It's a Wonderful Life (25 Sep. 2001)

Eric is absolutely devastated over his and Donna's break-up, and spends all day in bed wishing they never had kissed. But asleep an angel comes to show Eric, how his and the gang's lives had turned if he and Donna had never been together.

Director:

David Trainer

Writers:

Bonnie Turner (creator), Terry Turner (creator),

Stars:

Topher Grace, Mila Kunis, Ashton Kutcher

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Topher Grace	...	Eric Forman
Mila Kunis	...	Jackie Burkhart
Ashton Kutcher	...	Michael Kelso
Danny Masterson	...	Steven Hyde
Laura Prepon	...	Donna Pinciotti
Wilmer Valderrama	...	Fez
Debra Jo Rupp	...	Kitty Forman
Kurtwood Smith	...	Reginald "Red" Forman
Don Stark	...	Bob Pinciotti
Tommy Chong	...	Leo
Wayne Knight	...	The Angel
Trent Gill	...	Nerd
Timmy Deters	...	Jake
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Cynthia Lamontagne	...	Rhonda
Jennifer Lyons	...	Pam Macy

Storyline

Eric and Donna are miserable after their break-up, so he spends all day in bed wishing they never had kissed. Then an angel appears to show 'God's favorite cherub' Eric how his and the gang's lives had turned if he and Donna had never been together. Hyde is a drop-out and with Donna who gets a tattoo, getting married. Kelso can't make up with Jackie, but becomes a TV anchorman. Eric stays just Red's slave, as only Donna gave him the courage to stand up for himself, ending up with Rhonda and a workaholic, terrorized by his spoiled little brother Jake. Fez becomes a rock musician. Ten years later, things are even worse...

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Plot Keywords:

party | love | kissing | infidelity

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Genres:

Comedy | Romance

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

25 September 2001 (USA)

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the alternate universe where Eric and Donna never dated, Kelso comes to Donna and Hyde's wedding as "Cedar Rapids' number one anchorman." Ashton Kutcher grew up in Cedar Rapids, IA.

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Goofs

When the Angel takes Eric to his 10th high school reunion, Jackie is there too. She wasn't part of the Class of '79. She told Red she was a sophomore when the rest of the gang had Career Day.

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Quotes

Eric: You're not an angel. You don't even float. Everyone knows angels float.
The Angel: Fine.
[starts floating above the floor and glowing brightly]
The Angel: Eric Forman, God's favorite cherub. Come with me, and I will release you of your suffering. Don't be afraid, little one.
Eric: No offense, but are you coming on to me?

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Connections

References Flipper (1964)

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Soundtracks

"I Ran (So Far Away)"
Performed by Wilmer Valderrama

User Reviews

Adding insult to injury

After the disaster that was the break-up at the end of season three, I felt that this episode sadly only made things even worse. Donna is supposed to have prompted the break-up because of her fear to a long-term commitment to Eric, but in this alternate world she has no qualms about tattooing Hyde's name on her body, and eventually marrying him. What are we to understand then? That she is only afraid of committing to Eric, but not to another, more adventurous man? This is extremely wrong, because a) it represents a savage humiliation of Eric's character, of the not-funny kind (Isn't this the main character? Aren't supposed to LIKE this guy?); and b) it is a betrayal to the love story we have been following for three years, because it implies that her love for him was never as deep or passionate as what she would be able to feel for another. Which, again, makes absolutely no sense, from what we have seen in previous seasons.

I know some might say "man, don't take it so seriously, the whole thing is just a Scrooge joke. Eric is BURNED! Ha ha". That is, obviously, a Kelso reaction. We are supposed to be above Kelso's level (or else how could we laugh at him?). The pain and the humiliation cannot be ignored so easily. It may be a comedy, but the writers had decided to introduce a very dramatic turn in the life of a character we care for, and they should have been more thoughtful about how they were going to deal with it. You cannot build a connection between a character and an audience for three years and then expect that same audience to laugh at his extreme misery as if it didn't matter.