That '70s Finale

"Hey, guys! Last one upstairs... has to call Red a dumbass!”

—Eric, third to last line of the series

That '70s Finale
Season	8
Episode	22
Credits
Air date	May 18, 2006
Writer	Gregg Mettler
Director	David Trainer
Episodes
Previous	"Love of My Life"
Next	"That '90s Pilot"

"That '70s Finale" is the twenty-second and final episode of the eighth season of That '70s Show, and the two-hundreth and final episode overall. It aired on May 18, 2006.

Synopsis

Donna prepares for college; Kelso returns to ring in the 1980's, with his friends.

Cast

Main Cast

• Mila Kunis as Jackie Burkhart
• 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
• Josh Meyers as Randy Pearson
• Don Stark as Bob Pinciotti
• Tommy Chong as Leo

Special Guest Star

• Ashton Kutcher as Michael Kelso

Uncredited

• Topher Grace as Eric Forman

Quotes

"It turns out that Red was right: I am a dumbass”

—Eric

Kelso – Did you just kiss my ear?

Fez – A little.

Kelso – I liked it.

Trivia

• Topher Grace makes his only Season 8 appearance.
• Grace was not revealed to the studio audience until his first scene was set to shoot. He had to wear a wig for his scenes as he had cut his hair short for his role in Spider-Man 3.
• The ending of the series may leave it ambiguous whether Eric and Donna get back together. But the Complete Series Collectors Book and the sequel series That '90s Show both confirm that they have gotten back together.
  • It's also unknown whether Donna actually goes to college or not.
• Randy is the only main character not seen at the Forman's New Year's Eve Party, mainly because a majority of the fans of the show hated him and it would've been awkward if he and Eric met because both had dated Donna. He also has just one scene in the episode.
• This episode along with "Love of My Life" brought in 10 million viewers on the original airing, the highest rated episode of the season.
• This episode is the highest rated episode on IMDB.
• The credits featured the exact the same end credits scene from the pilot.
• The end of this episode is the only time in the series where the basement is shown completely empty.
• Unlike the broadcast airing, the Netflix version did include the opening credits sequence.
• As of this episode, the only characters that have appeared in every episode of the series are Jackie, Hyde, Donna, Fez, Kitty, and Red.
  • With That 90s Show premiered in 2023, Red and Kitty are the only characters to appear in every episode of both series, at least so far, overall.
• This episode marks Hyde's final appearance, as Danny Masterson didn't return for the revival due to rape allegations against him.
  • This is also Randy's last appearance. Considering the amount of hate he gets, it's unlikely Josh Meyers will reprise his role in That 90s Show.
  • Until That 90s Show, which premiered 16 and a half years after this series finale aired, this was the last appearance of the entire main cast.
    • Only (former) main cast members who didn't show up in the finale is Lisa Robin Kelly and Tanya Roberts, both of whom since passed away.
• This was the only Season 8 episode to not be named after a song by Queen, and the first episode title since Season 4's "Love, Wisconsin Style" to not be named after any song from a 1970's band.
• Laura Prepon was extremely distraught throughout the entire shooting of the finale. Her emotions were so high that she struggled to make it through her scenes. In fact, much of her crying was her actual feelings and was unscripted.
• The flashback montages use scenes from the following episodes:
  • Red's memories of his threats:
    • Bohemian Rhapsody (to Hyde and Fez for smoking in his basement)
    • (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction (to Eric for vandalizing the muffler shop)
    • That '70s Musical (to Eric, Hyde, and Fez as a way to wish them good night; actually a day dream by Fez)
    • Fez Dates Donna (to Bob during a property dispute)
    • I Can See for Miles (to Kelso after he tries borrowing Red's car without permission)
    • Sally Simpson (to Eric when he makes a joke about Red's heart)
    • 5:15 (to Hyde after he drills a hole in the floor)
    • On With the Show (to Eric when he justifies his laziness yet again)
  • Hyde's memories of people falling from the water tower:
    • Immigrant Song (Kelso)
    • Water Tower (Fez)
    • Too Old to Trick or Treat, Too Young to Die (Eric)
    • Bohemian Rhapsody (Charlie)
    • Water Tower (Kelso)
    • Time Is on My Side (Eric)
    • The Seeker (Hyde)
    • Bohemian Rhapsody (Kelso)
  • Hyde's memories of hitting Kelso:
    • Misty Mountain Hop (in Jackie's cabin)
    • Hyde Moves In (in the back of the Vista Cruiser)
    • Eric's Depression (in Eric's bedroom)
    • I'm Free (in the driveway)
    • What Is and What Should Never Be (at the DMV)
    • No Quarter (in Donna's room)
    • Join Together (in the driveway)
    • Celebration Day (in the kitchen)
    • Gimme Shelter (in the basement)
    • 2000 Light Years From Home (in the basement)
    • Sparks (in the driveway)
    • A New Hope (in space; actually part of Eric's dream)
    • Black Dog (in the basement)
  • Donna's memories of Eric:
    • Eric's Birthday (on the porch)
    • Short and Curlies (in Donna's room)
    • Eric's Panties (at the Hub)
    • Going To California (in Kelso's van)
    • Prom Night (slow-dancing at the prom)
    • That '70s Pilot (in the basement)
    • That Disco Episode (on the porch)
    • I'm a Boy (in Eric's bedroom)
    • Thank You (in the basement)
    • Eric's Stash (in the woods)
    • That '70s Pilot (their first kiss)
• Exceptionally, the DVD versions of this episode keep the song "Thirteen" by Big Star, which the show uses as a theme of Eric and Donna's romance. All other occurrences of this song (for instance, in "The Promise Ring" or "It's a Wonderful Life") have been replaced with an instrumental theme on most, if not all, DVD releases.

Mentions of Eric

• One of the subplots sees the Formans and Donna wait for Eric to come home, only for him to miss his flight.
• Eric sporadically appears in various montages of flashbacks shown throughout the episode.
• The final montage is of Donna's memories of dating Eric.
• After said montage, Eric finally appears in person.

Goofs

• Although more of a conscious choice by the episode's authors than an actual goof, three of the four flashback montages cannot possibly match the memories of the person remembering them:
  • The montage of Red's memories of threatening people includes a scene from Fez's fantasy. Similarly, the montage of Hyde's memories of hitting Kelso includes a moment from Eric's Star Wars-themed dream.
  • Half of the scenes in the montage of Hyde's memories of people falling from the water tower do not include Hyde himself, meaning he couldn't have witnessed the fall.
  • The only montage that makes complete sense is the one of Donna's memories of Eric.

Photos