That '70s Finale
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| That '70s Show episode | |
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| “That '70s Finale” | |
 Eric and Donna are reunited shortly before midnight. |
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| Episode no. | Season 8 Episode 200 |
| Guest star(s) | Topher Grace, Ashton Kutcher |
| Writer(s) | Gregg Mettler |
| Director | David Trainer |
| Production no. | 200 |
| Original airdate | May 18, 2006 |
| Episode chronology | |
| ← Previous | Next → |
| "Love of My Life" | "none" |
"That '70s Finale" is a That '70s Show episode that was aired May 18, 2006. It is the series' 200th episode, and its final one. The episode was aired immediately following "Love of My Life". Aired together, the two episodes acted as a one hour series finale.
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[edit] Episode synopsis
It is December 31, 1979. Following previous episodes of the season:
- Donna broke up with Randy and is leaving for college;
- Fez and Jackie are dating;
- Eric is returning from Africa;
- Kelso has moved to Chicago;
- Bob is moving to Florida to open a bait shop;
- Red and Kitty are moving to Florida, and Red will help Bob manage the bait shop.
Hyde finds Kitty drinking in the afternoon of December 31st. When asked, she confesses that she had a change of heart about the move to Florida, but doesn't have the courage to tell Red because he seems so happy to move. As if on cue, Red comes in and gives Hyde a check for all the rent he paid during all the years he lived under the Forman's roof, to help him get started in life.
Meanwhile, Fez and Jackie try to have their first kiss, but cannot. Jackie wants it to be romantic and spontaneous, and puts Fez in charge of planning it out.
Hyde decides to help Kitty out, and spends his money on Packers season tickets, something Red has always wanted but never managed to buy. He gives the tickets to Kitty, to help her convince Red to stay.
Later that day, Fez and Hyde pay their last trip of the decade to the water tower. Fez tells Hyde about his kissing problems with Jackie, and how all the good kissing spots have already been used by Hyde and Kelso when they were dating Jackie. Even the water tower they are drinking on has a giant “Michael + Jackie” spray-painted on it. Kelso climbs up the water tower, having just returned from Chicago to spend the New Year with his friends. Hyde and Fez trick him into jumping off the water tower one last time.
It’s late afternoon on New Year’s Eve, and Kitty, Hyde and Donna (who has delayed her departure for college) wait anxiously for Eric’s return. But Red returns from the airport alone, with some bad news: Eric has missed the flight home. Everyone gets upset, especially Donna, who leaves angrily.
The evening sets in, and Fez brings Jackie up the water tower. He tells her how he decided to “rewrite history”, and shows as proof the “Michael + Jackie” graffiti which has been corrected to read “Michael + Fez”. Fez gets upset as he realises his mistake, but Jackie is willing to overlook it and they share their first kiss.
During that time, Red is in the kitchen reading the papers, when Kitty walks in. Red once again says how happy he is to be moving to Florida. Kitty gives him the season tickets. Red is quite impressed, then says it’s a shame he’ll have to give them up. Kitty is shocked at that reaction, and Red tells her he wouldn’t cancel their move to Florida, which he thinks she’s looking forward to, for football tickets. Kitty finally confesses she changed her mind about moving, and they agree to call the whole thing off and stay in Wisconsin.
Half an hour left before midnight, and everyone is in the Forman’s living room. Red and Kitty announce that they will not move to Florida, and Kitty proceeds to tell everyone how much she likes them. Donna steps out to the Forman’s driveway to get some air. Eric finally arrives, apologises to Donna for leaving her and going to Africa, and they kiss. Eric then goes to the basement for the last circle of the decade, with Fez, Kelso and Hyde. Jackie and Donna come to get them a few seconds before midnight, and they all rush upstairs to ring in 1980. While the view stays on the empty basement, the whole gang is heard doing the countdown. Right at zero, the That '70s Show license plate appears, with "80" in the lower right-hand corner where "79" was.
[edit] Ties to other episodes
In addition to the numerous flashbacks, various elements of this episode tie in with several other episodes of the series.
- The title mirrors that of the pilot episode, "That ’70s Pilot".
- Eric, Hyde, Kelso and Fez were in the first and the last circle together. Both times, Hyde talks about "that car that runs on water".
- Kitty wears the same red blouse and flowered skirt outfit in the party in the pilot, and in the New Year party in the finale.
- Both the first scene of the pilot and the last scene of this episode take place in the Forman's basement.
- The marijuana leaf the gang painted on the water tower in the episode "Water Tower" is seen.
- The "Michael + Jackie" that Kelso painted in "The Immigrant Song" gets painted over in this episode.
- Kelso says he still has the BB in his leg, from the time Hyde shot him with a BB gun in "Black Dog".
- Before going up-stairs, Kelso puts on the "stupid helmet" that first appeared in "Red's Birthday".
- The series finale aired on May 18th, 2006. In the pilot of the series, the date was May 17th, 1976, nearly 30 years ago to the day.
[edit] Characters
- Eric (Topher Grace) and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), two regular characters in seasons 1-7 who since left the show, made guest appearances in this episode. Kutcher is listed on the final credits, Grace is not.
- Laurie (Lisa Robin Kelly) and Midge (Tanya Roberts) are the only two regulars from season 1 who did not appear in this episode. Laurie, who did not appear in the pilot episode either, is mentioned in passing by Kitty in this episode, much like she had been mentioned in passing by Eric in the pilot.
- Leo (Tommy Chong) and Randy (Josh Meyers) are the only two characters who were not in season 1 but appeared in this episode.
[edit] Goofs
- Red reads in the paper that Florida has just reinstated the death penalty. In fact, Florida reinstated the death penalty in 1976, and executed its first convicted criminal, John Arthur Spenkelink, on May 25, 1979.
[edit] External links
| 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 |
