Warning: SPOILERS for Saved By The Bell season 2
Season 2 of Peacock’s Saved By The Bell revival saw the original gang reunite to mourn the death of one of their own — culminating in a perfect and poignant tribute to Dustin Diamond and Screech. Developed by Tracey Wigfield, the 2020 Saved By The Bell series simultaneously introduced a new generation of Bayside students and revealed what became of the original 90’s Saved By The Bell characters. Despite being one for the entirety of the original run of shows and movies, Samuel “Screech” Powers was conspicuously absent from Saved By The Bell season 1, in terms of the on-screen exploits at least.
Even though he wasn’t present, Dustin Diamond’s Screech was far from forgotten. The quirky character was frequently the subject of fond reminiscences from his fellow Bayside classmates. Saved By The Bell season 1 even specified where his future had led, with Slater (Mario Lopez) revealing that Screech had become an astronaut that lived on the International Space Station. In the wake of the Saved By The Bell revival’s release, there was talk that he could actually factor into the storylines of Saved By The Bell season 2. Unfortunately, before such plans could come to fruition, Dustin Diamond sadly passed away after a battle with cancer.
As it was previously confirmed that it would, the legacy of Screech was honored by Saved By The Bell season 2. As the new generation lamented things lost during the Covid-19 pandemic, it was made clear that the original characters were grieving a more specific loss of their own. For most of Saved By The Bell season 2, episode 1, "The Last Year Dance," it was never overtly specified what it was. There was simply a cloud hanging over the original gang, mention of an event at The Max, and Slater generally burying his head in the sand. After a poignant speech from Daisy (Haskiri Velazquez), however, Slater attended the event. There, it was revealed that he, Zack (Mark-Paul Gosselaar), Kelly (Tiffani Thiessen), Jessie (Elizabeth Berkley Lauren), and Lisa (Lark Voorhies) had gathered to memorialize Screech.
Saved By The Bell season 2, episode 1, "The Last Year Dance" wisely never focused on what had happened or revealed how Screech had died. As such, it allowed the viewers to fill in the blanks, thus making the tribute as much for Dustin Diamond as for Screech. Instead, the Bayside originals celebrated his life by discussing some specific fond memories. With Screech’s robot Kevin also present, Max (Ed Alonzo) revealed that the restaurant had crafted and named a special spaghetti burger in his memory. That led to the Saved By The Bell originals (sans Mr. Belding) toasting his name and a montage of Diamond’s personal favourite moments.
The entire sequence was quietly bittersweet and touching, able to convey the genuine weight of the loss without completely negating the established tone of the Saved By The Bell world. Equally, the nature of the Screech Spaghetti Burger and more showed that the Saved By The Bell revival writers fully understood Dustin Diamond’s Screech and what made the character equal parts weird yet loveably great. Furthermore, the sequence celebrated that fact before the montage poignantly demonstrated it first hand.
While it may seem as though that was the extent of Saved By The Bell season 2’s tribute to Dustin Diamond’s Screech, it was far from the case. Though it largely remained unspoken after the aforementioned memorial, Screech’s death subtly hung over the cast throughout Saved By The Bell season 2. In fact, that loss could be construed as a direct reason for why Slater actively sought emotional self-improvement and to get more out of life. It could also be the reason Jessie’s passion for activism was reignited, why Kelly reevaluated her career path, why Lisa briefly had a creative block before finding inspiration in off-kilter sources, and why Zack sought to be closer to Mac (Mitchell Hoog). Though Dustin Diamond’s Screech was gone, he continued to meaningfully influence the lives of his Saved By The Bell friends for the better in season 2. And one couldn’t ask for a sweeter and more resonant tribute than that.