Ep 5. Eric's Burger Job

Eric Forman takes his first job working at a burger joint in the latest episode of That 70's Show. This week, the character played by Topher Grace is ecstatic to be earning his own paycheck and decides to surprise his friends and family with a round of milkshakes. But things quickly go awry when Hyde (Danny Masterson), Donna (Laura Prepon), and Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) show up and start wreaking havoc at the restaurant.

Eric is working at Fatso Burger, a fast-food chain where the employees are not too enthused to be on the job. Eric's awful boss, played by character actor Kevin Farley, is quickly introduced as the bane of his existence. He demands that Eric scrub the grease traps for his first task and that only sets the stage for the disastrous events to come.

Kelso shows up and tries to flirt with the female patrons, only to be shut down by his girlfriend, Jackie (Mila Kunis). Meanwhile, Hyde discovers that the burgers at Fatso Burger do not meet his high standards and refuses to eat them. He then sneaks into the kitchen and starts making his own burgers, starting a competition between himself and the cooks.

Eric is continuously berated by his boss and is having a terrible time on the job, but he's determined to keep working after his father, Red (Kurtwood Smith), insisted that he take the position. That is, until Donna shows up and orders something ridiculous off the menu: a Veggie Burger with extra cheese, a fried egg, and bacon. The cook's response is to throw Eric's burger out for it, but Eric sneaks the burger to Donna, causing a chain-reaction that leads to an incredible mess.

The climax of the episode occurs when Eric finally snaps from the job's stress and fights his boss in the parking lot. The scene is played for laughs, but it's also a reminder that being a teenager is not all fun and games. It's a sometimes-difficult transition to the grown-up world, and Eric has learned that the hard way.

Overall, "Eric's Burger Job" is an entertaining episode that continues to develop the characters' relationships with each other. It's a classic TV trope to see the gang show up at the workplace of one of the main characters, and That 70's Show does a good job at playing with that idea while still keeping things fresh.

As the first season progresses, we get to see more of the characters' personalities and how they react to situations. Eric's struggles with his boss and the monotony of working a fast-food job show a different side to his character, one that wants to do well but doesn't always have the right tools at his disposal. It's an interesting dimension to his character, and it helps create a more compelling show.

For fans of the series, "Eric's Burger Job" continues to deliver laughs, zany antics, and a healthy dose of '70s nostalgia.