Posted on 11/02/2005 10:33:42 AM PST by Chi-townChief
In tonight's episode of Fox's "That '70s Show," almost everybody gets stoned. Again. That's how you can tell "That '70s Show" is still stuck in the spirit of the "Me Decade." If the characters were to live it up '80s-style, they'd all be snorting coke and wearing yellow Izods.
You can't really blame the writers of the show (7 p.m., WFLD-Channel 32) for holding off the "Decade of Greed." If you had to pick between living forever in the late '70s or the early '80s, the Carter years would be your winner. Politicians living in a state of red-baiting moneyism might opt for the go-go Reagan years. But they'd have to be high to make that margin call.
The late '70s was about mellowing out, getting laid and watching "MASH" and good movies. The early '80s was about buying stocks, lovingly conditioning the leather seats of your bitchin' Honda Prelude, and wearing argyle sweater vests. That's not even a fair fight.
That said, "That '70s Show" may have run its tie-dye course. It's been kind of an amusing sitcom. But tonight's hourlong eighth-season premiere is saddled with the chore of keeping the ensemble cast busy while making up for the exit of lead actor Topher Grace, who has played the pothead ringleader Eric.
With Eric gone as a regular character, distractions abound. Someone gets punched; someone dies; a stripper paints her toenails in the kitchen. The episode doesn't reek. I laughed two little laughs, chuckled twice and smiled three times. I kept count. Basically, an hour passes without incident.
Also, there is a serious logistical discrepancy. The mom, Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp), gets baked on buds, making her see walls rock as if they were storm-tossed ships. This is filmed funny. But she also thinks people's heads are super big, atop squiggly bodies. Methinks she dropped acid and PCP, too, because that is not a pot high, dudes. Get your drug interactions straight.
If "That '70s Show" is more quickly passing into the great hereafter of creativity, it deserves credit for having provided more humor than most sitcoms, and for being cast well. Some of the actors are making strides elsewhere.
*Grace is scheduled to play a villain in "Spider-Man 3," after turning in critically acclaimed performances in "Traffic" and "In Good Company."
*Ashton Kutcher -- who will appear this season in only some episodes, including tonight's -- hooked up with Demi Moore and made a name for himself, as himself, in MTV's prank-pulling "Punk'd." Then again, he was in the movies, "Dude, Where's My Car?" (eh), "Just Married" (chafe) and "Cheaper by the Dozen" (I think I'm gonna be sick).
*And Wilmer Valderrama presumably engaged in the steamier methods of animal husbandry with Lindsay Lohan when he was briefly her boyfriend, as noted wildly in the media for about five minutes, a million tabloid-years ago.
Maybe the show that made them stars and semi-stars will keep growing, like a sticky stalk of herb in a high schooler's closet. I wouldn't count on it. But better that than a mirror and a razor blade. The '80s can go binge-drink some bong water.
mailto:delfman@suntimes.com
I remember the exact same as you do.
Well that's good. Thanks :)
Good stuff.
nah, red's in business for himself now. Plus he left the union when he went to work for price mart.
Not really. I hardly ever listen to "classic" rock stations. I like quite a bit of the hard music out there today: Linkin Park, POD, Boy Sets Fire, Sevendust, etc. Great to crank up while writing code.
Well, he was a union lacky and blamed his job status on Ford... kinda goofy is all.
I liked the Remember the 60s issue that came out near the end of '72.
well, that was in the beginning...and ford was no treasure anyway.
Quite frankly, I could like without most of them although I do still kind of like the Dan of Steel and some earlier Floyd. The Clash, The Cars, Tom Petty, Squeeze, The B-52s, Big Country, Dire Straits, The Cure, U2, and REM all rocked in the early / mid-80s although they're mostly a-holes now both musically and politically. And Split Enz "I Got You" is still one of the oddly great rock numbers.
No way did the 50s rock. Hell, they didn't even get interesting til somewhere around 58. The 60s rocked. But the 70s rule and that's all there is to it. If you look around, you will see that the decade that is still drawing ppl in is the 70s. Plain and simple. I dont think I've seen too many poodle skirts or pompadours lately, or parachute pants.
The only thing close to the humor of that magazine was Spy Magazine.
I turned 16 in 1970, and I cannot imagine anyone my age ever watching 'That '70s Show'.
I know I never had the slightest interest in seeing it.
Didn't they say the same thing when Friends ended... the only future the Friends cast has had has been in People magazine and the tabloids.
The 50s had Chuck Berry, Elvis, Little Richard, Jerry Lee, Carl Perkins, Ray Charles, and all those great doo-wop groups for starters. The 70s had the BeeGees and the Starland Vocal Band.
Well Ashton Kutcher got to bonk Demi Moore out of the deal...which will end up being his legacy, no doubt...
Just hope they don't name the result Scout II.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.
