- Title: Franklin & Bash – Bachelor Party
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James Van Der Beek guest-stars on a very special episode of Franklin & Bash as Peter’s (Mark-Paul Gosselaar) ex-girfriend’s (Claire Coffee) current fiance. Why does he need a lawyer you ask? Seems he’s been charged with soliciting a prostitute at his bachelor party. Oh that Dawson Leery, will he never learn? Good thing he’s got Zack Morris to stand up for him in court!
Aside from the nostalgia of having the stars of Saved by the Bell and Dawson’s Creek on-screen together, and the skewed logic of hiring your girlfriend’s ex to get you off on charges of paying for sex, the story itself works well. It also adds a little more drama to the Peter/Janie relationship. And, not least importantly, it allows Jared (Breckin Meyer) to comment about Janie’s “type.”
The episode’s B-story involves a teacher (Alexandra Breckenridge) at a private school being fired for sleeping with one of her students, but with a twist. He’s 18, she believed he was 21, they met in a bar where he bought her drinks, and she never knew he was a student at her school. Aside from being a little hot for teacher, the case is also important to Jared as he gets to stick it to his old school and his former headmaster (John de Lancie).
I had no real expectations going into this show at the beginning of its freshman season, but I’ve got to admit I’ve had fun. And this episode is no exception. Irreverent and entertaining, Franklin & Bash continues to be a guilty pleasure for those tired of the more staid Law & Order style courtroom procedurals.