Posted in: NBC, Review, streaming, TV | Tagged: peacock, Review, Saved by the Bell, SBTB, season 2

Saved by the Bell S02E07 Review: A Case of Language Appropriation

Things are ramping up for Bayside High as they're trying to catch up to qualify for the school spirit competition in Peacock's Saved by the Bell as the cold opening shows off the hard work for Mac (Mitchell Hoog) finally pay off. The seventh episode of the second season "La Guerra de Aisha" finds Aisha (Alycia Pascal-Pena) and Jamie (Belmont Cameli) trying to find themselves something new to apply themselves in. In the case of Aisha, she's slowly getting the hang of wrestling but is forced to take a language class as part of her school curriculum requirement. She chooses Spanish since it's her native language given her Dominican background, but learns to regret it. The case of Jamie is trying to build an identity trying to find something he's actually good at.

When Aisha finds herself in Spanish class, she finds the teacher Mr. Johnson (Bryan Safi) has a very particular way of teaching it, which I'm 99.9 percent sure that it hits all the checkmarks for offensiveness for native speakers. She finds herself at the mercy of her teacher as the class including fellow Latina Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez) acquiescing to his awkward inflection and caricature style much to her annoyance. We get a lot more depth in Aisha as the series does a great job building up her character in this arc including teasing a potential budding romance with a recurring character.

While Jamie's arc isn't as pronounced, it does provide the occasional change of pace. The real star of the episode is Pascual-Pena and it expands the dynamic of the series where it's a true ensemble rather than a single character leading the series, unlike its NBC predecessor where it was clearly Mark-Paul Gosselaar's Zack Morris leading the way. It's another strong outing for Peacock's Saved by the Bell.

Saved by the Bell Season 2 Episode 7 "La Guerra de Aisha"

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Review by Tom Chang

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7/10

Alycia Pascual-Pena and Belmont Cameli shine in Peacock's Saved by the Bell Season 2 episode "La Guerra de Aisha" in a dual case of trying to solidify their identities during moments of crisis. Director Maureen Bharoocha and writers Marcos Gonzalez & Victoria González do an impressive job driving their thematic points home while also working to the actors' strengths.

Credits

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Director

Maureen Bharoocha

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