Mila Kunis portrayed Jackie Burkhart for all eight seasons of That ’70s Show, but Jackie’s story didn’t have such a great ending. When the series began, she was considered more of a side character since she was primarily displayed as Michael Kelso’s girlfriend. As time went on, Jackie evolved into one of the most amusing characters within the series, but the final season put her on a surprising path.
In the early episodes of That ’70s Show, Jackie was the self-absorbed rich girl who hung around despite the fact that the rest of the group didn’t want her around. Jackie felt like she deserved a spot in Eric Forman’s basement due to her relationship with Kelso. She was a year younger than the rest of the group but she eventually earned her spot by simply refusing to leave. Jackie never fully let go of her conceited qualities, but her friends found ways to live with her behavior. Over time, she became Donna’s best friend and left Kelso behind to enter in a relationship with Hyde.
Jackie’s behavior changed after her father was sent to prison and she was no longer the spoiled girl in the eyes of her acquaintances. She learned the importance of friendship and later realized that she would need to forge her own career. Jackie’s taste in men also changed when she fell for Hyde. Toward the end of the series, Jackie and Hyde’s relationship fell apart and he ended up marrying a stripper from Las Vegas. During That ’70s Show season 8, Kelso constantly proposed to Jackie. She considered that he might be her soulmate but wouldn’t agree to marry him. Instead, she realized that Fez had all of the qualities she was looking for and, by the end of the series, the pair were together. It’s assumed that Jackie and Fez ended up together for the long-term since they shared their first real kiss in the series finale. There was also no indication to confirm otherwise.
Many viewers of That ’70s Show were not too pleased when Jackie and Fez ended up together. The series spent so much time teasing the outcome between Jackie and Kelso before throwing Hyde into the mix. The revelation that Jackie was in love with Fez just didn’t add up in the eyes of many fans. Sure, he had been after her for years, but it was so clear that they were better off as friends. It felt unnecessary to force Jackie into another relationship just because she was single at the time.
Although there was no concrete evidence suggesting what happened to Jackie in the ’80s and beyond, it would have been much more satisfying if That ’70s Show ended with Jackie learning to live as a single woman. She had a boyfriend for the majority of the series; it would have been refreshing to see a transformative character like Jackie explore the world on her own. She was in the early stages of her career and already gave up a job opportunity due to her love life. The character deserved more than a new romance for shock factor.
Maybe down the line, Jackie would have reunited with a past love from That ’70s Show, like Kelso or Hyde. A better scenario would be if Jackie met a new man who didn’t have ties to her old life. Many aspects of her past romances were unhealthy for both parties. Just because Jackie didn’t end up with Kelso, Michael, or even Fez, it shouldn’t have meant they couldn’t all remain friends. If only the writers of season 8 understood that notion.
