The final season of “Full House” aired on television 15 years ago; the series itself was something that families all over the country still remember watching and memorizing every word. This winter on Dec. 6, the popular show’s spinoff, “Fuller House,” released the first half of its fifth and final season on Netflix. While the show is both highly entertaining and funny, it doesn’t have nearly the same effect on its viewers as the original. Each episode in Season 5 so far has been predictable and often unimaginable.
“Fuller House” is a Netflix original and a spinoff series of the hit ‘80s and ‘90s sitcom “Full House” that premiered in 2015. In the show, D.J., Stephanie and Kimmy all live in the original Tanner residence raising D.J.’s three boys — Jackson, Max and Tommy — as well as Kimmy’s daughter, Ramona. Just like Danny Tanner in the original show, D.J. is a widow raising three children. Also similar to “Full House,” she receives help raising them from friends and family.
I would argue that “Fuller House” is much more farcical and far less serious than “Full House.” For example, Kimmy Gibbler, the Tanner’s eccentric next-door neighbor and D.J.’s long-time best friend, is even wackier and whimsical in the spinoff. The events of the show are also far less plausible, creating a new form of entertainment the original series lacked. Season 5 has been one of the best seasons so far in terms of the show’s comedic value but seems to be just what fans of the show predicted in terms of its plot.
First, in Season 5, Episode 2, Ramona falls for her food delivery boy and continues to order more food until she has the guts to ask him out. Unfortunately, her father Fernando finds out about her plans and orders his own meal in an attempt to hijack her scheme. Meanwhile, D.J. and Steve take a couples cooking class and get overly competitive with another more experienced couple.
Then in Episode 3, “Family Business,” Fernando and Jimmy, Kimmy’s younger brother, make an impromptu decision to buy a sandwich shop with Steve’s money in order to keep it from closing down. The former model and race car driver then realize they have no idea how to run a business.
Next in Episode 4, Stephanie, D.J., Kimmy and Gia go for a girls’ night out to celebrate Gia getting married. The episode turns into the classic story from the movie “Footloose” when they discover that their favorite club has banned dancing. Along comes “Dancing with the Stars” professionals Val and Max to help bring back dancing.
Later in Episode 5, titled “Ready Player Fuller,” D.J. catfishes her son Jackson by pretending to be a teenage boy gamer to spend more time with him. She discovers that she has a talent for video games just like her son and eventually gets him to open up to her.
Moving on to Episode 7, Matt and D.J. start a concierge vet service and accidentally lose the mayor of San Francisco’s bird. Also, Kimmy and Fernando invite Ramona’s new boyfriend over for a Gibbler game night and embarrass her with their shenanigans.
Then in Episode 8, titled “Five Dates with Kimmy Gibbler,” Kimmy decides to go on a series of blind dates to decide if Fernando is really the one for her. She plans all the dates back to back at the same restaurant to make things easier. What she doesn’t know is that Fernando was at the restaurant in disguise the whole time.
Lastly in Episode 9, “The Modest Proposal,” Fernando is planning on proposing to Kimmy and Jimmy is in charge of holding onto the engagement ring. When Jimmy thinks he loses it, he enlists Max, Jackson and Ramona to search the sandwich shop to find it. The season concludes with a colossal flash mob proposal.
Although the show is pleasurable to watch and has a few refreshing storylines, it is often lacking when it comes to surprising its viewers. The spinoff failed to inspire its watchers with the same meaningful plot points and life lessons that “Full House” was widely known for.
I was especially disappointed in the fact that all three leading ladies end up with a typical happily ever after story. This differs from “Full House” because Danny and Joey’s storyline was not about finding someone to marry but Stephanie’s and D.J.’s often was. Also, D.J. neglected to go through the same mourning Danny went through after the death of her husband leaving what felt like a major hole in the story at times.
While it may not be a show you’ll look back on for years to come like the original “Full House,” it is still a greatly entertaining sitcom that the whole family can enjoy. You can watch “Fuller House” on Netflix. The final nine episodes of the series are set to premiere in spring 2020.
