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#10: Mr Belding’s Relationship with the Students Various
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Hey, hey, hey, what’s going on here? Mr Belding often seems to forget boundaries with his pupils, leading to some pretty uncomfortable viewing. We’ve heard of “teacher’s pet,” but things are taken a bit too far with one particularly uncomfortable moment that finds him hanging out with the guys in Zack’s bedroom while trying to escape his own marital problems. We have to wonder where are everyone’s parents and why isn’t anyone more concerned or uncomfortable with the fact that a grown man is hanging out with a group of teenagers.
#9: The Zack Tapes “The Zack Tapes”
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This episode shows that Zack has the makings of an evil genius. After learning about how subliminal messaging works, Zack decides to use his newfound knowledge to control everyone around him. He even uses it to get out of trouble with Belding. The most disturbing moment is when he dresses Screech up as a girl so they can sneak tapes into the girls’ lockers to manipulate them into asking them to the dance. It’s not long before everyone is onto him and they dish up some much deserved revenge.
#8: Screech’s Obsession with Lisa Various
One of the running threads throughout the series is Screech’s obsession with Lisa. While unrequited love is a classic trope, this is a disturbing version that we wouldn’t want to find on our screens today. It doesn’t matter how many times Lisa has expressed disinterest in Screech, he is insistent, persistent and uncomfortable to watch. It’s super creepy that he buys her lingerie when Zack decides to auction off her clothes - and don’t even get us started on how he collaborates with Zack and his tapes to manipulate Lisa into going to the dance with him.
#7: The Teen-Line Episode “Teen Line”
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This episode had so much potential as it addressed teenage mental health. But Zack had to go and ruin it when he uses this confidential hotline to pick up a girl. As if this isn’t unethical and inappropriate enough, his behavior upon learning she’s physically disabled is painful to watch. He’s totally caught up on her wheelchair and never misses a moment to point out her disability to anyone who will listen. He’s completely shallow and offensive, and although he’s shown to have a breakthrough toward the end, we never actually see Melissa again.
#6: Fat-Shaming “Date Auction”
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It’s clear from the get-go that Wendy has a thing for Zack as she laughs at his casual misogyny. It’s questionable enough that a high school is ok with auctioning its students off for dates, but Zack seems all up for it until Wendy becomes his highest bidder. He never hides the fact that he’s uncomfortable with her weight and doesn’t hesitate to fat shame her either. It’s so heartbreaking to see her joy met by his disappointment, but we are right there with her when she confronts Zack over his shallow behavior.
#5: Raffling Off Lisa “The Lisa Card”
Lisa’s dad rewards her good grades by loaning her his credit card, but she goes overboard and spends almost $400. While she’s trying to find the responsible way out, Zack essentially pimps out his friend by putting a kiss with Lisa up for raffle - without her consent. When that fails to bring in enough cash, he decides to sell Lisa’s clothes and even has Kelly modeling a swimsuit in the school halls. When Lisa tells Zack that she feels cheap, he basically tells her that she’s worth $36.
#4: The Video Yearbook “The Video Yearbook”
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The gang decides to update the classic year book for a video version, but Zack opts to make a bit of money by selling the videos of his female classmates as part of a video dating service. In a classic mix up, Kelly’s video gets sold too and Zack is unhappy with the attention she’s now getting from other guys. So in a nutshell, he sells videos of unsuspecting teenage girls to a dating site, without their permission, just to buy a car. Seriously, how has Zack never been expelled or locked up!
#3: Cultural Appropriation “Running Zack”
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You know it’s going to be bad when the actor himself later apologizes for a ‘completely racist’ episode. While working on a family tree project, Zack discovers his alleged Native American roots. But when he comes to present to his classmates, it’s hard to watch as he essentially turns the entire culture into a caricature complete with war paint and indistinguishable grunting. Even activist Jessie doesn’t call him out, and when he’s made to redo his presentation he comes out in a full Native American costume - complete with face paint and a headdress.
#2: When Kelly Dated Jeff Various
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This pairing was so wrong on some many levels that it’s hard to know where to even begin. Firstly, Jeff is Kelly’s boss at The Max and pretty much abuses his power to make her go on a date with him. If that doesn’t creep you out enough, let us remind you that he was in college and she was about 16. He cheats on Kelly and when she catches him, he’s hardly apologetic and just rattles off a list of excuses. This relationship never should have happened and we probably wouldn’t see it on our screens today. Before we unveil our number one pick, here are some dishonorable mentions. Zack Tells Everyone Slater Has a Terminal Illness “Aloha Slater” Zack Gets Slater to Drive & Crash While Inside the School “Driver’s Education” Drinking & Driving “Drinking and Driving” Zack Falls In Love With The Nurse “From Nurse to Worse” Zack Dresses Like a Woman “Screech’s Woman”
#1: The Girls of Bayside Calendar “Model Students”
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When the school shop isn’t making much money, Zack sends Screech to take photos of the girls in their swimsuits without their permission. They’re understandably furious when they find out. However, when a photographer says he wants to turn them into models, suddenly they forget how creepy this whole thing is. Zack then selfishly tries to sabotage Kelly’s big shot by psychologically manipulating her until she quits. So to recap: Zack sells photos of underage girls without their consent, then mentally bullies his girlfriend and still manages to walk away consequence-free.
