FULL HOUSE: Michelle Tanner
Now that it’s summertime, I’ve got more time to do crazy and wild things, like write Recap Reviews. I’ve really only done one character-specific review, but I kinda like them, so maybe I’ll keep it up.
The other thing about summertime, is that I get half-day Fridays at work. This means that I have the opportunity to catch up on old shows that are syndicated during the workday. One strong example is Full House.
I adored this show growing up. Really. It’s embarrassing how much I loved this show growing up. But I was right in their target audience, and I was right around Stephanie’s age, so there you go. I liked it. And the first season was adorable. Adorable.
Then, a few years down the road, it got bad. And I mean, really bad. I mean, I still watched it (which is a bit embarrassing to admit now), but I’m hoping part of that was because I felt that I should after so much dedicated watching. But it was bad.
The culprit? Michelle Tanner.
Here’s a slight flaw with TV. Sometimes, people watch a show because they like a character a ton. Then, the people in charge realize it and try to exploit it. This happened with Ruthie in 7th Heaven. And it may just happen with Sheldon on The Big Bang Theory. That show is walking down a fine line.
This is what happened with Full House. The wee Olsen twins were adorable as babies, and the viewing audience just loved watching them grow up. But then, it became The Michelle Show. It wasn’t just that she was in the forefront of the series, but the family was making ridiculous decisions because of her.
Decision #1: Jesse and Rebecca live in the attic. Ok, ok, sure. They had to do this to really keep the characters in the show as much as they’d like them. But it was unrealistic. But then again, Michelle was still really cute, and Jesse was apparently now a wuss, so we kept them in there.
Decision #2: Jesse and Rebecca have twins. Gosh, Michelle was just so cute, let’s do it again! Not only was it ridiculous, but these kids did not have the same factor that the Olsen twins did, and now there were two of them. And added element to the show that was just kinda annoying the longer it went on all because of Michelle’s character success.
Decision #3: The family doesn’t move.
This is the real moment that the show became The Michelle Show. If you remember, the Tanners were offered a huge amount of money for their house. This would allow Jesse and crew to move out. All the girls would get their own rooms. You know, everyone would be normal.
But no. Michelle decides this is a bad idea, so Michelle sabotages the inspection and then the family stays, just because Michelle is sad. Really?! This has always bugged me. No family in the history of time would ever do this. And that was the turning point of the series.
Suddenly, everything revolved around Michelle, though Michelle wasn’t even cute anymore. She was older and bratty and obnoxious. Yet, they focused on most. So what? She kicked a winning goal into the wrong net. Why did the world have to stop? So what? She has two best friends. Why should the world stop?
Even in the series finale, it was all about Michelle. Michelle fell off a horse, got amnesia, had to find her way back. Personally, I could care less and wanted to make sure DJ got to prom.
So basically, Full House was brought down by Michelle Tanner. Which is disappointing, because like I said, it was really good to start. Looking back, I should have spent those last few season watching something else. I mean, it did compete (and win) over Saved by the Bell: The College Years in its last season. That’s just sad.
