I watched the Saved by the Bell reboot on Peacock, and now I’m re-watching the original Saved by the Bell series (which is also on Peacock) because…why not?
The show doesn’t really play with fantasy elements (unless daydreaming and cartoony video effects count), but I realized it easily could have had a fantasy twist: Zack Morris is a trickster god.
Observations
Zack runs scams for selfish reasons, regardless of the consequences to others.
Over the course of lying to fellow students and taking advantage of his friends, Zack hurts people’s feelings. His scams usually fail, but he tries again anyway in the next episode. Why would he keep doing this?
Zack can stop time.
He says, “Time out!” and everyone freezes. Zack laughs when he waves his hand in front of people’s faces and they don’t react. He can even move things around in the scene or position himself for an easy escape. People stay frozen until Zack says, “Time in!”, and then time moves again. How is he able to do this?
Zack breaks the fourth wall.
If Zack is addressing the audience, does that mean he’s aware he’s on a TV show? And if so, why does he keep up the illusion with his friends, instead of telling them the truth?
Conclusion
Zack is a trickster god who found a way into a parallel universe (what is Saved by the Bell to us).
He runs scams as a way to get what he wants–that’s built into his nature–and he doesn’t care about hurting humans.
He can stop and start time, and no one else seems to have this ability.
He can talk to us because he’s aware of parallel universes, since he crossed from his universe into Saved by the Bell.
Zack keeps up the illusion with his friends, because if he tells them the truth, he’ll be banished back to his universe forever.