Was Our Heartthrob Really A Douche In Disguise?
#TIMEOUT! How often do you find yourself re-watching some of the best television from your childhood? While I think we’re all pretty tired of revivals making a comeback, it’s great to reminisce and watch some of the good ol’ nostalgia on streaming platforms like Hulu. When I’m not busy binging Beverly Hills, 90210 for the first time, I tend to bounce around to whatever matches my mood. Oddly enough, I didn’t even know that one such blast from the past had been waiting for me to watch and critique on Hulu! I got turned back onto Saved By The Bell by way of digital entertainment. I wasn't around for when it was originally on, August 20, 1989 – May 22, 1993, so being able to binge watch the series in order has been a treat!
I was intrigued when the comedy website Funny or Die recently shared its comments about the series proclaiming that Saved by the Bell has literally the worst titular character since television’s existence. But which character are they referring to?
Somehow, the Saved by the Bell cast has been through a lot of ups and downs since the series’ officially finished taping, such as Dustin Diamond stabbing someone on Christmas, Mario Lopez being the prettiest face of television, and Elizabeth Berkley’s iconic role in Showgirls. But during the show, was there an incredible villain hidden behind one of those beautiful faces? Mark-Paul Gosselaar, '90s heartthrob, perfectly played the lead character Zack Morris in Saved By The Bell to be charming, ambitious, and oh-so-crushable, but a series of digital videos are leading everyone to believe he was truly a monster in disguise.
Funny or Die’s latest trending topic: Zack Morris Is Trash, schools us on how awful the show’s narrator was to his friends, family, and peers. They go into detail revealing episodes in which he fat shames a girl who has a crush on him, got his best girlfriend hooked on caffeine pills, and subtly bullied a girl in a wheelchair. The Funny or Die takes on Zack's behavior are some of the funniest videos on the internet right now.
One of the latest highlighted videos, When Zack Morris Used Slave Labor To Sell Friendship Bracelets, has Zack Morris digging into his daydream of having a gold-digging wife hiring help who are persons of color, and sabotaging the success of any friend to cross his path. The subject matter of course is not laughable, but the way Funny or Die presents it has us gagging. Check out the quick clip below.
And of course, Funny or Die could not let us forget about the pièce de résistance, when Morris convinced Jessie to take those caffeine pills leading to one of the most quoted moment of the series: “I’m so excited! I’m so excited! I’m so…scared.”
Alright, I must admit…I used to like, look up to Zack Morris when I was a kid! He was cute, everything I wanted to see in a sexy lead character and heartthrob. But, after analyzing all of these videos and realizing his actions do more harm than good, I must admit…guys…Zack Morris was really trash!
h/t: funnyordie
I don’t understand people saying “Oh, we can’t judge 90s shows on the standards of today.” The sh*t he was doing was just as awful back then as it is now.
I remember thinking Zack was
I remember thinking Zack was a horrible person back when I was watching the show as a child when the episodes first debuted. This is not a matter of time filtering.
Are we really judging a 90’s
Are we really judging a 90’s Saturday morning sitcom by today’s standards? That being said, what was mischievous when the show started did become obnoxious as the show continued.
I have to agree with you.Â
I have to agree with you. Judging yesteryear's "art" by today's standards leads us nowhere. Remember, today's progressive, "woke" values will be tomorrow's reactionary, retrograde beliefs (and vice versa).