Episode 4: Fatal Distraction
Zack to the Future- 1,321 views
- 26 Aug 2020
On today’s show, Mark-Paul and Dashiell are joined by Breckin Meyer to discuss the episode where the gang teams up to teach Zack a lesson. Plus, Mark-Paul catches up with Kirsten Kemp - who played Rhonda Robistelli - and the two relive their dance scene at The Max.
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Welcome to Back to the Future, I'm your co-host, Daniel Driscol, joined today by Mark Goslar. Hello, Mark. Paul. Hi, Daniel. And we have a very special in studio guest, Breckin Meyer. Hi. Thank you for joining us. Thanks for having me.
Kids, high ranking people have asked for Mark Paul's co-stars to join us on the podcast, but they were not specific. So we have Mark Paul's co-star from another TV show today. That's pretty exciting. It should be.
I'm not sure if it was on the road for 16 episodes. I don't know if you remember Luke, the janitor's son, who would come by and just pick up after Zach. Yeah, he was he was a fan favorite. I do remember Luke. And it was really they weren't very creative, but they gave him leukemia, which I thought was really stupid. But then he passed away in episode 17 years. I remember that one. No.
Yeah. I mean, everyone remembers the leukemia arget, one of the more clever tragedies in title tragedies. And Mr. Scrooge fell down at the funeral and fell into the hole. It was a big it was a pretty funny. They only showed it once, I think, right? Yeah, it was.
One of the people are scrambling right now, by the way, where is this?
So before we get started, I think we already got started.
Mark Paul, did you do your homework for this week?
Yes. Stachel I did my homework. Great.
And Breckon, who is taking this class, I guess. What is it like your auditing? The class I was cramming this morning. I did my homework. You did your homework on the way to school, that kind of thing. I mean, I watch an episode of Saved by the Bell. It just it's just a coincidence that you guys needed me to.
Yeah, I regularly used to watch Saved by the Bell before school. It is it is odd now that that is considered homework and I'm kind of considered teaching it. So before we go through the episode, scene by scene, Mark Paul, I have to ask, did this do you remember anything from making this anything at all? Did anything get shaken loose watching nothing from this. But I did enjoy this episode. I think this falls in line with one of the more fun, lighthearted episodes I saved by the bell.
So without further ado, tell us what this one was about. Sure.
I've prepared a brief summary of what happened in case you didn't do your homework. It's the girls ask the guys dance. Zach is hoping Kelly will ask him instead of Slater. Meanwhile, a tomboy named Ronda robustly is relentlessly hounding Zach about being her date. To find out who Kelly is going to ask Zach and Screech plant a bug in Jesse's room to spy on the girls slumber party. The girls find a bug, and with the help of Slater, trick Zac into thinking Kelly is a murderous psychotic who attacks those she loves.
Zach gets scared off and goes to the dance with Ronda, where he's flung around like a rag doll and learns Kelly's not crazy after all. OK, that's the episode. And later we'll be talking to Kristen Becker, who played Ronda robustly in this episode. And since you both did your homework, we're going to try something new and watch the episode while we record to see if we pick up on anything we didn't notice the first time.
So we open up Act One inside the hallways of Bayside. Immediately we see the twins. We have a twin sighting and there's a banner that says Girls Choice as your Today dance this Friday night.
Yeah, the banner is a regular device of Bayside High to to show you what to expect this week.
And this week, we have that dance written by Mark Fink, directed by Gary Shimokawa. I remember Gary Gary was a was was one of our directors from the Miss Bliss Days. Actually, he directed, I believe, six Miss Bliss's. He only directed, I believe, four saved by the Bells. Most of our episodes were directed by Don Barnhart, which we've discussed in the past.
And now we're about to get into some serious cultural appropriation. Oh, boy.
Yeah, one of his best disguises, if you want to say best.
Yeah.
Dressed as a chic with who just had his eyes dilate that accent. I had you workshop that.
I'm trying to think back and I don't have any references. So the only reference I mean I as a kid was the iron sheet. Yep. Right. Camel clutch. That's what I'm teaching. That was my only reference that I had back then, because, of course, that's all we knew about at that point.
You were like Chieko Iron Sheik. Yeah. The guy with Hogan. Correct.
So I think that's, that's who I was impersonating. Not doing a very good job of doing.
You say impersonating. I say offending to join you on a trick. And this poor girl who apparently has terrible vision, terrible hearing. And also I just the fact that she doesn't recognize the most popular blood kid on campus, the guy she wants to go to the dance with, the guy she's there to see, she's standing right in front of him.
She's standing in front of his locker. And the only difference is this guy has, you know, optometrist dilation eyewear on. Yeah.
And this whole elaborate disguise is just to fend off all the many, many girls who are just just harassing him to go to this dance.
By the way, oddly, adult watch for Zack Morris. Adult watch, that seems like an adult watch, I feel like exactly would have a digital watch. It seems very strange that he has like this going on. I always thought that was a gift from my dad. That's how I always play it on the show, that it was either my dad's old watch or that it was a gift from my father.
That's a little window into the back story you created on your workshops. I'm just doing that now. But back then I just thought they said action. I stood on my mark because I was scared to workshop anything. And then we see Kelly coming in. And then Zachmanoglou eight, by the way, background guy in the corner.
Was that his credit on IMDB? It has to be. He is. I'm telling you, this is another drink and he is always in that corner. Every episode he is in that corner.
Maybe he's load-Bearing like if he moves the floor, the whole I'm just pointing that out. I'm saying I've seen it in the past episodes that we've watched and I'm sure we'll see it in the future.
And so Zach and Kelly have their little moment here at the lockers where Zach is, you know, making his best argument that Kelly should obviously invite him. And Slater has other thoughts. Now, this tension between you and Mario.
It feels real. It seems real. I mean, I'm looking at my expression on my face. It seems real at that point. And that really aggressive point from Slater in the Gulf, what's he pointed at you and then he pointed at himself.
Yeah, pretty aggressive here. Yeah. It was just like more pointing, please. And then we have.
And then you robustly. Yeah. I don't remember much about this.
Can I tell you what this girl has, by the way, which you'll notice in the next scene as well in the in the final scene, she has a signature kick that she does when she walks him. If he does, it's very strange. Every time she sees her right foot does this weird kick where it's like it's like a puma going. And let's get him a case. That's right. She's like charging. She's like, this chick is what it is.
Yeah. And by the way, Rhonda is like she's established as a tomboy just because she's wearing like multiple sweatpants. She's wearing a lot of sweat. That's like how baseball had kicked on the back. Yeah. It's like, oh, she's undesirable because she's dressed comfy and tall and tall. Right. And then we get Zack in the classroom with Lisa. A little more insight into Zack Morris.
He is he's bribing Lisa with both sides of the fence throughout this entire season, this series through the entire series. He really is playing both sides of the fence. Really. I mean, she's a sister. Yes, she has no she has no loyalty, no loyalty.
I come in with a bribe of of seventeen glamour and Kosmos. I only see really five magazines there. I think they could have written that or maybe the prop master could have done his job. I'm not going to point fingers. So what are you saying there's not magazines. I don't think there's enough magazines. But who's who's, who's really watching this the way we are vajgl.
I think that's enough magazines. I think he says he has three for her now. Then he says he has seventeen. No, seventeen is the name of the magazine. Oh fuck you then. Yeah, it's it's the name of a magazine for teenage girls. Oh yeah. Maybe. I mean, that's OK. You don't know that. I don't know that. I'm really upset. There's not a video component to this podcast right now.
I grew up with an older sister, so I'm I'm aware of Seventeen magazine, but I think I would have probably caught that in this. I guess my sister I know what I never knew. There was a magazine called Seventeen. That's so funny. I guarantee. Well, maybe I have, but I didn't know it existed. Oh, wow.
Yeah, you definitely sold a bunch of seventeen magazines. That's even funnier. Like some guy put his kids through college off of putting you in seventeen magazine. OK, moving on.
So you're bribing her with teen magazines but is bribery doesn't end there. He he carries around Bon Jovi tickets just to show you like people don't. Well I mean, I don't have any on me. Do you did you bring any Bon Jovi to of us? That would be a really weird thing to carry right now. Concert tickets. And these are actually just to go to his house and hang out with them. Oh, he prince tickets.
That's nice. That's good. Everyone needs a hobby, but he does act. And by the way, the Bon Jovi take, it's just a fun little excuse for the line. Bon Jovi, Bon Bon Bon Voyage.
I can't even you can't even say and say it. Bon Bon Bon Bon Jovi's Bon Voyage. There it is.
There's a professional actor saying it. So that's why he carries it around. Just so that fun little joke. And then we're the Max and Zach. Zach, like instantly tries to get them to turn on their their best friends. And like, he's just like, just tell me what happened at the slumber party. Just betray their confidence.
It's so strange that they that Zach and is later. They're yeah. It'll be the four of us out in the open like seconds later, our frenemies, whatever you want to call them. But they're rivals yet Zach's always plotting right in front of us later, which seems like the weirdest thing to do if you're in competition with someone and all four of the gang will be here minus Lisa, but in the booth, but then in the background screeches holding court with the twins.
And we never discuss it, huh?
I didn't. Do not pick that up at all. Oh, yeah, its plan is that he's back there with the twins just having a date. He's got like a side deal going. He does. We don't ever say anything about it. Lisa does come in.
Sorry. They always do that in shows, though, which is so funny. Like they establish Screech can talk to women super afraid of women. But then in the background, like I just put up with those two twins, like he's holding court.
But why does he need to be in this scene at all? He never says anything.
He's comic relief. It was hysterical just then. You didn't see his penis.
Oh, that's right. So Kelly is in this scene because we're talking about Kelly. And the weird thing is Liza comes in it like like she's like the chief of staff. She comes in, he goes, by the way, Kelly can come to your slumber party.
Oh, she's been like coordinating this.
Lisa comes in and goes by the way, Kelly said she'll come to your slumber party, Jesse and like Jesse be like, you know, she could tell me herself, Lisa, I mean, just before cell phones besides act. So I guess you had to, like, relay the information somehow. So Kelly's just down at the mines and when she's still working, she's like, hey, I got a drama from Jesse, I'm coming tonight. And Alonzo was one of his tricks that I believe makes some version of the theme song.
Yeah, there's nothing you like more, right. Than waiting for your hot food than someone to finish a magic trick.
Yeah, the old card out of the breast pocket. Yeah, that's that's been one of the things. Main theme song.
That's correct. Now I want you to look at Slater's face, how disgusted he's by this trick rewound that so many times watching.
Mario has been afraid of real magic for years. Right. Everyone is documented. It's well documented. It's in his contract. Every show, no name card trick.
Let's please watch if she does the kick, that was the Rhondda robustly kick off and then Zach ducks into the kitchen, which I don't think is sanitary.
Guys, how come Zach doesn't like me?
I put on everything in my closet and say, Oh, by the way, she sits down, takes one of the slaters fries and then just I fucks everyone at the table.
Yeah, she's she actually references her dad is in prison later. Yeah.
So clearly she has some kind of like prison knowledge of how to like handle a room, but really comfortable with breaking and entering in this show.
Yeah, absolutely. I mean you're breaking into Jesse's house. Her parents probably are home. You've climbed in through the window. And you're bugging her, you're bugging her house, isn't it? Several crimes, but the beauty of these criminal schemes is Screech is really doing all the heavy lifting. He's going to jail. I mean, will get up also nothing creepier than that doll on Jesse's window seat.
Talk about well documented in previous episodes. That doll is very well documented.
Do you keep this teenage girl who had a full sized human baby child doll?
No, it's a really, really bizarre choice. And yeah. And thank you for noticing it, because, Lord, did we I believe that was the first episode.
Marples This is the beginning of the child's play idea. It's the first Turkey.
And yes, Wall Street does all the heavy lifting act just plays with this just giant dog is still like the face fondle. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah, that's not good. No, that's not right. Mm hmm. I'm good with this. I will say this is actually this was a straight up funny moment with me pushing them out of the window. It's just really funny because essentially, I mean, it's the second floor. You just murdered your best friend.
He's like a cat on his feet. He's fine. I tried the other closet door, which is locked. And I know we always lock your closet door.
So I went to the causes, like just, you know, caffeine pills are. So if I don't jump ahead, don't jump ahead. Just I dare you. I don't know these things. Oh, you're unaware of that one. If you wait if you look at Jesse's door, though, did you guys catch how she decorated the back of her bed with her big giant jeans? She framed a pair of giant jeans. Yeah, that was the before jeans, like before her gross for Jesse Craig.
She just has, like, framed poster frame jeans, closes her own door completely. Maybe teenagers do that. But it struck me odd that she came in through her books on her bed, missed the desk, but through books on her bed and then leaves teenagers like Zach do that.
Teenagers like Jesse have nothing to hide. They would they would leave that bedroom open all day.
You tell me how Zach ended up in those pantyhose. How is that possible while scurrying under a bit?
Do you think that was a stage direction? I mean, you guys are both writers. Would you put that in a stage direction? Like I got a good one?
Oh, yeah. He pulled back up by the full makeup address. Yeah, no. Yeah, absolutely. He's going to come out completely yet. That's correct. That's the best version folder I've been addressing. It feels like he feels he trips on the heels going out the window. That's comedy. Hi, Daniel. Hello, Martha. How's the sleeping situation going these days? Never better. I sleep like an angel and that's all because of my purple mattress pillow.
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We open up in the next scene and Zach's bedroom after they have planted the wire and we know now that Zach is a Chargers fan, just San Diego Chargers, that was at San Diego, San Diego Chargers.
Then why would I be a San Diego Chargers fan? But I live in the Palisades when I be a Raiders or Rams fan.
Wasn't your problem, Yang Yangyang. And there's also a Lakers, which I understand because there's a lot of references to the Lakers as a skateboard never used.
But Britain is.
Could we not? Is this a thing where you can't we couldn't get the Raiders or the Rams.
So is the an Chargers helmet or is that a. I think you remember, but that is the Chargers symbol. It looks it looks official, but it insignia. Yeah.
Love gear. London lies.
It's a real Dereel that we use for Zack's father was John Dean from Watergate. So, yeah, it's like very advanced. I mean, the the dumb answer is it looks good on camera, but it like it is like absurdly advanced gear for them to be using.
Why are they even recording this conversation like you guys want to come over and have an orange drink, pizza, orange drink, talk about working girl.
Working girl was I think came out in nineteen eighty eight. Jesse says that she went to go see it with one boy while another boy was trying to kiss her and that it was a rated R film.
Another reveal that Jesse is a time traveler. I'm glad you mentioned you rated our film because this, this episode called Fatal Fatal Attraction is a pun on a sorry fatal distraction is a pun on Fatal Attraction, a very R rated film like Super Adult. I think I saw it before I knew about and I believe I saw that film before we filmed this. So if you're thinking that I was too young to have seen it, is that where you're going with this?
I am going with that. You so you're telling me you saw that film? I had never seen it all the way and just watch it, don't you think?
We saw we saw this little attraction. I didn't see Fatal Attraction in fifteen. And you don't think so. No. There is like at least sixteen.
I remember not not being of age to go see Platoon like my mother going to go see Platoon.
Yeah, well, platoon is like war happens and you can kind of explain that to a kid like I don't know how you explain it to me.
I dragged the Fatal Attraction. That's pretty tough to drag to it. Yeah. Sometimes your wife goes away for the weekend and you have like unprotected sex with a crazy lady who might try to murder you all. And that's like that's like a harder lesson to teach a teenager. I love this, even though I love when when we're looking for clues, when the girls are talking and screeches reaction to Zack. She says, we're cute. That was very much in the same line as Rudolph said in the original, like animated.
She thinks she's cute. It was like I was like that was exactly in the same vein.
And so there's some weird kuhnen codewords stuff you guys are doing right now. Oh, my God. When he asked the pepperoni and Zach goes, Lisa wants you.
Yeah. What? Yeah. Wow. I miss I miss that entirely. Yeah. If she didn't call it Scriptura, I mean it would have been worse if she called Scriptura me, but that was it.
Other than that, whenever somebody says pass the pepperoni, it means they like you. We all know what that means. And for for Zach to say to Screech who is 13 or 14 this time, Lisa wants you.
Uh, yeah. What else did you guys see in this one?
Uh, just that on screeches like fuzzy pink fantasy that we're about to get over hearing that Lisa wants him. I just feel kind of bad that like the punch line of he's every girl's dream is just showing Dustin's face like like they're just like he's every girl's dream. And there's just a picture of screech and that's the joke.
Yeah. Did we talk about Kelly being in love with Dennis Quaid? No. No. Yeah, I did the math on that one. He would have been thirty five at the time.
So, Kelly, give us his fantasy. Is a thirty five year old actor who's very good and very fit but is thirty five years old. But wait first line ever watch one big girl who said why they got him in boys, little girl we've never seen in our lives who was invited to their slumber party gets to be there. The girl or girl. Yeah, yeah.
The girl or girl and the Kurla girl. And the pimple cream girl.
Yes, we have we can't just have it be the three main girls we give their other friend. Right. But also they're the ones but they're the ones that have to put on the right.
They have to do the curls and they have to the face mask. But you know how it is. You know, we work as we see.
But you don't know this, but Brecken and I have been leads and thing, OK? And when you're leads you congratulations, by the way. Thank you. You don't you don't put on the pimple cream curlers. You want to look your best.
Yeah, I think the conversation was, hey, Lark, Elizabeth or Tiffany, we need you guys to have curlers and we need you guys to crap all over your face. Could you guys give it to the people who don't talk and come every day? You bet. Sorry about that. I'm sorry.
I'm number four on the. Sheet, I don't do that, so that explains why our girls are pristine while the two backgrounds. Oh no, Lisa has a curling thing in her one and her bangs one, but it's not like the whole thing.
Also bragging. I'm glad you pointed out the orange drink that makes a reappearance here, because they're all they're all slamming that juice at the max. Like like what is this like? I don't remember. I mean, if you had one friend who had orange soda, I feel like that was kind of odd. But there was never like a friend group that was like all about that stuff. No. Other than purple stuff and some purple stuff, I guess, Kel from Kenan and Kale.
But it was like a whole character like that was like what made him special.
Another creepy doll in Jesse's room. There's an old lady, a little rocking chair doll right behind Tiffany's.
And I believe there must have been a warehouse of those dolls. And they just they just ran on it. That's what Peter Ingold did before, saved by the bell. He was a creepy doll manufacturer.
Was that in his book that I haven't gotten to that chapter yet? To be honest, I put the book down.
So then we we hear over the the deck that Kelley plans to go with thinks Slater's mysterious.
I'm cute and you're cute. Don't think I didn't see that.
And if she had to decide right now, it would be Zach. And this is the tragedy of his character because like, if he would have just done nothing, he'd be going to the dance with Kelly.
I got to say, this thing was very unclear to me as a viewer.
What part? When he yells out yes, did they establish they live next to each other within wire length and the Zach's cheering clued them into the room being bugged?
I just thought it was interesting how how quickly he went with the Lakers cover and then how immediately Kelly was like, there is no Lakers game.
Kelly is a big time Laker fan.
Watch Dustin Break when he smacked my head right there is he does a pretty good job of giving me whiplash.
You can tell he enjoyed it with a little bit of a little sly grin right there as he returns back to the deck.
There's also like this version of Kelly, I feel like kind of disappears over time in series where she's like matching wits and trading blows with Zach. Like, this is a rare kind of Kelly in on a scheme thing where she's usually just very like sweet and docile to the whole show, a very serious scheme they put together.
Oh, it's it's a labyrinth. Yeah. A lot of moving parts. And like for Zach Morris to be such a schemer, you'd think he'd be able to identify a setup like Zach. It's back to working. Yeah, it's back to working.
And crystal clear they're all talking directly into the microphone and they're being really open now, whereas before they were being kind of hidden.
So what is Kelly's scheme, Kelly, is going to make Zach think that she is insane when she likes someone, when she she gets crazy, crazy into somebody, she gets physically violent. Is that correct?
Yeah, she like she like her her love for the person her the object of her affection. She becomes overwhelmed by it and blacks out and wakes up and the police are there and people have to go to the hospital like they don't really say what she does, but it's implied it's just a tick next to murder.
It's like a blind rage. Yeah, well, for some for some strange reason, I end up hurting him.
And Screech is very concerned for his buddy Zach. Yeah. I mean, the scene ends with Screech giving Zach a hug like like the kind of hug you give someone when they might be dying. Or so he's he's he's worried for his friend's life based on what he's just learned.
How about this for character protection? My character, Zach Screech goes, Kelly is dangerous, Zach. And Zach goes, Come on, Screech.
She's a girl he doesn't believe. And screech screeches to be dangerous. But it is wise advice from Screech because there's another line. He says girls can be brutal. Zach, have you ever seen gorgeous ladies of wrestling.
Yeah he has. He has facts to back it up. He's not just speaking in conjecture.
Zach was not very involved, was, you know.
Well, the show is supposed to be about his growth, I think, and learning lessons. But, you know, it's debatable how much he really learned week to week.
And then we open up in the hallway with a skater, dude, oh, man, skating in the hallway. And this is one of Dustin's like for, you know, for my taste fun or costumes that he puts on throughout series is not a word fun.
Academy Award for today for fun. This has so many moments involved in this. There's Michael, this Lisa loving guys. Who what was it? She likes guys on their feet.
What is it? She likes men who are lighter on their feet.
Is that what she said about Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson, Michael Jackson?
I think he was gentle and kind and light on his feet. And I say to screech, if that isn't you, I don't know who is.
So Lisa is into Michael Jackson. So Screech figures, if I put on the costume of Michael Jackson, Lisa will immediately fall for me. Granted, I have none of his talent, dancing ability or confusing demeanor, but Lisa will be into it.
Yeah, he has a little bit of his confusing demeanor. You can definitely confused, like it's confusing to hang around with Screech. Yeah.
And I want to say. That Dustin is having a hard time not breaking character. Yeah, it seems like he's laughing a bit. He is laughing on the inside. He's trying to keep and it is the exact opposite for Laerke. The look of disgust is real in this. No acting. I must have played this back a few times, but just look at that.
Well, like she also thought she'd have the coolest jacket at school that day and then Screech shows up at that thing.
So Zack shows up in sheet gear and SCRE shows up in Michael Jackson's outfit building also says we have a dress code. I don't know what's wrong with this.
What's wrong with this dress code sequence is the sparkly I don't know. It's the 80s, right? Yeah.
There really shouldn't be anything about Scrooge's outfit. It's violating the dress code.
Also, what I like is that Dustin takes off his glove to go, it's me Screech. Take a look at my hand. It's obvious that Michael Jackson's and everyone here in the hallway kind of planting the seeds of this very elaborate scam to teach Zach a lesson. Yeah, it's a very strange lesson.
They just teach you bad dye job in this one, too. There's a big, big splotch of dye that leaked out of my cap. I just put it on the right side of my head right there. Yes, I do see that. That's that's a bad guy job right there.
Can you talk about the Mike Tyson a hurt line for a second, please? It's either Mike Tyson hurt, meaning you're going to be hurt like Mike Tyson would hurt you or Mike Tyson hurt, meaning Robin Givens is going to emotionally scar you on Barbara Walters and you'll lose all your money. Which thing to Jesse Main?
I think this was before the Robin Givens. So what did they mean? He's going to beat she's going to he's going to wail on you like as Mike Tyson.
Yeah, like nineteen like Cayo.
Or is Elizabeth giving us a little window into Mike Tyson soul.
So you're saying this whole episode she is a bean from the future?
I think she's a woman from the future. I think she's a woman with the ability to travel. Yes.
I've heard some like very interesting say by the Bell fan theories. This is the first time I've heard Jessy's from the future floated. And, you know, there might be something. There is Mario in a wheelchair. Oh, yeah. With a giant fake cast is the idea that Kelly broke his leg in many, many places.
Well, the idea is that she beat him up like Mike Tyson, but only his leg, because he's obviously has no scratches on his beautiful face.
Right. Right. Well, again, he's you guys said about talent, he's not like we can do the face thing or the leg thing. Let's see the like that. Yeah, well, I think I think the idea is like what I'm picturing is Kelly, like Beatty like broke his kneecaps kind of thing, like she like just went to town on his leg almost like a mobster.
I feel like this show, this episode will be held by a flashback to the actual leg.
Speaking of Tyson hurt, though, can you tell the story of the time that you almost got Tyson hurt?
Oh, and we had we had Mike Tyson on Franklin and Bash, and my character's supposed to do an impression of Mike Tyson right in his face. And at that point, you know, Mike Tyson had been a very kind of mercurial character. And we didn't know we didn't know Mike Tyson. You and I didn't know him personally. He had just come out with his Broadway specials. He'd come out with a one man show. We didn't know really, if, you know, when people do cameos, you don't know if they've read the script or not.
We don't know if he knows I'm going to do this impression or not. And I have to do the impression directly in his face. And Mike Tyson is Mike Tyson. And Mike Tyson is really good at being Mike Tyson and Mike Tyson. Pretending to be angry might not be pretending. And so I've been face to face with Mike Tyson, nose to nose. And he's a very intimidating character.
And this was during the rehearsal.
And so we hadn't given Mike Tyson any direction or at least the director hadn't given Mike Tyson any direction of of what we were trying to do in this scene other than here are some lines.
Do them how you see fit. Yeah. So Mike was supposed to be the opposite of Mike Tyson. He was supposed to be like, I'm not that guy anymore.
I'm really sweet. And why would you do this to me kind of thing? He took it the the way Mike Tyson would have in the classic supremos offensive.
I was I was standing next to Brecken and I'm supposed to back him up as Franklin and Bash. Mike Tyson gets in Bracken's face and starts using every profanity and he's saying the dialogue. But it's the opposite way of what you're supposed to be saying. He's like, why would you do this to me, Bubba? And he's in his face.
I backed up. At that point, I. I was nowhere near going to back up my friend. I backed up and was looking around to see where the nearest medic was standing, by the way.
And Mike Tyson, there's no medic involved in a Dustbuster because if he touches me, I'm pinked. So that's it.
It's just dust when he is terrifying.
But he is after that, we we said, OK, cut on rehearsal and the director. Because, Mike, that was great. We want to kind of take it the other direction and Mike was like, oh, OK, sure. And it was like a complete 180 sweetest guy. He's the sweetest guy.
The sweet Mike Tyson is more in line with, like now Mike Tyson. Like, I think he just is probably if he's doing a Tyson thing, he's like, oh, they want the classic Tyson.
Yeah. They want angry. Right. Yeah, we wanted the current Tyson. I got both. So they got less.
But it was oh he loves like birds and weed now like he like raises some weed like that's like it's all like you be more, more peaceful of a man. Yeah. Pigeons and weed and Yazaki XL's. Excuse me Sleater.
So Zach on this, I mean this is an elaborate plot. You have the principle involved. A lot of the building was involved. It's debatable.
I don't think Belding's involved because he. But I don't know.
Here's the thing. Slater comes up to me and he tells me the story about Kelly. He says, Kelly and I were hanging out last night and then it was all going really well. And I'm like, I have no problem with that. Zack has no problem that Slater and Kelly were just hanging out. The two of them. Yeah. Last night, his beat up. He's not worried about that. Like, I would be worried about that.
Right. Who cares who got beat up? But I'm more concerned about him getting beat up.
Not the fact that he was just hanging out with your enemy has a broken leg from a night with your girl. That's a win. You'd have some questions. I'd have to go now. Yeah, it is a it is a really elaborate plot. They did.
It's elaborate, but it's also involves so many like costumes and props and like it like like they forged medical records and documents and admission papers and things like I suffered a second whiplash when Slater grabbed me by the collar there in the hallway.
That that's my second weapon, just as I saved by the bell. Easter egg. What's the longest you think Mario is gone without picking up a weight? We're talking now as well from this point on.
Yeah.
Oh, well, he's had a few injuries right lately, barring injury. Oh, I don't know.
You know, I think he's just a gifted and medically gifted.
I, I know certain actors. We all do. Sure. Who spend a lot of time in the gym. I'm sure Mario I don't think spends that much time in the gym. I think he definitely boxes and he does jujitsu, but he also really enjoys life like he's he's out there, he's he's he's eating and drinking.
And he's these four times a week. Yeah.
Maybe four times a week. But I don't think it's one of those, you know, hard core gym session. I think he just I think he's genetically gifted and he just, you know, maintains.
Yeah. Because he's he's had the same body. Right. Structure since he was fourteen.
But when did he get the dimples? When did you get that surgery. Oh, that's a surgery. Yeah, yeah, yeah. We had him redone recently. I can totally have them redone.
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Now we're, we're on the same page with Perfect.
This part of the plot is kind of brilliant. The fact that they thought, well Zach's going to go into her files so we'll have to go into our files.
Then it was Jesse who thought of that and make something believable. Jesse's dark in this episode.
Yeah. Yeah. That's why she goes into caffeine addiction. I believe they're playing chess with Zac also.
Where do you get the forms to fill these things out to doctor them? This is pre Internet, right? This is pre everything you'd imagine.
There's maybe like a computer lab or something at Bayside, like, why doesn't he punch you right there out of fear? Why is it he immediately startled that you are in there and touching him? Why am I in his office? I mean, know, Morris, I. I'm sorry I shot him.
Yeah. Building is like very OK with Zack being in a space throughout series. He always says something like, what are you doing in here, Morris. Like, it's OK. Zack can't see him laugh because as Baxter but there we go.
We see the laugh, the the the building laugh.
You would think that if a student came to a principal was like, I'm scared for my life from another student. The principal would would take it a hopefully a little more seriously what buildings version is. Look, Zack, I used to fuck a lot too. So here's the thing. He instantly goes into his like previous sexual conquest as a younger man. That was in the last episode.
He says he dated a woman who was Vietcong's. He talks about Vietnam.
Oh, yeah, yeah, yeah. He says he has a Vietcong girl. How do you know he was in Nam?
We figured that out in the last episode. Yeah.
How have they not done a flashback building in the shit in the soup, like a very somber hey, hey, hey, what is going on here? We can do that. We should seriously record a building flashback episode. Dashiell, yes. I am super excited to be talking about this company. I have been an ambassador for this company for over five years now because I believe in this company. I believe in their products. I'm talking, of course, about on it.
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I'm sold. That sounds right. Again, I can't remember anything. I'm not even sure where I am. So they already sold they've sold over one million bottles of this product Alpha brand. So, you know, it works. Alpha brain can also help you remember names and places, which is very important, and it can also help you focus on complex tasks. You're just going to think more clearly and you don't have that jittery feeling. It's it's not a supplement that's going to make you feel as if you're amped up.
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Morris, which is like another adult joke here for Zack from from building. We're in the classroom. And this is kind of like the big payoff of all the scheming.
So Kelly sends Zack a note basically saying, I'm what? I'm in love with you. I'm hurting to talk to you.
Yes. She like like they again, they use their pretty cell phone primitive, no passing technology to to let him know she's interested. And then there's that that iconic Kelly, by the way, I'm not kidding. When I watch this episode, I paused it and did the wave myself to see how I would have done it. How did how did that feel? Like I did a control group of about seven waves. It never got anywhere near as alien as Kelly's waves.
Would you like to see it again?
Yeah. Why not. We go.
Yeah. Oh, my God. That is is really unsettling. Yes. Keep them going. That's what humans do. Just keep them going.
Do you think she came up with that wave or was that a direction?
Was that a I was at a screen reaction was I'm going to give that to the I'm going to give that to you. Don't think they, like, threw it away, like, do one of these and then she did it like someone would do this. And her interpretation is what we see on screen right there. She makes it her own. I mean, the best way of saying it, you said they they didn't do second takes off and.
Right. I was like regularly one take we shooting.
Well, no, because we did one take with the with the audience. We would do multiple takes when we when we filmed earlier in the.
Could you go back to the frame or two and see when Tiffany has to do another hand gesture. Because I think we're finding a I think we're confirming a theory. And when she when she does the what's supposed to be an OK symbol to LARC, I mean, maybe Kelly was unable to do the hand signals because of her massive purple pants that she's wearing.
So this is the episode Kelly wore. Screeches Chloe. So she has a baseball bat. Zach has a bunch of revisions that he's taking to the writers room because no one is that many big pieces of paper in today's pink pages. That's correct. Yeah. So Kelly's going to beat Zach to death with a baseball bat. Yeah. And like I mean, yeah. Like the this again. Well it is all played for laughs. There is something like like a little scary about this whole scene.
I did one of my tropes coming up right here where my voice cracks. OK, yeah. Well the signature Zach, one of my signature voice cracks. Was that acting or just life. No, that was that was. Oh yeah. I could easily tap into that because I was going through a transition at this point, but it was a deliberate attempt in my acting.
He is standing very close to someone who is holding a bat. Seems like you'd get further away up. She's got the head of the region.
I mean, and also like if I'm a teacher and I'm walking by the classroom and I hear like a baseball bat smacking a desk, like what the hell is going on in their baseball practice. Right. That's just the baseball class. Yeah, that's baseball glove.
Oh, no, everyone's in pink now.
I looked really carefully to see if there was a stunt double for the scene. Where in the max. Now for the big dance.
Jason, what you see in the background and during the show, Rhonda has you spinning around on her shoulders. And that is that is you. So when when you say you don't remember anything about filming this Mark Paul, this doesn't ring a bell.
No, not really.
I, I know just being picked up and spun around on this lady's just another day and this is how she viewed her date.
Going with Zac like this is to her what dancing is. Right. This is this is the good version of the date. Right. Like she's like right now they're just dancing now, mind you, they're also dancing totally alone with nobody else on the dance floor and the crowd watching.
And is this the dance we were supposed to have be on school property? Why is this at the max?
It's very confusing that that Bayside seems to regularly hold events at this fifties diner.
Where's the rest of the students are on Max? They blackmail him to use the establishment. And there's the boombox guy without his boombox, but he's got a friend now. We also had the twins in the background. They were checking out the the show and Rhonda, like, very sexually aggressive here, like she's going to go Flosse for all the making out they're going to do.
And Slater gets his gets his prize, as you will so understand this correctly, she went with Slater because the cat's not out of the bag yet. Right. Like they're about to do the reveal. Right. But so he ended up going with Rhonda because he's afraid of Kelly. Kelly is helping Screech. We don't know if they're at the dance together as the date or she is Slater's date. Did she choose later?
I think Kelly is with Slater because this is kind of like the beginning. I mean, they really play with that, like oscillating Kelly Slater, Zac playing for. Right.
So he went with the girl. He went with Rhonda because he was too afraid of Kelly. Yes. All right.
I'm just checking what's confusing to me about the plan is why is Slater still showing up in the cast for the reveal? Like, couldn't he have just walked in without crutches and a cast and had the same pretty much effect because he wants that big cast off moment?
You know, the big guys are big guys. So this is actually where. Macquarie got the Kaiser Soze a moment from the usual suspects, true story, yeah, true story goes from fatal distraction.
And in the background, we have the two girls from the slumber party.
Well, what are they there? Right there. Wow. That's them. But the funny thing is they're in the background in this scene.
Yeah, well, they're close. They're just not that close. Maybe they thought this was going to be like the beginning of them being a part of the gang. Look at the forty five year old man in the jacket. He's an undercover narcotics officer.
And now that Rhonda has Flosse, she comes back for the very last time. She's got big plans in. Yeah. Frame here.
I don't remember this kissing my dad moment.
My dad's in prison and my mum is visiting him. So we're going to go to my house.
Those are like a late night prison visit. Like, does that is that how that one works?
Very strict rules. He says, no, she doesn't care. No, she's bigger and stronger and she'll take what she wants. Yeah, it's not a great message, but it is an incredible amount of yellow on screen right now.
Gissing, I love how everyone in the background is just staring you because you guys are the only people dancing you're dealing with. They're allowed to look at the reaction. And Alonzo is in there, too. He's just laser focused on what's going on at his place of business, like serve some burgers. He's like, no, that's a trick.
So we tracked down Kirsten Ken Becker, who played Rhonda on the episode and went on to host Property Ladder and have her own career in real estate. And Mark Paul, you got to talk to her on the phone.
My first question to you, are you considered a tall woman or was I just a boy who hadn't reached his growth spurt yet?
I mean, I think even back then I was considered a tall man. No, stop.
Yes, I'm absolutely considered a tall woman.
There's nothing shorter average about, you know, when was the last time you swung a human over your shoulders and danced wildly in front of an audience?
Every time I see Saved by the Bell and they say, hey, can you do that? Yes, I can.
Is that right? Do you really put people over your shoulders and do that? I mean, I've been willing to try and it's been embarrassing, documented, and I'm not going to lie probably since the social media fanaticism. I've probably done it fewer times, but I am in withdrawal, you know, I do I do enjoy a good feeling over the shoulder every once in a while.
Did you did you have to prepare for this role? I mean, where did you make up any backstory?
No, there was no backstory. But I will tell you that one of my very most vivid memories to this day about that moment was getting that part of it done smoothly and trying to practice on anyone who would let me prior to shooting. And then when I had to roll you back in and plan a kiss on you, thinking this is going to look totally natural and not awkward at all. And of course, I completely broke character and started cracking up at myself.
And I thought, oh, that's not going to show. And of course it does. I mean, you can see it. It shows. So you broke character before you kiss me or during the kiss.
Yes. Like right right before. Because it was so funny to me that this girl was just going to plant this kiss on this little kid. It was so funny to me. I could not actually wrap my head around it, but I was so committed to stay in character. And I thought, oh, no, no, the camera's not going to pick that up. It's going to be fine. It'll be fine. It was not fine. It's there.
It's totally there.
And you were you aware that you would do this cute little kick before you would advance on to Zach or you would chase Zach? You do this silly little thing with your leg.
Are you aware of that? No, I missed the whole thing. OK, yeah. You do this little thing with your leg. It's so cute. It's like it's like a it's a it's like a Ronda shuffle before you actually. It's a little chuckle. Yeah. Yeah. Oh that's hilarious. Which of course is totally planned. OK, totally planned. So you don't have any parents in the slammer. No. Everybody's out of the slammer. It was really nice to sort of have this bipolar personality that was so far from the goody two shoes that I was in high school.
So it was great to play a bad ass on TV and then be able to kind of walk the line in person and in real life. So I really I appreciate that so much to this day care.
Well, I still have an invoice from my chiropractor that I need to send you. So if I can get your address, I'll be clear.
I take them.
I mean, I'm sure there are some, but I am so happy that we got a chance to talk with you. I don't see the whole thing with this podcast because I don't remember a fucking thing from my time on that show. I never watched the episodes. I remember people. I remember you. I don't remember us dancing or I'm sorry, but I don't remember the kiss because I just I think I've been hit on the head one too many times.
But it's so fun to relive these things. We'll do that for kids. Yeah, I know. Yeah, but it's fun to relive these with with. People that we had these experiences with, so I'm really enjoying going through this process. It's our own only our fifth show that's so great.
I think it's cathartic. And it was it was really I mean, it was the kind of thing that the time that I have to tell you, I thought the whole thing was lunacy. I thought the show was lunacy. And the fact that it still has such a cult following and really changed the fabric of sort of sitcom television and breaking the fourth wall and all of those things that you did so well is amazing. And I think that's great that you're that you're sort of able to relive it, especially given the career that you've had.
I mean, we people make fun of me all the time, like, oh, you went round about Roselli to a real estate ice queen and, you know, you went on to do all sorts of dramatic roles and have such a just a flourishing career that was multi-dimensional. It was not one note back at all. It's nice to kind of get back to your roots. How did your kids ever watch you? Oh, all the time. I think it's hilarious.
Which is in one of them is in college now, which was so funny because when we were on the air, that was the thing and it was all man. I woke up totally hungover Saturday morning and there you were on TV, like throwing some kid over your shoulder.
And now my son's in college and he's like, Yeah, yeah, we went up really ready, you know. Oh, that's great.
So I'm glad that it's been rebooted and I'm glad you're reliving it. And I hope you're happy and healthy and sane. And, you know, I have nothing but incredibly fond memories of what a great time that was in our lives. So thank you for including me in your in your podcast. Oh, thank you.
I'm so glad it worked out. Wow. The friendships of Bayside are alive and well. That was so awesome. Thank you so much, Kirsten, for taking the time to talk to us. And that's the episode that is Fatal Distraction. Breckin Meyer, thank you so much for joining us today. We really appreciate it. And we hope you're we'll be back soon. That was that was fun. Thanks, man. That was very, very fun.
Thank you, Barack.
And your body and to the listener at home and to you, Mark. Paul, there is homework for next week and that is to watch Season one, episode five of Saved by the Bell called screeches.
Woman Oh, now.
Oh, as I ask every week, Martha, do you just have any wild shot in the dark guesses.
What's great is one of my big I do Dashiell because I've been paying attention to the previous episodes. You're saying that Zach dressed up as a girl named Bambi? Yes. Do we see Bambi in the next episode called A Hunch?
I think we'll be meeting Bambi next week. Here's a question, please. I like how you raise your hand.
By the way, in the episode, God screeches woman or screeches a woman. It's called screech apostrophe. S woman OK.
Screeches Cool. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much. My thoughts. Thank you, listener. See you next week. Zach to the Future is a production of Caden's Thirteen. It's executive produced by Ball Goslar myself and Chris Kaufman Production and direction led by Terrence Mangan, Editing and Mastering by Andy Jesuit's. Engineering and Production Coordination by Sean Cherry. Artwork by Kurt Courtney with illustrations by Jeff MacCarthy. Marketing is led by Josephine Francis with PR by Hilary Duff.
Thanks to the whole team at their team and to you for listening.