The first season of That '70s Show, an American television series, began August 23, 1998, and ended on July 26, 1999. It aired on Fox. The region 1 DVD was released on October 26, 2004.[1] The season is set between 1976 and 1977. The first twelve episodes and the 23rd episode were set in 1976, then the series transitioned to 1977 for the remainder of the season.
The major storylines this season involve Eric and Donna's close friendship turning into romance, Red struggling to provide for his family due to his hours being cut back, Kitty dealing with her children growing up and trying to be everyone's mom, Kelso's relationship with Jackie (and his frequent attempts to break up with her), Fez learning about life in America, Hyde's rough home life and strained relationship with his mother, and Bob and Midge beginning to have marital problems.
In the first episode, on May 17, 1976, Red Forman and his wife Kitty hand the keys to the Vista Cruiser to their son, Eric, to use. Through persuasion from his friends, Eric uses the car to get out of town for a Todd Rundgren concert in Milwaukee with his closest friends: his neighbor, Donna Pinciotti, Steven Hyde, and Michael Kelso. Eric also decides to invite a new foreign exchange student from school, named 'Fez'. Kelso's girlfriend Jackie Burkhart invites herself along, and Eric is uncomfortable around Donna when Kelso inadvertently tells Eric that Donna likes him. However, on the way to the concert the car battery dies; the only way they can get a new one is if they give up two of their concert tickets to the mechanic. The rest of the group forces Kelso to give up his and Jackie's tickets as they don't like her. While the rest are at the concert, Jackie and Kelso make out in the car, and Jackie asks Kelso if he wants to break up with her and Kelso, who has been telling the others the entire episode he wants to break up with her, tells her he doesn't so they can continue to make out. At the end of the episode, Eric and Donna sit on the hood of the car and before she goes home, Donna kisses him.
Eric's 17th birthday is approaching, and he tries to prevent his mother, Kitty, from throwing him a surprise birthday party to no avail. Meanwhile, Eric's older sister, Laurie, returns home from college for a visit, and Kelso tries, unsuccessfully, to attract her attention even though he is in a relationship with Jackie. Donna is also stressing over what she should get Eric for his birthday because she is unsure of the state of her relationship with Eric after she kissed him in the previous episode. She tells Jackie that she kissed Eric, and Jackie helps her choose a meaningful gift for him, a candle.
Jackie's father, a city councilman, arranges for President Gerald Ford to stop at Point Place as part of his re-election campaign. The principal of Point Place High School makes a speech warning against any "maladjusted" activity, which of course gives Hyde the idea to "fight the power". The guys decide to streak when Ford comes to town for a campaign stop. Meanwhile, Bob wants Red to ask Ford a question in the Q&A. Red agrees, however, Bob gives him a 'crappy' question, leading Red to decide to ask what he wants anyway. Donna refuses to wear an American flagjumpsuit her father, Bob, gives her as it will embarrass her. On the day, everyone decides not to streak, as there are too many guard dogs and Secret Service. However, when Red gets up to ask his question, he stutters and starts to bomb. In desperation, Eric puts on a Nixon mask and streaks across the auditorium, motivating Red to ask Ford, "How the hell could you pardon Nixon?".
Eric and Donna argue, after she continually defeats him in various sports and games. Jackie pressures Donna to let Eric win, while Hyde and Fez pressure Kelso to stand up to Jackie. Red's job hours at the auto plant are cut back and he is forced to stay home, keeping himself occupied by "fixing" things, much to Kitty's dismay.
Donna drops some quite obvious hints that she wants to hang out in her house with Eric - alone. However, he doesn't get the hints and Kelso convinces her to have a party, which Donna only agrees after Eric says he will go. Then guys all go to Fatso Burger for job interviews but Eric ends up being the only one hired. However, Eric finds that he and Donna can't spend as much time together because of it. Meanwhile, Jackie is upset at Michael for not having a job. During the party, Donna decides to go see Eric because she's depressed that they can't spend time together, however he turns her down as he is working. But when he comes back later, he is too late as Donna's parents come home early. Afterwards, Eric quits his job so he can spend more time with her.
The gang finds a keg in the middle of the road after skipping school. They decides to throw a party at a pool at a vacant home that Jackie's mother is attempting to sell. Meanwhile, Kitty invites Bob and Midge over, and while talking, Red works out that the gang are throwing a party and he and Bob set out to find the kids. However, at the pool, they soon discovers they need a tap to extract the beer. Eric sends Kelso out with his gas money to purchase one at the liquor store. However, after leaving the store, Kelso has the tap broken in half by two bullies, forcing Eric to have steal his father's tap. He manages to succeed as Kitty and Midge get very drunk while watching a TV show. However, the rest of the gang gets caught as Jackie's mom begins showing the house to prospective buyers and they all try to unsuccessfully hide. Eric returns with Red's tap, however by this point all of the partiers have been forced to leave. Red then tells Eric to take Donna home, while he and Bob keep the keg for themselves.
The gang plan to go to a disco in Kenosha. Hyde doesn't want to go at first because he hates disco and can't dance. But when Donna says she would love to go, he decides to take dancing lessons from Kitty. However, Bob walks in on Kitty and Hyde dancing and thinks they are having an affair. Midge tries to confront Kitty about it but it only makes Kitty think that Midge is having an affair. Bob tells Red about it who at first wants to kill Hyde but then they realize Kitty was teaching Hyde to dance. At the disco, it becomes clear that Kelso can't dance, which embarrasses Jackie. However, Fez convinces Jackie to dance with him, revealing that he is a great dancer. This prompts Hyde to ask Donna to dance with him while Eric doesn't want to dance. During the dance Hyde tries to make a move on Donna which she rejects. Meanwhile, Fez and Jackie are outside talking, when Kelso storms out of the disco and threatens Fez to stay away from his girlfriend.
Eric and Donna go to watch The Omen at the drive-in with Kelso and Jackie. However, Jackie and Kelso make out aggressively in the backseat making the situation even more awkward for Eric and Donna, eventually forcing them to exit the car. They sit on the hood of the cruiser and end up making out. In the meantime Fez's host parents don't want him to listen to 'the devil's music' a.k.a. rock music. He and Hyde try to sneak rock albums into Fez's host home by hiding them in Pat Boone covers and listening to them with headphones. Meanwhile, Kitty and Red decide to go out because Kitty thinks their marriage is too predictable. They try to go to a posh restaurant, however it had burnt down and was replaced with a tacky restaurant. They end up leaving and wind up in their usual place; however, they decide to have sex in their car to spice things up.
On November 24, 1976, Laurie brings her friend Kate (Jenny Maguire) home with her for Thanksgiving. Red's mother, Bernice, constantly calls, asking about Thanksgiving dinner, much to Kitty's annoyance. Donna is angry when she finds out Kate kissed Eric and Red is reluctant to accept a job offer from Bob.
On October 24, 1976, Red's unbearable mother (Marion Ross) comes to spend a Sunday with the family. Kitty tries to quit smoking, and Eric has a school paper due. Kelso wants to break up with Jackie, but doesn't know how to tell her.
On December 8, 1976, Eric starts hanging out with his lab partner, Buddy (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), which leaves his friends feeling neglected, but Eric discovers Buddy is homosexual after he kisses Eric. Red is having trouble helping customers at Bob's appliance store, Bargain Bob's.
Red gives Eric $40 to buy a Christmas tree, but he, Hyde and Kelso cut one down along the interstate and keep the money for beer and presents. Red is forced by Bob to spend his Christmas Eve at the store. Laurie spikes the punch with vodka at Eric's Christmas party.
Note: This is the chronologically final episode to take place in 1976 as the 23rd episode takes place in 1976 also.
On January 13, 1977, Kelso makes out with campus chick Pam Macy, causing Jackie to dump him. She invites everyone but Kelso to her ski cabin, but soon regrets it. Hyde decides to make a risky move on Donna, which he fails at and Donna ends up slapping him in the face. Kitty releases an old grudge on Red involving their younger years.
Note: This is the first episode of the series in which the year on the license plates is 1977.
On January 21, 1977, Red takes away the keys to Eric's Vista Cruiser after he notices a scratch on it, so the guys drive around in Kelso's cousin's car, which turns out to be stolen and the guys are detained. Jackie wants to have sex with Kelso and is anxiously waiting for him. Bob isn't too pleased that Midge is taking a female empowerment class.
Kitty wants Red to hang out with Eric, so he goes with the gang to a wrestling match. After sleeping with Kelso, Jackie is willing to do anything for him, so he won't get bored with her. Hyde and Fez listen to Bob's stories about his problems with Midge and her classes, in exchange for beer. Kitty and Laurie attend Midge's therapy session, but discover it's not what it seems to be. Real-life pro wrestlerDwayne "The Rock" Johnson (billed as The Rock) plays his real-life father, wrestler Rocky Johnson, while Ken Shamrock, Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, and Ernie Ladd have cameo appearances.
On February 14, 1977, Eric and Donna go on a date so he can ask her to be his girlfriend. While Kelso and Jackie go shopping, Hyde wants to show his feelings for Donna and hurries to interfere with Eric and Donna's date. Red and Kitty realize they no longer have much in common with neighbors Bob and Midge. After shopping, Jackie and Kelso have sex in the car.
Jackie thinks she may be pregnant and confides in Eric, who later tells Donna. Kelso finds out about Jackie and faints (with Fez on top of him slapping him). Donna discusses Jackie's problem with Midge. Laurie tries to keep her failing college grades a secret. Bob discovers Donna is on birth control pills and Eric gets in trouble when his parents find out. Jackie discovers that she's not pregnant and breaks up with Kelso.
The gang goes to work with their parents on career day. Eric works with Kitty at the hospital, while Hyde and Fez visit Hyde's mom, Edna (Katey Sagal), a lunch lady. Donna visits her father at "Bargain Bob's" and inadvertently tells him she is embarrassed by his career. Kelso tries to understand his father's (Francis Guinan) profession, and Jackie and Red bond over fixing the Vista Cruiser. The soundtrack features "Bad Blood" by Neil Sedaka.
Kelso takes Pam Macy (Jennifer Lyons) to the prom to make Jackie jealous, so Jackie goes with Hyde instead. Eric rents a hotel room intending to have sex with Donna (which doesn't happen). Midge wants to start her own business, but Bob opposes the idea. At the end of the episode, Kelso and Jackie get back together at the prom and Hyde takes Pam. The episode features Gloria Gaynor as the music teacher performing the hit "I Will Survive."
The gang sees Star Wars and Kelso is instantly obsessed, wanting to see it over and over again. Red is given his full-time status back at the plant. Meanwhile, Eric is annoyed with the son of Red's boss, David Milbank (Scott Whyte), trying to hit on Donna, prompting him to have a Star Wars dream (Eric as Luke Skywalker, Hyde as Han Solo, Kelso as Chewbacca, Red as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Fez and Jackie as Imperial Stormtroopers, Donna as Princess Leia, David as Darth Vader, and Kitty as a cleaning woman using R2-D2 as a vacuum cleaner). Eric later finds out from David that the plant will be closing soon and hits him in the face.
21
21
"Water Tower"
David Trainer
Story by : Linda Wallem Teleplay by : Jeff Filgo & Jackie Behan
The guys paint a pot leaf on the town water tower. Kelso falls off and breaks his arm and Jackie attempts to make Kelso believe this was Hyde's fault. Eric is traumatized from seeing his parents having sex, which makes them think he is on drugs.
Hyde meets a girl (Jade Gordon) just like him, who wants him to come to New York with her to start a punk band, but Eric disapproves of him leaving Point Place. Kelso wants to make Red's Atari Pong more challenging, Jackie turns to Kitty for help on a home economics assignment, and Eric has problems making it to second base with Donna.
Eric thinks he killed his grandmother, Bernice Forman (Marion Ross), when she dies in his car after he asks her, "Would it kill you to be nice?" and doesn't know how to deal with it. Red is also at a loss on how to cope with his mother's death and is embarrassed by his emotional brother Marty (Pat Skipper), who comes to the funeral.
Note: This episode takes place in 1976 instead of 1977 .
Hyde's mother, Edna, runs off with a trucker. When food and supplies grow low for Hyde at Edna's rented house, Eric persuades his parents to take Hyde in. Jackie catches a cold and Kelso is horrified at her ill appearance. Midge uses her home for her feminist meetings.
Eric is annoyed when his parents seem to favor Hyde more than him, and sets about coercing Hyde to do destructive things. Meanwhile, Red's old war buddy, Bull (Mitch Pileggi), returns to Point Place. Red, jealous of Bull's success, reconsiders his life choices, but changes his mind after Bull and his wife (Arlene Pileggi) invite Red and Kitty to a swingers party.
Notes
^In addition to being credited in the 'also starring' bill in "The Good Son", Owens also guest starred in two episodes as the Narrator.
