Steven Hyde

Steven James Hyde
That '70s Show character
File:Hyde.png
First appearance	That '70s Pilot
Last appearance	That '70s Finale
Created by	Mark Brazill
Portrayed by	Danny Masterson
In-universe information
Nickname	Hyde
Gender	Male
Occupation	Student, Record Store Manager, Film Shop Clerk
Family	Edna Hyde (mother) William Barnett (father) Bud Hyde (step father) Angie Barnett (Half-sister) Unnamed half brother Kitty Forman(foster mother) Red Forman (foster father) Eric Forman (foster brother) Laurie Forman (foster sister)

Steven James Hyde (born c. 1960) is a fictional character from FOX Networks' That '70s Show, played by, Danny Masterson. He is Eric Forman's (Topher Grace) best friend and by the end of season one, his de facto adopted brother. Hyde represents the adolescent of the seventies that was suspicious of government and organizations. He is one of the more popular characters of the show.

Character Biography

Hyde was abandoned by his mother, (Katey Sagal), who only appeared in three episodes, two of which only her screaming voice calling from inside Hyde's house is heard). His stepfather, Bud (Robert Hays), had left some years earlier. A half brother was mentioned once in a Season 8 episode, though not much is known about him. The Formans adopted him into the family after his mother abandoned him, and he currently lives in a room in their basement.

Hyde found a job working at the Foto Hut with his burned-out hippie boss Leo (Tommy Chong), until Leo suddenly left town, because he remembered that he was only supposed to stay in Point Place for a short time, yet stayed for eight years, leaving his family behind. Ironically enough, during his tenure in the Foto Hut, he was the more responsible worker between himself and Leo, even telling his own boss off for not doing his job. He gave the money he made to Red and Kitty to help them pay the bills. It is evidenced thus that Hyde has a sense of propriety and responsibility to rival that of his friend Eric's, yet is not proud of it as he is more accustomed to his stoner lifestyle.

Hyde developed a fairly close relationship with Eric's dad, Red Forman, who admired his toughness, lack of showing emotions, and traditional masculinity, a quality his son Eric lacks. Red became the closest Hyde has to a real father after he moved in with the Formans. Red does occasionally feel that Hyde can be a bad influence on Eric, particularly due to his frequent marijuana use, and briefly kicked him out when Hyde was arrested. However, he is often shown to have a deeper respect for Hyde over his own son and occasionally prefers Hyde over him (such as when he offered Hyde a job at his new muffler job instead of Eric.)

In the season 6 finale, Kitty discovered that Bud is not Hyde's real father. Subsequently, Hyde met his biological father, William Barnett (Tim Reid), who was black, making Hyde biracial. He later met his half-sister, Angie Barnett who dreamed of one day running her own store, but ended up working alongside Hyde in her father's store.

Hyde is highly critical of organized religion. He tells an Episcopalian girl that she believes in "the exact opposite of what [he] believe[s] in". Also, in "Holy Craps", he claims he doesn't go to church because it would make him a hypocrite, him believeing that organized religions has corrupted the teachings of the likes of others like Buddha and Muhammmad.

In contrast to the sensitive New-Age men prevalent in the 1970s, Hyde is very traditionally masculine, much like Red Forman. He does not voice or show his emotions often (a notable exception being when he has to tell Jackie he cheated on her in season 5, and other occurences throughout their relationship.) He does not worry about romantic relationships and women the way Kelso, Eric, and Fez do; he considers himself too "tough" and strong for that type of behavior. He generally acts as though he does not care for anyone, perhaps as a defensive mechanism; however, it is shown during the course of the series that he does care deeply about his friends and the Formans.

After Eric's departure to Africa Hyde became more of the main character due to his relationship with Eric's Parents and marriage to Samantha.

Relationships

Early on in the series, he was rarely interested in getting into a serious relationship, and was very cynical about the idea, as portrayed in some of his quips such as "Dating is prostitution, only you don't always get what you pay for". However, as the series progressed, he enjoyed a number of relationships.

Hyde's first love interest of the series was a proto-punk girl who wanted him to move to New York City with her. He ultimately decides to stay in Point Place, and she leaves for New York. The relationship lasted one episode.

Before Eric and Donna started to date, Eric and Hyde both had feelings for Donna (Laura Prepon). Hyde tried to win Donna to the point that even Fez began to mock him over his repeated failed attempts. At one point he attempts to kiss her, but she rejects him with a slap. In an early episode, she blows off a "study date" with Hyde at the library to go out with Eric for Valentine's Day. Hyde quickly gives up soon after, prompting the assumption that he was more infatuated with Donna and not in love with her, and they remain close friends.

In Season 5, he became paired with Jackie Burkhart. There is foreshadowing of their relationship throughout the series, most prominently at the Forman's Veteran's Day BBQ in Season 3, where Jackie's date Chip calls her a bitch behind her back. Hyde responds by punching Chip in the face, knocking him out. Later that day, after talking to Mrs. Forman, Hyde takes Jackie out for their first date which leads to their first kiss. Hyde also took Jackie to his junior prom in the first season, and he is the one Jackie goes to for comfort when she and Kelso encounter problems in their relationship, prompting him to ask "Why does she always come to me?". Despite initially loathing Jackie for all that she represents (she is spoiled, shallow, and rich), he has his first real romantic relationship of the series with her.

Hyde and Jackie's relationship was a very typical 'opposites attract' set up. They came together during the summer between Seasons 4 and 5 when they found themselves bored with watching The Price Is Right. The relationship gradually grows into a surprisingly strong one, considering their past conflicts. However, they went through trouble when Hyde mistakenly perceives her to be cheating on him with Kelso. In response, he cheated on her. He sincerely apologizes, but Jackie ends the relationship. The separation is brief, however, and they get back together at the beginning of Season 6. They remain together until midway through Season 7, when Jackie becomes insecure about their relationship and asks Hyde if he can see a future with her. His response, "I don't know," breaks them up briefly, but they reconcile after only a few weeks apart. However, when Jackie is offered a job in Chicago, Hyde allows her to leave. In the very next episode, however, he decides to follow her and propose. In the middle of Hyde and Jackie's conversation, Kelso walks into the room in only a towel, carrying a bucket of ice and making a comment implying he and Jackie were about to have sex. Although Kelso frequently makes sexual comments to every female on the show, including Jackie and Donna, Hyde once again believes the two really were about to engage in sex, and drives off to Las Vegas.

In the last season of That '70s Show, Hyde returned from Las Vegas after his confrontation with Jackie and Kelso. While he was in Vegas, he got drunk and married a stripper named Samantha. Although Jackie claims nothing happened between herself and Kelso in Chicago, Hyde chooses to stay in the marriage instead of annulling, effectively ending his and Jackie's relationship. The marriage was bitter, as they were often seen screaming at each other, but it was hinted that they had an excellent sex life. In the middle of Season 8, Samantha's real husband showed up unexpectedly, and decided to take Samantha with him back to Vegas. In the midst of the confusion, Hyde decided that it would be best for her to go with her previous husband, thus making their existing marriage null and void. In addition, his father granted him sole ownership of the record store. He had no significant other in the final episode.

Although he is married to Samantha for the majority of Season 8, it's hinted that Hyde still cares about Jackie, despite his constant insulting of her. For example, when Kitty loses her engagement ring in the forest, Hyde offers to help Jackie over a creek. Also, when Kelso considers proposing to Jackie, Hyde tells him that he does not support the idea. After Hyde stops using marijuana, he and Jackie have their first serious friend to friend talk since their break up.

Hyde and Jackie's relationship is widely adored. Fans appreciate the 'opposites attract' theory, and believe it to be true in this case, as Hyde shows a soft side for Jackie and Jackie becomes less selfish. Parallels are often drawn between Hyde and Jackie's relationship and that of Red and Kitty Forman, the only consistent and lasting couple of the series and a pair of complete opposites as well.

Personality

In the first couple of episodes, Hyde was comparatively less intelligent than in later episodes and more "street smart". It was mentioned that his only girlfriend ended up leaving him for his uncle, and when Hyde and Fez make fun of Kelso for being "whipped" by Jackie, Kelso points out that neither or them are getting any. However, Hyde quickly fell into the role of the "tough guy" whose advice was often sought by his friends because of his blunt personality, though due to his cynicism and his pleasure in seeing a good "burn", his advice just as often leads to disaster.

Hyde despises authority. His displays of rebellion include smoking marijuana and cigarettes, drinking beer, and a devout interest in conspiracy theories (though some of his conspiracy theories may be partially due to his drug use). Though he may seem sarcastic and careless, as well as manipulative at times, over the course of the series a more mellow side of Hyde revealed itself through his shows of gratitude towards the Formans for taking him in after his mother abandoned him, and his treatment of his significant others in his few relationships. Hyde is potentially the smartest member of the group, hinted at in the episodes "Halloween" and "Eric Gets Suspended," among others, but simply refuses to apply himself.

While Hyde enjoys his reputation as "the bad influence", there is some evidence throughout the show that some of Hyde's behavior had been influenced by his environment. His mother's own drug and police record is referenced throughout the course of the show. In a Halloween episode, it is revealed that Hyde was actually a child prodigy, and might have gone on to do great things if not for a frame-up in elementary school where he was blamed for destroying a classmate's science project, which Eric had actually done. When he moved in with Eric, he also did several chores around the house to show his gratitude. In one of the later episodes, Hyde is seen trying to give up pot and takes up exercising and cooking to get away from the habit, but his friends pulled him back in, refusing to let him "ruin his life."

He also shows some compassion throughout the series, sometimes taking responsibility for other people's behavior, such as when Jackie gets caught by the police with marijuana, and when Eric breaks the television screen with a bowling ball. He was there for Jackie when Kelso cheated on her, for Donna when Eric broke his engagement with her, and when Fez was locked in a closet by a group of jocks, he told Fez to "come get him" if they bother him again.

His personality traits are somewhat similar to those of Holden Caulfield, the protagonist and anti-hero of the novel The Catcher In The Rye; this is mainly because of his rebellious attitude, his inability to dance very well at the start of the show, his coming from a broken home and his once-in-a-while usage of Holden's favorite insult, calling someone a "phony". He is also comparable to Fonzie from Happy Days, for his similar position as the "cool guy" in the group, and his adopting his friend's family as his own.

Appearance

Hyde is often remembered for his fro and sideburns, and his sunglasses, which he is almost always seen in. Hyde is also known for his many concert t-shirts, which include: Santana, Judas Priest, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, KISS, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Ted Nugent, Rush, Aerosmith, John Lee Hooker, The Allman Brothers Band, Blue Öyster Cult, The Sex Pistols, and the Grateful Dead that became part of his character's signature wardrobe along with the sunglasses his character almost always wears, even when indoors. Contrasting with his tough guy exterior, Hyde was once caught on videotape dancing to Frank Sinatra singing. Additionally, following his first breakup with Jackie, he happened to hear B. J. Thomas' "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" and became a fan of country music. He also noted that he likes to watch Little House on the Prairie, because it "reminds him of a simpler time." He dislikes the music of Pat Boone, Styx (although he did tap his foot to their music), ABBA, Peter Frampton, Andy Gibb, and Little River Band. In fact, he once even broke up with a girl because she liked the Little River Band.

Steven is known to drive a black Chevrolet El Camino that is referenced in several episodes. It was given to him by Leo.

References

1. http://www.imdb.com/character/ch0015049/