Summary
The return to Point Place’s iconic Water Tower in Netflix’sThat ‘90s Showpart 2 confirms that Steven Hyde successfully predicted a detail about Michael Kelso’s future son back inThat ‘70s Showseason 5. Netflix’s sequel series,That ‘90s Show, returns to plenty of memorable locations from the original sitcom, such as the Formans’ basement, the mall, the Water Tower, and The Hub. Unsurprisingly,That ‘90s Show’s teen charactersperform many of the same illicit or dangerous activities in these locations asThat ‘70s Show’s gang, whether it be Circles in the basement or falling off the Water Tower.
WhenThat ‘90s Showpart 1 finally featured Leia and her friends at the Water Tower, the scene shockingly ended without any characters falling. The surprise comes from the fact that numerouscharacters fell off the Water Tower inThat ‘70s Show, with Ashton Kutcher’s Michael Kelso being the most frequent culprit.Kelso’s knack for injuring himself there was so pronounced that he claimed to have fallen from the Water Tower in every single grade, which led Hyde to jokingly predict the same future for his son. As it turns out,That ‘90s Showpart 2 confirms Hyde was correct.
That ’90s Show Proves Hyde Was Right About Kelso’s Son Falling Off The Water Tower
Hyde Predicted That Kelso’s Future Son Would Follow In His Footsteps
InThat ’70s Showseason 5, episode 24, “Immigrant Song,” another fall off the Water Tower leads Kelso to reveal that he’s fallen from the structure every school year since he moved to Point Place.Hyde then responds, “That record will stand until your son goes to school.”While there were no unfortunate falls in the summer of 1995 that Netflix’s sequel series revealed,That ’90s Showpart 2, episode 1 ended this streak by having Michael’s teenage son Jay Kelso fall from the Water Tower – confirming Hyde’s earlier prediction.
Of course, it’s important to note that Jay willingly jumps from the Water Tower rather than an accidental fall, as he’s intent on getting revenge on his friend Nate for almost kissing his girlfriend Leia. Still, it’simplied that Jay’s leap from the Water Tower is far from the first time that he’s fallenfrom the structure, as he’s shown to have some of the same clumsy and naive qualities as his father. It seems likely that this won’t be the last time Jay falls from the Water Tower inThat ‘90s Show, reiterating the stereotypes of theKelso family tree.
Jay Falling Off The Water Tower In That ’90s Show Repeats One Of Kelso’s Worst Falls
Jay & Michael Kelso Both Dropped From The Water Tower When Fighting About A Romantic Interest
The first time that Jay Kelso is seen falling off the Water Tower inThat ‘90s Showbears similarities to one of Michael’s worst falls inThat ‘70s Show. InThat ‘90s Showpart 2,Jay jumps off the structure after arguing with Nate about the latter character almost kissing Eric and Donna’s daughter Leia. Meanwhile, one of the few falls from the Water Tower that put Michael Kelso in the hospital duringThat ‘70s Showoccurred under comparable circumstances.
InThat ‘70s Show’s season 5 finale, Kelso fell from the Water Tower after vandalizing it by writing “Michael + Jackie” as a way to make Hyde angry. As Kelso and Hyde continued to fight over their feelings for Jackie, Ashton Kutcher’s character ended up losing his balance and plunging into the bushes below.Relationship drama has often coincided with characters falling from the Water TowerinThat ‘70s Showand nowThat ‘90s Show, proving history repeats itself with the Kelsos in Point Place.
Original That ’70s Show Actors' Sequel Return Status Follows A 26-Year-Old Sitcom Tradition
The status of two original That ’70s Show characters' return in That ’90s Show season 2 continues a tradition from the original sitcom.
That ’90s Show Continues An Odd Water Tower Detail From That ’70s Show
Only The Male Characters Fall From The Tower
Considering only Jay Kelso and Nate Runck fall from the Water Tower inThat ‘90s Showpart 2, the Netflix sequel series is repeating a trend regarding the structure fromThat ‘70s Show. The original sitcom only ever showed the male characters falling from the Water Tower, including Kelso, Eric, Fez, Hyde, and Charlie (thoughCharlie died falling from the tower inThat ‘70s Show’s season 8 premiere). However,no female characters are known to have fallen from the tower, regardless of the fact that Donna and Jackie spent plenty of time up there with the guys.
It’s still very early intoThat ‘90s Show, so there’s plenty of time for Leia, Gwen, Nikki, and Ozzie to potentially follow the rite of passage of falling from the tower.
Although Nikki is on the Water Tower and leaning over a railing that’s notoriously unstable, she’s the only one there who doesn’t fall inThat ‘90s Showpart 2, episode 1. Similarly,Gwen and Leia have also yet to fall from the Water Towereven though they vandalized it inThat ‘90s Showpart 1’s ending. Granted, it’s still very early intoThat ‘90s Show, so there’s plenty of time for Leia, Gwen, Nikki, and Ozzie to potentially follow the rite of passage of falling from the tower.
Since Leia’s father Eric Forman also fell from the location, it would make sense for her to follow in his footsteps in the same vein as Jay and Michael Kelso.That ‘90s Show’s references toThat ‘70s Showoften include the teens experiencing some of the same hijinks that the gang did in the ‘70s, so it’s to beexpected that there will be more dangerous encounters with the Water Tower in the future. Of course, the hope is that no fall repeats Charlie’s tragedy fromThat ‘70s Showseason 8.
Ashton Kutcher’s That ’90s Show Absence Ruins A Great Water Tower Scene Opportunity
Will Kelso Ever Fall From The Water Tower Again?
Since Jay proved Hyde’s prediction that he would take after his father correctly, there’s a great opportunity to further play on this realization that, sadly, is unlikely to be fulfilled. ThoughAshton Kutcher briefly returned inThat ‘90s Show’s series premiere as Michael Kelso, he was entirely absent from part 2, and it seems improbable that he’ll reprise his role again. However, if he were to return forThat ‘90s Showpart 3or further into the show’s future, the sitcom has a fun chance to bring Kelso back to the Water Tower.
Why Doesn’t Topher Grace’s Eric Forman Return In That ‘90s Show Season 2?
Topher Grace was in the first episode of That ‘90s Show as Eric Forman and hasn’t returned for season 2. Here’s why and what the show says about it.
Kelso’s history with the Water Tower was so memorable thatThat ‘70s Show’s series finale included one last fall of the decade whenAshton Kutcher returned after being absent from season 8. Therefore, it’s likely that another Kelso appearance would maintain this connection with another Water Tower scene. Next time, however, it would likely include his son Jay. Whether Kelso was to fall off the Water Tower with Jay, simply reminisce about all the times he fell, or even visit Jay in the hospital after another fall,That ‘90s Showcould hilariously keep the character’s running gag going.
That ’90s Show
Cast
That ’70s Show returns set two decades later with That ’90s Show, acting as a sequel but bringing back old cast favorites. Led by Red (Kurtwood Smith) and Kitty (Debra Jo Rupp) Forman, the new cast arrives as the next generation, with the daughter of Eric and Donna, Leia Forman, leading the charge. Spending the summer with her grandparents, Leia makes new friends and forges new bonds in Point Place, Wisconsin. That ’70s Show series regulars make cameos in the show to maintain that sense of familiarity, and the show adopts the conventions of the ’90s as expected. That ’90s Show first aired on Netflix with a total of ten episodes.
That ’70s Show
That ‘70s Show was one of Fox’s most popular sitcoms upon its release in 1998. Starring Topher Grace (Eric Forman), Laura Prepon (Donna Pinciotti), Mila Kunis (Jackie Burkhart), Danny Masterson (Steven Hyde), Wilmer Valderrama (Fez), and Ashton Kutcher (Michael Kelso), That ‘70s Show revolves around the teens’ mishaps as they grow up in Point Place Wisconsin in the 1970s.
