Fez (That '70s Show)
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Fez (born August 4, 1959) is a fictional character from the television series That '70s Show, played by Wilmer Valderrama.
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[edit] Origins
Fez's real name is unknown as Fez is merely the phonetic version of the acronym FES: Foreign Exchange Student. His friends do know his true name, but consider it unpronounceable. Red usually calls him "the foreign kid," or "that kid not from America." Also, Red will refer to Fez with somekind of ethnic sounding name. In a flashback episode that showed when Fez first met the gang, he tells them his real name, which is purposely drowned out by a long ringing school bell. What Valderrama was actually saying was the first names of the main actors who appear in the show. It was rumored that his name would be revealed in the series finale; however, this assumption proved to be false. The only known fact about his name is that the first five K's of his last name are silent.
His secret country of origin is one of the longest running gags on the show. In one episode, he revealed it was an island but was interrupted before he could say the name of the island. In another episode, he spoke a line (the "I said good day" catchphrase) in his native language, but it is hard to tell from what language it derives. He once said he had Latin pride, which led Red to believe he was Latino. Fez retorted "No, only my pride is. And I have a Swiss sense of frugality." He once said that he could speak Dutch in a job interview, and viewed this as "his strongest point". Fez once said that he had "Jamaican fire", but it turned out that was just the name of his cologne. Also, Fez once claimed his country has never fought a war. In another episode, however, he alludes to the fact that his country "won the war" against Britain. He once stated that his country has "more lizards than people". He has also referred to having a sister who lives in the jungle 10 000 miles from Wisconsin. Also during a ski trip with friends, he marvels at the sight of snow, claiming he had never seen any before then, making his country somewhere in the tropics. In another instance, a friend from his home country visits, and has a heavy English accent. Fez's explanation to this is that his friend is from the west side of the island. However, in one episode, Michael Kelso makes a reference to the El Camino, stating that, "That's Spanish for 'the camino'!" Then it showed Fez on the couch slightly grinning at Kelso, and then turning back to what he was doing. This might indicate that he is latino, though this might also be because he was amused at Kelso's ignorance. In another episode however, Fez tries to show Kelso how to sing to a girl, and sings a fragment of a famous spanish song called "Besame Mucho", another indication that he might be Latino. Red has also referred to Fez as "Haji" or "Sabu" in some episodes, leading to the assumption that Red believes him to be from India. Once, Red even called him Pele, which Kitty said was better than usual, as Pele was good at soccer. He also stated in one episode that he is from the opposite side of the world. However, Red's worst nickname for Fez has been Tarzan. Fez objected to Red calling him this by saying "...but Tarzan, Tarzan is a white guy!" Showing mild racial pride. In episode 199, The Love Of My Life, Fez states he is going back to Brazil, but then says that he is only going there to take a plane to his country. At the end of that episode, Fez's country origin "Depended on whether you ask the British or the Dutch." The British hated them and would not answer such a question, and nobody can understand the Dutch's answer.
One place that meets all the criteria of Fez's possible home is the island of Borneo. It is approximately 10,000 air miles from Wisconsin. It is in the tropics. It was, until after World War II, ruled by the Dutch and the British, the Dutch having the southern part that is now in Indonesia and the British the north in what is now the Kingdom of Brunei and part of Malaysia. Borneo is famous for being a wild and tribal area. Fez's odd language, unpronounceable name, weird habits might all be the result of his being a Borneo tribesman. His blond friend with the British accent who came from "the other side of the island" might be a leftover British colonial from the former British side. His statement to the British music teacher that his people won the war might be a reference to some colonial skirmish between his tribe and the British that they won and allowed to grow in their legend into a war.
In an episode called "Stolen Car", the gang gets pulled over in a stolen car who Kelso's cousin let him borrow. In jail, Fez starts to crack and says, "I will be deported. They're going to take me back to, my homeland the beautiful island of-" And then right before he says his country's name, a police officer opens the door to tell the gang that they have one phone call.
It is also possible for Fez to hail from the Dominican Republic. In "That Disco Episode" he shows instant recognition of the Merengue dance style, and this is that national dance of the Republic. Although it would be unlikely he would need to fly to Brazil and change planes if this was the case.
Because of the many attributes Fez claimed his country (and sometimes himself) had, most notably his complexion, his ability to speak Dutch, and the fact that he had never seen snow before, it may be assumed that he might be from Suriname or Trinidad and Tobago. In episode 199, Fez mentions that both the Dutch and the British have occupied his homeland, furthering this theory. If this is so, then it would be a nod to the fact that Wilmer Valderrama, who plays Fez, is of South American descent. Fez stated that his best friend is from "the west side of the island,". Suriname, however, is not an island, and Trinidad and Tobago contains several islands.
One possible explanation might be that before becoming an American citizen, Fez held dual citizenship between Suriname and Trinidad and Tobago. It is very likely that he was born in Suriname and learned to speak Dutch there, then immigrated to Trinidad and Tobago and befriended his best friend. If this is so, then this is a nod to the fact that Valderrama was born in the U.S. and then immigrated to another country as a young boy.
The reason why Fez's name and country of origin are never mentioned throughout the course of the series is because the creators could never decide on his origins, and eventually decided to leave it a secret.
[edit] Fez's love for Jackie
In the first half of the series, Fez painfully longed for Jackie, worshipping her like a queen. Jackie either failed to realize his love for her or didn't act upon it because he was foreign, and therefore way below her standards. They did share a kiss in one episode when he mistakenly thought Jackie was opening up to him. Kelso, Jackie's boyfriend, quickly socked him in the face. They shared another kiss when pretending to be dating to help Jackie keep her job. Jackie revealed to her friend Donna that she did enjoy his display of affection. Other times that Jackie has shown a small interest in Fez include the time when he wowed her with his dancing moves at a Disco and when he helped her win at a Roller Disco contest. Jackie got drunk to celebrate her win and hit on Fez. After battling with his light and dark side (shown as two shrunken Fezes on each of his shoulders dressed as Batman and The Riddler), he decided to be a gentleman and not take advantage of her. The two did go on a date when Jackie broke up with Kelso, but Fez was let down when he realised that Jackie had not yet gotten over Kelso. He was also disgusted that she was gorging herself with food and only wanting to know about Kelso.
Fez's last real attempt to win Jackie over was in the episode "Ice Shack." Fez carefully planned for Kelso to look bad in front of Jackie so that she would realize that he was the man for her. However his plan backfired and Jackie easily chose Kelso over him. This caused his obsession over her to wane over the next few years. In season 8 Jackie moved in with him after Kelso left for Chicago, adding a new dynamic to their relationship. After the two moved in together, Jackie began to develop feelings for Fez, and eventually told him about how she felt with a kiss. However, Fez refused her advances, saying that she had already dated Kelso and Hyde and did not want to be her "sloppy thirds." After being turned down by Fez, Jackie decided to get revenge. She flushed his toothbrush, microwaved his lotion, and ruined his car with graffiti and in an attempt to get back at her, Fez dyed her hair green. He later said that she was now ugly on the outside like she was on the inside. Hurt by Fez's words, Jackie decided to move out. Realizing he wanted to be with her, Fez went to apologize but she was too hurt to accept his apology.
By the end of the 8th season, it was said that they will get together. This pairing might also be a nod to the fact that the actors portraying them are both minorities: Mila Kunis emigrated to America from Ukraine as a young girl, and Wilmer Valderrama was born in America but spent a great deal of his years in Venezuela. In the final episode, Fez and Jackie finally did get together and kissed atop the Water Tower.
[edit] Other loves
Besides his love for candy, others have been:
"Big Rhonda" was a heavyset girl whom Fez was constantly attempting to lose his virginity with. One of his catch phrases was "I'm going to do it." Or alternatively, "We're going to do it." In the episode where Eric was visited by an angel who took him to the '80s, Big Rhonda had lost all her extra weight and Eric told his real self, after the angel was loose on the rules, that Big Rhonda was the only girl he ever slept with and "all three times she did not look like that."
Another short relationship he had was with a girl from school named Caroline, whom Donna had set up with Fez. They shared a few love-filled months together until Fez realised that Caroline was obsessed with him and also mentally unstable. He broke up with her, lying that he and Donna were in love so as not to make Caroline think he ended the relationship because she was crazy.
Fez often spoke fondly of Donna, though there is no evidence of feelings for her deeper than sexual attraction. He repeatedly hid in her closet and on another occasion took photos of her in her schoolgirl outfit. By season eight it became clear that Fez's attraction for Donna was purely admiration of her beauty and nothing more.
Eventually, Fez got a job at the DMV where he seduced his coworker Nina. The two had sex, finally ending Fez's agonizing life as a virgin. But, as Fez recounted, it was not a magical moment; there was no soft music "like in the movies so I had to hum" - Nina had asked Fez to stop humming but he started again without realizing it. There were then some sounds that "were certainly not applause". The night ended with him sneaking out of Nina's bathroom window pantsless. Nina did give Fez a second chance but it didn't work.
Near the end of the fifth season, Fez was arrested for vandalism of the town's water tower and came close to being deported back to his native country. But at the last moment, Laurie Forman slept with Fez and subsequently married him so he could stay in America. Red suffered a heart attack upon learning this. Their marriage is clearly not one of love, as Laurie went on their honeymoon to Cancun with someone else.
In season 7, Fez got considerably more female attention when he began working at a hair salon, and by season 8, he had been known for having 1-night-stands everyday of the week including one with a character named Danielle, played by Lindsay Lohan (notable because he more or less stole her from Kelso).
[edit] Miscellaneous
- Fez began the show as living with fundamentalist "Bible-thumping" host parents, who forbade "devil's music" like KISS. Hyde had Fez sneak rock albums into their house that were hidden in Pat Boone record jackets.
- Fez lived with host parents named The Erdmans. His host-mother was called Rebecca. The Erdmans only appeared in one episode throughout the show's running.
- When Fez lived with the Erdmans, he had a very extensively decorated bedroom with a racecar bed and numerous toys. This remained secret to his friends until season five.
- When Fez first met Kitty Forman, he immediately kissed her. He then proceeded to almost kiss Red Forman.
- Fez sometimes speaks Spanish such as "Mi Vida".
- Fez was once described by Kitty as "the foreign boy that wears the tight pants and a little too much cologne".
- Red is incapable of remembering Fez's nickname except when inebriated. He has called Fez all kinds of names, including "Sabu", "Haji", "Tarzan", "Pelé", "Tut", and "That kid from... not America", but usually calls him "foreign kid." In one episode, however, he actually called Fez by his nickname while perfectly sober. Fez lectured Red about his temper, and Red answered by asking, "It's Fez, right?" When Fez gave the affirmative, he was ordered to get out, which he did without hesitation.
- Fez had a short stint working with Hyde and Leo at the Foto Hut, then got a job at the DMV.
- Fez has a bad habit of hiding in closets and under a bed (He only did it once), especially Donna's closet.
- In the seventh season, Fez's host parents realized that he had graduated high school a year ago and kicked him out of their house. Fez was forced to get an apartment with Kelso.
- Fez is the character most driven by his needs, which was spoofed in an episode revolving around his declining relationship with Nina and his viewing of the Six Million Dollar Man. When Fez attempted to be less needy, he learned that neediness was an important part of his character. Many of the series' running jokes revolve around Fez, primarily his obsession with candy and chocolate, his excessive masturbation and fascination with anything sexual, his lack of tact, his country of origin, and his singular ability to overreact. One of his trademarks is his capability to single-handedly ruin any social outing.
- Whenever Fez gets upset, he gives a speech to save his pride. He then concludes with "Now good day", to which someone will reply "But Fez...". Fez will then harshly shout "I said good day!" (or something else to that effect) and proceed to leave in a huff. This was once parodied when Fez did not answer and Jackie said "Fez, he said, 'But, Fez...'" Then Donna said, "This is the part where you say 'I said good day!'". Only once, in Season 4's Donna's Story, did he fail to respond with "I said good day!". After being geniunely insulted by Kelso in regards to his more "primitive" background (as Kelso perceives it), he responds instead with, "I said kiss my ass!"
- Fez is sometimes depicted as having unconsciously feminine habits and an interest in the aesthetic feminine beauty, which seems to suggest that he might be metrosexual. An example of this would be when he finally got a job at a beauty parlour and claimed that it was his "dream job". In the series finale, he was also revealed to have an extensive collection of shoes and claimed to paint his toenails.
- As evidenced from the first episode of Season 2, Fez is an excellent kisser, at least according to Jackie. She says that "...He did the little rolling thing he does with his tongue when he says his R's" hinting even farther that he is Latino because of the need to roll your R's in the Spanish language.
- Fez is most likely right handed, as in the episode "Black Dog", Nina comments on how his right hand is much stronger than his left, most likely from his frequent masturbation. In the end of the episode "The Immigrant Song", Fez was seen writing a letter to Jimmy Carter asking for American citizenship, he was writing it with his right hand.
- Fez's birthday is August 4th.
[edit] See also
| That '70s Show |
|---|
| Characters |
| Jackie Burkhart | Fez | Eric Forman | Kitty Forman | Laurie Forman | Red Forman | Steven Hyde | Casey Kelso | Michael Kelso | Leo | Randy Pearson | Midge and Bob Pinciotti | Donna Pinciotti | Recurring characters |
| Other topics |
| List of episodes | Point Place | That '80s Show |
