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"That 70's Show- Season 7"
Reviewer:
Quinn Blackburn
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Genre: TV - Series
Release:
October 16, 2007
Special Features: Audio Commentaries on select episodes, “Beyond the Polyester: Writing That 70s Show” “That Seventh 70s Season”. review:
Review:

This 4 disc set presents the second to last season of the wildly funny "That 70's Show". The series basically revolves around the daily life experiences and interactions between Eric Forman, his family, friends and neighbors. Eric is your basic geeky 70's nice boy next door looking to break out of his shell. Donna is the smart, strong, witty hot girl next door and Eric's main love interest. Eric's friends consist primarily of Hyde, the intellectual rebel and hippie wannabe whose own highly dysfunctional family has made him an honorary member of the Forman family, which only hovers at the normal level of dysfunctional. Fez, the obligatory foreign exchange student with his own culturally skewed viewpoints and misconceptions. Jackie, the shallow, self-absorbed and catty gal-pal of the more stable Donna. And Kelso. Every group of friends has a Kelso. The kid who is so amazingly naive or dimwitted that his contributions either drive everyone crazy or amuse the whole group as they watch him trip over his own ineptitudes.***

By season 7 the group has gone through a lot of changes. Donna and Eric have dated, engaged, broken up, fought, made up and here, finally begin to deal with their decisions to call of the wedding and just be friends with benefits. Jackie has gone from dating Kelso, who was actually pretty well matched for her character, to developing a much more mature relationship with the unlikely Hyde. By this time most of their differences have been hashed out, and both characters have actually had an interesting impact on each other. I've really enjoyed watching these two characters develop and mature over the seasons. In this season though, Jackie is faced with the realization that Hyde may never want more out of their relationship than they have right now, and she offers him an ultimatum. In real life, ultimatums in personal relationships are rarely ever a good thing. This is a particularly tough year for Hyde as we watch him meet his biological father, played by Tim Reid, and his half-sister... who starts dating Hyde's least favorite Wisconsinite, Kelso!***

Kelso has been in and out of relationships with all sorts of girls, and despite the occasional flash of potential maturity, has remained very close to his original goofy, prat-falling, foot-in-mouth, airhead self. Most of his major developmental changes were witnessed in previous seasons, but at this stage he is hit with the birth of his child, a life altering event. It's interesting to see this flighty guy who is still so much a child himself trying to wrap his mind around how to deal with this tiny little girl of his. Like many before him, the birth of his daughter has him questioning his own behavior towards and relationships with the women in his life.***

Eric takes a year off, tries a few new things, and ends up making some major life decisions. Fez finally finds a job that lets him indulge his rather odd fetish of hair touching and becomes a hair stylist. The ever grumpy and strict Red Forman starts a new career by purchasing a local muffler shop, and Kitty continues to battle out 70's homemaking issues. All in all, this season is a lot more drama and lighter on the laugh factor than any other season. It's the free-range, nostalgic, and edge of maturity humor that has made this show so beloved, but by season seven die-hard fans are ready for the increased drama needed to develop these characters. This season seems a bit awkward and uncomfortable though with the inevitable final season looming fast behind these familiar and likable characters. ***

Some moments feel forced and the show stutters a bit climbing up this last hill in preparation for it's final season downhill coast. It's clear that Topher Grace and Aston Kutcher are ready to move on to other things, and when something like that is visible, it's always a downer to devoted fans. There are still some great comedic moments, like the rampant marijuana/Kelso induced paranoia in "Can't You Hear Me Knocking", and Eric's life-altering encounter with his potential future self, an extreme 30-something Star Wars geek! Bringing a popular and funny series to a good conclusion is always a challenge, and while "That 70's Show" doesn't always make the mark it delivers some excellent television entertainment making the effort. ***

Special Features:

Audio Commentaries with director David Trainer for episodes "Time Is On My Side", "Angie", and "Til The Next Goodbye". Featurette "A 70's Show Flashback: Don Stark" is just over seven minutes with Stark, who plays Bob Pinciotti - Donna's father. He discusses the show, his character, and experiences. "Behind the Polyester: Writing that 70's Show" is another 7 plus minutes interviewing executive producers Rob Des Hotel, Mark Hudis, and Dean Batali. They discuss their visions for the show, the characters and writing. "That Seventh 70's Season" is perhaps my favorite extra, a season montage highlighting the most dramatic or silly moments. At 12:36 minutes, it's an amusing roller coaster of clips. Episode Promo Spots- we are given the option of watching episodes with promo spots.

Final Words:

I really appreciate the effort Fox put into including extras with this set. Not every studio would direct energy at all towards the Special Features with the seventh season of a show, and I found it refreshingly pleasant to be surprised with some decent extras. This is a difficult season for fans as you can clearly sense the end is nigh, but the show still delivers some truly entertaining and hysterically funny moments. I've found something to appreciate in every episode of this uniquely witty series that showcases some of our culture's best and worst memories of the 70's.

 

 
 
 
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