dragonfire88's Full Review: That 70s Show - Season 7
When I finally started to watch That 70s Show, I ended up really liking the show and I've been hooked on it since then. I picked up the series on DVD earlier this year and have been watching the sets. I just finished with That 70s Show - Season 7.
That 70s Show started to air on FOX in 1998 and ran for eight years. That show is set in the late 1970's in the fictional town of Point Place Wisconsin. Even though the show aired for eight years, only four pass over the course of the series. The seventh season is set entirely in 1979. It is best if the shows are watched in order since there are longer story arcs going on that won't make as much sense if they are watched out of order.
Teenager Eric Forman, his friends, family, and their problems are the main focus of That 70s Show. Some of the family issues that Eric's friends have pop up from time to time, though they usually don't receive as much attention as the things going on with Eric and his family. Several scenes of every episode take place somewhere in the Forman house, making it the main location for the series. Eric and his friends spend a lot of time just hanging out in the basement, watching television or getting high. Hyde's room is also in the basement, though it usually isn't shown. The kitchen and living room of the house as well as the driveway are frequent settings for scenes as well. The different rooms in the house have kept the same look throughout the series overall while small things in the backgrounds have changed slightly.. Some other settings around town turn up every so often.
The sixth season ended with more of a conclusion than many of the previous seasons have had since there was more resolution to what was going on. Eric and Donna were both having doubts about getting married and staying in Point Place. Eric really started to have doubts once he saw the trailer that Donna rented for them to live in. He was afraid getting married at that point would ruin Donna's life, so he didn't show up for the rehearsal dinner. Donna, who almost didn't show up, was very upset, but during the last episode they did talk a bit and dealt with a few things. There were still questions about their relationship, but there really wasn't a cliffhanger ending to the season. The first few episodes of the seventh season still take time to deal with things left over from the wedding not happening. Eric and Donna decide to just go out and not think about the future.
After spending much of the sixth season trying to do things to help his parents, Eric decides that he is going to take a year off and basically do nothing. He spends his time with Donna, reading comic books, or just hanging out in the basement for the most and he even quit his job. Later in the season he starts to think more about his future and wanting to go to college. He does decide on a future career, but he still has problems sine Red spent his college fund to open a muffler shop. That causes Eric to sign up for a program that will have him to go Africa for a year and then his college will be paid for. Kitty and Donna are really upset about his decision, but he still leaves. Eric is shown actually leaving in the last episode of the season, and all the characters get to tell him goodbye. There is actually a very nice scene between Eric and Red. That was done as a way to explain Topher Grace leaving the show after the seventh season, mainly because of his casting in Spider-Man 3. It is too bad his part in that movie was really small. I do not care for the storyline of Eric going to Africa at all. The show was still entertaining during this season, but there were more things going on that seemed to be done just to stretch things out for the eighth season that I didn't care for. In many ways, it probably would have been better if the show had ended with the seventh season.
Red starts looking for a new job and eventually decides to open a muffler shop. Hyde meets his real father, and after a somewhat rocky start, the two end up having a decent relationship. Hyde ends up working at the record store his dad owns, which does make Hyde slightly more responsible. He also meets his half sister, though they have more conflicts. His relationship with Jackie is on and off during the season, mostly because he won't think about the future with her. She doesn't handle the situation well, which doesn't help things. Just when it seems like they will work things out, Kelso has to show up. The last episode ends there, so there is a cliffhanger concerning what will happen with Hyde and Jackie.
The seventh season of That 70s Show continues to use the same type of somewhat silly humor that has been used in the first six seasons. The humor still mostly works for the show, though it won't appeal to everyone. Kelso continues to do a lot of things that crack me up and I think he is the funniest character. Fez also does things to make me laugh. Red continues to have his fits of temper that involve his threatening to stick his foot somewhere unpleasant. Red's fits usually make me laugh. Eric's obsession with Star Wars and comic books comes up again, though the comic book references are really confined to one episode. During that episode, he makes a new friend who loves comic books just as much as he does, and the two are shown discussing all sorts of characters. Some pop culture references pop up in various shows, which there being several music ones once Hyde starts working in the record store. One of George Carlin's more well known comedy bits is mentioned as well. Once again, there are a few remarks made about Canada.
Relationships continue to be important in the seventh season of That 70s Show. Donna and Eric are still together even though they didn't go through with the wedding. Donna wasn't happy with Eric for not showing up, but she agrees that it would have been a mistake for them to have gotten married at that point. They stay together without thinking about their future. They are basically back to being boyfriend and girlfriend instead of being engaged. They do seem happy through most of the season. Jackie and Hyde start off seeming to be fine and happy. As the season progresses, they start having problems. I do like them together even though Jackie can be annoying, so I didn't like the direction their relationship was going by the end of the season. Kelso starts dating Hyde's sister Angie for a while, though the relationship really doesn't seem to be serious. Brooke and the baby aren't mentioned for most of the season. Fez is still chasing after every woman he can. I don't remember hearing for sure, but I think he and Laurie are divorced by the seventh season. Red and Kitty still have an affectionate relationship, and while nothing specific is shown, it is made clear that they are still sexually active. There aren't any sex scenes in the show, but it is made clear that the characters are sexually active.
After acting more mature in the sixth season, Eric seems to regress in this season. He's content to just sit around reading his comic books and basically doing nothing. He act like a bit of a jerk at times, but he is still likable overall and Topher Grace continues to do fine with the part. Red and Kitty are basically the same as they have been. I really like Kurtwood Smith and Debra Jo Rupp in the parts. The little dog that Red had gotten Kitty back in season five makes a brief appearance after being missing during the sixth season. Laurie is gone again, though they do say that she moved to Canada in one of the early episodes of the season. After that, she isn't mentioned anymore.
Donna is still outspoken about certain things. She agrees that the marriage would have been a mistake, but she doesn't like how Eric dealt with the situation. She is content with their relationship during the season, though she isn't happy about his decision to go to Africa. She did make a change in her appearance, going blonde in the first episode of the season. Laura Prepon is fine in the part. Donna's dad Bob turns up every so often without that much to do. He and Midge try to be together again for a while, but that doesn't work out and she quickly returns to California, leaving Bob single again. Don Stark and Tanya Robertson handle the parts well.
Hyde has to deal with meeting his real father. The two have some issues at first, but end up getting along fairly well. Hyde does act more responsible and mature most of the time, but he doesn't deal the best with his relationship with Jackie. Danny Masterson is good in the part. Tom Reid turns up every so often as Hyde's dad. His half sister Angie is also around, usually without that much to do. She isn't that nice of a character, so I didn't miss her when she wasn't around. Jackie is still vain and focused on appearances, but she is getting more mature as well. She has started thinking about her future, which is part of what causes the problems with Steven. Jackie can be annoying, but she is likable overall. Mila Kunis does really well with the part. Leo returns late in the season, though he isn't around that much.
Michael Kelso is still acting like an idiot for the most part. Brooke has her baby early in the season, and while he seems excited about being a father at that point, the baby isn't mentioned much after that. Kelso is mostly acting immature again, getting a thrill out of being with Angie because she is Hyde's sister. Ashton Kutcher still does well with the part and makes Kelso likable even though he is a bit of a jerk at times. Fez gets a job as a shampoo boy at a local beauty salon. The job does raise his popularity with women since he is supposed to be so good at shampooing hair. He is still chasing after women and doesn't seem serious about anyone. Wilmer Valderrama is fine in the part. Lindsay Lohan turns up once as a woman interested in Fez because of his job. The son of one of Red's friends, Charlie, turns up in the last few episodes. He is a bit of a nerd, but not much is shared about him. It does seem like he is being set up to take Eric's place with the group.
Main Cast
Topher Grace - Eric Forman Mila Kunis - Jackie Burkhart Ashton Kutcher - Michael Kelso Danny Masterson - Steven Hyde Laura Prepon - Donna Debra Jo Rupp - Kitty Forman Kurtwood Smith - Red Forman Don Stark - Bob Wilmer Valderrama - Fez
DVD Information
That 70s Show - Season 7 has four discs and a few extras, most of which are on the last disc. There are promo spots for all the episodes, and commentaries for a few of them. The menus for each disc have an option to play all the episodes one after the other or to select them one at a time. When they are selected individually, the option to see the promos is also available.
Behind the Polyester: Writing That 70s Show Featurette has some of the writers talking about working on the show. A few clips are shown during this featurette. That Seventh 70s Season Featurette just shows a bunch of clips from the more important moments of the season. A 70s Show Flashback: Don Stark has the actor talking about his character. None of the extras are that long, but they are entertaining.
That 70s Show - Season 7 is a good DVD set for fans of the series. This season isn't as strong as the previous ones, but it is still entertaining and worth seeing.
This review is part of elvisdo's 2009 Funny Pages Write Off because of the various comic book characters mentioned during the season. It is also part of his 2009 Canadian Write Off since Laurie moved to Canada and a few other references to Canada were made.
Take another trip back to the way-cool 70s where the surprises keep coming - and so do the laughs!This four disc collection includes all 25 episodes f...More at Buy.com Marketplaces
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