TMC
06-02-2005, 12:28 AM
For those who haven't seen this particular episode from the third season I believe, the basic plot involves the discovery of oil in Bayside's football field. Mr. Belding believes that the oil would be a great opportunity for the school to expand.
Everybody with the exception of Jessie, who thinks that the oil would be dangerous to the environment, thinks the oil would be great for the school. So Jesse ask Zack to sign a petition to stop the drilling in favor of "alternative forms of energy."
They set up this plot devise so to speak of Zack bonding with a cute white duck named Becky. Naturally, when Becky goes back into her natural surroundings (i.e. the pond), there's an oil spill that kills Becky. Becky's death instantly changes Zack's opinion and now agree's with Jessie (and to a lesser extent, Kelly).
I was so offended by the "Pipe Dreams" episode for being so one-sided. The message that Peter Engel (the executive producer of "Saved by the bell"), NBC, and others seemed to be giving is that you must be an greedy and evil (since you don't care about the animals) person if you support big business and the industrialism. They protrayed the oil company head as this stereotypical Texas cowboy like figure.
I'm no expert on the oil industry, but I kind of find it hard to believe that professional oil drillers would be so careless with their planning and/or managing their equipment. You can't tell me that if this was reality, then the drillers would've been aware of Becky and the other animals being nearby (and thus have her moved to a different pond).
Everybody with the exception of Jessie, who thinks that the oil would be dangerous to the environment, thinks the oil would be great for the school. So Jesse ask Zack to sign a petition to stop the drilling in favor of "alternative forms of energy."
They set up this plot devise so to speak of Zack bonding with a cute white duck named Becky. Naturally, when Becky goes back into her natural surroundings (i.e. the pond), there's an oil spill that kills Becky. Becky's death instantly changes Zack's opinion and now agree's with Jessie (and to a lesser extent, Kelly).
I was so offended by the "Pipe Dreams" episode for being so one-sided. The message that Peter Engel (the executive producer of "Saved by the bell"), NBC, and others seemed to be giving is that you must be an greedy and evil (since you don't care about the animals) person if you support big business and the industrialism. They protrayed the oil company head as this stereotypical Texas cowboy like figure.
I'm no expert on the oil industry, but I kind of find it hard to believe that professional oil drillers would be so careless with their planning and/or managing their equipment. You can't tell me that if this was reality, then the drillers would've been aware of Becky and the other animals being nearby (and thus have her moved to a different pond).