Good Morning, Miss Bliss

Meanwhile, Miss Bliss is acting principal for the week, while Mr. Belding takes over her teaching duties, so that she will have the experience necessary to take over if Mr. Belding is ever not there. Miss Bliss loves the job and seems to makes it look too effortless, handling every problem that arises with ease. Mr. Belding, on the other hand, has a lot of difficulty with his teaching duties. He feels even worse when he sees Miss Bliss handling his job so efficiently.

Zack is told that his one last task is to ditch his friends and be friends only with members of the Rigmas. Zack stages a sort of public humiliation for his friends, thinking they will understand. He thinks that once he's securely in the club, they can go back to being friends. However, Zack angers each of his friends to the point of losing them altogether. In their anger with Zack, his friends end up with Zack's jacket and begin tossing it about in the classroom. Mr. Belding takes the entire class to the "principal," who, in this case, is Miss Bliss.

Miss Bliss gets to the heart of the matter. After listening to everyone's stories, she sends them all back to class except Zack. He tells her it's all worth it. She hands him back his jacket saying it's a very expensive jacket since it cost him five friends.

Mr. Belding also discovers that Miss Bliss has been making decisions without seeking the approval of the school board and that's why things have been running so "smoothly." As this is all catching up with Miss Bliss, Mr. Belding is somewhat cheered.

Zack thinks this over what Miss Bliss said to him about losing his friends for a jacket and decides to apologize to his friends. He tells them that he's decided not to be a Rigma if it means he has to give up being friends with them. However, they are all still so angry with him, they won't forgive him. Zack then goes back to the Rigmas and sits with them; however, they then tell Zack that his pledging the Rigmas had all been a joke. In fact, he had never really been pledging the Rigmas at all. They told Zack that in order for them to get into the Rigmas themselves, they had to choose an 8th grader and make him think he was pledging the Rigmas. Zack says, "Who's the poor sap?" but by the looks on their faces he realizes that he's the "poor sap." Zack's friends overhear this and they all make up. Zack realizes what an even bigger mistake he made than he thought. The episode ends as Zack tosses his red jacket into the garbage.

Zack and Nicki are in the middle of an argument when Miss Bliss assigns them to work on a project together--to convince people to buy a telephone as though it were a new invention. They do not want to cooperate with each other. Nicki is insistent that they do it her way so Zack backs off and lets her do it her way.

Tina's boyfriend throws her out so she moves in with Miss Bliss temporarily. However, she's driving Miss Bliss crazy and when Miss Bliss tries to hint at this, Tina assumes she wants to make this living arrangement permanent. Finally Miss Bliss tells her she can't stay. Tina is hurt and angry with Miss Bliss which carries over into school. When Miss Bliss tries to convince Zack and Nicki to make up, they bring up the situation between Miss Bliss and Tina (Miss Palidrino).

Meanwhile, Zack and Nicki give their presentation. All of Nicki's research and facts and figures does not get the point across. Zack saves the day with a little skit. He pretends to call Nicki on the telephone and talks about their friendship. At first Nicki doesn't' want to play along, but she realizes that it's working. She and Zack end up with a good grade--and friends again.

Miss Bliss apologizes to Tina and Tina apologizes to her. Tina gets her own apartment nearby, and they are friends again, too.

Zack's father promises him a ski trip if he can get a B on his history midterm. He's studying, but he knows he won't be able to do it so he comes up with a plan to release Screech's pet rats in the school so that the school will have to close for a few days. The test will be postponed and he will have more time to study.

Meanwhile, Miss Bliss is up for Teacher of the Year. The person coming to observe her classes can only come for one day. When the school is closed, it looks like Miss Bliss will not be considered for the award. Zack finds out about the award, though, and confesses. Mr. Belding lets him and Screech off if they promise to help make Miss Bliss look good to the observer. However, Miss Bliss realizes what's going on and finally tells the observer she will have to leave because the classes are being disrupted.

Miss Bliss is sure that she won't get the award, but surprisingly, she does!

The kids convince Miss Bliss to ask Mr. Belding to bend the school rules and allow them to have an 8th grade dance. Mr. Belding reluctantly agrees if Miss Bliss will chaperone the dance. She says she can't as she already had a date for the evening. Mr. Belding won't allow the dance unless she agrees to chaperone so she finally says she will. When she tries to break her date, he assumes she wants him to come with her, so she ends up bringing him to the dance with her.

Meanwhile, Mikey likes a girl and finally works up the courage to ask her to the dance, but Zack already asked her and she accepted. Mikey is angry with Zack and they get into an argument, which is not resolved until the night of the dance. Mikey confronts Zack at the dance and they almost get into a fight, but Zack backs down and apologizes and asks Mikey to take the girl home. The show ends with Miss Bliss and her date "getting down" and dancing.

It's Parents Week at JFK Jr. High. Lisa is worried that her parents will find out she wears makeup at school. Miss Bliss assures her in a roundabout way that she won't tell. Nicki is worried that her parents will be disappointed in her and Lisa reassures her that they'll always be proud of her. Screech is worried that his parents will find out that he's not the coolest guy that he's told them he is. Miss Bliss reassures him also. He tells his parents the truth and they understand.

That afternoon, Zack's father shows up to meet Miss Bliss and it turns out that they've met each other before on a special weekend trip on which they exchanged first names only. They are surprised and pleased to find each other again until Miss Bliss discovers that he's Zack's father. He tries to charm her and even kisses her--and just then Zack walks in. They try to explain and Zack's father invites her to go out to dinner with them. She is reluctant, but Zack says he doesn't mind.

In the next scene, we see Zack talking to Mikey, telling about how horrible it was to see his father kissing his teacher. In class that morning Zack tells Miss Bliss he couldn't do his homework assignment the previous evening because he was up late talking with his dad, "if you know what I mean." Everyone is astounded when she accepts this excuse.

Zack and Mikey cut school to go buy concert tickets. Miss Bliss corners Screech and he tells on them. She catches them just as they are coming back to school. She sends Mikey back to class, but tells him she'll see his parents later that evening. She and Zack talk things out. He tells her he doesn't like it that his teacher is dating his father and she apologizes. She says that she knew it was wrong and she's sorry for hurting him.

Miss Bliss tells Zack's father that they can't see each other as long as he is her student. He tries to change her mind, but she is adamant. She does say that maybe they can try again after Zack graduates.