Saved by the Bell Reboot Character Review: Mac Morris

The schedule for the Character Review posts will be changing to Friday (or Saturday at the latest from now on).

*I apologize for the less-than-regular posting as of late. I can only do so much in a day.

*Warning: This post contains spoilers about the characters from the television show Saved by the Bell. Read at your own risk if you have not watched the program. There is something to be said about a well-written, human character. They leap off the page and speak to us as if they were right in front of us, as flesh and blood human beings, instead of fictional creations.

Having a parent or parents who are in a prominent position has its perks. But it also has its downsides. It is all too easy to get caught up in the idea that you are all that (to quote my fellow millennials). But the bubble will burst eventually and some humbling may be required.

On the Saved by the Bell reboot, Mac Morris (Mitchell Hoog) is a student at Bayside High School, like his parents before him, Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) and Kelly (nee Kapowski) (Tiffani Thiessen) Morris. Mac is a mirror image of his father at the same age. He is charming, good-looking, and is riding the wave of his family name.

When the Douglas High School students are transferred to Bayside, Mac thinks that he can win them over in his usual manner. But Daisy Jiminez (Haskiri Velasquez) immediately sees through his bullshit. After it is announced that students’ phones will be confiscated during the day, Mac (in classic Morris style) charges his classmates .25/minute to use his phone.

When it is announced that Douglas High will be re-opening, Mac tells Daisy that he will try to talk to his Dad. But Daisy calls his bluff. Zack eventually shows up and agrees to stop the re-transfer (with a little nudging from Kelly).

Eventually, Mac learns to keep his ego in check after revealing that Daisy’s crush, Gil Vatooley (Matthew Sato) is actually a spy from their rival, Valley High School. When Daisy learns the truth, she tells him that she is grateful. He also gives up his spot for his best friend Jamie Spano (Belmont Cameli) to run the final race during spirit week.

That does not mean, however, that Mac has turned over a new leaf. He does not realize that he and Jami are dating the same girl until Daisy points it out to him.

To sum it up: Just because one is a mirror image of their parent does not mean they have to walk the same path. Mac may look like and act like his old man, but he figures out that sometimes putting others first is not a bad thing.

Which is why he is a memorable character.

Jane Austen’s Wardrobe Book Review

What someone wears is more the random piece of clothing they chose to put on that day. It speaks to their tastes, where they fall on the socio-economic scale and their values.

Jane Austen’s Wardrobe, by Hilary Davidson, was published back in September. In the eyes of many (past and present), Austen was a brilliant wordsmith who lacked a sense of fashion. Using the surviving letters along with the writer’s known clothes and accessories, Davidson reveals the truth about her wardrobe.

Austen was a fashionista who was able to follow the latest trends while living within her means. The letters that the authors used as a reference, this book gives greater context on its subject, her work, and her love of clothing.

Obviously, the market for this text is limited. But within those limits, is the story of a woman whose novels have lasted long after her passing. The details that Davidson provides are wonderful. They provide an insight into Austen’s world that few things can. They reveal that she is more than the mother of the modern novel. She was an ordinary woman who was extraordinary in her time and ours.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store Book Review

Every city or town has what is known as “the other side of the tracks”. The residents of this area are usually of a darker hue and/or on the lower end of the socioeconomic scale.

James McBride‘s new novel, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is set in the small town of Pottstown, Pennsylvania. In 1972, a construction crew discovers a skeleton while preparing to build a new development. Who this person was in life is and how they got there unknown to them.

The book then flashes back a few decades. Inside Pottstown, anyone who is not Caucasian and Christian is segregated into the neighborhood known as Chicken Hill. Its residents are black and immigrants (both Jewish and not Jewish). The tale follows Moshe and Chona Ludlow and Nate Timblin. Moshe is the owner of the local theater while Chona runs the Heaven & Earth Grocery Store. Nate works for Moshe as the theater’s janitor and is known as the unofficial leader of the black community.

When a young boy who is both orphaned and deaf comes into their midst, they will do everything possible to prevent him from being institutionalized by the state.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store has been named one of the best books of 2023. It is a well-written story. What I liked was that despite their personal challenges and their differences, the Jewish and black characters were able to come together for a common cause.

This world comes to life in cinematic fashion. It was as if I was there instead of watching from the outside. The disadvantages that Moshe, Chana, and Nate deal daily with are not just black and white. They are in full color and in certain situations, disabling.

My problem is that I did not quite get the ending. Which is a shame, because overall, it is a good read.

Do I recommend it? I am leaning toward yes.

The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store is available wherever books are sold.