The Stupid Helmet

I think the writers should've (re)written that episode better. They were scrambling. Season 8 had been greenlit. Scripts were being rewritten with a very short deadline because the episode production / filming schedule wasn't put on hold.

Eric needed a career focus because the original series finale likely had him and Donna leaving together for college. Now, Eric was going to leave the show on his own at the end of season 7.

The story editor (who's supposed to keep track of character and story consistency) in S6 seemed to fail to remember Jackie should graduate in S6. The showrunners and none of the other producers or writers remembered either. So Jackie's graduation is shoehorned into an episode that's really about Eric and creating foreshadowed for the rewritten S7 finale.

I don't blame Hyde for his completely OOC attitude. He's consistent about his moral code in too many episodes throughout the series. If he makes a promise, he keeps it. Otherwise, he doesn't promise. In-character Hyde never would've promised to go to the party if he didn't want to go. And in-character Hyde would've gone to that party despite his anticipated discomfort because he loves Jackie.

Donna, too, is written poorly. She corroborates Hyde's OOC attitude with her own OOC attitude toward Jackie.

I mean her dad going to jail and her mom leaving her would definitely be something she’d have to grow from. I don’t think Hyde should get as much credit as he does…..

It just rubs me the wrong way when people make it out to seem like Jackie would have continued to be this snobby and rude person without Hyde.

She would have grown up at some point or another. I think a lot of times people also forget that in season 1-5 she was a child like 15 or six so obviously when she grows up (she would be older during the seasons she dated Hyde) she would be more mature

Jackie grows and changes throughout the series. Often with support or advice from friends, but that's not uncommon for any of the teens on T7S.

In season 1, Jackie acts like a servant to Kelso in "That Wrestling Show" because she's afraid that he'll lose interest in her now that they've had sex. Donna witnesses her uncharacteristic behavior and disabuses Jackie of her fears. Jackie, confident again, te erts back to type.

Also in season 1, Jackie dumps Kelso after her pregnancy scare. "The Pill" doesn't actually make clear her motive for doing so. One can infer that she realizes that he's not going to become the savvy, rich business man she wants him to be. The pregnancy scare makes her reevaluate her future if she stays with him, but this conjecture.

Donna teaches Jackie about the Pill, and Jackie becomes more responsible sexually because of that and the scare.

"Prom Night" (1x19) is the first significant shift in her character. She's gone from being disgusted by the fact "Gross" Edna the lunch lady is Hyde's mom to asking if Hyde wants her to go inside his house to meet his mom. She puts her discomfort aside to show Hyde respect. She and Hyde both see the other as fully human in this episode, a major change for their dynamic. Treat each other as fully human instead of antagonistically.

Truth is, Jackie and Hyde are the biggest catalysts for each other's growth on the show. But they're not each other's only catalysts. Jackie has epiphanies through her own emotional awareness. She and Donna teach each other, too. Donna tells Jackie to earn money herself once Jackie's dad cuts her off financially (for dating Kelso again). Through her job, she learns the value of hard work and a paycheck.

In season 7's "On With the Show," she learns she doesn't need a man to be successful.

Mrs. Forman gives Jackie the benefit of her wisdom, mostly about Jackie's relationship with Hyde.

Hyde's growth is largely through his relationship with Jackie (both romantic and platonic). But Kelso's provocation makes Hyde reevaluate his own behavior. Red, Kitty, Eric, and Donna all give Hyde important guidance and spark epiphanies -- about all aspects of his life.

Without Hyde, Jackie would've grown but not as quickly (in my estimation). Soulmate relationships, in my belief, aren't just unicorns and rainbows. They're growth catalysts. Just as the connection runs deeper, so do the emotional challenges. Because of the love and, hopefully, trust between soulmates (of all kinds), they more willing to push through emotional resistance. Or more inspired / incentivised to get reality checks and work on themselves.

He is my favorite character. He has so many layers and depth, and I think he's quite complex. So, was curious what might be the characteristic or trait (s) that you like and enjoy writing about?

And I have read Hyde's Long Way Home several times, because he is my favorite character! So, so, so many layers in that one! Swoon!

First, thank you! I'm happy you enjoy Hyde's Long Way Home so much! 😊

My favorite aspect of him is his drive to help the vulnerable -- friend, stranger, and someone he might actively dislike -- at his own expense and welfare while also needing to protect his own vulnerable heart from being hurt. He's self-sacrificing yet deflects his true motives so as not to be taken advantage of. The sacrifice must be his choice, not forced upon him.

Once Eric and Donna catch Jackie and Hyde making out in "I Can't Quit You Baby (5x02), and they see Hyde move from his chair to sit next to Jackie in the basement couch, they know.

Eric (to Hyde): You care about her.

That happens in the second episode of season 5. Jackie and Hyde convince Eric and Donna they're wrong, that it's just a fling. But Hyde tells Eric himself in "Heartbreaker" (5x04) that he (Hyde) is going to be dating Jackie "a while". Hyde uses the word dating and the phrase a while. This prompts Eric and Donna to insist he tell Kelso since they know now Hyde and Jackie are in a relationship.

Yes, I ❤️ your work...yea I do!

Aren't you sweet? Thank you! 🤗♥️🤗♥️

The first That '70s Show story I wrote and posted is Reflections Through the Glass.

The most recent That '70s Show story I posted is The Understudy.

I've written three more T7S stories so far (that need revision).

One Difference: Donna Gives Hyde and Jackie the Led Zeppelin Tickets

One Difference: Fez Is Buddy Morgan's Lab Partner

Those Who Play with Demons -- a complex epic that surpasses the chapter count of Jackie Stargazer. A story I began working on in 2014.

Jackie would be all over social media and texting. She'd become an influencer.

I know people in their eighties, who a) look at least twenty years younger and b) are functionally decades younger than their chronological age. They text plenty (and understand cute apps, no problem) and are on social media. So Jackie/Hyde being in their forties or fifties? They'd have no problem using the technology. Forty and fifty ain't that old (although nine-year-olds think seventeen is old, so it's all relative, lol).

Hyde is super private, so he'd be using a VPN and NoScript, etc. He'd either be a passive observer or comment on all the things he disagrees with. He wouldn't engage with trolls. He's too Zen for that. At some point, he'd realize he's burning himself out emotionally and making no difference and stop.

Texting-wise, he'd be so minimal. No emojis. His texting vocab would essentially be:

Yup

No

Ok

Sup

Later

The first to that pop into my head is 1) making him smoke a whole pack of cigarettes.

2)red constantly shows that he with holds words of affection or encouragement because he doesn’t want Eric to get to “soft”. This would be emotional neglect. I mean could you imagine your parents speaking down to you constantly?

3) he constantly belittles Eric in-fount of his friend’s using embarrassment as a form of punishment

Yeah, that counts imo. 😄 It's not new, and I think one can reasonably interpret Red's behavior that way. In fact, I agree that Red's parenting style borders on the abusive at times, but "Hunting" (S2) explores the source of Red's treatment of Eric, and they end up understanding each other more after that episode.

The smoking a whole carton of cigarettes thing is very old. It was a common practice of parents for decades. Not saying it's right; just pointing out Red isn't unique in using this method.

Most of Red's emotions are expressed as anger. This is not uncommon in adults who were raised in households where anger was the only acceptable emotion to express. Red describes his father as someone who was essentially a brick wall. He shipped Red off to the navy as soon as Red was of age.

Kitty brings out the compassion in Red the easiest. Red's capable of emotionally connecting with Eric and giving him empathy, which be does in vital episodes. He dies the sane with Hyde, Fez, Kelso (season 1), and Jackie. Red abd Donna, interestingly, have the least significant relationship development or interactions (where the teens are concerned).

During season 5, I wouldn't doubt Hyde had stress dreams like the one you described. But S5 shows us how Hyde acts and reacts to his insecurity about Jackie's relationship with him re: Kelso. Clearly (writer intention is irrelevant), the events of S2-S3 created a wound in Hyde that Jackie used him to get over Kelso while Hyde developed actual feelings for him. In S5, this wound deepens into a fear that Jackie's using Hyde to get back at (and ultimately with) Kelso.

All the above is related to the abuse Hyde experienced from his parents (Bud and Edna) through birth to seventeen-years-old.

I'd have to remove the enhanced passive-aggressiveness T7S added to Hyde's character in S5 (to make him sleeping with the nurse seem plausible). Then I could write a more consistent, in-character Hyde than the show did.

Hyde has that nightmare. Jackie isn't the person Hyde would go to. He'd be on edge, and Eric would notice. Hyde would try to dismiss Eric's observation, but Eric knows Hyde too well.

Hyde: Yeah, okay. You ever have a dream where Donna cheats on you with Casey Kelso?

Eric: Have you been reading my diary -- I mean, what diary? Journal. I don't have a journal. What was the question?

Hyde: Got it. So when you have those kind of dreams, what do you do about 'em?

Eric: I hug Donna and make out with her a little. Casey's not an actual threat, you know?

Hyde: What if he were?

Eric: What's that supposed to mean?

Hyde: Say he popped back into town and apologized to Donna for dumping her. A real apology, man. They start talkin', and it's a little more than friendly --

Eric (beginning to freak out): Hold on. Did that happen? Are Donna and Casey taking to each other?

Hyde: Not that I know of.

Eric: Then why'd you even go there?

Hyde (grins and slaps Eric's knee): Nothing like a good burn in the morning.

Hyde is experiencing conflicting emotions. He wants to trust Jackie, but he can't shake the fear that she doesn't really love him. His own wounds and his earlier history with Jackie drive this conflict. But he's also able to reason. He goes through his memories of every attempt Kelso's made so far to draw Jackie back to him abd Jackie's reaction: "Yes, but Steven has my heart." "I think it would be real waste because I love you!"

He'd have to find out for sure, in the least destructive way possible, that she's not using him again. He wouldn't do internal work, source his fears to himself, without making a choice that has terrible consequences.

Yup! It's nothing new. Back when T7S was airing, a fan-run T7S fanfic archive existed with all kinds of squick fics. Donna/Hyde/Midge incest three-way smut is but one of many examples of what people were writing in the very early aughts.

Hi!

My hot take: most hot takes currently expressed in the T7S fandom aren't that controversial (to me). Maybe since I've read so many takes in the sixteen-plus years I've been part of the fandom, and I've read some doozies in that time. 😜

Here's an oldie: Jackie and Bob would've made an interesting romantic pairing. Beyond a hot take. A squick take. That's the kind of idea I'm comparing the current hot takes to. It's all relative. 😂🙈

Hot take, and this applies to people who have been using the phrase hot take lately ...

They're just opinions or thoughts about / interpretations of / desires and headcanons for the T7S characters. I write this with humor, not any real criticism. ☺️

That being said, I don't view Donna and Hyde as platonic soulmates. That isn't what I find in the text of the show. I see them as long-time close friends. But if Hyde has a platonic soulmate, according to the text of the show, it's Eric.