That ’90s Show season 1, episode 3 recap: Lip Smackers

At the end of the last episode of Netflix’s That ’90s Show, it’s revealed that Sherri’s boyfriend is none other than Fez. While her aim was to break up with him, this episode opens up with her admitting that didn’t happen.

She asks Kitty to do the dumping for her since she’s so bad at it. Kitty tries, but Fez speaks so passionately about his love for Sherri, Kitty ends up telling him to never let her go.

Basically, the opposite of “it’s over.”

That ’90s Show Season 1 Episode 3 Recap – Never been kissed…

Meanwhile, down in the basement, it’s revealed that Leia has never kissed anybody ever. Gwen’s solution to this teenage level travesty, is to suggest that they go down to the mall, so that Leia can kiss some random guy.

Any random guy just to move from the “never been kissed” column to the “been kissed” column. Red takes the kids to the mall, happy to be a part of any plan that gets the kids out of his house, and Leia gets to work trying to be kissed.

It doesn’t go well. A montage of failure is played as she tries and fails to kiss multiple guys, and it ends with Gwen making out with some random guy, just to rub salt into the wound.

Red, meanwhile, is trying to read his newspaper in a chair at the furniture store. He tries to ignore the sale pitch as to why he should actually buy the chair he’s sitting in.

But the salesman turns on the massage feature which, long story short, ends with the chair purchased and back at the Forman’s residence. After the failure at the mall, Leia decides to kiss Jay since, as a Kelso, he would be the easiest person in the world to convince to take part in some kissing.

However, Jay turns her down as well. He tells Leia that she’s special and that they should see where the summer takes them, because it might end up being somewhere magical.

Even though it ends with Leia still being un-kissed, she ends up feeling good about the conversation and herself.

That ’90s Show Season 1 Episode 3 Recap – Getting back the old Red…

Meanwhile, with Kitty having failed to dump Fez on Sherri’s behalf, the two women turn to someone more ruthless to be able to break the bad news. Red should be the obvious choice, but his new massage chair has rendered him sweet and kind.

Kitty is forced to unplug the chair to get the old Red back. Once Red is back to normal, he tells Fez that it’s over between him and Sherri.

Fez is heartbroken, until he learns that Sherri has two kids and then switches to viewing the relationship ending as a bullet being dodged. The episode ends with Leia and her friends back at the mall.

A new, more confident Leia kisses a random guy at the food court, just like Gwen always wanted her to.

That ’90s Show Season 1 Episode 3 Recap – The 90s vs. The 70s

The show is really starting to find its groove. While some of the other kids in the gang weren’t really a part of the main plot for this episode, we’re starting to learn more about them.

Especially to the point where their small amounts of screen time still feels like they’re in line with the characters. However, the show still feels like there’s a deliberate line between the new stuff (trying to establish a new show) and the parts that are firmly focused on delivering the nostalgia factor of That ’70s Show. 

It’s understandable why the show would feel like it needs to accomplish both of those goals. Sometimes that’s possible to do.

It’s not clear if this particular show has figured out the balance yet, as the updates from old characters are still more compelling than the new characters. But it feels like it’s getting there.

Plus, this episode is the first to really acknowledge storylines from the poorly received season eight of the original show. It mentions Fez and Jackie’s relationship while filling in the blanks between where that show ended and where this one picks up.

It’s a small thing, but it is a treat for the audience that did stick around to the very end the first time.

What did you think of That ’90s Show season 1 episode 3? Leave your answers in the comments below!

You can watch That ’90s Show season 1 on Netflix.