Retro Television Review: Saved By The Bell: The New Class 2.17 “Wanna Bet?”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Tuesdays, I will be reviewing Saved By The Bell: The New Class, which ran on NBC from 1993 to 2o00.  The show is currently on Prime.

This week, we’re back at the ranch.

Episode 2.17 “Wanna Bet?”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 5th, 1994)

Uncle Lester and Cousin Clint are out-of-town for some reason and Screech has been left in charge of the dude ranch.

This is already the stupidest episode of Saved By The Bell: The New Class yet.

It’s up to Screech to set up the end-of-the-week square dance but when he gets to be too bossy, Mr. Belding refuses to work with him.  Screech tells Lindsay to tell Belding that he’s no longer speaking to him.  Lucky Mr. Belding.

Less lucky are the members of the Gang, who are hustled by two con artists and lose all of their summer earnings in a crooked poker game.  Megan has a crush on one of the con artists but she changes her mind when he refuses to give back the money.  Luckily, the sheriff is looking for the con artists so all Screech and Belding have to do is keep them from leaving the ranch, which they do by challenging the con artists to a poker game.  Screech is such a bad poker player that the sheriff arrives before the first hand has even been successful dealt.

Belding hopes that the Gang has learned an important lesson about gambling.  Tommy D swears that he’s never going to gamble again.

“You can bet on it!” Bobby says.

I think I lost brain cells watching this crap.

A Scene That I Love: The First Meeting Of The Enterprise and the Reliant in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The first meeting between the Enterprise and the Reliant is one of my favorite moments in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, from the first phaser attack to Khan thinking that he has the upper hand to Kirk lowering Khan’s shields.  This scene goes from action to comedy (with Kirk delaying by putting on his glasses) to tragedy when Scott shows up with the body of his nephew.

This scene is one of Star Trek’s best space battles and it establishes Khan as being a worthy adversary.  For once, the danger is real.

4 Shots From 4 Star Treks

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

4 Shots From 4 Films is just what it says it is, 4 shots from 4 of our favorite films. As opposed to the reviews and recaps that we usually post, 4 Shots From 4 Films lets the visuals do the talking!

59 years ago, Star Trek had its American television premiere.  (It had premiered a few days earlier in Canada.)  Today, we celebrate Star Trek Day!

4 Shots From 4 Star Treks

Star Trek — “When No Man Who Has Gone Before” (1966, directed by James Goldstone)

Star Trek: The Motion Picture (1979, directed by Robert Wise)

Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan (1982, directed by Nicholas Meyer)

Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home (1986, directed by Leonard Nimoy)

Music Video of the Day: King Nothing by Metallica (1997, directed by Matt Mahurin)

Posted on by Jedadiah Leland

The music video for King Nothing was shot in Park City, Utah in December of 1996.  It was directed by photographer Matt Mahurin.  Mahurin directed his first music video in 1986 and he’s been churning them out ever since.  Among the artists that Mahurin has worked with: Disturbed, Goo Goo Dolls, Marilyn Manson, Tom Waits, Alice in Chains, Queensryche, R.E.M., Tracy Chapman, and U2.

Enjoy!

Late Night Retro Television Review: CHiPs 6.7 “This Year’s Riot”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Late Night Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Mondays, I will be reviewing CHiPs, which ran on NBC from 1977 to 1983.  The entire show is currently streaming on Prime!

This week, it’s Balboa Day!

Episode 6.7 “This Year’s Riot”

(Dir by Richard A. Colla, originally aired on November 28th, 1982)

It’s Balboa Day weekend, and that means the beach is going to be full of drama and bikinis.  (Full disclosure: Before this episode, I had never heard of Balboa Day before.  I guess it’s a California thing.) Ponch and Bobby are assigned to keep an eye on things on a small island off the California coast. When an irate homeowner pulls a shotgun on teenagers who keep trespassing on his property, it’s up to Ponch and Bobby to talk him down before someone gets hurt. When a wealthy woman (Julie Newmar) tries to establish a nude beach, it’s up to the Highway Patrol to tell everyone to put some clothes on.

Meanwhile, Doc (Gary Morgan) is selling drugs on the beach and causing trouble. He even sells some to Grossman’s socially awkward nephew, Russell (Robbie Rist). Luckily, Ponch is there to chase Doc down. When Doc makes it onto a barge, he thinks he’s escaped. He grins and mockingly waves goodbye. Ponch rides his motorcycle off the dock, glides through the air, and lands on the barge.

“And he calls me a hot dog!” Bobby says, watching.

And really, that’s all Bobby can do. It’s certainly not as if Bobby or any other member of the Highway Patrol would have been allowed to take down the episode’s main villain. That’s not how things work when Ponch is around. When Larry Wilcox said that he was tired of the producers always favoring Erik Estrada and left after season 5, the producers could have taken that as a sign that the show didn’t always have to be exclusively the Ponch Show. Instead, they appear to have learned the opposite lesson. During the sixth and final season, the series is more about Ponch than ever. Of course, in the role of Bobby, Tom Reilly isn’t exactly the most convincing cop in the world. He comes across as a bit spacey, like a California beach bum who somehow got through the Police Academy. Larry Wilcox was always believable as a cop. When it came to riding a motorcycle and looking manly while writing tickets, Wilcox could easily keep up with Estrada. Reilly, on the other hand, always seems like he’d rather be surfing.

Ponch gets the bad guy in this one and makes the beach safe for people of all ages. Seriously, is there anything Ponch can’t do? As for the episode itself, it was bland but likable, largely because of the beach scenery. Robbie Rist is best remembered for playing Cousin Oliver on The Brady Bunch. He’s even more annoying as Russell here. Not only is he rude to his uncle, he’s also dumb enough to take drugs before trying to go sailing. What a dummy. It’s a good thing this is the Ponch Show and Ponch can do no wrong. Otherwise, Russell would have been in a lot of trouble.

Next week, Ponch falls in love.

I Watched Raygun: Breaking Badly (2026, Dir. by Chapman Way and Maclain Way)

Posted on by Dazzling Erin

In 2024, Rachael Gunn (a.k.a. Raygun) became a celebrity when she represented Australia in Olympic breakdancing.

It wasn’t the good kind of celebrity, though. Instead, she became famous for being ridiculed. She competed in three different battles before getting eliminated, and not a single judge voted her the winner in any of them. In her final Olympic performance, she pretended to be a kangaroo and then a sprinkler. She became an instant internet meme. At first, it was just people laughing. Then, as always happens online, things got worse. She was accused of cheating her way to the Olympics and of having privilege.

Breaking Badly, a new documentary on Netflix, is all about Raygun. It features interviews with her and her husband. They try to explain the logic behind Raygun’s performance and how she was trying to honor Australia. Raygun’s husband comes across as the sweetest guy, and it’s touching to see how much he still believes in both her and her talent. Raygun says she’s made peace with her fame and that she loves that people are still imitating her moves. A few people talk about how bad the performance was, but they all agree she was treated horribly online.

Back in 2024, I felt sorry for her when everyone was making fun of her. The documentary showed some of the worst of what people said about her, and I felt sorry for her all over again. At the same time, she knew the whole world was watching when she went out there and pretended to be a kangaroo. Raygun acts as if she had no idea that social media could be cruel. The documentary doesn’t address the real reason why Raygun started trending on Twitter. It wasn’t that she did the kangaroo and the sprinkler. It was because she was just a really, really bad breakdancer. She was outclassed by the competition, and she clearly didn’t belong among the best breakdancers in the world. The documentary acts as if Raygun was just made fun of because her routine was strange. She could have gotten away with being strange if she wasn’t so stiff and awkward in her movements.

I’m glad the documentary cleared up a few things. Raygun was legitimately picked for the Olympics. (Australia didn’t have many options to choose from when it came to breaking.) Her husband did not rig the selection process, no matter what everyone on TikTok, Instagram, and Twitter claimed. She did her best, and her best just wasn’t very good.

I had totally forgotten about Raygun’s performance until I watched this documentary. I think almost everyone else had forgotten about it too. The documentary ends with a bunch of people talking about how inspiring Raygun is. I don’t know if I believe all that, but I’m glad she seems to be in a better place.

 

Brad celebrates Labor Day with Dusty Slay and his analysis of the country song, “Hard Workin’ Man.”

Posted on by Bradley Crain

My Brother’s store, the Hollis Country Store!

I spent a lot of time helping my brother at his general store, the Hollis Country Store, last fall. We talked a lot in between fixing bologna sandwiches for our customers and other general store kinds of things. One day we got to talking about some of our favorite comedians, and we stumbled upon the fact that we both really enjoy comedian Dusty Slay. I had been seeing a lot of his clips on TikTok, so I was just becoming a fan. We swapped some of our favorite bits we’d heard and had a good time. When Christmas was coming around I noticed that Dusty had a show scheduled at a casino in Pocola, OK, on December 26th. Pocola is just across the state line from Fort Smith, Arkansas, so my wife and I bought him and his wife tickets to the show as a Christmas gift. We went with them and had the best time!

This being Labor Day, I thought it would be fun sharing a clip of Dusty analyzing the country song “Hard Workin’ Man” by Brooks and Dunn. It’s one of my favorites. And as a CPA, I truly appreciate its financial humor. Happy Labor Day, my friends!

Retro Television Review: Crime Story 1.18 “The Survivor”

Posted on by Lisa Marie Bowman

Welcome to Retro Television Reviews, a feature where we review some of our favorite and least favorite shows of the past!  On Mondays, I will be reviewing Crime Story, which ran on NBC from 1986 to 1988.  The entire show can be found on Tubi!

This week, a future Oscar winner briefly joins the cast.

Episode 1.18 “The Survivor”

(Dir by Alan Myerson, originally aired on February 13th, 1987)

Torello has managed to get an undercover FBI agent into Luca’s casino. Jack Claymore (James Gammon) is a tough, rough-hewn character who immediately befriends Pauli. The only thing that both Torello and Jack worry about is that someone Jack previously busted might get hired at the casino and blow Jack’s cover. Abrams’s assistant, Steve Altman (William Converse-Roberts), has been assigned to keep an eye on who Luca is hiring.

Steve, however, is a bit distracted by the fact that Torello is dating his ex-wife, Lisa (Hannah Cox). When Steve married Lisa, he adopted her teenage daughter, Tracy (played by a very young Julia Roberts). Tracy, however, hates Steve. When Lisa reads Tracy’s diary, she discovers why: Steve spent their entire marriage sexually abusing Tracy.

When Torello confronts Abrams with this information, Abrams offers to kick Steve off the task force, but Torello is worried about the publicity. (Is he worried about Tracy having to testify, or is he worried about the task force being exposed? The episode doesn’t make it clear, but knowing Torello, it’s possible that both things are true.)

For his part, Steve gets so angry and distracted that Jack’s cover is nearly blown when someone he previously arrested shows up at the casino without warning. Luckily, a member of Torello’s old MCU, Nate Grossman (Steve Ryan), just happens to be at the casino, so Jack punches him out and gets himself arrested. Luca is impressed that Jack hit a cop and, as a result, Jack moves up in the casino’s hierarchy.

As for Steve, he has a psychotic break. He breaks into Torello’s apartment and, while holding a tape recorder, demands that Tracy say she was lying about him. Terrified, Tracy does so. However, everything about the way Steve talks to her and the way Tracy reacts proves that she didn’t lie at all. After a high-speed chase with Torello, Steve kills himself in his motel room.

There’s an interesting moment toward the end of the episode where a Las Vegas detective insinuates that Torello murdered Steve and made it look like a suicide. When Abrams and the rest of the former MCU members object, Torello tells them to stop. “He’s just doing what I would do,” Torello says. It’s a moment that reminds us that being a cop means trusting no one.

This is a powerful episode. It was also Julia Roberts’s very first role. There’s not much about her performance that would make you think she was destined to become a big star. She was obviously inexperienced when it came to acting on camera. That said, her awkwardness is perfect for the character.

This episode ends with Lisa and Tracy leaving Vegas. Torello, once again, is alone. His only constant companion is his obsession with Ray Luca.