Dancing to the Max

Dancing to the Max is the first episode of the first season of Saved by the Bell, and the first episode of the series overall.

Summary
A dance contest is hosted by famed Casey Kasem and held at The Max. Zack and Slater both try to obtain Kelly as a dance partner but Slater wins the honor. Zack goes with Jessie. Lisa has someone all lined up for the dance as well, but when she sprains her ankle he backs out. Screech agrees to dance with her in the contest even still. Screech and Lisa win the contest with a new dance known as the "sprain."

Recap
Opening at The Max — the major hangout for the teenagers — Max unplugs the juke box, receiving negative reactions from his teen customers, however he tells the room that Casey Kasem is on his way to town to film an episode of his show Dance Party. Immediately, Zack Morris and A.C. Slater both want beautiful and talented Kelly Kapowski as a partner at the dance, but there is tensions between the two, and they finally agree to a dance off to see who have Kelly as their dance partner.

Zack Morris seems to like this, as, in his very first breaking the fourth wall monologue, says Danny might have the right idea. In the girl's locker room Jessie is seems not like that she's tall and freaks out on a scale. Then in band class The gang is play like not good when the band teacher is in the room but then start playing amazingly when he leaves the room and we see that Jessie is a really good dancer and that Zack seems to be avoiding dancing in font of Kelly,Slater and everyone. Our next scene shows Zack in Jessie's room. He confesses to her that he can't dance, telling her he just didn't want Slater to win the contest with Kelly, so he said he could dance so Kelly and Slater won't be together. He begs Jessie to teach him to dance and she says fine and ask to see his best moves and Jessie tell Zack that he should just try to be partner with Screech instead. And our first with Mr.Belding, who's in his office when he has a mysterious knock at the door. then Casey Kasem comes in and Casey wants is a school banner to hang at The Max during the dance off. Mr. Belding try and insert himself into the contest by demonstrating his best dance moves. but Casey says that all he just wanted was a school banner and then Mr.Bleding says That he doesn't not have one and says he delivered it to him at The Max.

Back in the hallway, Screech comes down the stairs dancing with a doll and tells Lisa this could be her and Lisa tells Screech that she's already entered the contest with someone else, and Screech seems sad towards to this. We cut back to Jessie's house and see her teaching Zack to dance and Zack is good about dancing now because of Jessie. Jessie tells Zack the truth about not going to dance, telling him that she doesn't want to enter the dance contest because she's taller than all the boys and in a daydream montage with Jessie where she's growing taller and taller every time someone asks her to dance. Our next scene shows Slater and Screech in the locker room and Screech is obsessing over Lisa and Slater tries to comfort him and pushes him away when another student enters the room. Later, Zack knocks on Jessie's bedroom door. Jessie seems to be surprised to see him at her door, saying it's the first time Zack Morris has come in through her door and not the window. They have their final dance lesson, and, Zack Morris has become a good dancer in three days. Back at school, Lisa has sprained her ankle after she kicked the television set, angry because she found out from a commercial that they discontinued her nail polish. It means that she might not be able to be in the dance contest. At that moment, her dance partner comes up and says he can't dance with her because he wants to win. Lisa gets hurt and Zack, Slater and Screech threaten the guy. Kelly wants to have the dance off right there in the hallway, but Zack tells her to just go with Slater, that he wants to go with Jessie. At The Max for the dance contest. Max introduces Casey Kasem, Mr. Belding tries to insert himself, and our contest begins, and goes directly to the three finalists Slater, Kelly, Zack and Jessie and our third couple is Lisa and Screech who then Lisa decided to go with Screech. the judging, which seems to be based on Max's arbitrary interpretation of the applause from the audience, says that Screech and Lisa, Win with the dance they call “the Sprain,” win the contest and episode ends with all the gang dancing to Lisa and Screech's Dance.

Main Cast

 * Mark-Paul Gosselaar as Zack Morris
 * Mario Lopez as A.C. Slater
 * Dustin Diamond as Screech Powers
 * Tiffani Thiessen as Kelly Kapowski
 * Elizabeth Berkley as Jessie Spano
 * Lark Voorhies as Lisa Turtle
 * Dennis Haskins as Richard Belding

Guest Cast

 * Ed Alonzo as Max
 * Casey Kasem as Casey Kasem
 * Hamilton Camp as Mr. Margolies
 * Joe Davis as Coach

Quotes

 * Jesse: "Slater, are you asking me to go the prom with you?"
 * Slater: "Maybe. You interested?"
 * Jesse: "Maybe."
 * Slater: "Maybe...pick you up at 7?"
 * Jesse: "No... I'll pick YOU up at 7."