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"I love.cake." - Eric Forman (Topher Grace) after girlfriend Donna (Laura Prepon) declares her love for him

That '70s Show: Season Two Quick Take

Just Like Our Regular Reviews. Only Smurf-sized.

By A.J. Carson

Ah, the 1970s - shag haircuts, avocado-colored kitchen décor, and miles of synthetic fabrics. Now DVD fans can revisit the hideous highs and lows of the Disco Decade with That '70s Show: Season Two, and in the process they won't even have to suffer from itching caused by wearing petroleum-based clothing. That '70s Show's second season is often as funny as the first, but it lost some of its sweetness along the way. This time around, the focus is almost solely on sex as the teenage pals at the center of the show become involved in soap opera-worthy shenanigans. After declaring their love, Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon) evolve from cuddling in Eric's bed to having sex in the back of his Vista Cruiser. Moronic Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) cheats on his equally moronic girlfriend Jackie (The Family Guy's Mila Kunis) with Eric's sexpot older sister Laurie (Lisa Robin Kelly), leading to a season-long love triangle. Horny exchange student Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) is still constantly on the lookout for sex, but never quite succeeds in finding it. Only Hyde (Danny Masterson) seems immune to sexual fever, mostly because of his new job at the mysteriously smoked-filled Fotohut, where he works for zonked-out hippie Leo (Tommy Chong). Even the adults get in on the act. Donna's parents, Bob (Don Stark) and Midge (Charlie's Angels' Tanya Roberts) break up, see other people, and then reconcile when they realize that they miss having steamy sex with each other. And Eric's parents? Hot-headed Red (Kurtwood Smith) and sweet Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) would LOVE to have sex.if only they could find room in their rapidly-filling home. The characters may not be as easy to like in season two, but the series still knows how to provoke laughs ("Jackie, get in the van!"), and the strong cast manages to sell even the weakest of scripts. Eagle-eyed viewers will also enjoy picking out appearances by '70s-era celebs, including singer Paul Anka, The Carol Burnett Show's Lyle Waggoner, Soap's Jay Johnson, Three's Company's Jenilee Harrison and Richard Kline, The Newlywed Game's Bob Eubanks, and Bond girls Barbara Carrera and Maud Adams. (Younger viewers will have to make do with Clarissa Explains It All's Melissa Joan Hart.)

Video and Audio

The episodes look and sound just as good as those in That '70s Show: Season One.

The episodes are closed captioned and feature separate English subtitles.

Extras

All of the season's 26 episodes were directed by David Trainer. The helmer offers commentary on three of them: "Halloween," "Hunting," and "Cat Fight Club." Nothing here will be of vital interest to the show's average fans.

"Season One: A Look Back" (4:58) on disc one is a clip compilation that, well, looks back at the show's first season. Some of the clips are funny, but it isn't like That '70s Show requires a lot of background information to keep up from season to season.

Six of the episodes - "Kelso's Serenade," "Jackie Moves On," "Holy Crap!," "Red Fired Up," "Cat Fight Club," and "Moon Over Point Place" - include "Behind-the-Scenes Webisodes." These featurettes run about seven minutes each and provide a glimpse at what happens during the taping of the show. The webisodes are too freeform to provide a lot of information, but fans will appreciate seeing the cast and crew at work.

Finally, the title of disc four's "Season Two Featurette: A Talk with Director David Trainer" (12:58) is pretty much self-explanatory. Trainer discusses the series while clips from individual shows illustrate his points. Nothing exciting, but worth a look.

Summary

So That '70s Show: Season Two doesn't quite live up to its first season - it still manages, at worst, to be a fun time-waster. And with its colorful packaging and groovy menus, this boxed set is sure to please fans of Fox's long-running sitcom.

4/8/05