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 have an episode that you should watch at your own risk.

Episode 2.9 “Belding’s Prank”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on October 8th, 1994)

This is one of those episodes where the plot just gives you a headache.

It’s Prank Week at Bayside and Mr. Belding is all in.  He thinks that Prank Week is a great way to build school spirit.  When Screech informs Belding that the new superintendent is coming to inspect the school, Belding assumes that it’s a prank.  Meanwhile, Brian, Tommy, and Bobby are trying to prank Rachel, Lindsay, and Megan and vice versa.  Brian, Tommy, and Bobby sabotage a sink in the girls locker room.  Rachel, Lindsay, and Megan put a live chicken in the boys locker room.

Finally, Screech is able to convince Belding that the superintendent is coming.  Belding suspends prank week.  However, when a plumber (Ken Thorley) shows up to look at the sink, the girls tell Screech that he’s the superintendent.  (The plumber was at the Plumber Awards Banquet and is wearing a suit.)  Belding and Screech give the plumber a tour of the school.  Belding take him to the Max for lunch.

The real superintendent (Raye Birk) shows up but Screech thinks he’s the plumber.  (Oh my God, this hurts my head just to write.)  Screech tells the superintendent to fix the sink.  The superintendent gets sprayed with black sludge.  Screech takes the superintendent to the boys locker room to wash up.  The superintendent runs into the chickens and ends up covered in feathers.

The superintendent demands to speak to Belding in his office.  Our core group of students — who apparently don’t have any classes to go to — wait outside.  Belding steps out of the office and announces, “I’ve been fired.”

Well, yeah, I should say so.  There’s absolutely no reason for Belding not to be fired.  He obviously can’t control his school.  Hell, he can’t even get his students to go to class.

The next day, the superintendent returns and, at a school assembly, says he’s going to introduce the new principal.

“We want Mr. Belding back!” Brian cries out.

“Then you should have appreciated him when he was here,” the superintendent replies.

The superintendent then introduces the new principal — “Mr. Richard Belding!”

Belding steps out on stage, disappointing Screech who thought he was going to be the new principal.  “Got ya!” Belding says to the students.  Hey, it was all a prank!  Belding mentions that it’s a good thing that the superintendent had a sense of humor.

WHAT!?

I’ve seen this episode a few times.  Dennis Haskins actually gives one of his better performances as Belding in this episode.  You really do believe him when he says, “I’ve been fired,” which makes it all the more strange when it turns out it was all just an elaborate prank.

Overall, though, this is one of those episodes that gives me a headache in that every problem could have been resolved by everyone not acting like an idiot.  This is migraine television.  And that’s no prank!