That 70s Show - Series 5 - Complete (DVD)

As my other reviews of That 70s Show DVD box sets may have shown, if you have read them before, I am an avid fan of this sitcom, set in that grand decade of peace and free loving: the '70s.

And season 5? Definitely one of the best.

== The Premise ==

That 70s Show revolves mostly around a group of six friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, which is situated in Wisconsin (which is real, incidentally). ...
.../> In its fifth year, That 70s Show is still going strong, and though - as I've mentioned in my review of the season four box set - much of the comedy is transposable, it still includes its 1970s look and feel and the jokes that will appeal to the veterans of the decades - fond mentions of Happy Days, the long-standing mystery of 'how many licks to the centre of a Tootsie Pop' and the children's lax attitude on drugs being just several instances.
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As my other reviews of That 70s Show DVD box sets may have shown, if you have read them before, I am an avid fan of this sitcom, set in that grand decade of peace and free loving: the '70s.

And season 5? Definitely one of the best.

The Premise

That 70s Show revolves mostly around a group of six friends living in the fictional town of Point Place, which is situated in Wisconsin (which is real, incidentally). This season takes place between 1978 and 1979, nearing the end of the decade.

In its fifth year, That 70s Show is still going strong, and though - as I've mentioned in my review of the season four box set - much of the comedy is transposable, it still includes its 1970s look and feel and the jokes that will appeal to the veterans of the decades - fond mentions of Happy Days, the long-standing mystery of 'how many licks to the centre of a Tootsie Pop' and the children's lax attitude on drugs being just several instances.

The Characters

As I said, the show revolves around six friends who are somewhat mismatched but hilarious to watch in their interactions: there's Eric, the Star Wars geek; Donna, the hot feminist redhead; Kelso, the dim-witted handsome guy; Hyde, the paranoid cool guy; Fez, the perverted foreign exchange student; and Jackie, the vain, shallow popular girl.

Of course, the show doesn't just revolve around these friends. Each episode features storylines with the main characters and usually storylines involving the parents of Eric and Donna. Red and Kitty are Eric's parents. Red is the war-veteran whose strictness is comically overbearing to Eric, whereas Kitty is the friendly nurse who is everyone's friend - and also, extremely upfront about uncomfortable issues with Eric, in some situations. Donna's parent is Bob (her mother left in a previous season), another dim-wit that causes no end of irritation to Red.

The Storyline

Season four took a massive departure from the usual formula of That 70s Show, and the original quite loose and overarchingly subtle storylines employed by That 70s Show were done away with for something more full blown that lasted the entire season. This season is much the same; following Donna and Casey's break-up at the end of season four, Donna runs to California, and Eric follows her to bring her home. The two reconcile after an entire season of being apart, and things are going great again. More than great, in fact - Eric asks Donna to marry him!

But the problem is, everyone is telling Eric and Donna they have to stop spending so much time on a 'high school romance' and think about their futures instead, causing them to cover their marriage up. How long can they keep things secret for?

Though Eric is the most forefront of the main cast, it is not just he who has an overarching storyline: the other characters are also thinking of their futures, and during this season Kelso decides to become a cop. But one person's future looks uncertain: Fez learns he's being deported as soon as he's graduated from high school!

The Humour

As ever, That 70s Show is easy to get into and find yourself laughing by - the jokes come thick and fast, and are a contrasting but still funny mix between 'gentle' comedy and more unclean adult comedy. It's unpredictable, making things that much better - you never know what's coming next.

The DVDs

The DVDs themselves (there are 4 of them) contain almost nine hours of footage, and that is mostly the episodes that comprise season five of the show. The special features are limited, but if you're anything like me they're worth watching once before being forgotten. Promo spots that aired before episodes are included with each episode (which aren't at all interesting unless you watch the spot before the episode - ruining the Play All option you might be tempted to pick when playing the DVDs), along with a couple of commentaries, a 'season five in five minutes' featurette (again, quite pointless after watching the season), and short interviews with two cast members - the actors who portray Hyde and Fez.

The menus are vibrant, easy to navigate and are full of that '70s feel presented by the show. Each also features the colour scheme and background of the DVD box itself - each season employs something different and the DVDs matching really tie them together nicely.

General

Again, this DVD box set is well worth getting. The show just keeps getting better and better.

Once thing I would complain about is the storyline heaviness. While the episodes here are good, I find myself missing the quite random episodes of the early seasons (1 and 2 especially), and that is one thing I would mark later seasons of the show down on.

Definitely worth having for the avid That 70s Show fan, or even just a casual watcher - though the storyline heaviness means you might be better off picking yourself up an earlier season before just jumping in. The special features are not a massive bonus, but that doesn't really matter.

In shops, expect this to be roughly £30, though a poke on Amazon tells me it's currently roughly £17 there new - and on offer to buy with season six for a discounted price. 

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