”

HELL YEAH!  I LOVE SLATER!

Slater does go to prom, with Jessie.  (This is an important episode for Slater and Jessie too.)  Meanwhile, Screech asks Lisa to be his date.  When Lisa turns him down, Screech begs her to just see a movie with him.  It’s a zombie movie and Lisa loves it!  But apparently, Screech has an issue with people who love movies because he gets mad at Lisa for talking too much and decides to go to prom alone.  For some reason, Screech becomes the prom’s DJ.  Meanwhile, Lisa bores her date by talking nonstop about the zombie movie ….. wow, this all feels very familiar to me.

As for Zack and Kelly, they do go to prom!  They dance outside of the gym and it’s one of the few genuinely romantic moments to be found in Saved By The Bell.  It’s also one of the few moments that captures the unique mix of melancholy and optimism that goes along with being a teenager.

The second season is off to a great start!