The fourth season of That '70s Show, an American television series, began September 25, 2001, and ended on May 21, 2002. It aired on Fox. The region 1 DVD was released on May 9, 2006.[1] This season is set entirely in 1978.
The central storyline for this season revolves around Eric and Donna's relationship ending, and the ensuing fallout their breakup creates. Donna's parents have now divorced and her father Bob is depressed. Kelso and Jackie are back together, but their relationship sees new challenges for both. Hyde returns to living with the Formans when Bud reunites with his mother and leaves him, again. Fez begins dating Big Rhonda and believes he will lose his virginity to her. At the end of the season, two members of the gang decide the only way to cope with their problems is by leaving Point Place.
Eric wishes he and Donna never kissed and, à laIt's a Wonderful Life, an angel (Wayne Knight) gives him a glimpse at what he and his friends' lives would have been, spanning from 1976 (the pilot episode) to the 1980s. Cynthia Lamontagne makes her first of six appearances as "Big Rhonda."
A deeply depressed and heartbroken Eric stays in his room, prompting Red to find a way to get his son back on his feet. Kelso gets lost during a trip to the Funland amusement park with Hyde, Jackie and Fez.
Eric won't let Donna into his basement and a rivalry ensues between the two as they compete for their friends' loyalty. Red befriends Pastor Dave (Kevin McDonald).
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4
"Hyde Gets the Girl"
David Trainer
Story by : Jill Effron Teleplay by : Sarah McLaughlin & Alan Dybner
Tired of seeing Hyde staying single, the gang throws a party so he can meet a girl. Fez becomes attracted to Big Rhonda after he gets drunk, and Bob and Kelso enter a radio contest, with a brand new van as the grand prize.
Hyde moves back in with the Formans, but won't reveal why. While Fez begins taking ballet lessons to meet women, Kitty hires Leo (Tommy Chong) and his cousin, Theo (Richard Karn), to renovate the basement. Kelso and Jackie make Donna realize something about herself and Eric.
Bob refuses to believe Midge has left him and Red has to make him see the truth. Kelso convinces Hyde and Fez to go check out older women and Eric tends to Donna, leading to an unexpected situation.
Donna and Eric go as friends to the Price Mart Ball, but lingering feelings for one another seem to remain. In need of money for a new pair of boots, Fez gets a job at Leo's Foto Hut.
After Donna writes a roman à clef in the school newspaper, her thinly veiled account of her and Eric's relationship makes Eric look bad, and he retaliates with his own story. Bob introduces Red and Kitty to his new girlfriend, Joanne. Kelso purchases a pinball machine for The Hub and Fez later replaces it with a Space Invaders machine to win over Jackie, but she (again) fails to notice.
Red shoots an instructional video for Price Mart stock employees, but uses Kelso instead of real stock-boy Eric. Donna spends much time with Kitty, which troubles Eric, and Leo treats Hyde and Fez to a shopping spree, after he's inherited a million dollars from a dead uncle.
Red tries to match Stacey (Erika Christensen), a Price Mart cashier, with Eric, only to find out she already has a crush on Red himself, much to everyone's surprise. After Fez asks Big Rhonda on a date, Jackie and Donna give her a makeover.
The guys go bowling, where Hyde introduces his new girlfriend, Jill, but Eric is not alright with her hanging out with the guys. Donna is speechless when Bob and Joanne reveal they are intimate in their relationship, and Red must see to it that Pastor Dave returns to his ministry duties after he drops out from the church.
Eric directs the church Christmas pageant, but his friends make a mess of things, leading to him getting kicked out of the director's chair. Red is grumpy over Bob's Christmas spirit and a feud ensues. Kelso loses faith for his favorite Christmas shows when his friends say he's too old. Kevin McDonald makes his last appearance as Pastor Dave.
When her father finds out about her relationship with Kelso, Jackie gets a job as a cheese maiden at the local mall to finance her expenses. A situation leads to Eric and Red not communicating with each other and a new foreign exchange student, Thomas (Nicholas Gonzalez), gets on Fez's nerves.
Eric's attractive cousin, Penny (Brittany Daniel), comes for a visit, and she reveals something to him that may serve to his pleasure. Kitty wants a pet, but Red buys her an animal she least expects, and Donna and Jackie try ways to get the guys' attention back towards them instead of Penny.
A tornado forces Eric and Donna to stay at the radio station, while the rest of the gang must hole up at the annual school prom. Hyde gets back at someone he hates, Fez gets his hopes high with Rhonda, and Jackie questions her popularity. Meanwhile, Joanne starts to get on Red's nerves.
Eric is named "Most Eligible Viking" at high school and starts flaunting his new title, while Jackie sets Donna up on a date with Kelso's older brother Casey (Luke Wilson). Red buys a vintage Corvette, and Fez believes he will finally lose his virginity with Big Rhonda.
In order to pay for a Valentine's Day gift for Jackie, Kelso donates sperm at a local sperm bank. Donna is angry after being stood up by Casey, Fez begins gorging himself away with his chocolate gift to Big Rhonda, and Eric is troubled at Red when his father tells him "I love you."
Leo (Tommy Chong) falls in love with Kitty after an accident, while Fez needs to find a way to pay Hyde for a broken taillight. When Kelso is offered a modeling job, Jackie begins to feel neglected by him.
Eric blackmails Jackie, after he discovers her manager, Todd (Christopher Masterson), kissing her. Hyde, Fez and Donna are tricked into believing they are Eric's only confidants, while Red begins spending more time with his Corvette than with Kitty.
Trying to think of a quote for their 1978 yearbook pictures, the gang reminisces of their past experiences with one another and their families, and how they first met.
The guys try to get back at Kelso for pranking them, but the results are disastrous, even with an unexpected ally on their side. Jackie spends the day with Donna in order to cheer her up.
Eric takes Red's Corvette on a date to impress a cheerleader (Alice Frank) while Red and Kitty are out of town, but must ensure Red doesn't find out. Jackie and Donna go snooping around Casey's room while he's out of town, and have to deal with the person occupying Casey's room in his absence.
Kitty wants to throw a surprise party for Hyde's 18th birthday, but he refuses to attend. While Jackie and Fez bicker over how to decorate for the party, Eric, Donna and Kelso go out to find the perfect gift for Hyde.
A musical episode: Fez stars in the school musical pageant, but worries his friends will not attend to watch. His daydreams and fantasies throughout the episode include music from The Turtles, the Steve Miller Band, Nazareth, The Carpenters, and Peaches & Herb.
Eric learns Casey and Donna are going to spend the night at a hotel and follows them there. Red and Kitty are concerned Bob is moving too quickly with Joanne, and Kelso thinks Jackie might be cheating on him.
Eric's plan to turn others against Casey backfires at a hot dog barbecue. Kelso sorts out his reasons for why he cheated on Jackie, and Fez makes a move on Big Rhonda.
Donna's degenerating behavior angers Bob, and Red helps straighten her out. Not wanting any trouble, Casey breaks up with Donna, who now wants Eric to accept her again, but his decision can cause a backlash in their former relationship. Following their breakup, Jackie tries to find a way to get back with Kelso, while Hyde and Fez look for someone to play a prank on. Two members of the gang get rid of their problems by leaving Point Place.
