MistyMountainHop

Thanks, Colleen!

Yes, that's a nice bit of characterization. We should've had an episode where Red and Kitty were playing a non-sexy game. Though knowing (early) them, it would've turned into a sexy game.

nannygirl704

LOL very true. Reading that made me start thinking of a possible new RK story but I stopped myself cuz I think I already did something with Red and Kitty playing games in one of my stories before. Oh well.

Season 1 and 2 I think had some of the best RK moments. Even the pilot with the first run up the stairs

msstock87

I am still on season 1 of my rewatch and their is just such a sweet vibe between these two. I think season 1 has some of their best moments. You can tell that they know each other so well.

nannygirl704

Colleen, you are so right! Season one had wonderful RK moments. I think it may have been because there were more storylines that included just the two of them. Like in Ski Trip from season one.

I loved that RK storyline in the episode. The way it was more of Red’s idea for a little romantic evening while the kids were away is so sweet! He’s even the one setting up the evening with candles, Chaianti, fancy nut mix, and Charlie Rich playing on the radio—Where was this Red Forman in the later seasons?

But even before that scene there’s that cute moment in the kitchen when the whole romantic evening idea is first brought up. The way he grabs Kitty’s hand and says ‘No’ when she think they’ll be having dinner in front of the TV since the kids will be away—LOVED that little moment! And Eric’s frown when he walks in having just missed it makes the scene funnier and I think more real and relatable too.

msstock87

I loved that episode too, Red had set up such a romantic evening. I wish we had seen that Red later on in the show.

MistyMountainHop

Prissy, I'm always so focused on the kids in that ep that I often forget how it's a great R/K episode, too.

Red was a bit of a scalliwag, wasn't he? Dating two women at once, and saving the groping for the other woman. I think after Kitty caught him, though, he became exclusive with her. I'd actually like to know more about their early dating days. Was he actually cheating on her with Lynn Taylor? From reading the transcript, it sure seems like it.

KITTY: Okay, I just wanna know: why not me?
RED: Why not you what? I married you!
KITTY: Yeah, but when we were dating, you just sat there. You held my hand politely. Didn’t you think that I might enjoy a passionate man-handling in a public place?
RED: Well I respected you! I’m an old-fashion guy. I don’t think that you should grope and maul the one you love.

But he couldn't keep it in his pants, so he groped and mauled some other chick on the side? That was very Kelso-like. *judges him* I'm glad he matured out of that. I mean, we do see that he was like the kids in the flashback during "Halloween". I think that may be why Kettlehead, the dumbass (Eric), Hyde, and the foreign kid drove him a little . They reminded him of himself in his youth.

nannygirl704

Lisa, Ski Trip is a great episode with both the kids and Red and Kitty The whole Lynn Taylor thing was an interesting piece of information that we learned about Red and his early relationship with Kitty. It’s hard to picture Red with anyone but Kitty and even harder to picture him being with someone else while he was with Kitty but it’s true and I think he was dating Lynn Taylor while he was dating Kitty. And maybe another woman too, remember the story Kitty told Eric about why Bernice hated her? Red picked her over a wealthy girl. It’s not something I approve of either but I think it wasn’t something that uncommon back then. Women had several suitors back then and I’m sure men had a few girls they were with too. The good thing is that once Red and Kitty got married, he became a—to quote the late great George Jones—one woman man.

Also very much agree with you on how the kids, boys especially, reminded Red of his youth. The Halloween episode especially the Red and Kitty storyline is one of my favorites. I wish we had seen more! But that’s what fanfic is for I enjoy writing those flashback stories. An di think there was a story that flashbacked to the Lynn Taylor incident but I think it was deleted Haven’t found it in ages.

msstock87

I never thought of it that way, the boys reminding Red of his youth, and that might be why they annoyed him so much. I think Kitty was what caused Red to grow up maybe.

nannygirl704

Colleen, i think that is very true about how Kitty was the one who helped Red grow up more. Kitty and Laurie. In Halloween we see Red is still a bit of a jokester so I think after Laurie was born…maybe even after Frank was killed by the deer…he grew up more and became more like the Red we know. From the early seasons. I can’t explain later season Red.

MistyMountainHop

Wow, Red was out there. Though maybe Bernice just tried to repeatedly set Red up with that wealthy girl, and Red repeatedly rejected her. Or whenever Red would "go out" with that wealthy girl, he was totally disinterested. That's my head!canon.

Yeah, I agree. The experience with Frank may have calmed Red down a bit -- as well as the responsibility of becoming a father. It's interesting, though, that his experiences in the navy didn't destroy his playful (and dumbass?) spirit. The Korean war was over in 1953. Laurie was born in 1957 or 1958 (I'm ignoring the show's wonky timeline and thinking logically ).

I also agree that later!season Red's characterization departs too wildly from S1-S5 to be included in any real character analysis.

msstock87

I like your head cannon Lisa.

I would think that the Korean war would have gave Red more responsibility, that is what it always made it seem on the show. I do think being a father helped him realize his responsibilities more though.

nannygirl704

That is a good head canon, Lisa. I think the second one may be closer, just cuz rewatching the episode Kitty does say he was dating a well to do woman. Gosh I really wished I had saved that story I was taking about before. It pretty much mentions both Lynn Taylor and this wealthy woman and of course Kitty. It was really so sweet.

That’s true about how the being in the navy didn’t seem to cause Red to lose that playfulness and kidding around that we saw in Halloween. BUT maybe it did. After all we only saw him in that flashback and he was with Frank, being with old friends can easily bring out that fun and younger side to you, maybe this was the case with Red. When I write RK flashbacks I write Red much like we see him in the show, less gruff maybe not as wise to some of the things he’s done but never do I write him like Kelso.

msstock87

I could never see Red acting like Kelso, maybe a bit like Hyde, but not like Kelso.

That is a good point about Red being with his friends and them bringing out the playful side to him.

MistyMountainHop

I'd check out that story. And yeah, Red probably was "dating" that well-to-do woman just to keep his mother's mouth shut. Red didn't enjoy dealing with Bernice's ... Bernice-ness.

Red could've been the Hyde of the group. Smart but a troublemaker. Whereas Frank was the kettlehead.

nannygirl704

I really wish I could find it! I know it’s gone from the fanfiction site but MAYBE I saved it on a pendrive. I remember rereading it at school when I was supposed to be working on an essay but it could’ve been on the site. If I find it, I’ll be sure to post a notice here


Very much agree about how Red was probably a lot like Hyde when he was younger. Even in his age on the show you can still see a lot of similarities between Red and Hyde. It’s too bad that Frank died. I thought it would have been fun if they had an episode where he would come back and visit Red causing Red to act like eh did when he was younger OR have Frank share some of the stunts that he and Red had pulled when they would have been younger. The kids reactions would have been great!