Steven Hyde

Steven James Hyde (born c. November 28, 1959) is a fictional character from FOX Networks' That '70s Show played by Danny Masterson. He is Eric Forman's (Topher Grace) best friend and by the end of season one, his de facto adopted brother. Hyde represents the adolescent of the seventies that was suspicious of government and organizations

Character biography
Hyde was abandoned by his mother, (Katey Sagal), who only appeared in three episodes, two of which only her screaming voice calling from inside Hyde's house is heard. His stepfather, Bud (Robert Hays), had left some years earlier. A half brother was mentioned once in a Season 8 episode, though not much is known about him.

Hyde's best friend, and later foster-brother, is the nice, geeky Eric Forman. The two share probably the closest friendship out of the group, shown by how they care and rely on each other and each others' advice. When Hyde's mother left town at the end of the first season, Eric tried to persuade his parents to do something about his best friend's living conditions and thus Hyde was invited to live with the Formans, which Hyde does for the majority of the series. He is adopted into the Forman family, and lives in the basement of their house. When Red decided to kick Hyde out after an arrest for possession of drugs, Eric attempts to come to his rescue.

Hyde found a job working at the Foto Hut with his burned-out hippie boss Leo (Tommy Chong). Hyde and Leo become good friends until Leo suddenly left town, because he remembered that he was only supposed to stay in Point Place for a short time, yet stayed for eight years, leaving his family behind. Ironically enough, during his tenure in the Foto Hut, he was the more responsible worker between himself and Leo, even telling his own boss off for not doing his job. He gave the money he made to Red and Kitty to help them pay the bills. It is evidenced thus that Hyde has a sense of propriety and responsibility to rival that of his friend Eric's, yet is not proud of it as he is more accustomed to his stoner lifestyle.

Hyde developed a fairly close relationship with Eric's dad, Red Forman, who admired his toughness, lack of showing emotions, and traditional masculinity, a quality his son Eric lacks. Red became the closest Hyde has to a real father after he moved in with the Formans. Red does occasionally feel that Hyde can be a bad influence on Eric, particularly due to his frequent marijuana use, and briefly kicked him out when Hyde was arrested. However, he is often shown to have a deeper respect for Hyde over his own son and occasionally prefers Hyde over him (such as when he offered Hyde a job at his new muffler shop instead of Eric.)

In the season 6 finale, Kitty discovered that Bud is not Hyde's real father. Subsequently, Hyde met his biological father, William Barnett (Tim Reid), who was black, making Hyde biracial. He later met his half-sister, Angie Barnett who dreamed of one day running her own store, but ended up working alongside Hyde in her father's store.

Hyde is highly critical of organized religion. He tells an Episcopalian girl that she believes in "the exact opposite of what [he] believe[s] in". Also, in "Holy Crap", he claims he doesn't go to church because it would make him a hypocrite, him believing that organized religions had corrupted the teachings of the likes of others like Jesus, Buddha, and Muhammad. Despite the fact that Hyde mentions God (such as stating his hair was a gift from God in "Eric's Hot Cousin") he does not express any sort of religious affiliation.

In contrast to the sensitive New-Age men prevalent in the 1970s, Hyde is very traditionally masculine, much like Red Forman. He does not voice or show his emotions often (a notable exception being when he has to tell Jackie he cheated on her in season 5, and other occurrences throughout their relationship.) He does not worry about romantic relationships and women the way Kelso, Eric, and Fez do; he considers himself too "tough" and strong for that type of behavior. He generally acts as though he does not care for anyone, perhaps as a defensive mechanism; however, it is shown during the course of the series that he does care deeply about his friends and the Formans.

After Eric's departure to Africa, Hyde became more of the main character due to his relationship with Eric's parents (his foster parents) and marriage to Samantha

Relationships
Early on in the series, he was rarely interested in getting into a serious relationship, and was very cynical about the idea, as portrayed in some of his quips such as "Dating is prostitution, only you don't always get what you pay for". However, as the series progressed, he enjoyed a number of relationships. It was mentioned that his only girlfriend ended up leaving him for his uncle, and when Hyde and Fez make fun of Kelso for being "whipped" by Jackie, Kelso points out that he is the only one "getting any".

Hyde's first love interest of the series was a proto-punk girl who wanted him to move to New York City with her. He ultimately decides to stay in Point Place, and she leaves for New York. The relationship lasted only one episode.

Before Eric and Donna (Laura Prepon) started to date, Eric and Hyde both had feelings for Donna. Hyde tried to win Donna to the point that even Fez began to mock him over his repeated failed attempts. At one point he attempts to kiss her, but she rejects him with a slap. In an early episode, she blows off a "study date" with Hyde at the library to go out with Eric for Valentine's Day. Hyde quickly gives up soon after, prompting the assumption that he was more infatuated with Donna and not in love with her, and they remain close friends.

In Season 5, he became paired with Jackie Burkhart. There is foreshadowing of their relationship throughout the series, most prominently at the Forman's Veteran's Day BBQ in Season 3, where Jackie's date Chip calls her a bitch behind her back. Hyde responds by punching Chip in the face, knocking him out. Later that day, after talking to Mrs. Forman, Hyde takes Jackie out for their first date which leads to their first kiss. Hyde also took Jackie to his junior prom in the first season, and he is the one Jackie goes to for comfort when she and Kelso encounter problems in their relationship, prompting him to ask "Why does she always come to me?" Despite initially loathing Jackie for all that she represents (she is spoiled, shallow, and rich), he has his first real romantic relationship of the series with her.

Hyde and Jackie's relationship was a very typical 'opposites attract' set up. Hyde tells Eric that he simply ignores Jackie's constant complaining and bossiness and focuses on how "hot" she is instead, although he does become more mature and caring as their relationship progresses. They came together during the summer between Seasons 4 and 5 when they found themselves bored with watching The Price Is Right. The relationship gradually grows into a surprisingly strong one, considering their past conflicts. However, they went through trouble when Hyde mistakenly perceives her to be cheating on him with Kelso. In response, he cheated on her. He sincerely apologizes, but Jackie ends the relationship. The separation is brief, however, and they get back together at the beginning of Season 6. They remain together until midway through Season 7, when Jackie becomes insecure about their relationship and asks Hyde if he can see a future with her. His response, "I don't know," breaks them up briefly, but they reconcile after only a few weeks apart. However, when Jackie is offered a job in Chicago, Hyde allows her to leave. In the very next episode, however, he decides to follow her and propose. In the middle of Hyde and Jackie's conversation, Kelso walks into the room in only a towel, carrying a bucket of ice and making a comment implying he and Jackie were about to have sex. Although Kelso frequently makes sexual comments to every female on the show, including Jackie and Donna, Hyde once again believes the two really were about to engage in sex, and drives off to Las Vegas.

In the last season of That '70s Show, Hyde returned from Las Vegas after his confrontation with Jackie and Kelso. While he was in Vegas, he got drunk and married a stripper named Samantha. Although Jackie claims nothing happened between herself and Kelso in Chicago, Hyde chooses to stay in the marriage instead of annulling, ending his and Jackie's relationship forever. The marriage was bitter, as they were often seen screaming at each other, but it was hinted that they had an excellent sex life. In the middle of Season 8, Samantha's real husband showed up unexpectedly, and decided to take Samantha with him back to Vegas. In the midst of the confusion, Hyde decided that it would be best for her to go with her previous husband, thus making their existing marriage null and void. In addition, his father granted him sole ownership of the record store. He had no significant other in the final episode.

Personality
In the first couple of episodes of the first season, Hyde was comparatively less intelligent than in later episodes and more "street smart". However, Hyde quickly fell into the role of the intelligent "tough guy". His intelligence is often undermined because he refuses to apply himself, but he is actually one of the smarter members, if not the smartest member, of the group. In a Halloween episode, it is revealed that Hyde was actually a child prodigy, and might have gone on to do great things if not for a frame-up in elementary school where he was blamed for destroying a classmate's science project, which Eric had actually done.

Hyde, like Eric, has a witty, blunt, and sarcastic sense of humor. He does not seem to take things seriously, but as the series progresses, the compassion, gratitude, and love he has for those around him arises. Hyde's advice is often sought by the members of the group because of his tendincy to see things how they are. Though due to his cynicism and his pleasure in seeing a good "burn", he would sometimes purposely give his more gullible friends bad advice on purpose so he could watch their plans end in disaster for his own entertainment. Regarding more serious matters, Hyde shows compassion and empathy and gives his friends very good advice, showing he has a good sense of virtue.

At the beginning of the first season, Hyde doesn't care for anyone around him and would much rather spend his time alone. He felt this way probably as a result of his father leaving him as a child and his substance-abusing negligent mother. After the Formans take him in, and Eric and Hyde are considered brothers, he shows love and gratitude for the Formans and the rest of the group. When he moved in with Eric, he also did several chores around the house to show his gratitude. While Hyde enjoys his reputation as "the bad influence", there is some evidence throughout the show that some of Hyde's behavior had been influenced by his environment. His mother's own drug and police record is referenced throughout the course of the show. In one of the later episodes, Hyde is seen trying to give up pot and takes up exercising and cooking to get away from the habit, but it was his friends who actually pulled him back in, refusing to let him "ruin his life."

Hyde despises authority. His displays of rebellion include smoking marijuana and cigarettes, drinking beer, and a devout interest in conspiracy theories. Though he may seem sarcastic and careless, as well as manipulative at times, over the course of the series a more mellow side of Hyde revealed itself through his shows of gratitude towards the Formans for taking him in after his mother abandoned him, and his treatment of his significant others in his few relationships.

Hyde holds a great deal of respect for Red and Kitty. His gratitude for them adopting him is very evident, and he tries his best to make them proud. One example of his respect for them is when he was arrested for possestion of marijuana, Red was completely ready to throw him out of the house. While Kitty and Eric tried to persuade him not to, Hyde did not because he did not question Red's judgement. He simply replied that if Red doesn't believe that he's good enough to live in his house, or if they don't believe that he is positively influencing the group, then he'll leave immediately without question. He was even about to leave peacefully until Red agreed to allow him to stay. Another example is when he's the only one to remember Kitty's birthday.

He also shows compassion throughout the series, sometimes taking responsibility for other people's behavior, such as when Jackie gets caught by the police with marijuana, and when Eric breaks the television screen with a bowling ball. He was there for Jackie when Kelso cheated on her, for Donna when Eric broke his engagement with her, and when Fez was locked in a closet by a group of jocks, he told Fez to "come get him" if they bother him again. By the end of the series, the viewer is shown that although Hyde is not perfect, his morals and intelligence make him a good person. It's shown that Hyde is a deep person with good morals because he cherishes his friendships more than worldly or materialistic possessions.

Appearance
Hyde wears an afro and sideburns, and his sunglasses, which he is almost always seen in. He regularly sports jeans, was once failed in PE for refusing to wear shorts, and also has many band t-shirts, which include: Santana, Judas Priest, Eric Clapton, AC/DC, KISS, Led Zeppelin, Jimmy Page, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Pink Floyd, The Beatles, Black Sabbath, Jethro Tull, Jimi Hendrix, The Doors, The Rolling Stones, Ted Nugent, Rush, Aerosmith, John Lee Hooker, The Allman Brothers Band, Blue Öyster Cult, The Sex Pistols, The Ramones and the Grateful Dead. Contrasting with his tough guy exterior, Hyde was once caught on videotape dancing to Frank Sinatra singing. Additionally, following his first breakup with Jackie, he happened to hear B. J. Thomas' "(Hey Won't You Play) Another Somebody Done Somebody Wrong Song" and became a fan of country music. Hyde along with these many bands holds a passionate love of Led Zeppelin, the group he wears most frequently ,and when once questioned by his father as to why he wears said shirts he replies "If god didn't want me to wear them so much he wouldn't have made them rock so hard". He also noted that he likes to watch Little House on the Prairie, because it "reminds him of a simpler time." He dislikes the music of Pat Boone, Styx (although he did tap his foot to their music), ABBA, Peter Frampton, Andy Gibb, and Little River Band. In fact, he once even broke up with a girl because she liked the Little River Band.

Steven is known to drive a black Chevrolet El Camino that is referenced in several episodes. It was given to him by Leo in the episode Radio Daze.