‘Fuller House’: A modern take on an old classic

By Jordan Puyear | gargoyle@flagler.edu

As I was sitting there in front of the computer screen, I didn’t know what to expect from “Fuller House,” the spinoff of “Full House” revolving around the Tanner family 29 years later. Was it going to be disappointing, would it be so good that it would ruin Full House for me, what was going to happen? I clicked play and waited for the unknown, and then it happened …

“Fuller House” is absolutely amazing! However, it felt so strange the amount of nostalgia I felt and what it was like watching Full House at 9 years old and then watching “Fuller House” at 19. Many emotions were spiraling during that first episode, and I found that certain scenes, jokes and shots left you wanting to binge-watch the entire season.

First off, the title sequence threw me off. “Fuller House” used the original opening credits from “Full House” to introduce the show and explain to the audience that this is set 29 years later. At first, I thought my Netflix account was malfunctioning and somehow brought me to “Full House,” not “Fuller House.” Once I realized the smooth transition, I found that this was an authentic twist to introducing a spinoff. It was around five minutes in that the show’s new title sequence appeared. The sequence revealed original and currents photos of the main characters, while Carly Rae Jepsen’s “Everywhere You Look” played in the background (which is, by the way, super catchy). This led the camera to reveal the seemingly unchanged set of the original show, which already brought some feels to the surface.

It was then that all the original characters were introduced one by one. Each of the characters held the same style, comedic punch lines, and catchphrases which all led to many cheers from the audience throughout the episode. “Damn, we all still look good,” said Uncle Jesse, played by John Stamos. That line brought up the fact that most of the original cast members came back for this reboot. Speaking of “most of the original cast,” the only character that did not reprise their role was Michelle, played by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen. One of the most hilarious moments of the episode that, as a Media Studies major, was such a groundbreaking scene was when the characters were discussing the whereabouts of Michelle and how she is in New York running a fashion empire (which is what the Olsen twins actually do). During that scene, they all broke character and looked into the camera for a good ten seconds to make it clear that the Olsen twins did not return. That moment was so crazy to watch, I actually had to pause the episode as I took in what I just saw.

What was especially interesting to watch was seeing where all of the characters have ended up. DJ is a widow and has three young boys, Stephanie is a world traveling DJ with no children, Kimmy has a young daughter and runs a party planning business, Danny and Becky have a new talk show in California, Jesse is a music composer for General Hospital, Joey has a comedy show is Las Vegas, and Steve is a divorced pediatrician. Another shocking point of “Fuller House” is that not all of the characters are regulars for the series. It hit me around the middle of the episode that “Fuller House” would mainly focus on DJ, Stephanie, and Kimmy and their struggles with parenting. While it did make me sad that the show was losing most of it vital characters, this new concept was modernizing and truly made it similar to the original, whereas instead of three guys trying to figure out parenting, it is three women.

Finally, the one moment that almost brought me to tears was when Tommy, DJ’s baby boy, started crying in his crib. A split screen showed the original scene of the characters singing “The Flintstones Theme” to Michelle, and the current characters singing the same song to Tommy. The scene was both nostalgic and extremely well done. After most of the characters left. DJ, Stephanie, Kimmy, and their children gathered around to sing the theme song again, signaling a new tradition.

All in all, if you are a fan of Full House, you will fall in love with “Fuller House.”

10 out of 10, would recommend.