DISCLAIMER: This piece is about Steven Hyde, the character from That ‘70s Show, not Danny Masterson, the actor who played him.
Welcome to Point Place, Wisconsin, home to arguably one of the most fascinating characters in television history.
In That ‘70s Show, we find six teenagers – Eric Forman, Steven Hyde, Donna Pinciotti, Michael Kelso, Jackie Burkhardt, and Fez (foreign exchange student) – who frequently hang out in the Formans’ basement; all six characters each have their own eccentricities and quirks about them. Out of all of them, though, Hyde is easily the most morally grey, making him arguably the most intriguing member of the group and maybe even all of television.
Hyde is the reserved, mysterious, and conspiracy theorist member of the gang, quick to egg on his friends to do something dumb, cause chaos, or offer them advice. In the first episode, he sends Eric upstairs to swipe a few beer cans from his parents’ party, marking the first of many instances of Hyde roping his friends into his schemes.
Right from the start, Hyde is in morally grey territory, trying to get one of his closest friends to risk being punished by his parents for a measly handful of beer cans. The idea that Hyde would try to encourage a close friend to not only drink underage but steal from his parents to do so gives the audience a bad first impression of his character.
Despite Hyde’s mischievous ways, however, he has also been shown to be a loyal friend. When Eric drops a bowling ball on his father’s TV, Hyde helps him earn the money to buy him a new TV. This ultimately brought them closer as friends, and strengthened their relationship as foster brothers.
Then, later in season one, when the guys go to look for jobs at Fatso Burger, Hyde says that he sees himself as being in prison in five years. This is certainly not the best answer to give during a job interview, but it does hint towards something deeper going on in his life.
Throughout the rest of the season, we meet Edna, Hyde’s mother, and see their house for the first time. In addition, Hyde’s father, Bud, was not in the picture, as he left the family when Hyde was young and did not come back, leaving Edna to raise Hyde on her own. By the time Hyde got to high school, the house was a mess, and he and Edna did not get along with one another. This led to Red and Kitty Forman taking Hyde into their home shortly thereafter, letting him live in a spare room in their basement.
So, Hyde’s living situation was resolved, but his outlook on life was still rather bleak. He did not voice his true feelings very often, only really doing so upon the encouragement of Jackie or Kitty. This leads him to sometimes feel distant from the rest of the group, and his philosophical ways can be lost on his friends. Although Hyde met a girl who had a similar personality and shared some of his core beliefs about life, he decided to not go to New York with her and remain in Point Place.
Considering that Hyde met this girl in the first season, it likely makes it that much more difficult for him internally throughout the remainder of the show to have missed out on someone who had an eerily similar personality as him. Viewers can empathize with this aspect of his character, as they themselves have likely lost someone meaningful to them at some point, no matter how long they knew that person.
Even though Hyde was probably hurting inside from losing a chance with someone who clicked with him, he carried on with his life and stayed in Point Place. At the end of season two, Hyde bails Jackie out of trouble when he claims ownership of a bag of marijuana that she had bought from someone in town. He is then arrested, and Red decides to kick Hyde out of the house. Hyde returns shortly thereafter, but he has to work to regain Red and Kitty’s trust.
In spite of his dangerous decision, Hyde made the noble choice to take the fall for Jackie. While Hyde is not a perfect human being, he shows a deep sense of respect for those he is closest to, and he has gone out of his way to help them out when they need him. He may be morally murky, but he is an insightful and empathetic person, making him one of the most intriguing characters in television history.
