‘That 90’s Show’ Review

much to Kitty’s delight, the house is full of life and new adventures again.

Netflix takes us back to Point Place, Wisconsin, in a series reboot, “That 90’s Show.” Set in summer 1995, the Formans welcome a new group of teenagers to their basement.

When people hear the word reboot, they are immediately turned off and don’t care to watch.

Honestly, the question is “What could possibly be better than ‘That 70’s Show?’” Well, “That 90’s Show” is not better, but it was funny and well thought out. The writers and production crew did a fantastic job, and I really enjoyed how they incorporated certain scenes and transitions from the original show to the new one.

The season starts off when the daughter of Eric (Topher Grace) and Donna (Laura Prepon) decide to spend her summer with her grandparents, Kitty and Red. Leia Forman (Callie Haverda) is welcomed with open arms, and

Debra Jo Rupp portrays Kitty, and she is absolutely the best part of the reboot. Her humor is still as sharp as ever and is the mom/grandmother we wish we all had. The dynamic she shares with the old cast members is beautiful, and she shares that same dynamic with the new cast members.

Kurtwood Smith also reprises his role as Red Forman. The love he has for his granddaughter is captured so well, and Red’s quick wit still brings tons of laughter. Most of the original cast cameos throughout the series appeared for short time periods.

You get to see what Leo (Tommy Chong), Bob (Don Stark), Kelso (Ashton Kutcher) and Jackie (Mila Kunis) have been up to two decades later.

One main character (Hyde) does not return for the reboot.

Portrayed by Danny Masterson in “That 70’s Show”, the series decided to completely avoid bringing up Hyde throughout the 10-episode season. Masterson was charged in 2020 with rape in three separate incidents in the early 2000s. Although many fans love his character, the production crew made the right decision to leave any association with Masterson out of the series despite him denying any accusations that were made as these court cases continue. of people in Stillwater. Oklahoma State is the largest employer in Stillwater and it utilizes Blue Cross Blue Shield to provide health and medical insurance. Employees at OSU who pay for premium insurance are now in the crosshairs of major impact. If the contract is not renewed, patients who decide to keep Blue Cross Blue Shield as their insurer will have two options in case of an emergency: not have coverage for nonemergency medical services at Stillwater Medical Center or be required to pay higher out-of-network co-pays and deductibles for those services. A deductible is an amount of money insured people pay for covered health care services before your insurance plan starts to pay. With a $2,000 deductible, for example, a person can pay the first $2,000 of covered services themselves. After the deductible is paid, the insured usually pay only a copayment or coinsurance for covered services and their insurance pays the rest. Health insurance providers negotiate lesser rates for care and procedures.

As season one progresses, Leia is given the opportunity to have the time of her life, just like her parents did. Son of Jackie and Michael Kelso, Jay Kelso (Mace Coronel), appears in Leia’s new friend group along with other unfamiliar faces. Characters such as Ozzie (Reyn Doi) and Gwen (Ashley Aufderheide) had great chemistry with other characters, making this group as unique as their parents in the ’70s.

It is extremely hard to live up to an original series legacy, but “That 90’s Show” is a wonderful tribute to those who created, portrayed characters and enjoyed watching as it aired on television.

“My main concern is having my wife have an emergency situation,” Seagraves said. “For example, her having swift labor and her having to birth at Stillwater Medical Center. If that happens, we would be responsible for the full payment, and we cannot afford that.”

Seagraves’ father-in-law’s employer provides his daughter health insurance and if an accident transpired they would not be able to afford the high costs of medical treatment at Stillwater Medical Center.

“Switching insurance simply isn’t an option for us,” Seagraves said. “We are already spread so thin financially.”

On its website, Stillwater Medical Center claims its costs have increased 26% since 2019 and it will be unable to maintain a high level of care if it accepts reimbursement contracts from insurance provider networks that do not keep pace with inflation.

The O’Colly contacted Stillwater Medical Center and obtained no response.

Tricia Ament, the manager of divisional communications for Blue Cross Blue Shield, said the company renewed more than 80 hospital/provider contracts in 2022 and made it a priority to keep broad access available to its members.

“We were able to agree on reimbursement terms that were in line with medical inflation rates with all of these renewals,” Ament said.

Ament said the rate increase Stillwater Medical Center is requesting would put an extreme burden on Blue Cross Blue Shield’s members and local businesses who utilize Stillwater Medical Center and their providers through increased member premiums and out-of pocket costs.

“Stillwater Medical Center chose to end negotiations,” Ament said. “We will remain open to negotiations with SMC if they choose to come back to the table and it is our desire to keep them in the network.”

Grace Jackson, a senior theater major, said the lack of an agreement would be harming many people, herself included, if they finalized the decision.

“Ultimately, they are either willfully ignorant and don’t understand that this is a bad decision. Or it is malicious and it is absolutely a bad decision and they know it,” Jackson said. Jackson finds herself in a similar situation as Seagraves’ wife. Her parents’ place of employment provides her health insurance and Jackson said she cannot afford an independent health insurance because she is a college student and is able only to work part time.

“I wish more students were aware of this because of how much it will affect them,” Jackson said.

Emma Shook is getting her master’s in geochemistry and was surprised when she heard it was an option for Blue Cross Blue Shield and Stillwater Medical Center to end their contract. Shook said she believes the situation will be solved soon but she will not change her insurance in case it is not solved because, in her opinion, Blue Cross Blue Shield has the best coverage.

“I don’t think many students are aware of this,” Shook said. “My main concern is that many people, including myself, would not be able to go to Stillwater Medical Center if severely injured. I personally would not want to pay out of pocket for something like a broken arm or concussion.”

The O’Colly reached out to the Office of Brand Management at OSU with questions on whether OSU has a backup plan and if it would consider talking to a different health insurance before May 1. Shannon Rigsby, the public information officer, said the questions were inappropriate to provide a comment on while they are in the middle of ongoing discussions.

An official statement said the university is having ongoing discussion with Stillwater Medical Center and Blue Cross Blue Shield, and the university is confident both parties will work toward resolution. The statement said employees who are concerned about the issue may contact OSU Human Resources for guidances. HR is assisting any OSU faculty or staff members who reach out with them individually regarding ongoing medical care needs.

Lauriele Prema, a french lecturer and a yoga instructor at the McKnight Center, got a hopeful email from the university at the end of December notifying the employees about the negotia- tions and confident about a resolution.

Prema has a 10-year-old son and said if it becomes clear in the next couple of months that the negotiations are not going to work, she will search for another provider for her son.

“If the decision becomes final, faculty and staff will more likely have to change providers, which means changing doctors who maybe you’ve been with the same person for years,” Prema said. “That is going to be upsetting for a lot of people.”

Prema said she did not experience a lot of anxiety about the situation because her medical care, in general, is not urgent. That does not mean there are not apprehensions about the situation.

“Other than the university, Stillwater Medical Center is the largest business in town,” Prema said. “Where would you even go? Actually. Where do you? My son’s pediatrician?

“Stillwater Medical. The entire hospital here, the emergency clinics. Everything is Stillwater Medical, which basically means you don’t have another choice. That’s where you will go if you don’t have a choice.” news.ed@ocolly.com