That 70's Show

That 70's Show

Episode 10: Sunday, Bloody Sunday

Episode 11: Eric's Buddy

By: Carlos Uribe

That 70's Show is a series about a group of teenagers growing up in the 70's. It aired from 1998 to 2006.

Spoilers Ahoy!

“Sunday, Bloody Sunday” is an episode that features Bernice. Bernice is Red's mother and Eric's grandmother that the previous episode had built up. The series had it easy. It had already established the character and her relationships with the rest of the family. She's someone who doesn't like Kitty and is hard to be around. The series also had it hard. If the character didn't live up to the hype then it had the potential of hurting this episode. This was an episode that in order to work, the series would have to ensure that Bernice lived up to expectations without drowning the rest of the episode. At least, that's what I thought coming in. This is an episode that managed to work even though Bernice ended up being a disappointment. This is because of the chaos that she brought to the universe of our characters regardless. It's a bit difficult to put into words but I think that a scene sums it up. All of the characters are shown in the basement. Eric and his friends are used to being there, but Kitty and Red are forced to retreat there. Red is able to watch his Packers game away from his overbearing mother while Kitty merely sits down in defeat. It's an awkward scene for Eric and friends but it's one that works: Bernice is able to bring almost everyone together. The one exception is Fez, whom she's able to connect to rather easily.

There was more to the episode than to Bernice's visit to the Forman home. There's nothing more that Eric wants than to be able to do his report and for there to be peace in his family. When he's at Church, he prays that he's able to have both. His wish for peace is also exemplified by a fantasy scenario that involves Hyde presenting what Eric desires his family to be and the reality of it. The episode does have the grandmother leaving happily and his friends attempt to help him out with his report. In a lot of shows and movies, a great way to bring conflict is to have a character decide to quit smoking right when crisis is about to hit. In this case, it's Kitty. She decided to quit that day and this is difficult for her. Bernice stresses her out and Kitty's need to smoke rises exponentially throughout the episode. This is what brings her to the basement in that scene-the need to smoke a cigarette. The episode managed to get a lot of comic mileage out of her desire to not smoke but then her breaking down. “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” is an episode that managed to work because it showed Bernice's effect on the entire family even if the character itself disappoints.

“Eric's Buddy” is different. It features a young Joseph Gordon-Levitt. The show doesn't really give his character a name. He goes by the name of Buddy. Buddy is Eric's new lab partner who has a sweet car. The two instantly connect and become best friends. Eric hangs out with Buddy so much that he neglects his old friends. Hyde and Kelso are forced to walk to the Foreman garage because they depend on Eric to give them a ride. Eric even forgets to call Donna at one time. This is when the plot twist comes: Eric reveals that he's confused about the status of his relationship with Donna. It's not clear if they're officially dating but they have made out several times before. While the viewer is aware of the situation, Buddy isn't. He takes the wrong signs and assumes that because Eric is confused it must be a different kind of confusion. Buddy assumes that Eric is gay and makes a move on him. Eric rejects him and hilarity supposedly ensues. Don't worry: the two remain lab partners and friends at the end of the episode.

While this is all going on, Red is having problems being a salesman. He's the kind of person that likes to do his research before going out and buying stuff. It comes as a shock to him when customers show up and reveal that all they know what they want is the color. He's having a hard time connecting with people until Kitty makes him realize something. These people might not do their research but Red can be the one who tells them the features. This helps him become a better salesman and Bob isn't going to be forced to fire him. This episode featured a strong sub-plot even though the main-plot didn't really work that well. This helped to create an episode that while it wasn't that good, was still watchable and had it's moments.