That ’90s Show season 1 episode 10 recap: Kids in America

At the end of the last episode, Jay told Nate that because Leia has to go back to Chicago at the end of the summer, it was time to have a hard conversation about their relationship. However, as this episode begins, that hard conversation doesn’t seem to have taken place yet.

Leia has gathered all of her friends together in the basement for one final hang-out, to cap off the best summer ever. Unfortunately, poor Nate misinterprets the party-like atmosphere of the evening to indicate that Jay and Leia’s breakup had gone really well.

However, it hadn’t happened yet. So, Nate ends up letting the cat out of the bag in front of everybody.

Leia is understandably upset about learning that Jay was planning to dump her, but Jay argues that long distance relationships don’t work. Much to Leia’s dismay, the rest of the group, Gwen included, seems to agree with Jay, causing her to storm off.

That ’90s Show season 1, episode 10 recap – The summer is over.

The next day, as Kitty is preparing for Leia to leave, she mentions that she will be back soon since her boyfriend and her best friend are both in Point Place. But she soon discovers that Leia and Jay are broken up, and that Leia is mad at Gwen as well.

Kitty sets off to find Jay to make things right, so that Leia will come back and visit her grandparents, while Gwen heads off to buy something to make things up to her best friend. Back at the house, Leia’s mother, Donna, arrives to take her home.

They talk and Donna convinces Leia to make things right with her friends before she leaves. Leia goes next door to find Gwen, but runs into Nate instead.

Nate tells her that he actually didn’t agree with everybody else about long distance relationships. The two of them bond over being the hopeless romantics of the group.

They share a moment and almost kiss, before Gwen arrives and interrupts the moment.

That ’90s Show season 1, episode 10 recap – Leia and… Nate?

Meanwhile Red is complaining to Sherri about a tree from her yard that’s fallen, only to discover that Fez and Sherri seem to have rekindled their relationship. Fez agrees to talk to Sherri’s landlord, in order to prove how much she means to him.

But the plan is thrown into chaos, when it turns out that Sherri’s landlord is Fez’s old nemesis, Fenton. Fez’s presence initially makes things worse for Sherri, but after a circle session with some of the new kids, (who are confused by his presence) Fez realizes that he has to make peace with Fenton in order to help Sherri.

Gwen and Leia go to the water tower to reminisce about the past summer and all the crazy adventures that they’ve had. They talk about Leia’s almost kiss with Nate, but don’t know what it means.

They promise to keep in touch over the school year, where they will discuss it in length during phone calls and visits. As Leia gets ready to leave, Jay shows up and asks Leia to take him back.

He believes they should try the long distance. As Leia leaves, she has her possible relationship with Jay to think about, as well as the unspoken moment with Nate, as the season comes to a close.

That ’90s Show season 1, episode 10 recap – A season in conclusion

That ’90s Show was never going to get back all of the original cast members to be the main focus of a revival series. The show featured a cast of teenage actors, several of whom have gone on to have very successful careers.

Trying to get schedules to line up, as well as one legal scandal, meant we were never going to get the original group of actors back together. But that’s a good thing.

A show about what happens to teenage hoodlums from the 70s, doesn’t need to show us what happened in the 90s. Especially when they’ve all grown up and gotten jobs.

So while some fans of the original may bemoan a new cast of teenagers, handing the series to the next generation was the right call. What the show did do throughout the first season, was carry on the spirit of the original show.

This includes everything from the scene transitions, to the circle, to the fantasy sequences to the laugh track. That ’90s Show took every step possible to ensure it matched the tone of its 70s based predecessor.

That was a decision that could have backfired. Television has changed a lot in the last 20 years.

Comedy has changed. Sitcoms have changed.

The whole medium has evolved. The show could have easily felt like a reminder of all the tropes that we’ve moved past and would rather forget about.

But sticking to the format works. It doesn’t fully recapture the magic of the original series, but the magic wasn’t fully there in the first 10 episodes of the original series either.

It offers enough for those who were just tuning in to see the original actors reprise their roles, while trusting the new cast to carry the weight of the series on their shoulders. It’s a formula that will hopefully continue into the next season.

While it will be disappointing if we don’t get to see some of the old gang in season two, by the end of the last episode, you’re invested in Leia’s dilemma. Dealing with her and Nate’s almost kiss moment is the biggest attraction for that second season.

There are plenty of ways the show can continue to accomplish both goals moving forward. Don’t forget, Kelso had a daughter in the original show.

That means Jay has a sister somewhere out there, who’s about the same age as the main characters. That would be just one of many ways that the second season can continue to make That ’90s Show a good sequel series, as well as successful on its own.

What did you think of That ’90s Show season 1 episode 10? Leave your answers in the comments below!

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