Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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58 of 65 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Have mercy...purchase season two!, September 15, 2005
Recognizing they needed something to keep the whole family glued to the television set, the writers appear to have focused many episodes this season on Uncle Jesse (John Stamos). With his brooding good looks and ability to keep house, he is the housewife's ideal companion.
The season opens with a minor emergency in the Tanner family household. While playing hairdresser, Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) accidentally cut off a tuft of her uncle Jesse's valuable hair. Brushing aside the improbability that he would have allowed anybody near his hair with scissors, this is a funny episode because Stephanie later blames herself when he gets in a motorcycle crash.
Stamos actually gets a haircut this season, shedding his 80's locks for something which is so much more sophisticated and hot. Now it's easy to see why he was positioned as the Romeo of this otherwise wholesome series.
Jesse meets his Juliet because Danny gives up sports casting to become the new host of "Wake up San Francisco"-with Rebecca Donaldson (Lori Loughlin). These morning shows aren't known for their hard-nosed journalists, but Rebecca is an intelligent young woman who does not play the fool. She sees through Jesse's bravado.
This season also sees Joey Gladstone (Dave Couiler)'s character develop further. After realizing that he has to `get tough' on the girls so they don't walk all over him, Joey lets loose on DJ (Candace Cameron) after she comes in late ("Joey Gets Tough"). Coulier's underappreciated as an actor because his `strict Joey' sounded exactly how my dad did when I did something that I wasn't supposed to.
Jesse disciplines DJ when she and Kimmy Gibbler (Andrea Barber) accidentally tape over a Rippers recording in "Fogged Inn" . Because it is a family sitcom, all is quickly forgiven and Jesse makes up for his having yelled at DJ by giving her a new drums set.
During "Pal Joey", Danny confides that he feels the 20-year friendship agreement which the guys made with each other to always be there is being broken. Since they all moved in together, Jesse and Joey have become great friends. Danny's happy that people are getting along, but the situation is uncomfortable for him.
DJ has an uncomfortable situation in "El Problema Grande de DJ" because her dad and Spanish teacher become romantically involved. This is uncomfortable for any kid, but having the teacher of your hardest class dating your parent means that you probably won't be cut any kind of slack-and would be expected to work significantly harder. Again, this episode holds up well years later because it tackles a timeless concern of kids with sensitivity.
Finally, Jesse proposes to Becky when "Wake Up San Francisco" films a special in Lake Tahoe, New Mexico ("Luck be a Lady" ). The two-part season finale also has some drama, after they have a nasty *for them* fight and make up, Jesse wants to marry Rebecca quickly and secretly without the rest of his family knowing what is happening.
21 episodes of the 88-89 season provide a little bit of everything. The Beach Boys even make a special appearance as themselves in an episode when they agree to play with Jesse's band in a private concert at the house. It is just enough to keep your own full house mildly entertained.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Everything starts to come together, December 21, 2005
'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.
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13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
great show, October 29, 2005
I have loved Full House ever since I was in elementary school. Back then, I related to DJ and wanted to be Stephanie! Rediscovering the show as an adult, I still adore it. It is not the best show out there, but it is wholesome and funny, at times touching and at times hard hitting on issues that face all of us. DJ especially went through many problems that teenagers face, such as battling anorexia, peer pressure to drink or smoke, and going further than a teen might be ready for. In the later seasons, Stephanie also went through some of these. This show appeals to different ages: little kids can relate to Michelle starting kindergarten and learning to ride a bike. And even the adults have issues to face. So there is some drama in here, and everything is dealt with using humor and lots of heart! So what if Danny was a cleaning freak who liked to hug? More people should be like that! Joey was always amusing with his comedy, and Jesse was very cute! And a good singer, too. Rebecca was a wonderful addition, she really helped the girls through some tough times when they needed a mom figure.
For those of you who rated this show as stupid, well, I wonder what you consider good. Most shows that are marketed as family shows nowadays, I certainly would not want my children watching. Full House is not as well done as The Cosby Show, for example, and it can get cheesy at times, but I love the 80s and early 90s vibes and in general, it is good enough to overcome the cheesiness! Second season is a big improvement over the first season, and third season is one of the best. Watch the show on Nick at Nite and see if it appeals to you. If you are already a Full House fan, go buy the DVD! It is neat to hear the audio commentary from the creator of the show, and I like being able to watch the episodes in order without commercials!
If you still think Full House is horrible after giving it a fair chance, please don't come here and trash it! Have a heart!
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