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.
How helpful would this review be to a person making a buying decision? Rating guidelines
Comedy - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: Tessa Peake-Jones, Buster Merryfield, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst
Comedy - Director: Tony Dow - Original Language: English - Classification: 12 years and over - Starring: John Challis, David Jason, Nicholas Lyndhurst, Tessa Peake-Jones, Gwyneth Strong
Great review. Really captured the essence of the show.
ladyofsorrow 26.03.2008 21:19
Nicely organised and informative review. Lol can't imagine Kelso as a cop. I remember when my mum first saw him on the show, she said he's going to be famous and next thing you know he's with Ms. Moore and has his own show with movies lined up. She did the same with Pierce Brosnan in Mrs. Doubtfire, she said he should be the next Bond and hey presto lol. But anyway, in regards to storylines I know what you mean but most series tend to start out with episodes that don't relate to each other and then develop re-occurring themes. It's like an introduction and then they go with what they think will be popular or where they think the show is naturally headed. When character's gain fanbases many people want to see what will happen to them in their lives but yes that can make it difficult for people who start watching later on.
headcase44 26.03.2008 20:33
Very good review....... If only I spent less time on Ciao I might have time to watch DVD's. Thanks. J.
The complete fifth season of the '70's-inspired cult comedy series That '70s Show. Flash ... more
on back to the swinging '70s where there's a whole lotta love going around in the gang's senior year. Jackie is secretly making out with Hyde even though she sti...
Postage & Packaging: £0.00 Availability: 3-5 working days
After the somewhat dramatic conclusion ofThat '70s Show'sfourth season, which saw Donna ... more
(Laura Prepon) and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) head to California, the fifth season (2002-2003) opens on a cheerier note, with Donna and Eric (Topher Grace) reuniting af...
Postage & Packaging: free Super Saver Delivery Availability: Usually dispatched within 24 hours...
After the somewhat dramatic conclusion ofThat '70s Show'sfourth season, which saw Donna ... more
(Laura Prepon) and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) head to California, the fifth season (2002-2003) opens on a cheerier note, with Donna and Eric (Topher Grace) reuniting af...
Postage & Packaging: £1.21 Availability: Usually dispatched within 1-2 business days...
Flash on back to the swinging '70s where there's a whole lotta love going around in the ... more
gang's senior year. Jackie is secretly making out with Hyde even though she still has the hots for Kelso. But Eric and Donna soon have a bigger secret after Eric gi...
![That 70s Show Season 5 [DVD]](http://picnicb.ciao.com/uk/78101683.jpg "That 70s Show Season 5 [DVD]")
very helpful by (100%):
