WARNING! This article contains major SPOILERS for That ’90s Show part 3!
Summary
Michael Kelso’s daughter Betsy officially makes her debut onThat ‘90s Show, but the character’s return continues a plot hole issue related toThat ‘70s Show’s timeline.That ‘90s Show’s cast of charactersincludes plenty of familiar faces from the original sitcom, ranging from members of the original teen group to their former nemeses, like Mitch and Fenton.One of the most anticipated character returns was Betsy Kelso, who was born inThat ‘70s Showseason 7 and would be a teenager byThat ‘90s Show’s timeline.
Picking up about halfway through the summer of 1996,That ‘90s Showpart 3 introduces a grown-up Betsy Kelso (Kira Kosarin) as she returns to Point Place after studying abroad in Spain. Many of the details surroundingwhat happened to Betsy afterThat ‘70s Showare left unexplained, but it’s implied that she didn’t grow up in Point Place full-time and now is seemingly in college. In setting her up atThat ‘90s Show’s version of Laurie Forman,Betsy’s age and introduction in the sequel series also conflict with the timelineof events laid out beforeThat ‘70s Show’s ending.
Betsy Kelso’s Age Continues That ’90s Show’s Timeline Plot Hole
Betsy Should Only Be 16–17 Years Old In That ’90s Show Part 3
SinceThat ‘90s Showintroduced the daughter of Donna and Eric and the son of Jackie and Kelso, theNetflix sitcom has created some plot holes that continue the original series’ notorious timeline issues. For instance,Leia turns 15 years of agein the summer of 1995, meaning she was born in the summer of 1980. Therefore, Donna would have had to already be pregnant in the fall of 1979 duringThat ‘70s Showseason 8, even though Eric was in Africa at this time.
The same issue is created by Jackie and Kelso’s son, Jay, who is around 16 inThat ‘90 Showpart 1, meaning he would have already been born duringThat ‘70s Show. Betsy’s return further exacerbates this problem by implying that she’s about 18 or 19 years old inThat ‘90s Showpart 3’s timeline. It’s suggested that she’s in college, and Nate, who’s about 17, tells Jay that she’s older than them. But, considering she was born in 1979 duringThat ‘70s Showseason 7,Betsy realistically should only be 17 years old inThat ‘90s Showpart 3.
It’s implied that Betsy primarily grew up in Chicago with her mother, Brooke. Kelso had moved to Chicago inThat ’70s Showseason 8 to be closer to Betsy and Brooke, which was used to explain Ashton Kutcher’s absence from most of the final season.
Nate Having Thanksgivings With The Kelso Family Complicates Him Not Knowing About Betsy
Does Kelso Not Keep Any Pictures Of Betsy Around The House?
Betsy’s age isn’t the only inconsistency regarding her character’s introduction inThat ‘90s Showpart 3. As it turns out,none of Jay’s friends had met her or even really knew about her existencebefore Nate hooked up with her. However,That ‘90s Showsuggests that Jay and Betsy grew up together with a pretty close relationship, and it’s implied that she frequently comes to Point Place to stay with her father, stepmother, and half-brother.
An easy explanation is that she would have spent Thanksgiving with her mother, Brooke, but it’s still a jump in logic to believe that Nate knew nothing about Betsy before hooking up with her.
Nate even mentions that he spent Thanksgiving with the Kelsos, making it difficult to believe that he wouldn’t know anything about Betsy beforeThat ’90s Show. While theKelso family treeis known to be extensive and somewhat complicated, it’s likely that Nate would have seen pictures of Betsy around Michael and Jackie’s house and that she would have been mentioned, if not present, at Thanksgiving. An easy explanation is that she would have spent Thanksgiving with her mother, Brooke, but it’s still a jump in logic to believe that Nate knew nothing about Betsy before hooking up with her.
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.
