"It's a Wonderful Life" is the first episode of the fourth season of That '70s Show, and seventy-seventh episode overall. It aired on September 25, 2001.
Synopsis[]
After his breakup with Donna, Eric receives a visit from a guardian angel, who shows him the value of love.
Cast[]
Starring[]
- Topher Grace as Eric Forman
- Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart
- Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso
- Danny Masterson as Steven Hyde
- Laura Prepon as Donna Pinciotti
- Wilmer Valderrama as Fez
- Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty Forman
- Kurtwood Smith as Red Forman
- Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti (credit only)
- Tommy Chong as Leo Chingkwake (credit only)
Special Guest Star[]
- Wayne Knight as Angel
Guest Starring[]
- Jennifer Lyons as Pam Macy
- Cynthia Lamontagne as Rhonda Tate
Also Starring[]
- Trent Gill as Nerd
- Timmy Deters as Jake Forman
Trivia[]
- In alternate timeline, Eric and Kelso likely did not leave the gang like they did in the actual continuity during Season 8, as Eric went to become a teacher in Africa while Kelso went to Chicago for a job and to be closer to his daughter Betsy. Due to this, he did not have a daughter through Brooke in the alternate timeline either.
- Because he never moved in with the Formans, Hyde never meets his biological father or half-sister.
- In the 1980s alternate timeline, Fez performs "I Ran (So Far Away)" by A Flock of Seagulls, "Careless Whisper" by George Michael, "Don't Worry, Be Happy" by Bobby McFerrin, and "Everybody Have Fun Tonight" by Wang Chung.
- First appearance of Rhonda.
- Last appearance of Pam Macy.
- First and Last appearance of Angel.
- First and Last appearance of Jake Forman. (Alternate reality only)
- The transitions in this episode do not feature the usual the psychedelic-type patterns, but rather the backgrounds take place within the clouds and sky.
- In the alternate timeline, since Kelso and Pam stay together after prom, Kelso and Laurie’s relationship never happens.
Goofs[]
- In the flashback scenes to season one in the basement, you can see the smoke detector hung up by the door, even though Red didn't install the smoke detector until season three.
- Although the Angel shows Eric an alternate universe where Donna and Hyde are going to be married, neither Midge nor Bob can be seen at the ceremony.
- In 1983, it shows that Red and Kitty had another son name Jake who is at least six years old. This means he would have been born around 1977. However, Red and Kitty not only did not have anymore kids, but Kitty had menopause which prevented her from having another child.
- In the background of the scene in 1988, it says that they are the graduating class of 1979. However everyone (bar Jackie) graduated in 1978.
- Why is Jackie present at the ten year reunion when she graduated a year after the gang did? Unless she married someone in the class that never got revealed, there would be no reason for her to be there.
Timeline[]
The alternate timeline diverges from the end of "That '70s Pilot", in which Donna and Eric never dated. While having no real consequence on the world, the group and their future is heavily affected. Unlike in the regular timeline, on May 17, 1976 Donna chose not to kiss Eric, instead choosing to just go home. As a consequence, she came home to meet Hyde who was interested in her at the time, leading to them becoming a couple.
Eric Forman[]
As a result of his relationship with Donna, Eric became more confident and assertive towards his father's strict rulings. In this new timeline, he remains repressed and never stands up for himself, causing him to join the chess club in high school and as an adult sell waterbeds. This spills over into his first romantic relationship with Rhonda Tate. She is bossy, domineering and berates Eric, who doesn't protest but takes it despite how she consistently cheats on him. Their relationship continues well into their 20s, until Eric finally dumps Rhonda. He later meets her at an '88 Class Reunion, where she's changed completely. After the prime Eric tells the Angel how he still thinks the alternate Eric was lucky to not date Donna, the Angel enable the two Eric's to finally talk. After the prime Eric still refuses to listen, the alternate Eric's final appearance has him asking the Angel if there is any way he can help him, which the Angel replies by saying he can't.
Steven Hyde[]
His romance with Donna means that Hyde never moved in with the Formans due to not having the same kind of friendship with Eric as he did in the prime timeline, and as a result his rebellion becomes fully fledged, leaving him with a future entirely of his own creation. He and Donna stay together and get married in '83, while Donna is pregnant with their kid. It is revealed they had two more kids but he ends up going to prison. As a result, he isn't present at the '88 Class Reunion.
Michael Kelso[]
Michael and Jackie never got back together at the Prom and, as a result, Michael started dating Pam Macy, who he is married to in '83 at Hyde & Donna's wedding – although he flies off to have sex with Jackie, continuing his cheating teenage ways. Kelso is a news anchor, but at the '88 reunion revealed to have been fired from his position as he was doing the news in his underwear and drunk. He's now got a beer belly and is indicated to be drinking, but Jackie still wants him at the reunion, in spite of his marriage. Due to losing his job, he was forced to become Eric's employee but doesn't respect him or cares about his job.
Jackie Burkhart[]
Since Hyde never took Jackie to the Prom, she didn't reunite with Kelso and thus never became part of the group or friends with Donna. Jackie remains her early, shallow self and becomes a stewardess. However, because she never broke up with Kelso on her own she never moved on from her feelings for him and ended up still wanting him in '83 and '88, even when he had become a deadbeat selling waterbeds as an employee for Eric.
Donna Pinciotti[]
Donna and Hyde become a couple and Donna is a much less assertive, insecure woman, following Hyde's lead and getting tattoos for him, along with developing a similar personality. This indicates that Eric's belief in Donna's writing abilities and her future was a notable support in her life, especially when her parents divorced. She stays in a relationship with Hyde, although it is indicated that both do not benefit from their union, and they eventually marry at Bob's house in '83. At their high school reunion in '88, Donna meets Eric and tells him that Hyde is in prison and that she used to have a crush on Eric in high school, but never acted on it. In '88, it appears Donna has abandoned her former rebellious personality and has become upset with how her life has turned out, and appears to still have some lingering feelings for Eric despite having married Hyde and had his children.
Fez[]
Fez oddly enough stays mostly the same, following the fads of the times and performing 'I Ran' at the '88 reunion. He also sports A Flock of Seagulls hair when the gang sit in the circle in '83 at Donna & Hyde's wedding. Also, when compared to the lives of the other members of the group, Fez is the only one who seemed to be happy with how his life ended up, as he didn't appear to be upset or miserable as an adult. While Fez benefited from the heart and friendship of the group, it's clear that this did not develop without the union of Donna and Eric.
Kitty & Red Forman[]
Kitty has a late baby around 1977, who is much more like the son Red claims he always wanted. Unlike in the regular timeline, neither Red or Kitty developed a proper sense of respect for Eric when he is an adult, primarily due to still living with them. One important difference in this timeline is that Kitty, in a stark contrast to the main version, wants Eric out of the house unlike the main timeline Kitty, who doesn't want him to move away.
Jake Forman[]
Jake Forman is the son of Red and Kitty Forman who was presumably born around 1977. Despite his young age, Jake is already what Red always wanted in a son, being tough and strong unlike Eric. Because of his birth, Kitty also began to stop babying Eric and move her affections onto Jake. Because of this, Jake's birth removes the relationship Eric had with his parents and further prevented him from improving it. At 6 years old at Donna & Hyde's wedding in '83, Jake Forman is seen kicking his older brother in the shins, which Red applauds, seeming much more like the stereotypical jock type.
Pam Macy[]
In the alternate timeline, Pam Macy continued her relationship with Michael Kelso since he took her to the school prom, which led to them to be already married in 1983 at Donna and Hyde's wedding. While still being married to Kelso in '88 despite how he has failed in life, is appears she doesn't care about how Kelso cheated on her with Jackie Burkhart over the years even telling him to meet her in the car after stops being a pig.
Rhonda Tate[]
As a result of not dating Donna, Eric asked Rhonda to the dance. This began their doomed relationship, with Rhonda being the more assertive and mean of the two, sleeping with him but then cheating on him. This relationship continued when they were adults but ended when Eric dumped her after gaining nerve. Ironically, this convinced Rhonda to change how she lives her life, resulting in her being a thin and attractive woman at the '88 Class Reunion. She thanks Eric for his indirect part in this.