Summary
WhenThat ’90s Showrecently brought an unseen character fromThat ’70s Showonscreen, it contradicted its own canon. The series is a fantastic spinoff of the original series about a bunch of 1970s Wisconsin teenagers on the cusp of adulthood that has proven to be just as popular. The series will soon stream the second half of its second season on Netflix, although it seemsThat ’90s Showseason 2 will lose another original cast memberahead of the new episodes.
That 90s Showhas not forgotten where it has come from. Not only does it include important characters such as Red and Kitty, who are now grandparents rather than parents, butit sometimes reintroduces characters and references from its parent show,such as whenThat 90s Showseason 2 introduced a replacement character for Crazy Caroline. It also brought a character on-screen as part of its season 2 finale who has often been referenced but never seen before.
That ’90s Show Part 2 Ending Explained: What’s Next For Leia & The Gang
Leia and her friends have a lot to work with in the coming episodes of That ’90s Show as the first part of season 2 comes to a chaotic close.
That ’90s Show Casting Kevin Smith As Leo’s Son Creates A Paradox With Season 1’s Clerks Storyline
Clerks Both Exists And Doesn’t Exist In That ’90s Show Universe
The final episode of the first part of season 2 introduced Kevin Smith as Sonny, Leo’s son, who had often been mentioned onThat ’70s Showbut had never been seen on-screen before. Sonny crashed his car into the Formans' living room with his friend Bunch (Jason Mewes). He was likely brought on toreplaceThat 90s Show's Leo (Tommy Chong), as the legendary actor who plays him is now in his mid-80s. This casting decision is on-brand forThat 90s Show, which features the children of many characters from its parent sitcom; however, it inadvertently creates a paradox.
Smith and Mewes dressed like their Jay and Silent Bob characters even though that’s not who they were supposed to be.
Kevin Smith is well known for his starring role inClerks, the cult ’90s slacker comedy about a pair of convenience store clerks that spawned two sequels and led to a series of spinoff movies starring Smith and Mewes as Jay and Silent Bob. Mewes and Smith dressing like their characters to literally crash a party at the Formans' house is a cute reference to their iconic roles, butit contradicts established canon becauseLeia spent an entire season 1 episode trying to rentClerks.Thus, Jay and Silent Bob both exist and don’t exist in theThat ’90s Showuniverse.
Clerks
Cast
Clerks follows Dante and Randal, two clerks working at adjoining convenience and video stores. The film explores their mundane yet eventful day-to-day life as they engage with customers, play rooftop hockey, and navigate personal relationships, characterized by sharp wit and casual banter.
Kevin Smith’s Character Creates A Problem For That ’90s Show’s Future Movie References
Smith’s Movies Were A Big Part of 90s Culture That Now Can’t Easily Be Referenced
Kevin Smith joining theThat ’90s Showcastcould cause problems that the writers didn’t foresee because of this paradox. Smith’s movies were an important part of teenage culture in the 1990s, which is whyThat ’90s Showchose to give him and Mewes a cameo in episode 8. However,it will become more difficult to ignore the fact that Jay and Silent Bob’s doppelgängers exist in the show unless the writers also choose to ignore some of their other movies. For example, 1997’sChasing Amywas both popular and controversial, making it a must-watch for these characters.
The series is left with a paradox that cannot be resolved and which might annoy those members of the audience who also love Kevin Smith’s 1990s-era movies.
That ’90s Showcould turn the paradox into a running joke by having the characters note that Jay and Silent Bob remind them of people they know or that Sonny and Bunch seem familiar. However, that type of joke will grow stale quickly. The series is left with a paradox that cannot be resolved. Regardless of how it’s handled, it’s still a fun nod to have such iconic symbols of the ’90s in a show that is all about the decade.
That ’90s Show
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.
