Original Air Date: August 30th, 1998
It's only the second show for this long-running television blockbuster and we already have our first near perfect episode. All Eric Forman (Topher Grace) wants for his seventeenth birthday is a cassette tape player for his Vista Cruiser. All he doesn't want is an eight-track tape deck and a surprise party to go along with it. As life so often proves, however, you can't always get what you want...although you might get everything else!
In a sea swelling with unbridled overtones of sexual angst and parental neuroses (not to mention sibling favoritism), this episode stands out as a testament to familial heart and unbreakable friendships. While it was evident that almost every member of the cast had the potential for bigger and better things, one particular standout in this installment is Debra Jo Rupp. As Eric's mother Kitty Forman, she utilizes elastic facial expressions and slightly paranoiac vocal inflections to her best advantage, creating a fascinating maternal figurehead that ranks her alongside other classic mother alumni such as Florence Henderson (Carol Brady from the appropriately titled "The Brady Bunch") and Barbara Billingsley (June Cleaver of "Leave it to Beaver" fame). First runner-up to Rupp's humorous portrayal is the always luscious Laura Prepon as Eric's intended girlfriend Donna Pinciotti. One can't help but chuckle while watching her "seductive eyes" sequence on the porch.
This would also be the episode that introduced Eric's sister Laurie (played by vivacious blonde bombshell Lisa Robin Kelly) who provides the object of a little creative editing (both stylistically and via Michael Kelso's thought process) as Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) tries to convince the guys that Laurie was coming on to him in Forman's basement...when everyone else who witnessed the event clearly saw that wasn't the case. Overall, "Eric's Birthday" represents everything that was right about "That '70s Show" and should be viewed by anyone who wants to learn how to craft exemplary short form comedic entertainment.
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