Summary
- Fez's backstory as a foreign exchange student in "That '70s Show" was never fully explained, leaving his arrival and home country a mystery.
- In "That '90s Show," Kitty questions why Fez was never sent back to his home country after high school, suggesting that the school may have forgotten to exchange him.
- Fez stayed in the United States by obtaining a green card after marrying Laurie, Eric's sister, and eventually became a U.S. citizen in season 6 of "That '70s Show."
WARNING! This article contains SPOILERS for That '90s Show season 1!That ‘90s Show sees Kitty Forman bring up a curious part of Fez’s story that was never fully addressed in That ‘70s Show. Throughout That ‘90s Show, nearly every That ‘70s Show main character makes a grand return, including Kitty, Red, Eric, Donna, Jackie, Kelso, Bob, Leo, and Fez. While most of That ‘70s Show’s returning original teens only make cameos or small appearances, Fez (Wilmer Valderrama) has a strong presence in the sequel series as he dates Gwen and Nate’s mom Sherri, which allows That ‘90s Show to better explore his journey and even past inconsistencies.
Fez, who is now a successful hair salon owner in That ‘90s Show, was introduced in That ‘70s Show’s pilot as a foreign exchange student who quickly befriends Eric and the gang. Even though his status as an exchange student was important to his character, That ‘70s Show never fully explained the nature of his arrival in America, the name of his home country, or even his real name, as Fez is simply short for “foreign exchange student.” Fez ended up staying in America long past the time the teens graduated from high school without ever returning home, so the unconventional nature of Point Place High School’s foreign exchange student program remains an illogical mystery.
Kitty Questions Fez's Foreign Exchange Student History In That '90s Show
Kitty finally brings up a question in That ‘90s Show that was never entirely answered in That ‘70s Show, namely why Fez was never exchanged back to his home country. Foreign exchange student programs typically last a year at most, yet Fez was in Point Place for the last two years of high school and even ended up graduating. That ‘70s Show addressed the idea that Fez would need to be sent back to his home country after graduating from high school because his visa was set to expire, yet this connected more to U.S. immigration laws than the Wisconsin school’s foreign exchange student program.
When trying to piece together Fez’s mysterious background in That ‘90s Show, Kitty Forman suggests that the school simply forgot to exchange him back. Still, it’s unclear why his host family was fine with keeping Fez in their home for so long after he was initially supposed to be sent back. While host families generally do get stipends to pay for the child they’re caring for, it doesn’t seem realistic that Point Place’s program would have budgeted for Fez’s stay to be funded for two years.
Why Fez Stayed In The United States
Instead of being sent back to his unknown home country in That ‘70s Show, Fez was initially able to stay in the United States by obtaining a green card. After graduating from high school, Fez had to act quickly in order to avoid getting deported, so he married Eric’s sister Laurie to obtain a green card and remain in the country. The characters soon get a divorce after Red has a heart attack from the news of their marriage, with Fez then officially becoming a U.S. citizen in That ‘70s Show season 6.
That '90s Show Ignored Fez Being Kitty's Family
That ‘90s Show completely ignores that Kitty was once Fez’s mother-in-law. Though Fez had a crush on Laurie, Laurie didn’t pursue him as she did Eric’s other friends. She only married him so that he wouldn’t have to leave the country at the end of season 5. That doesn’t mean Kitty didn’t treat him like an extension of her family. In fact, she did that for all of Eric’s friends, regardless of whether they had a relationship with Laurie or not. What’s more, is that Kitty and Red were involved in Fez and Laurie keeping up the image of the two being married before they got a divorce in season 6.
Of course, it’s entirely possible that Kitty and Red don’t want to revisit the memory of Fez and Laurie being married, however brief that marriage was. When Laurie first announced that she married Fez so he could stay in the country, and then further tried to explain that she didn’t love Fez, Red had a heart attack, leaving the show on a major cliffhanger. That wasn't a usual practice for the show.
While That ‘70s Show was always a comedy, Red’s heart attack, and the effect it had on the family, were nearly as dramatic as the show would get. Because Kitty was genuinely afraid the Forman’s would lose Red, she might not want to revisit that memory. It’s likely she’s more comfortable remembering that Fez is one of her son’s friends who stuck around longer than expected.
Since Kitty has finally opened up a potential That ‘70s Show plot hole by exposing the inconsistencies in Fez’s foreign exchange student status, this could become a storyline for the new teens in That ‘90s Show. While the sequel series is only set during the summers of each year, the Point Place High School students could still give more insight into the area’s foreign exchange student program in the mid-’90s, perhaps mentioning that it changed significantly after Fez was never exchanged back. Since Fez has no children in That ‘90s Show, future seasons of the spinoff could see him host a new foreign exchange student of his own, thus bringing his story full circle.
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That 90s Show
- Cast:
- Kurtwood Smith, Debra Jo Rupp, Mace Coronel, Callie Haverda, Ashley Aufderheide, Sam Morelos, Reyn Doi, Maxwell Acee Donovan
- Genres:
- Romance, Comedy, Drama
- Seasons:
- 538473
- Writers:
- Gregg Mettler, Bonnie Turner, Lindsey Turner, Terry Turner
- Release Date:
- 2023-01-19
- Story By:
- Mark Brazill
- Streaming Service(s):
- Netflix
- Directors:
- Gail Mancuso, Laura Prepon
- Showrunner:
- Gregg Mettler
