Out of all the couples in That ‘70s Show, it was Eric and Donna whom fans favored the most due to them being the only relationship other than Red and Kitty to be steady throughout the series. However, they had an awful lot of problems along the way.
Both characters had many flaws that led to their issues, with Eric generally misreading Donna’s signals and the latter berating him harshly for his mistakes; they also underwent a break-up that was in line with what was seen in other sitcoms. For this reason, we’ve put together five points that highlight the worst things the two did to one another that every That ‘70s Show fan should think about.
Donna: Judge Eric’s Lifestyle While Being About The Same
Donna liked to take shots at Eric’s slacking ways, commenting along with Jackie how Eric and the guys didn’t take things seriously and were going nowhere. However, Donna herself ended up being pretty much the same, as she took part in all of Eric’s antics as well.
While Eric didn’t have a job like Donna did, he eventually got around to becoming a teacher while Donna didn’t have much of anything to do in Point Place. Looking at it this way, Donna making judgments on him did nothing other than add pressure on Eric and make him feel even worse about being at Point Place than he already did, even though she herself wasn’t better off.
Eric: Pressure Donna Into Being Steady With Him
Eric got the bright idea of using a promise ring to “propose” to Donna and signify their turn toward being a steady couple, only to be blindsided when Donna turned the proposal down because she wasn’t sure if she wanted that kind of commitment at a young age.
Thereafter, Eric became more of an antagonist than a boyfriend as he took to doubting over what their relationship meant in the first place and acting as if it was Donna’s fault for him having these doubts. It’s not like Donna was obligated to accept his ring, but Eric blamed it solely on her.
Donna: Boss Eric Around
They might be dressed as DC superheroes, but fans weren’t always as strictly behind Donna and Eric as they are with some DCEU couples due to how Donna treated him. By and large, their relationship basically revolved around Eric trying to kiss up to Donna while she treated him more like a subordinate.
Most of the storylines for these two on an episode-to-episode basis had to do with how Donna wasn’t happy because Eric didn’t adhere to her demands, with Eric then having to think of ways to apologize to her. No wonder he had no idea how a real relationship was supposed to be.
Eric: Treat Her Horribly After Their Break-up
Since all the friends hung out at Eric’s house, the break-up between him and Donna resulted in the latter being shunned for the most part by the rest of the group. Eric, knowing the power he held in this regard, took to using it to his advantage.
He also began adding extra venom to the snide remarks he made at her, with his attempts at snagging a new girlfriend only because he wanted to use her to make Donna jealous. It was pretty immature of him, and this was one of the worst times to be an Eric Foreman fan.
Donna: Not Believe Eric Over Casey’s Character
Eventually, Eric got over his resentment toward Donna and genuinely wanted to be her friend and confidante. However, Donna became irresponsible by this point, as she took to having an attraction toward Casey Kelso, who was clearly bad news.
Eric found out that Casey’s intentions with Donna were purely to get her to go to bed with him, but Donna disregarded all of Eric’s advice and began outright disrespecting her father and adults as Casey’s influence brought out the worst in her. Eric was the only one of the friends that still stuck by Donna, who in turn had no time to hear his correct advice.
Eric: “Pants-ing” Her In Front Of Others
Eric’s main fault was that he didn’t really understand how girls worked, leading him to regard Jackie as a freak and Donna as one of the guys because of her tomboy nature. However, that doesn’t mean you can pull down a girl’s pants because it’s funny, which is exactly what this guy did.
When he was losing in basketball against Donna, Eric took to using dirty tactics and exposing her undergarments; unfortunately, she was wearing “granny” material, leading to a lot of heckles and mocking from the guys. Eric figured all of this was funny and joined in the hurtful session.
Donna: Attempt To Get Back With Him, Then Ditching Him
Once Casey revealed his true nature and dumped Donna in front of everyone like she was trash, Donna was beside herself with grief as she felt stupid for ever falling for Casey’s charms. At this point, she made a move on Eric to get back with her once she saw he was right all along.
However, when Eric brought up the point that she was basically doing this because she was lonely, Donna decided to ditch him and everyone else and took off to California. She didn’t even give Eric time to think over things, figuring her feelings of embarrassment were greater than his confusion.
Eric: Ditch Donna Before Their Wedding
After realizing that his parents were right all along and that he and Donna should never have gotten engaged, Eric went into panic mode as he found things spiraling out of his control with the impending wedding.
It was here that he decided to simply ditch Donna and disappear for a while rather than attend his wedding. There was a search out for him, but Eric planned things accordingly and was missing until showing up to a grief-stricken Donna. Some fans still consider it an outrage that the show had Donna forgive Eric so easily for what he did.
Donna: Cause Friction Between Eric And His Family
It’s obvious that all of Eric’s rebellious tendencies were given motivation due to Donna, as Eric wanted to make her see him as a confident person who didn’t bow down to authority. Due to this, he was always at odds with Red, with Kitty falling second fiddle to Donna at all times.
While Donna didn’t outright argue with Eric’s parents, she did encourage him to disregard their rules and it was only when Red and Kitty agreed to go along with Donna’s plans that Eric was on good terms with his parents.
Eric: Break Up With Donna For No Reason
Since the actor had left the show to star in a certain Spider-Man film, plans moved forward to have Eric break-up with Donna off-screen. However, this was done in such a vicious manner that it disregarded the couple’s entire history.
For no reason, Eric started snubbing Donna’s calls and would cut their conversations short as if Donna was holding him back. Eventually, this cold shoulder got to the point where Donna confronted him over it, and Eric broke up with her over the phone. Donna was left to grieve over this for the rest of the series, before Eric showed up and didn’t even bother to apologize to her.
