It's NOT alright...Saved By The Bell (1 Viewer)

[MattGentry]

I just bought myself the "Saved By The Bell" DVD set. I love the show (having watched it every time it was on during it's original run and now anytime it's on in reruns). So, the second I found out about the DVD, I was blown away.

Anywaysssssss...I opened up my DVD package and I find out that (drum roll please) THERE'S NO BOOKLET?! Not that I was really surprised at this, but there's a spot for a booklet once you unfold it.

 

[Magnus T]

Oh my God! Alert the media immediately! Anyway, booklets are getting more scarce by the minute. Expect more of this.

 

[PaulP]

There's already a thread about SBTB here: http://www.hometheaterforum.com/htfo...hreadid=134299.

 

[Jesse Skeen]

Did they really put this out?? I thought it was an April Fools Day joke! I'm not one to talk though; I bought Pink Lady & Jeff and the Brady Bunch Variety Hour

 

[Dane Marvin]

There is a slot in the DVD packaging for a booklet to go, but no booklet is included. Demand for a booklet that lists the episodes in PRODUCTION order (not the airing order they are in on this set) is high.

I was wondering if any of the talented graphics people who visit this forum would be interested in creating one and putting it up on the web.

 

[Zack_H]

what the hey.....I wanted some pictures of kelly!

 

[Greg_S_H]

Okay, this thread has a Zack, and the other SBTB thread has an entirely different Zack, and neither one is Zack_M. This is too weird.

And, I sympathize about the lack of a booklet, but I thought you were going to say the video quality was abyssmal or something. This is not the fatal mistake I thought it was going to be. But, since there is a slot for the booklet and there is no booklet present, I think we may have another Valley prank on our hands!

 

[Dane Marvin]

There seems to be a problem with the video in the first episode in the set, "Dancing to the Max" (the only one I've noticed it in, anyway), in which the screen slightly "blips" a couple times. Otherwise, the video is on par with what I expected from a bare-bones release like this. The audio is good too.

There are no fatal mistakes in this set, such as hacked up episodes, shameful compression, or improper presentation. There is much room for improvement though. A list of things they could do to improve it:

1.) Chapter Breaks (at least one after the intro)
2.) Cardboard Sleeve (ex: The Simpsons, ER, Friends)
3.) Order the Episodes According to Production # (the order which makes sense)
4.) Special Features (Commentary, Interviews, Promos, etc.)

On the plus side, we have a "Play All" feature, a bright and cheery design, and subtitles. The subtitles came particularly in handy during an episode in which one of the teachers (the guy from the Micro Machines commercials) delivers a lecture to the students at lightning speed.

And though most of my favorite episodes are in the latter two seasons, there are some real gems here like "Jessie's Song". I'm so excited!!!!

 

[ZackR]

Okay, this thread has a Zack, and the other SBTB thread has an entirely different Zack, and neither one is Zack_M. This is too weird

Hey, but my name really is ZACK!! Seriously. My middle name has M (for Michael).

OK, my real name is ZACHARY... but NO ONE calls me that.

On topic though, this set seems great. I am at work (3rd shift), but stuck disc 1 into my laptop. **sshh*** don't tell the boss!! I am very pleased though from what I can tell. I will definitely be watching them this weekend though. Man, I used to LOVE this show.

 

[Greg_S_H]

One thing this show is criticized for is a "disregard for continuity." Is it true that most continuity problems disappear if run in production order, or do they still ignore continuity even that way?

 

[ZackR]

Well, I would't expect a lot from it if you are expecting continuity. I mean, 2 characters left halfway through the senior year (Kelly and Jessie) and were replaced by a character named Torri (spelling?). Then, she was gone and Kelly and Jessie were back for the graduation episode (which had been filmed prior to their leaving).

Nope. Do not expect a lot of continuity. But hey, I watched this as a kid and didn't care then (though I did wonder about the 2 girls' absence/reappearance!)

It is a fun show though - especially if you grew up watching it!

 

[Greg_S_H]

I watched it, but in such scattershot fashion that it's hard to get a sense of continuity. Actually, I'm just about the same age as most of the cast, so it wasn't exactly a part of my childhood. In fact, I think I mainly watched it in reruns when I was 18. :b But, it was a fun little show. Plus, I dug Kelly back then. I still am not absolutely sure I'll get the DVDs, but you never know. I've watched an episode or two this year and still had fun with it.

 

[Dane Marvin]

Is it true that most continuity problems disappear if run in production order, or do they still ignore continuity even that way?

While that may help, the show still had an utter disregard for continuity. No matter what order you watch the episodes in, there's no escaping the fact that Kelly Kapowski (known for having tons of brothers) had a sister for ONE episode for the sole purpose of having a crush on her big sister's boyfriend, Zack Morris. She was never mentioned again.

In another episode early in the series, the gang revives the school's old radio station in the basement. You never see it again. The same goes for a student store that was revamped. Once the episode ended, there was never any mention of a store again. In another episode, the writers created an elevator inside Bayside High just so a pregnant Mrs. Belding could get stuck inside it with Zack.

I'm not done yet: Max from "The Max" disappears without warning and is replaced by a Shakespearean actor named James. And if I remember right, the main characters parents were often played by different actors and actresses. And then there's the "Good Morning, Miss Bliss" episodes that were later given an intro by an older Zack Morris, in which he refers to them as his junior high years. But hold on... "GMMB" took place in Indiana! So how did Zack, Lisa, Screech & Belding all arrive in the same town in California the next year??? And how could Zack have been best friends with Jesse since kindergarten if he was living in Indiana?

As if that wasn't horrific enough (and someone mentioned it earlier), Thiessen and Berkley left halfway through the final season, so Tori was created for the second half (they shot the graduation episode while Kelly and Jessie were still around). Every Saturday that season, NBC aired two episodes of SBTB -- one with Kelly/Jesse and one with Tori. In the Tori episodes, Kelly and Jesse were supposedly "around" but never seen. Yeah, right. We know how tightly-knit a group the gang was. And since Tori wasn't in the graduation episode, we're supposed to assume she was forced to move to a new school at the last minute.

Okay. I think I'm done now. My main point is that continuity and reality were often sacrificed for humor and to advance a cliched plot. This makes the show hilarious, adorable and priceless to me. Other shows that try to do the same just aren't that successful.

 

[David Lambert]

Dane, a very nice post about the - ahem - reality of continuity on TV shows. It is exaggerated on this series, but you can find similar problems in just about any TV series if you look hard enough.

My dad had a terrific philosophy about this when I was a kid and I'd ask "how did they get from THERE to THERE"? And I would ask this sort of thing often! His reply was always this one: "It's in the script".

An A-1 response, looking back at it. That simple statement taught me to view TV from a whole other angle...that of behind-the-cameras.


Dane, I just want to mention one thing, though, but it's about a previous post in this thread:


I'd like to put an asterisk on that statment/request: That Production order makes sense (or more sense, anyway) FOR THIS SHOW. Every series has to be viewed differently: on some, production order is the best way to show them. For others - like Mad About You - it would have been better to have the releases in airdate order instead. Still, on others, neither order turns out to be the very best, and an "expert" should come along and work out what the best order to view the episodes should be. The expert should usually be someone responsible for the production of the show. In rare cases - like The Prisoner - it can come from a fan-based source instead, and still work out very well.

Thanks,

 

[Xenia Stathakopoulou]

Why are people so obsessed with inserts ? If any dvd has 1 fine, if not im still ok with it. When i saw this thread, i thought there was problems with somebodys set. Anyway, after viewing random episodes from all 5 discs to check for problems on mine, to me they all looked ok save for that minor blipping on a few episodes that Dane mentioned.Dont get the wrong idea, the blipping when it shows up lasts less than 4 seconds, nothing to make you return it.

 

[Britton]

I think I can explain away these continuity problems:

In the Tori episodes, Kelly and Jesse were supposedly "around" but never seen. Yeah, right. We know how tightly-knit a group the gang was. And since Tori wasn't in the graduation episode, we're supposed to assume she was forced to move to a new school at the last minute.

Zack and the others were confused. Kelly and Jesse were studying abroad. Also, when I was graduating from high school, one girl in my class did not attend our graduation due to the fact that she put a bunch of "subversive" stuff in the year book (she was the editor). So there are situations in which a friend may not be able to attend the graduation. Zack and the others were just covering for Tori with a BS excuse. She was probably busted for drugs or something.

 

[Matt Birchall]

Okay, this thread has a Zack, and the other SBTB thread has an entirely different Zack, and neither one is Zack_M. This is too weird.

 

[Ricardo C]

a character named Torri (spelling?).

Greatest pun of all time

 

[Scott Temple]

Questions regarding SBTB's original run on NBC (1989-1993): Why didn't they air the episodes in the order they produced them? What was the reason for mixing them up in a different "airdate" order?

As for the show itself, I'm pleased to have this Season One & Season Two set. I'd eventually like to purchase "Good Morning, Miss Bliss," the two TV movies, "Saved By The Bell: Hawaiian Style" and "Saved By The Bell: Wedding In Las Vegas" and of course, Seasons 3 & 4. (Tiffani-Amber Thiessen and Elizabeth Berkley are so HOT.) I never really liked The College Years. The new characters were flat plus I never got into the whole "college setting." The high school setting was fun. The college setting wasn't. The New Class, on the other hand, was much better than The College Years. It returned us to Bayside High School and Principal Richard Belding in Pacific Palisades, California. (Dennis Haskins was great as Mr. Belding) Although the new cast members were inferior to the original cast (How could they not be?) they were respectable and there were quite a few beautiful women that showed up during the 7 year run. (1993-2000) My only complaint about The New Class is that Screech (Dustin Diamond) was so damn dorky/nerdy/geeky. Not only was it overly annoying, it was to the point of embarrassing.

 

[Todd Stout]

So... will Dustin Diamond's appearance on Star Dates be a bonus feature on future DVD releases?