Warning! This article contains spoilers from Netflix's Fuller House.
Cut it out, critics, with the bad Fuller House reviews. In all honesty, the show is a bit much at times with its outdated laugh track, and at its core, is just one major throwback to the original.
However, fans loved it. It kind of grows on the viewer as the season advances — that is, after you get through the pilot episode that is nothing more than one returning face and joke after another.
First thing going into binge-watching this Netflix original series, you have to know exactly what you are getting yourself into. Fuller House is full of wholesome, family-centric plot lines (complete with lots of Fuller-Tanner hugging), cheesy jokes and lots of nostalgia.
When it comes to the jokes, the series relies heavily on the same old gimmicks, one-liners and catchphrases that we all know so well. That means you should expect to hear, "You got it, dude" and "Have mercy," quite a few times throughout the series.
While it's all in good fun during the pilot, this episode quickly becomes one long sketch that pays homage to the original. We see Kimmy (Andrea Barber) reviving her grand entrance, saying "Hola, Tanneritos," and Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) dropping her infamous "How rude" less than 10 minutes in. We also get a Bullwinkle impression from Joey (David Coulier) and a cameo by Steve (Scott Weinger), and yes, he still loves food. The pilot couldn't be complete with Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) serenading us with "Forever" with the Rippers. Just when we thought we couldn't handle any more references to Full House, the episode ends with the gang singing the Flinstones theme song around the baby just like in the original pilot.
Somehow, it all kind of works. It's exactly what fans want to see — the family back together again, doing their usual bits.
The references don't stop at the pilot. It seems like in every episode, the Fuller and Tanner sisters are talking about some scenario from the original series, like when D.J. (Candace Cameron-Bure) and Stephanie were forced to share a room, or when D.J. beat Stephanie at Twister. D.J.'s son Max (Elias Harger) is as obsessed with cleaning as grandfather Danny (Bob Saget), who, later in the series, makes a cameo to film a Wake Up, San Francisco reunion episode. This leads to the characters reminiscing on all the memories made on the family couch.
While some of these references begin to get old (make some new memories already), Uncle Jessie's cameos don't. In fact, it's what we look forward to the most. We can watch him marry Aunt Becky (Lori Loughlin) over and over again.
Speaking of new memories, Fuller House does find a way to take its own twist on fan favorite aspects of the show. This includes Max Fuller getting his own catchphrase, Holy Chalupas!" and getting their own Comet, a puppy named Cosmo T.D. Fuller. The spinoff manages to blend the new with the old, regardless of how unbalanced it is.
Although Fuller House relies heavily on the original series to resonate with viewers, somehow, it finds its way in our hearts.
Fuller House is available to stream on Netflix.
