Summary
That ‘90s Showseason 2, part 1, was full of brilliant and nostalgic references to the 1990s.The spinoff to one ofthe best sitcoms of all time,That ‘70s Show,focused on the daughter of Eric Forman and Donna Pinciotti, Leia, and her summers in Point Place.That ‘90s Show’s season 1 endingwas a dramatic affair, but the freedom and feel-good atmosphere of the 1990s set Leia up for yet another eventful few weeks with her grandparents.
TheThat ‘90s Showcastsaw the return of a few characters from the parent show, including Laura Prepon as Donna, Debra Jo Rupp as Kitty, and Kurtwood Smith as Red.The ‘90s was a fascinating era because it cemented a lot of culture that was prominent into the millennium, and Eric’s daughter got the opportunity to thrive during her teenage years in an ever-changing world. Amazingly,That ‘90s Showmade sure to make frequent references to the 1990s.
That ’90s Show Season 2 Part 2: Release Date, Cast, Story & Everything We Know
That ’90s Show returned for season 2 in June 2024, but the streamer has split the sophomore outing in half with part 2 arriving in August.
10Kitty Does The Macarena
Episode 1 - You Oughta Know
During the opening scene of episode 1, “You Oughta Know,” kicked off season 2 withKitty in her kitchen, dancing the “Macarena.” “Macarena” by Los Del Rio was a huge hit in the 1990s, and it continued to be a feel-good party track for yearsafter its initial release in 1993. ThisThat ‘90s Showseason 2 soundtracktune was a brilliant way to kick off the latest installment of the show, especially because it perceived Kitty as the typical, cringe-worthy grandma that she proved herself to be.
What made this reference even funnier, however, was when Leia finally arrived at the Formans. As the song played out, Kitty, Gwen, and Jay all sped towards the door in slow motion, which was an absolutely ridiculous way to score such a sequence. However, it was a brilliant way to kick off the first episode, and it was sweet to be reminded of the kind of loving home Leia was being reintroduced to.
9Kitty’s Wayne’s World Quote
While it was a small reference, Kitty’s new job at the high school led her to start saying, “Schwing!”Kitty tried to impress Red and Donna by showing off her knowledge ofWayne’s Worldas she served them lemonade, although her husband was far from impressed by her slang.Wayne’s Worldwas initially released in 1992 and was originally aSaturday Night Liveskit, but it became an instant classic and an incredibly easy movie to reference because of its hilarious lines of dialogue.
What was rather sweet and wholesome about this reference, though, was thatKitty genuinely enjoyed communicating with the younger generation.This made sense, considering the years she spent inThat ‘70s Showwith a group of teenagers running around her home. Her need to bond with the youngsters around her resulted in many ofKitty’s funniest quotes inThat ‘70s Show, so it was great that she was still this way inThat ‘90s Show.
8Lisa Loeb’s “Stay” Music Video Recreation
Episode 2 - Something To Talk About
“Stay (I Missed You)” by Lisa Loeb was a prominent track in episode 2, “Something to Talk About.“The daydream about finally regaining Jay’s trust afterLeia nearly kissed Nate inThat ‘90s Showwas scored by Loeb’s 1994 hit.However, it also featured aThat ‘90s Showseason 2 cameofrom the singer herself. The music video inspired Leia’s concept for earning Jay’s forgiveness, but there was more than one layer to this ‘90s reference.
“Stay (I Missed You)” was also a part of the filmReality Bites, which aired in the same year the song was released.Reality Biteswas also a nostalgic factor the show embraced with these scenes. However,this sequence was also a bit of a meta-moment forThat ‘90s Show,primarily because Loeb noted Leia’s sudden appearance in her apartment, and she was confused as to why a teenage girl was singing her song.
7Jay’s Soul Asylum T-Shirt
Another ‘90s reference in “Something to Talk About,” albeit a subtle one, was a nod to the band Soul Asylum.Soul Asylum rose to fame in 1993 with their track “Runaway Train,” which won the Grammy Award for Best Rock Song in 1994. Interestingly, the music video for “Runaway Train” focused on the images of missing children and teenagers, and lead singer Dave Pirner stated that the lyrics were based on his experiences with depression (viaSpin).
This could have been a suggestion that Jay’s struggles with Leia’s dishonesty were more complicated than they appeared, although it was unlikely thatThat ‘90s Showhad thought that much into the costuming decision. However,Jay’s choice of clothing showed that he had a good taste in music.Although there weren’t anymentions of Hyde inThat ‘90s Show, it seemed that Jay Kelso might share similar traits with his parent’s old friend.
6Wendy’s Yellow Cups
During a brief moment in which Ozzie, Leia, and Gwen were lurking outside Nate’s bedroom,they were each holding one of Wendy’s famous yellow cups.In the 1990s, Wendy’s branding was vastly different from that of the present day, sothis was a great small detail for the prop department ofThat ‘90s Showto include.The gang inThat ‘70s Showgenerally hung out at The Hub, their local hotspot for fried food or pinball, but they also visited Fatso Burger, too.
That ‘90s Showrevisited The Hub in season 1, although significantly fewer scenes were set at the location than in its parent show. However, it seemed more logical thatin the ‘90s, the teenagers of Point Place had a lot more big-brand foods to choose from.Wendy’s expanded to several countries worldwide in the 1990s, and even though Point Place was in America, it was still a small town, so it made sense that the fast-food restaurant was gaining popularity there.
5Gwen’s Love For Hot Topic
Episode 3 - Just A Friend
As Steven Hyde’s counterpart, it made a lot of sense that Gwen was a frequent customer of Hot Topic. The store became incredibly popular in the 1990s after the first branch opened in Montclair, California, in 1989.Hot Topic itself was the ultimate pop culture referenceand was immediately recognizable for its products aimed at fans of rock music, video games, and gothic attire.All of these factors fit Gwen perfectly, as she was the ultimate rebellious force inThat ‘90s Show.
However, the context in which Hot Topic was brought up was simply brilliant. Leia’s summer job was an unusual choice for her, although it made sense, as she wanted to attempt to develop her bond with Gwen further. The Hot Topic set design was fantastically accurate, and it was even better withSeth Green reprising his cameo fromThat ‘70s Showas Mitch, the store’s manager. However, it was disappointing that Leia didn’t get a job at Yankee Candle like Kitty wanted. Yankee Candle was another prominent company in the ‘90s.
4The Fake Mentos Commercial
Ozzie’s Mentos-inspired commercial daydream scene was a particularly funny moment in the episode “Just a Friend.”, breathing sharply in an over-the-top way that only worked in the context of a commercial. Ozzie constantly carried around a packet of the mints throughout the episode, but in the latter half, he slipped into a grainy TV sequence.
The entire commercial, from start to finish, was wild. It was hilarious that Ozzie was carried in on the Forman’s sofa by several bare-chested, muscled men, who did so without breaking a sweat. The two funniest and most nostalgic elements, however, were the tagline and the jingle.That ‘90s Showused the original Mentos song for the scene,which was brilliantly catchy, and Ozzie created his own tag, “It’s Mentos, b*tches,” which was simply ridiculous.
3The Carmen Electra Scene
Episode 4 - Hold My Hand
Another celebrity cameo inThat ‘90s Showwas from Carmen Electra in episode 4, “Hold My Hand.” 1990s icon Electra famously worked alongside legendary artist Prince, who produced her debut studio album in 1993. Later in the decade,Electra became a prominent glamour model for Playboy, which made her appearance inThat ‘90s Showeven funnier.After Kitty was injured, she let her mind dwell on ridiculous hypotheticals, mainly that the women of Point Place were going to get their claws into Red.
In a stupidly hilarious scene, Kitty started daydreaming about Electra giving Red a lap dance in their kitchen. The backdrop of their ordinary, residential home made Electra’s presence and actions even stupider, but it was even more absurd that Kitty believed Red had eyes for anyone other than her. However,her irrational fear only spawned because Red was suspiciously knowledgeable about Carmen Electra,although it was very funny that Kitty thought Red would use her availability to serve him a Shane ‘n Bake Chicken.
That ’90s Show Star Kurtwood Smith Breaks Down Red’s Development In Season 2
Exclusive: That ’90s Show star Kurtwood Smith breaks down his character Red’s development in season 2 of the sequel series, which releases soon.
2The Romeo + Juliet Reference
Episode 7 - Baby-Baby-Baby
DuringThat ’90s Showseason 2, episode 7, “Baby-Baby-Baby,” Leia and Jay went to the hospital with Red after his near-heart attack. Now that Leia was back on good terms with Jay, she started daydreaming, envisioning the two in the hospital waiting room. However, in this daydream,Leia and Jay were transformed into the characters in Baz Luhrmann’sRomeo + Julietwhile “I’m Kissing You” by Des’ree played in the background.
Leia’s wings were meant to look like Claire Danes’ character, whereas Jay was wearing armor like Leonardo DiCaprio’s version of Romeo. However,That ‘90 Showseason 2’sRomeo + Julietreferencedidn’t really make sense. Season 2 of the sequel series was set in the summer of 1996, but Luhrmann’s movie wasn’t released until November of that year. Therefore, Leia wouldn’t have known about the movie at that point.
1The Jay & Silent Bob Cameo
Episode 8 - Friends In Low Places
“Friends in Low Places,” theending ofThat ‘90s Showseason 2, featured a cameo from Jay and Silent Bob.The duo, portrayed by actors Jason Mewes and Kevin Smith, were extremely popular in the 1990s because of their stoner-type humorand appeared in several Askewniverse films. Hysterically, the pair were often compared to Cheech and Chong, so their arrival was also a reference toThat ‘70s Show’s Leo. Although drugs could have been to blame, Leia’s panic over the damage to the Forman’s house after her party was hilariously made even worse by Jay and Silent Bob.
In one of the most ridiculous moments of the show,Jay and Silent Bob crashed through the wall of Kitty and Red’s dining room in a car.Although their characters were referred to as Sonny and Bunch, it was immediately clear thatThat ‘90s Showwas making a nod to Jay and Silent Bob, especially as it seemed likely that marijuana was to blame for their sudden appearance. However, what was the best part about this moment was that it was revealed that Sonny was actually Leo’s son.
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.
