So,
this could be one of the few times in this blog that I talk about a current
show, but it's definitely something that I want to cover.
As
you may have already guessed from the numerous talk show appearances of the
cast members as well as the promotions surrounding it that a "Full
House" spinoff or reboot or whatever you want to call it was coming.
On February 26, 2016, that show "Fuller House" debuted on Netflix.
And
I have watched all thirteen episodes of it and feel comfortable enough to do up
a review of the series and whether I think it will get a second season.
Okay,
so here's the set-up of the plot, in case you didn't know...and for people who
haven't seen the series, I'll try not to spoil it too much. The gist of it is this. At some point between the birth of D.J.'s
youngest child and the time the show debuts, D.J.'s husband Tommy gets killed
while fighting a fire. D.J. has moved
herself and her three boys, Jackson, Max, and Tommy Jr. into her dad's
house. Danny plans on selling the house
because he and Becky's talk show has become nationally syndicated and they are
moving to Los Angeles. Jesse has also
gotten a composing job in Los Angeles, and Joey has gotten a comedy gig
engagement in Las Vegas. Stephanie has
become a DJ under the name of "DJ Tanner", and Kimmy has become an
event planner and is raising a thirteen-year-old girl named Ramona.
But
when D.J. has trouble trying to take care of everything and everyone, and is
upset that everyone is leaving her, Stephanie and Kimmy make the decision to
move in with D.J., and so D.J., Stephanie, Kimmy, Ramona, Jackson, Max, and
Tommy become a blended family.
It's
essentially the same plot, just with a gender swap.
So,
what do I think about the show itself?
Well, obviously, it's not for everyone.
The first series was sugary sweet and could be corny. The new series is just as glucose laden -
but I will say that there is a little bit of spice in the mix as there are some
subtle and not-so-subtle adult references mixed into the various episodes. Let's just say that you won't look at a
volcano quite the same way again.
But
for people who watched the original show, it's a nice nostalgic look at the
past as well as a great hope for the future - even though the reunion episode
would have been a lot better had it been expanded to a full hour. And for new fans, it's a show that still
provides classic laughs and humour while giving off a nice warm glow.
Now,
having said that, there are some characters who seem to have made the
transition well, and others who have become as dumb as a box of rocks. And while we won't be discussing the
character of Michelle as the Olsen twins declined to participate (a point that
the cast of the show seems to poke fun at a LOT), we will talk about the people
who were credited in the first show.
Now,
D.J. Tanner-Fuller has become a veterinarian, which I have to say is a fairly
good choice of career for her, as she always took care of everyone and
everything around her. What's
interesting is that she has essentially become a female version of her father,
which is ironic given how she was annoyed by him a lot when she was a
teenager! But, I suppose she could have
had worse role models. As a mother, I
think D.J. has done well, and I think that she really does love her children a
lot. But she also finds herself the
object of two men's affections during season one. One is her partner, Matt Harmon (played by John Brotherton), and
the other we'll talk about later.
Stephanie
is one of the characters who seemingly has devolved in the show. At first, I was wondering how a clean cut
straight A student like Stephanie could become a party girl who goes by the
name of "DJ Tanner" at work.
But in episode five of the series, we learn a secret about Stephanie
that not only explains why she is the way she is, but also breaks your
heart. Easily the most emotional moment
of the series so far. I think as the
show progresses, Stephanie's love for her nephews becomes solid, and I expect
that as season two progresses, she will find her path.
Kimmy
Gibbler is Kimmy Gibbler, and we wouldn't want her any other way. She was one of my favourite characters on
the original show, and she is still very well liked on this show. Somehow, Kimmy has started up a successful
party planning business entitled "Do It Gibbler Style", and even
Danny admitted that she is great at her job.
She seems to have conflicting feelings for her ex-husband Fernando (Juan
Pablo DiPace), and she is trying to be more of a mother and less of a friend to
daughter Ramona. She's not nearly the
perfect mother, and sometimes she has disagreements with D.J. and
Stephanie. But you know, it's really
good to see the three women getting along so well and creating the
"She-Wolf Pack".
Jackson
Fuller - or J-Money - is a wild card character for me. I think the actor cast for his part is
perfect, and honestly, I think the casting director got it right with all of
the kids, because they are all very talented.
But, I think Jackson suffers from "It's Not Fair" disease,
because he seems to feel this way quite a lot.
But, Jackson's personality is supposed to be designed after Jesse's, and
I have to admit it took me two seasons before I started to like Jesse, so I'll
give it time with Jackson. But I will
say this...he is a great older brother.
But
Max, on the other hand...he has absolutely become the show's scene stealer, and
I think that's great. He's definitely
got a charming personality and great charisma that is sure to work for him - at
least for now. I think I even read in an
article that Jodie Sweetin who plays Stephanie said that she'd adopt him if she
could! I think Max is an absolute
delight, and even though he seems to be designed after Danny, it's hard to
resist his catchphrase of "Holy chalupas!"
Ramona
is definitely a Gibbler. Even though
she's at that age where Kimmy starts to embarrass her, she definitely has
Kimmy's wild style and biting wit. And,
while she and Jackson sometimes have arguments with each other, Ramona knows
that deep down inside, they will always be friends. Certainly Ramona found it hard to move into the home at first -
she referred to the Fuller family as the whitest family in America. But by episode 13, she wouldn't want to be
anywhere else.
Not
much to say about Tommy Jr. He's just a
few months old. Michelle wasn't very
impressive her first year either.
Jesse
appears in a total of four episodes during the series, and I think that his
character remains true to form. He
still has great hair, loves Elvis, and sticks his foot in his mouth on occasion
in front of his wife. But you'll be
happy to know that he and Becky have stayed married, and in the final episode
of season one, they renew their wedding vows.
Or, at least they TRY to. Either
way, Jesse doesn't change much at all through this second go around, and I'm
kind of relieved.
Danny,
on the other hand, seems to have made quite a few changes. While he's still a neat freak, I get the
impression that he doesn't seem to care about cleaning nearly as much as he
used to. Maybe the fact that he married
a younger woman named Teri (Eva LaRue) that did it to him. To Danny's credit, I think he's actually
improved since "Full House".
He's not as goofy and Care Bear like.
Sure, he still loves giving hugs to people, but he's also not nearly as
OCD as we initially thought. He appears
in only two episodes of the series though.
I would have thought he'd have done more.
Joey
makes an appearance in three episodes, and honestly, I think his character has
become increasingly pathetic. I think
Joey started Full House being semi-interesting, devolved into village idiot by
series end, and now he's just basically given up on trying to be an adult. Though, I will say this. In episode three, when he's babysitting the
kids, he does do one thing that I wholeheartedly agree with when it comes to
spending family time together. And for
once, it doesn't involve Mr. Woodchuck.
Oh,
Becky...what the hell happened to you?
You used to be one of my favourite characters on the original series
because you actually had a brain and knew how to use it. But on this series, you seem like you've
donated your brain to science and have become a mess of a character whose
biological clock is ticking away its last seconds. We get it! Your twins
ended up being complete screw-ups and you want another child...but seriously
lady, you have a national show and are married to Jesse! Give it up already. Of course it doesn't help that in the three
episodes that Becky appears in, one of them was my least favourite one. Seriously, I stopped caring who got sent a
thousand roses after the roses arrived.
I
had such high hopes for Nicky and Alex, but all they seem to want to do is run
a fish taco stand and surf. Jesse and
Becky would be proud. But, at least you
can say that Blake and Dylan Tuomy-Wilhoit grew up very well.
In
an interesting twist, Steve Hale comes back into the scene. And he appears in six of the thirteen
episodes. And he still has feelings for
D.J.! And he likes to eat!
And
for some reason, his dog happens to be Comet's granddaughter. Yes, Comet the dog crossed the Rainbow
Bridge long ago, but Steve's dog had puppies in the very first episode and Max
got the chance to take home one of the dogs as his pet (the dog's name also
happens to be space themed). And I
think that dog ended up being the gateway for D.J. to spend some time with
Steve again. Will these former
lovebirds become a couple? Well, not if
Matt has anything to say about it.
Of
course, the show still has a few unanswered mysteries to solve. Will D.J. find love again? Will Stephanie settle down? What will Tommy's first word be? Will Danny, Joey, Jesse, and Becky
return? How did Danny meet his new
wife? And will Michelle ever come back
to the series?
I admit...I might give a second season a whirl...but only if I get to drink as much tequila as the girls did throughout the season!
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