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.

It’s midterms!

Episode 1.12 “Tommy A”

(Dir by Don Barnhart, originally aired on November 27th,1993)

Tommy D has got his driver’s license!

Everyone’s excited because Tommy’s father has promised to buy him a car and that means Tommy will be able to drive them everywhere.  Keep in mind, no one is excited for Tommy.  Instead, they’re just excited that they’re going to get a chauffeur who is too dumb to realize that he’s being taken advantage of.  Consider this your reminder that the first season of Saved By The Bell: The New Class featured some of the least likable character to ever appear on a dopey teenage sitcom.

Uh-oh, Tommy’s father is concerned about Tommy’s terrible grades.  He informs Tommy (and, for some reason, Mr. Belding) that, unless Tommy gets at least one A on his midterms, he won’t get his car.

The gang tries to come up with a class that Tommy could do well in.  This is kind of dumb as it’s already been established that Tommy is an amazing mechanic and that he takes autoshop.  He’s also a jock and therefore, he should do well in his physical education class.  The gang, however, decides to get Tommy an A in his science class.  Because the teacher grades on a curve, the gang tells the nerds in the class that they have the answers to the midterm and that they’ll signal which answer is correct by coughing.  By giving the nerds the wrong answers, they’ll help Tommy get an A….

So, to be clear here …. I mean, what the Hell?  Seriously, who comes up with a plan like this?  Wouldn’t the teacher notice that there are a lot of extra students in the class on the day of the midterm and that they’re all coughing in unison?  As well, it’s one thing to try to help Tommy pass.  It’s another thing to try to make a bunch of other students fail.  Not even Zack Morris would have gone that far.  (As I’ve mentioned before, the first season of Saved By The Bell: The New Class has been oddly mean-spirited.)

It doesn’t matter, though.  Tommy still flunks his science midterm.  Now, he only has one chance left to get an A and it’s in …. ENGLISH!

Oh my God, how difficult is the English midterm going to be?  Apparently, the entire grade will be determined by each student standing in front of the class and giving a one minute speech.  What?  What type of class is this?

Luckily, Scott and Weasel have a scheme.  Weasel dresses up like a janitor and he convinces Mr. Snavely, the strict English teacher, that it would be dangerous to enter his classroom.  Mr. Belding steps in to give and grade the English midterm.  Scott figures that Belding will go easy on Tommy and Scott is right.  Tommy speaks for less than a minute and basically says that everyone should just be themselves.  Belding gives the speech an A.  TOMMY’S GETTING A CAR!

And Megan realizes that she doesn’t have to play dumb to get boys to like her.  That was the episode’s B-plot.  It was pretty dumb and required Megan to behave in a way that was totally out-of-character.

Anyway, Tommy D is now Tommy A.  He thanks his friends for helping him.  Hey, Tommy, they just want a ride!

Next week, the first season ends!