Jackie Burkhart

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Jacqueline Beulah Burkhart (1961) is a fictional character from the television sitcom series That '70s Show. She is portrayed by Mila Kunis. During the first few seasons, she is only a member of the gang due to her status as Kelso's girlfriend and her aptitude with sudden "burns" (comic caustic insults). At the beginning of the series Jackie is entering her sophomore year in high school, making her 15 or 16 at that time.

She appoints herself Donna's best friend, and gives advice which often sounds typically thoughtless and superficial, but turns out to be unnervingly correct (such as during "Battle of the Sexists" in season 1, when she tells Donna that Eric will never be her boyfriend if she doesn't let him win at things). Due to her extreme haughtiness, Jackie believes Donna is unattractive compared to herself, and also boring - but as she states in numerous episodes, she believes Donna could do much better than Eric (though in the Season 7 finale, Jackie reveals that she has always cared for Eric as a friend). Jackie also believes that she is the definition of perfection, and that Donna - and every other female - should try and be more like her. Despite their extremely different personalities, Donna decides to play big sister to Jackie and often tries to look out for her when she feels Jackie is making a mistake, more often than not due to her lack of common sense. Sometimes Jackie is the voice of reason for Donna, as evidenced in the Season 2 episode Kiss of Death, the same episode in which Jackie realized that Kelso was cheating on her. In the same episode, Eric accidentally killed Donna's cat and lied about it at first, but later admitted the truth. Jackie tells Donna that she is overreacting, because Eric only put off telling the truth to spare Donna's feelings.

Though she begins as rich, spoiled and irritating, her character becomes more fleshed-out and over time she is more accepted by the rest of the gang. After her breakup with Kelso in Season 2, Jackie keeps hanging out in Eric's basement, a sign that her status has grown. These gradual changes make her character develop a defined character arc. In fact, after she recovers from her breakup with Kelso, she actually becomes somewhat of a likeable character. However, she still keeps part of her valley girl persona intact and she still looks at herself as the perfection of what a woman should be. Having chosen love over money, and losing her allowance for Kelso, she starts work as the "Cheese Maiden" at the Cheese Palace in the mall, handing out samples in a milkmaid costume. She is about to quit until she receives her first paycheck, exclaiming "I'm rich again!" She keeps the job even after she confronts her boss about "that bitch" FICA stealing 10% of her check.

Eventually, they break up after circumstances ruin the romance. Kelso takes a job as a model for a department store, which hurts Jackie because being a model was her dream, and she found it insensitive for Kelso to be living the dream she wanted while she worked at the Cheese Palace. Finally, his callousness toward her causes Jackie to kiss her boss, the "cheese guy" (played by Christopher Masterson of Malcolm in the Middle). Jackie's desire to love and be loved in return is often threatened by her innate need to be in control of the relationship at all times and in all aspects of it, from where the relationship is heading (in her case, an idealized fairy tale wedding) to just how much she can get her partner to do for her. Many believe this is why it ultimately didn't work out with Kelso, as he fled to California with Donna when Jackie thought they were engaged. This also threatens her romance with Hyde.

When her father Jack is sent to prison, she moves in with Donna and starts dating Hyde (Jackie had a period of infatuation with Hyde after he taught her how to insult Laurie without losing face). This seems to make her less superficial, and more popular with the gang. Jackie really does love Hyde, and their personalities being even more contradicting than hers & Donna's, he brings out a more kind, and almost even down to earth side of her. Unfortunately, the relationship falls apart because Jackie is still too determined to be in control and too dead set on having a wedding, which eventually drives Hyde away because, as the product of a broken home, Hyde is not keen to be married.

Throughout the course of Season 8, she feels lonely knowing that everybody but her is involved in a relationship, and begins to revert to her earlier self. Hyde is with Samantha, Randy is in a relationship with Donna, and Fez has begun a relationship with another girl. It is when Fez gets involved with another female that she takes it upon herself to make a list of all the qualities she wants in a guy. At first she begins to list superficial and unrealistic qualities, but Donna insists that she list realistic qualities in her "dream guy". She comes to her realization that the guy who satisfies all of the qualities she looks for in a guy is none other than Fez himself. However, she goes into a state of denial, but eventually comes to a realization that Fez has done many things for her and overall makes her feel good about herself.

Donna then insists that she visit a psychiatrist, or a love doctor to try and solve her problem. The psychiatrist says that Jackie has an infatuation with men who are already involved with other women. Upon returning from the visit, she finds out that Fez has been dumped, and with no one for Fez to express his sorrow, Jackie decides to comfort him. In an awkward moment she heads over to Donna and realizes the emotions she has for Fez are real. These feelings finally culminate in the Series Finale, where they both decide to express their love for one another, kissing at the top of the water tower.

Jackie's dream is to move to Dallas. One time, she said she wanted to become a cheerleader for the Dallas Cowboys, and another time, she tries to convince Donna to go to Dallas with her and become a weathergirl. However, in another episode she claims she dislikes Texans.

In her spare time Jackie enjoys reading Nancy Drew mystery stories, reading them to Kelso to put him to sleep in the episode "Eric's Drunken Tattoo." In "Career Day" she says she feels like Nancy Drew after she changes a tire with the help of Red Forman.

That '70s Show

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