'Full House: The Complete Second Season' highlights what is arguably the most important season in the history of this series. It is safe to assume most people looking at this dvd set are familiar with the show. For those who are not, Full House is centered around a single father, Danny Tanner (Bob Sagat), who is trying to raise his three daughters with the help of his brother-in-law and best friend. You could get away with comparing it to a loose television version of 'Three Men and A Baby.' Full House has taken some criticism, mostly in recent years, over being too wholesome and unrealistic. Being a fan of the series since its inception, I believe this isn't entirely accurate. Over the years on the show, the kids grow up and encounter peer pressure. The adults date, change jobs and struggle with the trial and error of raising children. In that respect, it is like a real American family.
The first season, also available, was mainly to establish the characters and get the Tanner family settled. This season takes those existing characters and runs with them. The reason this particular set of episodes is so important to fans of Full House is because a lot of events happen here that shape the final outcome of the series. Just for starters, Jesse meets and courts Becky. Jesse and Danny both change careers during this time period. We'll try to limit any other spoilers of future episodes as much as possible in this review.
All twenty-two episodes, including a season ending cliffhanger, are packaged onto four dvd's. The set-up is nearly identical to the packaging of the first season, except for new cover art. One big flaw is the way the discs are packaged on top of each other. To get to a disc you want on the bottom, you are forced to remove the top one first. Aside from that, the packaging is quite nice. A brief fold-out lists the episodes in chronological order. You get the name of each episode, the writer/director, original tv airdate and a synopsis.
There are a few episodes on here which are not really pivotal to future seasons, which is the case with each season of any long-running tv series. That is normal. Highlighting some of the important ones, you could start on the first dvd with "Tanner Vs. Gibler", which quietly introduces the character of Rebecca Donaldson (Lori Loughlin). Without spoiling all the details, Rebecca later goes on to be the main love interest for Uncle Jesse (John Stamos) and remains on the show in the seasons following this one. You'd have to watch later episodes to see what eventually happens with them.
In this same episode, Danny is also moved from late night sportscaster to morning show talk host. This show, 'Wake Up San Francisco', becomes Danny's job for several seasons to come. The next episode on Disc 1 is "It's Not My Job." Here, Jesse ditches his exterminator job (which he held in Season 1) to pursue a music career. While a potential spoiler, Jesse continues on with his music throughout the remainder of the Full House series.
"Jingle Hell" is the beginning of Joey and Jesse's advertising career, which is the focus of several later episodes. "Beach Boy Bingo" is notable for being the first Full House appearance of Mike Love and his Beach Boys. The Beach Boys would go on to make several guest appearances in later seasons, to the chagrin of many Full House critics.
The second dvd begins with "Joey Gets Tough", in which Dave Coulier's character is finally given authority to discipline the girls when Danny is not around. "Our Very First Christmas Show" is the standard sitcom holiday episode. "A Little Romance" gives D.J. (Candace Cameron) her first real boyfriend and later, a break-up. This also is the episode where Jesse finally makes some headway with Rebecca, after pursuing her all season, leading to the events on the season finale.
On Disc 3, "Little Shop of Sweaters" deserves a footnote for being an obligatory shoplifting episode. The only other really important episode on the third dvd is "Goodbye, Mr. Bear." Most Full House fans will find interest in this one, because it is the only time in the entire series you ever see Danny's late wife, Pam Tanner, in a home video. Pam didn't even appear in the Pilot of Season 1, she had already passed away, though she is often talked about throughout the series.
The most notable thing on Disc 4, besides the scant bonus features, would be the final two episodes. "Luck Be A Lady" is a two-part closer to this season in which Jesse spontaneously proposes to Rebecca in Lake Tahoe. It doesn't turn out quite like you might think. Another scene, where Joey "wins" a big fortune on the slot machines is genuinely amusing.
Again, there are a lot of important episodes in the second season of Full House. This was early in the series when the writing was top-notch, the storylines original and the cast was smaller. As time went along, in later seasons, more and more characters got added to the mix who didn't always need to be there. The later in the series you go, the less pivotal the episodes were. Near the end, a lot of pointless episodes cropped up which did nothing to develop the characters.
While much has been said about how at various times either Jesse or Michelle was the main focus of Full House, all of the characters were focal points in Season 2. The bonus features here are limited but remember that there may not be much stuff left over from the cutting room floor. TV series from the 1980's were certainly not shot with DVD-bonus features in mind for years down the road.
If you are a devoted fan of Full House from back in the 1980's or 90's, then you will want to purchase 'The Complete Second Season.' That is a given. If you are new to the show or otherwise unsure, Season 2 is a good place to start if you are just trying the show out. Of course, 'The Complete First Season' is still best for anybody making their first visit to Full House.