–Before Leia enters, the Red/Kitty scene, including when there’s a knock on the door, is spot-on.
Red and Kitty’s interactions with Eric can be seen as in-character. But since they haven’t seen him since Christmas (i.e. for six months), I think Red would actually be less aloof toward Eric. If they saw each other every month or so, I can understand the agreed-on lack of hug, but in the context of not seeing his son for half a year—we see on T7S that Red does show his love for Eric, including hugs, in important moments. This was punchline over characterization.

A more in-character and funnier way (to me) would’ve been them having a very awkward, blink-and-you-miss it hug and them acting like they hadn’t hugged at all right after.

(And, yes, Eric looks like he’s barely aged. Point Place Time™, man. Maybe he looks older when he’s not in Point Place. It’s magic.)

–Kitty talking about how Leia’s breasts are growing (“Your buds are blooming”) as her second sentence to her granddaughter’s arrival is both OOC for Kitty (she wouldn’t be inappropriate and creepy like that, especially in front of Leia’s father and grandfather. She would talk to Leia about this in private in a more respectful way, about how Leia’s becoming a “young woman”. This line was for the laugh. Punchline over characterization.

–Glad that Red gives us the exposition that Leia is athletic like Donna. Also, Red’s joke in giving us that exposition is a solid burn on Eric.

–Donna carrying all the suitcases upstairs herself is funny and in-character.

–Eric mentioning that Leia now gets her period. Leia’s fourteen, on the later end of normal, for her to start having her period. So this choice is obviously for the reason of setting up how Leia is changing and growing up.

–Donna NEVER called Kitty Mrs. F on T7S. Never. This is totally OOC. I can’t see her calling Kitty Mrs. F after calling her Mrs. Forman her whole life since she could talk. Yes, this could change in fifteen years, but I just don’t see Donna making that choice.

Kitty: I wish you would call me Mom.
Donna: I know. … Someday.
Kitty: This weekend.
Donna: Okay.

Punchline over character.

–I like that Donna became an author. At least that part of her character hasn’t been forgotten.

–Eric being a professor of The Religion of Star Wars. Well, those of us who kept up on spoilers knew about that one already. Just continuing the long-running joke from T7S. At least his career involves one of the two passions the T7S writers gave him, lol.

–Donna stepping, at Leia’s request, in when Eric goes overboard with his geekiness = absolutely see this as true to Donna and Eric’s potential parenting dynamic.

–Gwen’s introduction / Leia and Gwen’s introduction to each other: Leia sees a freedom in Gwen that she doesn’t feel herself. She has Gwen-envy. (Gwenvy?) She recognizes parts of herself in Gwen she herself hasn’t yet expressed, and not e v e r y relationship has to have a romantic element (nor should it). I’m all here for platonic intimate friendships …

Like Eric and Hyde’s. Which this friendship is clearly set up to emulate. Gwen has definite aspects of Hyde to her. The fact Gwen lives in Donna’s old room is a nice touch, and it leads to her making a very Hyde-esque joke / burn on Leia about how Leia’s parents probably used to have sex in Gwen’s room.

We learn that Eric, Donna, and Leia live in Chicago during this scene. We also meet Nate, Gwen’s brother. He’s got some sexist attitudes. It’s a characterization choice that creates tension between him and Gwen, but it’s also for the “laughs”.

–Tension between Leia and Eric shown through her rejection of Star Wars. Eric partly parents her through Star Wars … not sure if any of that needs commentary beyond the observation of it.

I like that Leia and Red’s connection is shown in this moment, though (when Leia burns Eric about Yoda being a puppet, etc.). Still, I hope Leia and Red’s connection isn’t solely based on a mutual frustration toward Eric.

–Nikki gets one line then kisses Nate, letting us know they’re a couple.

–Okay, yeah, Jay gives me the creeps right away. Yikes. I’m sure this will fall away as Leia gets to know him, but *shudder*.

–Oz. Punchline-giver. Like Fez became in T7S’s later seasons. Hope there’s more to him than that.

–Hell. Nate to Nikki: “Jay’s had my back for the last twelve years, and you’ve got my front for the last six months. I can’t choose.” That’s … something. So bromance established between Nate and Jay. T9S has two Michael Kelso instead of one. We’ll see if that evolves. But, finally, Kelso gets to be in a relationship with himself?

And this episode is taking “The Keg” (1x06) plot from T7S.

–The first “circle” scene of the show. I liked the red herring bit with the smoke (I knew Red and Kitty wouldn’t be smoking up with Eric and Donna). I also like Red is in Kitty’s corner with Donna calling her Mom, but to use the show’s own joke: that minor subplot feels forced.

–Oz’s line to Nate, “Kid vs. beer: it’s a tale as old as time,” is ripped straight from Fez’s voice (not accent, character voice).

–I’m glad Nikki is written as an intelligent, savvy character. Maybe not in love (choosing Nate as her boyfriend is a detail we need to understand the reasoning behind in order to understand Nikki better).

–Love seeing Leia’s strength come out with the woman who wouldn’t sell her the tap for the keg. She tries Gwen’s sneaky plan first then goes the direct (blackmail) route using logic. This is not Eric. This is not Donna. This moment shows us Leia is Leia.

–Gwen’s optimism is an important, unique aspect of her character. It differentiates her from Hyde, who’s a pessimist. Gwen is also the obvious leader of the friend group (though not a dictator … from what I’ve seen so far).

The fact Leia never felt free until her interactions with the Point Place crowd over this twenty-four hour period is sad and implies that Eric and Donna are controlling parents in some way. It’s also sad that she’s spent her first fourteen years of her life not feeling free (which isn’t uncommon).

Leia’s dynamic with Gwen, so far, mirrors Eric’s with Donna and Hyde. Donna and Hyde both help Eric find freedom from the internalized discipline and control of Red in season 1 of T7S.

–The fact Gwen isn’t put off by Leia’s declaration that she wants her and Gwen “to become best friends” is interesting. Leia is earnest and desperate to gain the freedom she sees in Gwen (her Gwenvy™ is showing) through becoming close with Gwen.

Further, Leia’s declaration of wanting her and Gwen to become best friends mirrors Fez’s own to Hyde in a “Class Picture” (4x20) flashback that Hyde is his best friend. Upon their first meeting, Hyde essentially pledges to be Fez’s protector from bullies, which prompts Fez to believe Hyde is his best friend now.

–This exchange …

Eric: Leia Tattooine Forman –
Donna: Her middle name is Anne.
Eric: I never agreed to that.

I laughed, but wow is T9S leaning hard on the Star Wars jokes. Hence, Leia’s name. Leia’s middle name is the same as Kitty’s middle name, so nice connection there. Same as Eric’s middle name is the same as Red’s middle name. But where is Donna’s, “You chose Leia as our daughter’s name when I was too hopped up on the epidural during childbirth to disagree”?

–Kitty and Red enjoying Eric and Donna’s struggles with parenting = totally in-character (but T7S!Kitty would likely try to intercede at some point).

Donna being the disciplinarian (and Eric letting her / encouraging her to be so) is a detail I’ve discussed with a lot of fellow T7S fans over the years. The consensus is that we think this would be in-character. But that Donna pulls a reversal in Leia’s particular circumstance (not only supporting her kid’s choice to stay in Point Place for the summer but also praising her for it) is also in-character.

–Eric acting like Red given certain stressors with his kid is another topic I discussed with fellow T7S fans over the years. His reaction to Leia and his foot-in-ass threat is in-character for him as a parent in this circumstance.

Red’s reaction to Eric’s reaction is funny and, yeah, in-character.

–Eric and Donna’s scene together on the hood of the car is very sweet and has depth. It tells us about Eric’s relationship to Leia, his relationship to Donna, and how Donna trusts Leia. I would’ve liked more Donna/Leia moments so we could learn about their dynamic, but the little we do get gives us an idea.

–OK, I LOVE THAT ERIC IS KITTY TO LEIA (in some ways). He tells Leia he loves her without it being a struggle (totally in-character), and the smelling hair payoff (Kitty smelled Eric’s hair earlier in the episode) totally works and shows us how deeply Eric loves his daughter (as do all their interactions in this episode and Eric’s reactions about Leia to other characters).

–Dude, Eric called Donna babe. On T7S, Eric never had good pet names for Donna. Never. It was even an on-going joke in one episode of T7S (season 7). Even though Eric calls her babe in this episode, it still sounds weird. It’s just not … Eric.

–This ep overdoes Kitty’s infantalization of Eric. On T7S, it’s funny-uncomfortable. This is uncomfortable-cringe.

–Red hugs Donna before she and Eric leave. Not Eric. Never Eric. No sign of true connection between Red and Eric at all. Just schadenfreude on Red’s part for Eric’s difficulties with Leia and contention except for Eric’s sarcastic, “I love you, too, Dad.” One moment between Red and Eric to establish their love for each other, like the awkward super-fast hug like I described above would’ve done it.

–Donna calls Kitty Mom before leaving the house. Very sweet. But also contrived. This issue could have (and probably would have) been resolved long before now. But TV SHOW. Not real life.

–Red’s utter fear at Kelso jumping into the kitchen and shouting, “Burn!”—hilarious but also awful.

–Okay, okay … JACKIE IS ALLOWED TO BE EFFING SMART. Kelso: “[Jay]’s got his dad’s looks and his mom’s brains. He got all straight As last year.” T9S erases and cuts up T7S and rearranges what it wants. Jackie’s season-1 characterization of being a good student is returned to her, but so much more is taken away.

BETSY would’ve been described the same way by Kelso as Jay. Captain Obvious: It would’ve been more in-character for Jay to be Brooke’s son, not Jackie’s. Brooke is characterized consistently on T7S as highly intelligent. It’s a consistent part of her character. I don’t ask for too much; I ask for what I’ll never get.

Speaking of Betsy: does she exist? Will Jay ever mention his sister, who would be seventeen in 1995?

–Kurtwood is clearly trying not to break during Kelso and Jackie’s scene. The laugh is being tightly held in.

–*sigh* Jackie and Kelso’s second remarriage. At least that wasn’t a surprise.

–The Jackie of T9S is who the Jackie of T7S season 4 would have become without ever dating Hyde. Canon-divergence utterly confirmed.

–Where do Jackie and Kelso live so that Jay lives in Point Place and has been best friends with Nate for twelve years? Since they were both three or four? Point Place, obviously. Nate is Red and Kitty’s neighbor, which means Jay has been going there for twelve years. Which means Red and Kitty would very likely know who Jay is and that Jay is Jackie and Kelso’s kid. They’d also have seen Jackie and/or Kelso the last twelve years (at least). Make it make sense.

–And Jay Kelso just made a sex joke to Kitty.

Red: What is wrong with you?

He’s a Kelso.

–Eric’s Candy Land stash is no longer money. It’s pot. Except Kitty knew Eric hid money in the Candy Land box, so she would’ve checked that thing years ago for anything Eric might’ve left in there.

–Oz continues to be a punchline-giver

–The first circle for the kids.

Obvious special FX overlay of smoke instead of actual smoke like in T7S. During That ‘70s Show, most of the actors smoked cigarettes, and they’d hold their cigs under the table (out of camera view) to provide the smoke. Not saying the T7S smoking cigs is a good thing, but the T9S smoke looks fake.

–Theme song. Glad it’s fast. Also glad it’s not a copy of the T7S gang driving in the Vista Cruiser but camcorder video footage of the new kids.

–Red’s tiny vegetable from his vegetable garden is LOL. Reminds me of when he cooked fish, and it was completely burnt, and he holds it out to Eric and says, “You wanna eat this?”

–Please, show, let Oz do more than flit in and out of scenes, spouting punchlines.

–Leia’s version of high Eric in “That ‘70s Pilot” (1x01) interacting with Red and Kitty is a rehashed update. Nothing surprising or unexpected, so no laughs here.

But I do like Red’s protectiveness of Leia (in regards to how her new friends are treating her) in this scene. This is in-character.

Red’s having physical therapy for his shoulder. It’s nice bit of verisimilitude, but it’s purpose is to set up the fact Kitty’s getting her hair done this week—i.e. to (re)introduce Fez.

–The scene where the kids (sans Leia) raid Red’s closet of flannels. I’m still digging Nikki’s character. Still not digging Nate’s.

The fact T9S has two Michael Kelso’s is a choice. Since one was so popular with a portion of T7S’s fans, maybe T9S’s creators thought two would be even better.

–Kitty’s parents have been retconned into having been into (light) S&M. Punchline over character.

–The ham joke(s) made me laugh.

–The arrival of Gwen and Nate’s mom (Sherri). Oh, no—she sits on the couch and pulls out a beer. She’s a character type, but from the T9S sneak peaks, Red’s going to be helping her evolve (at least a little) into a more complex person.

Sherri is Red and Kitty’s neighbor, living in what was the Pinciottis’ house. Why doesn’t Red know who she is? Nate, her son, has been friends with Jay for twelve years. Did Red and Kitty live in stasis until Eric, Donna, and Leia visited?

I’m trying to figure out when Sherri and her kids moved next door to the Formans. She’s been dating Fez for two weeks. Oh, and in “That ‘90s Pilot,” we see the Pinciottis’ house has a basement that was never shown on T7S (because it didn’t have a basement; this is a retcon).

–Video rental store scene, and the first Kitty laugh: HAHAHAH! after she’s snipey to Leia out of impatience. I can see Kitty growing less patient over the years, but the change is hard to adjust to.

–Jay works at the video store. Again, how do Red and Kitty not know him or that he’s Kelso and Jackie’s son?

His, “Later, girl,” to Leia gives the creepy vibes.

–Kitty finding Pastor Dave in the porno section of the video store. Honestly, it could happen after fifteen years, lol. But it’s definitely a “for the laugh” moment.

–Sherri is using the Formans’ house the way Kramer uses Jerry’s apartment in Seinfeld.

–LEO. Fun scene until Leia asks Kitty how Kitty knows him. Kitty’s explanation has no mention of Hyde, who is the actual reason Kitty (and Red, and any of Hyde’s friends) know Leo, who was Hyde’s “son” / whom Hyde knew better than his own (step)father.

–Kitty and Red’s conversation on the couch. They’re arguing over the fact the house is full of people (or dumbasses, depending on whose point point of view). Kitty says to Red that the last few weeks Leia has been living with them, essentially the more alive Red is back (even though he’s also grumpier?).

A few weeks have passed since Leia’s been at the Formans. A few typically means three. So, yet again, how do Kitty and Red not know Sherri, Gwen, Nate, Oz, and Jay KELSO? I’m harping on this, but just like time in T7S makes no sense, neither does this.

–Red and Kitty worked themselves up during the argument and had sex. The “Tell Me Something Good” song reference to “Water Tower” (T7S 1x21) is a nice touch (and an obvious reference to T7S fans who’ve watched the show at least three times).

–Sheri unintentionally being present for Red and Kitty’s lovemaking—while hiding in the bathroom—and not being happy about the fact is an interesting reversal and parallel to Fez, whom she’s dating and whom purposely hid in his friends’ closets to watch them have sex (or simply watch them) and get off on it.

–Nikki sitting on the armrest of Red’s old pea-soup green chair (that’s now housed in the basement) while Nate sits in the chair itself reminds me of Hyde and Jackie (just visually).

–Leia and Gwen’s scene on the car. So many thoughts. Platonic ones. Shippy ones. Gwen = Hyde plus Donna plus unique qualities to Gwen. So far, in the little I’ve seen, Leia and Gwen’s dynamic reminds me of Eric and Donna’s, Eric and Hyde’s, and Donna and Jackie’s rolled into one.

–Yes, I’m only two episodes in, but I still want more substance for (and from) Oz.

–Just spotted Nate’s sideburns. Throughout this episode, I’ve gotten T9S-is-trying-to-make-Nate-like-Hyde vibes (but he’s still a Kelso).

–Sherri’s dynamic with Kitty makes me think this is how Kitty might be interacting with Laurie in 1995 were she in the show (and existed in the universe of T9S, which remains to be seen).

–Fez, version number six. I’ll break it down.

Version 1: T7S Season 1.
Version 2: T7S Seasons 2-3.
Version 3: T7S Season 4.
Version 4: T7S Seasons 5-7.
Version 5: T7S Season 8.
Version 6: T9S Season 1.

Next episode, we’ll see what version six of Fez is like, but I have some clue from the T9S promos.

Three episodes into That ‘90s Show, and I don’t get a That ‘70s Show feeling from it at all despite Red and Kitty’s strong presence and other recognizable elements. Mentally and emotionally, it’s a bit discombobulating for me.

I watched T7S when it originally aired. And for the last thirteen years, I’ve been steeped in the T7S fandom, analyzing the show, talking about it with fellow fans, writing millions of words of fanfic, and drawing thousands of comics. T9S doesn’t have the same flavor (in a metaphorical sense) as T7S despite what it’s inherited and taken from T7S.

That being said, I’m overall enjoying That ‘90s Show as its own thing and getting more Red-and-Kitty content, but aspects of T9S—beyond how it doesn’t fit in T7S’s universe—are throwing me off.

–Fez #6 is CAMPY. Which is not an issue in and of itself. But Fez isn’t campy on T7S. He’s a fish out of water (in all versions but T7S season 8, where his main personality traits morphed into sexism and womanizing). At least he’s holding a Tootsie Roll in his salon commercia and says, “I said good day,” which are nods to T7S!Fez.

–Oz getting stuck in Nate and Nikki’s make-out gave me a laugh.

–Finally, some real Oz content and background. Some, but I’d like to know what his friendships are like with the other characters. Go deeper, show. What connects Oz to them? What connects them to Oz? Why do they care about one another? What’s their history? (Yes, it’s only episode three. But I do hope these questions are answered by the first half of the season.)

–I’d also like to know more about Nikki, but the force of her personality is very strong. We get a lot simply from her actress’s performance. Great casting, imo.

–I am happy that T9S decided to stick with T7S S1-S7’s ongoing joke of us never learning where Fez is from. Another part of T7S season 8 has been erased … from existence (well, the T9S universe).

I would like to know what Kitty said while her voice was drowned out, lol.

–Aaaaand a meld of T7S S7-S8 Fez season is in the house.

–Fez and Kitty’s conversation in Fez’s salon reminds me of their dynamic in season 8.

Fez being rich and successful—no problem with that. How, though … the salon … and the fact T7S season 8 ended with Jackie sweeping at the salon Fez worked at in order to “humble her” (since the S8 showrunners hated her character with more than a touch of misogyny). I’m glad for Jackie that S8, as well as T9S, are on-screen AUs and not canon.

By their very nature, they can’t be canon since real!Jackie would never make the choices she makes in those AUs.

–When describing Sherri, Fez says he “hasn’t felt this way about a girl since Jackie.” Kitty asks what happened between him and Jackie.

Real World Explanation: The actors who played Jackie and Kelso got married, and the people behind T9S wanted to capitalize on that.

That ‘90s Show’s Explanation: Jackie left Fez for Kelso. Simple. What we all thought. But, really, Fez was heartbroken over her for fifteen years? Uh, no. (Of course, they never actually dated in the canon T7S universe, so none of this is real. Moving on … for now?)

tty gets turned on by Fez for a moment. Just like she, er, appreciated Kelso’s body in That ‘90s Show after he hugged her. For “the laughs”. Not fidelity to character. (Reminds me a bit of the T7S parody porn. I saw the version with all the sex parts cut out (thankfully). But these Kitty-is-attracted-to-her-surrogate-kids-now-that-they’re-adults moments are beyond cringey. They’re squicky.

–Leia’s awkwardness trying to get her first kiss at the mall reminds me of Eric.

–Jay Kelso has been characterized as a man-whore by Oz and Gwen.

–Fez got his MOM on the phone, according to Sherri. (Man, my T7S brain and my T9S-as-a-canon-divergent-AU brain are clashing. There are answers to questions I wish T7S had given us and never did, but T9S’s answers don’t fit with T7S’s universe).

–Red in the massage chair is hilarious. He doesn’t need a circle. He just needs a chair from Sharper Image. The fact he asks if he and Kitty should get a cat tells us he is out of his mind, lmao. (He hates cats.)

–Jay and Leia’s scene on the car. Depth for Jay (yay).

–Oh, man. Fez made a sex joke about Kitty (but he did that on T7S, so that’s nothing new).

–Fez being shocked about Sherri being in her forties and saying, that he “really dodged a bullet there,” is season-8!Fez all over. Real!Fez loves them big, loves them small; he loves them all (that applies to age, too—legal age).And his reaction to Sherri having kids, he’d be more like Gus on Psych, wanting to become insta!Dad to them, not scared off.

–Gwen [frustrated] to Leia, “You dork! I’ve been telling you how all along how awesome you are, but it took some guy to say that for it all to sink in.” A lot of Gwen and Leia’s interactions and dialogue so far can reasonably be interpreted as having romantic subtext (despite that this is not the writers’ intentions).

–Glad Oz’s boyfriend is real.

–Final thoughts on T9S!Fez as depicted in this episode: he is cobbled-together mess of characterization. It’s all over the place. While he is recognizable as Fez, I don’t truly know or understand who that Fez is. It’s vague, nebulous, and ungrounded.