That ’90s Show – Episode 5 Recap & Review

Step By Step

In Episode 5 of That ’90s Show, Kitty and Red are in the Forman House where Ozzie is trying to teach Kitty how to use the computer. Red thinks that this is not a good idea while Kitty claims that it is necessary for them to adapt to the changing times. Red warns that the computers unlike the newspapers are connected to the government and Ozzie plays along with the joke.

In the basement, Nate and Nikki are bickering as Gwen joins in the conversation and mocks Nate. Leia and Jay are awfully silent while Nate and Nikki argue about whether or not to use a public hot tub for free. At the same time, Jay and Leia talk about how relationships are very chaotic.

Leia tries to gauge where Jay’s head is after their last conversation about just being friends. Jay tries to mask his disappointment about it but fails miserably when he gets awkward. Meanwhile, Leia finds Ozzie upstairs and he is having a hard time helping Kitty. Leia wonders why he is being so nice to the old woman.

Ozzie claims that his plan is to come out to Kitty and Leia tries to cheer him up and fails. Ozzie explains how he has a 16-step plan that he would like to execute before coming out to his parents and Leia’s grandma is part of one of these steps. Ozzie states how he has already gone down a few steps of telling strangers that he is gay.

Now, he would like to make it to Step 7 by coming out to someone who loves him. Jay and Nate pay a visit to get the free hot tub. The boys get invited by the owner of the tub to try it out first before taking it home. But, unsurprisingly the old woman gets into the hot tub with the boys making it one awkward bath.

Back at the Forman house, Leia tries to talk to Kitty about “her friend” being gay but it backfires on the teenager when Kitty assumes that Leia is talking about herself having sex for the first time. Kitty panics and calls  Donna to tell her that Leia is planning to have sex.

Meanwhile, Nikki and Gwen hang out solo for the first time and end up bonding after smoking some weed. Upstairs, Ozzie is trying to teach Kitty how to use the internet. He begins to tell Kitty something when Donna shows up out of the blue. She rushes in looking for Leia and thinks that Ozzie is Leia’s boyfriend who she wants to sleep with.

Donna tries to be supportive and gives Leia some condoms and more items to prepare her for whatever she is planning on doing. Noticing how Ozzie wasn’t willing to come out yet, Leia lies to Donna and states that she was going to have sex with someone soon. Ozzie tries to weigh in too and Donna tries to have a real sex talk with Leia.

As high as they are, Gwen and Nikki are having glamour shoots with each other to kill time. Meanwhile, Donna and Leia are talking when the daughter tries to get some real advice from her mother. Donna tries her best to help Leia through her romantic struggles.

At the same time, Jay is venting with the owner of the hot tub when her granddaughter, Serena, comes out of the house. She tells Jay and Nate that the woman tricks people into using the hot tub with her with a fake advertisement. Jay shares a moment with the young girl.

At the Forman house, Leia and Ozzie talk about the awkward moment when Donna bids Leia farewell. Next, Ozzie uses an email to come out to Kitty. Kitty messes up the steps to open a mail and in his frustration, Ozzie tells Kitty that he is gay. Ozzie is shocked to see how Kitty is more surprised about Ozzie dating a Canadian than a boy. Kitty hugs Ozzie and the two chat for a bit.

The next day, Gwen and Nikki are awkward as they are no longer high. They promise to never talk about it again. Leia starts swooning over how hot Jay looks and Gwen tells her to scrap her plan and just go talk to him. She musters up the courage and tries to talk to Jay.

However, just then Serena walks in asking Jay if he was ready for their first date. Leia is all awkward when she learns that Jay is seeing other girls. Later that night, Kitty catches Red using the computer despite his absolute hatred towards the device all along.

The Episode Review

I love how the creators are making an attempt to be more socially aware of the plot of this spin-off show. The character of Ozzie is a welcome surprise and we love to see how Kitty reacts to him coming out.

It really would be hard for a teenager to come out to someone in the 90’s when being anything but heterosexual was frowned upon. I wish there is some real progression to that storyline.

There is finally trouble in paradise for Leia because it seems like Jay has moved on from her. Serena is a cute introduction but she is totally random which makes me believe that she could be Jay’s temporary fling and nothing else.

In the episodes to come, I will be waiting for more angst and bad decisions from Liea’s end with open arms.