(I tried to keep this as spoiler free as possible…)
I grew up watching episodes of Full House, but aside from having a mild crush on Uncle Jesse, I don’t remember much of the series itself. What happened to Danny’s wife? Exactly how long the show was on? I recall that later I found out that the guy who played Steve, also did the voice of Aladdin. And that somehow Ted Mosby grows up to be Danny Tanner (which is a surprisingly accurate connection I hadn’t thought about until this moment). Even though I didn’t remember any exact story lines, I did remember that it made me laugh and it made me happy to watch, so when Netflix said they were doing a reboot (for lack of a better word) I was skeptical. It seems that a lot of shows and networks are hitting us Millennials hard in the nostalgia bone lately, and it is WORKING.
Yesterday after getting some stuff done (car registered, groceries bought. You know grown up stuff), I sat down and was ready to be pulled back into my childhood. Two things struck me in the first episode. One: Uncle Jesse was right, they all did look good! Two: this show was going to make me cry… a lot more than anticipated.
If you’ve watched Fuller House you know that they lean HEAVILY on the nostalgia. I did think they overused their catch phrases a bit too much (seriously, no one says “How Rude!” that often) but for a show that was being born out of nostalgia, it made sense. All of the characters make appearances in at least 1 episode, with the exception of the Olsen twins but fear not(!) they made sure to take subtle jabs at them any chance they got.
What surprised me the most was how much I loved the dynamic of the new family. With DJ, Kimmy, Stephanie and all the kids attached to them I grew more attached to them than I anticipated.
Fuller House actually hit on some pretty difficult subjects from Stephanie what happens with her at the end of the 5th episode. DJ handling losing her husband and being a single mom, dating again and how the boys are handling the loss of their dad. I quickly clung to their closeness as a family and didn’t want to let go, particularly the kids! Max is seriously my favorite kid in the series and I want one of him of my very own. Jackson and Ramona are the perfect teenagers with their small teenage angst.
I was glad to see that the show wasn’t going to bring back EVERYONE from the original cast for theseries. The characters coming in and then leave every few episodes was a great way to keep the previous cast involved but not overshadow the new cast too much.
Of course, with DJ being the main focus they couldn’t NOT have some sort of romance with here and someone. Which is why they brought back Steve, her high school sweetheart still pining after DJ even after all these years, and introduced a new cute doctor at DJ’s vet clinic for her to have some flirtation with (for the record, I’m totally #TeamSteve). When she’s finally forced to choose, her choice is AWESOME. I was so happy about it, and I think it will help in any future season for her to make that choice.
Overall, this show was and continues to be about family. DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy created a great family in Tanner household. One that I was happy to be a part of, even for just a moment. They worked through things similar to a family would and supported each other through things that a family should. From Kimmy and Stephanie making sure that DJ got some nights out. To Stephanie and DJ keeping Kimmy from making Kimmy like choices. And even Kimmy and DJ helping Stephanie find her way back, after being on the road for so long. Its a show ultimately about a family, whatever kind of family that is. A family that performs a surprising amount of dance numbers.
Have you watched Fuller House yet? What did you think?
