Thursday, December 21, 2006


It brings me great joy that after a hard day in school, by 8:00 pm I laze around the couch and hear, "In The Street" by Cheap Trick which signals the beginning of That '70s Show. This sitcom revolves around a group of teenagers who live in Point Place, Wisconsin, (which does not really exist) and tells about their lives and mishaps, which spells comedy. Anyways, Eric Forman (Topher Grace) is the main character with his parents, Kitty and Red Forman (Debra Jo Rupp and Kurtwood Smith) who lives next next door to Donna Pinciotti (Laura Prepon) his soon-to-be girlfriend, with his friends, Michael Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), Steven Hyde (Danny Masterson), Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) and Jackie Burkhart (Mila Kunis). Their group is full of character, Eric, who is whipped by his da; Donna who is Eric's feminist girlfriend; Hyde a rebel and a stoner that you can't seem to hate; Kelso, an unintelligent yet handsome guy and Fez, the foreign exchange student who adapts to American culture.

"Son you don't have bad luck. The reason bad things happen to you? Is Because you're a dumbass."
- Red Forman


What I like about this show ultimately is its plot. Talk about a blast from the past even though I'm not an American I like it (Maybe it's because of our colonial mentality...). It shows what Americans citizens were up against during the '70s in a very comedic manner, like how Eric, Hyde, Kelso and Fez planned to streak in former President Gerald Ford's campaign. What I also like about this show are its elements. They have the split screen effect, which according to Wikipedia, "involves two characters talking to each other about the same topic as two other people with foil viewpoints: almost disturbingly similar but differing in a few major key points for comic effect". They also have "The Circle" in which Eric and his friends do to just talk about life with several jokes on the side. They also use the deadpan humor in which a character delivers a comedic line or action without his expression changing which puts the icing on the cake with their great and sometimes nonsensical dialog. Another thing that I like about this show is that it showcases the music from the '70s, which I, of course, am in favor of and adore.

This show is a great stress reliever and great when just need a time to laugh. Unfortunately I haven't watched all its 8 seasons yet, and I am only on season 2 since JackTv is my only source for watching it. Watching this show made me realize how I like Topher Grace better than Ashton Kutcher.

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