VERSUS // stuck in the mall: saved by the bell vs the oc

*giving honorary mention to Dawson's Creek because Joey and Pacey once got stuck in a freaking Kmart.

These two shows probably couldn't be more different, but when you think about it they're actually the same. High school group of friends....well, really that's it. But regardless, it was fun and rather hard to compare these two. Sure the gist is the same but the plot is NOT. We have from Saved By The Bell All In The Mall (S03E16) and The OC The Mallpisode (S02E15).

So lets do it.



Plot
With Saved By The Bell the episode is entirely set in the Bayside mall. The kids are making Screech sleep in line to get U2 tickets. Of course he fails and steps out of line. Turns out that the show is is huge they've added a second concert so they all decide to stay over to ensure they get tickets. Funny thing is, to kill time beforehand while shopping, Lisa stumbles upon a bag full of money. They put it to good use, promising to pay it back as soon as they buy a ton of U2 tickets to sell for a big profit. Before the mall closes they feel like they're being followed. They fail to get the tickets again, they realize they actually are being tracked and that they are on totally hidden video!!! Their prize? U2 tickets of course.

Now The OC takes an entirely different route. Ryan is depressed after losing Lindsay, Seth tries to cheer him up by inviting him to the mall with Summer and Marissa to help with a clothing drive. Marissa is more than thrilled to accompany Summer because she is annoyed with her life with Alex. They show up at the mall, do their thing and the smart salesgirl locks up shop before they have a chance to leave. They call their family and some make up stories and some tell the truth, so they make the most of their time playing indoor hockey. Soon enough the cops show up and they are able to escape while no one is the wiser.

Characters



Zack Morris vs Ryan Atwood - the tough guy. I would have to side with Zack on this one. Ryan does a good job of being calm, but Zack is far more brave. He will risk everything for that money, granted sometimes putting his friends at risk but whatever.



Lisa Turtle vs Summer Roberts - the mall lover. This is tough because both actively love the mall. I think Lisa's love runs a bit deeper however I'm going with Summer on this because not only does she have a passion for fashion, but she is there to help with a clothing drive for a women's shelter. How selfless!



AC Slater vs Seth Cohen - the sidekick. I feel like in this, Slater is the better sidekick. It's almost annoying how on Preppy's side he is. He never waivers from his Zack-love unless Kapowski is involved.



Kelly Kapowski vs Marissa Cooper - the voice of reason. Okay I kind of reached for this category, I'll admit but I couldn't leave Kelly out which means I couldn't leave Marissa out. It's Kelly. She wins. Because she is Kelly Kapowski and she is always the voice of reason.
Sorry Screech.


Breakdown
The Reason - I would say The OC. Sure, staying over for a concert is ballsy but again with the selflessness helping the women's shelter. You win Summer!

Sleeping arrangements - Well they both camp, and I'll give this one to The OC as well, mainly because they have the fake fire and everything. Its different than sleeping in a tent in the sporting goods store.

Getting caught - Saved By The Bell. Evading capture is great and all, but getting caught AND winning concert tickets? You can't beat that.

So there you have it, Saved By The Bell by one whole point! Lets go see U2!

the valuable lesson that chrismukkah teaches

"So what's it gonna be, huh? Did you want a menorah or a candy cane? Christmas or Hanukkah? Well in this house, you don't have to choose. Let me introduce to you a little something that I like to call...Chrismukkah."

Chrismukkah became a thing during the Christmas of 2003 when a little teen drama on Fox had a hold on pretty much everyone in my high school (oh yeah and the nation). Seth Cohen is a little half Jewish half Christian dude who likes the best of both worlds when it comes to holidays so he creates his own super holiday, which has twice the resistance of a normal holiday. It's eight days of presents followed by one day of many presents. Oftentimes because of this super holiday a Christmas miracle is performed. It also teaches a slew of lessons you didn't even know that you needed, especially if you're Ryan Atwood.

Now Ryan had a rough life. If you're not familiar with The OC you will learn that Ryan was a kid going nowhere, abandoned by his mom and brother, only to be adopted by the wealthy Cohen family who's patriarch just happened to be Ryan's attorney. He was quickly enveloped into their life, befriending Sandy and Kirsten's son Seth, falling in love with his neighbor Marissa which also paved the way for Seth to get together with his number one crush and Marissa's best friend Summer. Along the way relationships came and went, people died, people got punched and did drugs but despite all that went down, each Chrismukkah brought Ryan back to the fact that he now had a family that loved him.



Chrismukkah 1 - You don't have to save everyone, be a kid for once.

Ryan spends a good majority of this Christmas taking care of Marissa. Sandy reminds him that he doesn't need to focus on that, it's something that she must figure out on her own. They end the holiday with a rousing viewing of Sylvester Stalone's Over The Top. Ryan also gets his own stocking. Seth has won the attention of both Summer and Anna but he is forced to choose after they make fools of themselves competing for him. Who would you pick? Handmade comic book about your life or a live action sexy wonder woman?



Chrismukkah 2 - Opening your heart and creating new families.

Ryan's new girlfriend Lindsay is excited to spend the holidays with him and his family, but not so much Marissa and Summer who came to crash. Turns out, Lindsay is closer to home than she thought she was finding out she's Caleb Nichol's illegitimate love child. Kirsten didn't even know she had a sister and she comes out of her closet long enough to welcome her to the family and don a yamaclaus.



Chrismukkah 3 - "Sometimes you gotta let the rich people help you."

Ryan gets his own Bar Mitzvah this year, so what if it's to help out Marissa's friend Johnny who also kind of digs her? Ryan isn't jealous! Johnny has a hard time accepting help from the town, he doesn't want to be the charity case. Ryan gives him some much needed advice, as seen above. It's not every day you're given an opportunity to improve your life from an unlikely source. It happened to Ryan and now it gets to happen to Johnny. Embrace it, kid.



Chrismukkah 4 - You can make an impact that you're not even aware of.

This Chrismukkah, Ryan's first without Marissa, shows how much he influenced the people around him. This whole time he has known how much of a difference that his new family and friends have made in his life, not realizing he's had the same affect. Him and his new "lady" Taylor fall off of a ladder and end up in a coma-induced alt-universe. Both of them must do something drastic in order to return to the real world. Taylor has to stand up to her bitch of a mother where Ryan thinks he just has to have everyone reunite that's been broken up. In reality, he has to make peace with the fact that he isn't responsible for Marissa's death. Only that sends him back.

before the tryptophan takes over...

In case you're not sick of Thanksgiving television yet, I have a few other randoms that you can watch to keep yourself occupied while everyone else is watching football. Just a few of my other favorites that may not fit a specific category.



Gilmore Girls - Deep-Fried Korean Thanksgiving
No one can really eat like a Gilmore girl so of course they have four dinners to attend. I wish I had their metabolism.

Full House - The Miracle Of Thanksgiving
The family's first Thanksgiving after losing Pam. It's really touching even if the turkey didn't turn out. Poor DJ.

Grey's Anatomy - Thanks For The Memories
When this show started I really liked Izzie and felt really bad that no one wanted to show up at her Thanksgiving. I think she was shafted and they all knew of her cooking skills so it surprises me that people weren't begging for an invite.

How I Met Your Mother - Belly Full Of Turkey, Slapsgiving, Slapsgiving 2: Revenge Of The Slap, Blitzgiving
Next to Friends, HIMYM really gets it right when it comes to Thanksgiving episodes. Waiting for a slap (a few times), The Blitz ruining the holiday by keeping everyone away from Ted's dinner and Barney donning an apron to feed the homeless. That's warm and fuzzy right there. And of course there is still an active countown to Slapsgiving even if it is overdue.

South Park - Helen Keller: The Musical!
It's exactly like it sounds.

Roswell - Max In The City
There isn't a lot of Thanksgiving in this episode but the fact that aliens ditch their human families to travel to NYC with duplicates of themselves and risk missing a festive meal keeps it on the list.

The OC - The Homecoming
Seth running around trying to please two ladies, Caleb Nichol (THE ULTIMATE) bringing home a busty blond to seduce Ryan just for Marissa to see! NO, but yes. Oh and the start of Kiki's boozy adventure with, one of my favorite TV lines of all-time, "FRESH MARGS!"

Saved By The Bell: The College Years - A Thanksgiving Story
Overall not sure you can go wrong with helping inner-city kids eat a Thanksgiving dinner complete with cameos from Jonathan Brandis, Jenna Von Oy, Brian Austin Green and Mr. Belding, all of which are still totally relevant. I may be the only one that loves the college years, but oh I do.

Felicity - Thanksgiving
The story of a girl named Felicity. Wants to go home, stays and drama ensues, including her making out with her spoken for RA!

Happy Turkey Day, I'll be off doing whathaveyou for the next few days and since the next few days doesn't have much tv I'll do a lovely post about it all probably Friday morning so enjoy REBECCA BLACK FRIDAY (of course I'll be back for that, duh, best holiday).