That ’70s Show: The Complete Fourth Season DVD

That '70s Show
Cast: Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher
Studio: Fox
Rating: 7/10

CORPORATE LINE: Fondly commemorating and gently poking fun at the trends, fashions, and attitudes that made the decade of the 1970s so distinct, THAT 70S SHOW chronicles the rites of passage of a group of teens growing up in the Wisconsin suburbs. Eric Forman (Topher Grace, OCEAN’S TWELVE, WIN A DATE WITH TAD HAMILTON) lives with his parents, his no-nonsense dad Red and his somewhat loopy mother Kitty, and hangs out with his sometimes girlfriend Donna, cheerleader Jackie, hunky Kelso, conspiracy theorist Hyde, and the clueless exchange student Fez. The show revolves around the ever-shifting social dynamics of the teens and their families, and despite the silliness of the sitcom situations, the show touches on serious issues (absent fathers, martial problems), and at times creates a surprising poignancy. In the fourth season of the popular show, Donna and Eric deal with their recent breakup, get depressed, battle for custody of their friends, start dating other people, and occasionally slip back into some of their old habits.

THE REVIEW:
Eric and Donna are the cornerstone of the fourth season. This season starts off with one of the show’s best episodes “It’s A Wonderful Life” in which Eric is worried about his relationship with Donna and wishes they never kissed. As with the film, Eric gets a guardian angel that happens to be the hilarious Wayne Knight. The break-up plotline continues through the season and never wears thin. It would have been easy to run the topic into the ground, but it never gets old because it expands new narratives.

THE EPISODES:

Disc 1
• “It’s A Wonderful Life” and Promo
• “Eric’s Depression” and Promo
• “Pinciotti Vs. Forman” and Promo
• “Hyde Gets The Girl” and Promo
• “Bye-Bye Basement” and Promo
• “The Relapse” and Promo
• “Uncomfortable Ball Stuff” and Promo

Disc 2
• “Donna’s Story” and Promo
• “The Forgotten Son” and Promo
• “Red & Stacey” and Promo
• “The Third Wheel” and Promo
• “An Eric Forman Christmas” and Promo
• “Jackie Says Cheese” and Promo
• “Eric’s Hot Cousin” and Promo

Disc 3
• “Tornado Prom” and Promo
• “Donna Dates A Kelso” and Promo
• “Kelso’s Career” and Promo
• “Leo Loves Kitty” and Promo
• “Jackie’s Cheese Squeeze” and Promo
• “Class Picture” and Promo
• “Prank Day” and Promo

Disc 4
• “Eric’s Corvette Caper” and Promo
• “Hyde Birthday” and Promo
• “That ‘70s Musical” and Promo
• “Eric’s False Alarm” and Promo
• “Everybody Loves Casey” and Promo
• “Love Wisconsin Style” and Promo
• Season 4 In 4 Minutes Featurette
• Writing That ‘70s Show Featurette
• 100th Episode Featurette
• Character Profiles

THE EXTRAS:
Disc four offers a few extras including “Season 4 In 4 Minutes” and character profiles. There are commentaries by director David Trainer on a few of the episodes he directed.

FRANKLY: The fourth season continued on the show’s ability to get better with each season.

+ Charlie Craine


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