That 70's Show - Season Three

I’ve now seen the first three seasons of That 70’s Show, thanks to these DVD boxed sets. I’ve watched each episode, in order, from the beginning. One thing I can say for this show is that it has been consistent through these first few seasons. The writing, direction, acting, and characters have all been basically the same.

By the end of season three, I still enjoyed this show, even though there is very little character development. This is not a show where there are major plot developments in each episode. There are some changes in the storyline, but once they occur the audience is reminded with just about every episode thereafter. You could easily skip over a couple of episodes and not miss out on anything major because the show makes the character’s relationships pretty obvious.

That being said, this season actually ends on a pretty big cliffhanger. I don’t know how it will play into the fourth season, but it should be very interesting. The previous season also ended on a cliffhanger, and it was followed up in the early episodes of this season. It is sort of a gimmick that the producers wait until the very last episode to plant the hook for next season, but it did work.

The DVD extras are presented in a unique way on this boxed set. With each episode, you are given the choice of watching a promo or introduction from one of the cast members. When the cast members introduce the episode, they often include some trivia about how it was filmed or tell a funny story about something that happened on set. Some of the actors give away spoilers, so be warned.

One thing I really noticed in this season was the rather sloppy way in which various cast members, even guest stars, would look at the camera or off screen during scenes. It would happen most often at the end of a scene, right before a camera cut. I don’t know if that is from sloppy direction, poor editing, or just the result of the rush to complete the filming. The more I looked for these glances, the more I noticed them. Watch for yourself.

Since the second season ended with Hyde (Danny Masterson) getting arrested, the first three episodes in this season address what became of that. He has some issues with Red (Kurtwood Smith) and we even get to meet his real deadbeat father, played by Robert Hayes. After getting that out of the way, the two main plotlines in this season involve the reluctant getting back together of Jackie (Mila Kunis) and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher), and also the sometimes rocky relationship of Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon).

This season had several stand-out episodes, including the Halloween show that was also a bit of a Hitchcock tribute. Toward the end of the season, there were two of the best episodes back to back. The first involved the boys going up to Canada to buy beer, and they are stopped by Mounties on the way back. One of the Mounties is played by Dave Thomas, who sort of makes a tribute to his famous role in Strange Brew and even calls of the boys a ‘hoser’. The next episode features a cameo by 70’s rocker Ted Nugent, and he even plays a little guitar.

Season Three is a great addition to That 70’s Show and I enjoyed every episode. I liked how it balances the episodes in a way that each character gets to be the focus for a little while. If you haven’t seen any of this show, you should definitely check it out.