Fuller House’s season 5 finale didn’t measure up when compared to the ending of Full House. DJ, Stephanie, and Kimmy are all grown up and moving in together following the death of DJ’s husband in Fuller House, echoing Jesse and Joey moving in with Danny in Full House. Unfortunately, Fuller House’s conclusion is not as satisfying as the series strays away from what makes Full House great.
Netflix canceled Fuller House, with season 5 leading to a finale that just doesn’t work. Despite homages throughout to Full House, including the familiar plaid loveseat, the Sprayguard 2001, and the framed bunny wallpaper, Fuller House’s ending doesn’t do justice to the beloved characters introduced as children in 1987. Fuller House fails to give the Tanner family a fulfilling conclusion fit to match the ending of Full House.
Fuller House’s finale, “Our Very Last Show, Again,” gives DJ, Stephanie, and Kimmy happy endings, but fails to be family-oriented until the end. With the venue seized, the minister unavailable, and the hairstylist canceling, the triple wedding of Fuller House betrays Full House’s core theme: family. For the better part of the Fuller House finale, DJ, Stephanie, and Kimmy are worrying about their combined wedding being cursed. There’s no mention of the significance of Steve becoming a stepfather and the lead-up to the wedding lacks the touching moments that Full House relies on.
The only emotional moment comes at the end when DJ thanks Stephanie and Kimmy for supporting her during her darkest hour and Stephanie reveals her pregnancy. Fuller House begins with DJ moving home after the death of her husband as she learns to navigate being a single mother, much like Danny in Full House. However, DJ’s tragedy is worse than Danny’s and the finale never acknowledges her late husband or the impact of Steve with helping DJ find love again. Instead of a touching wedding focusing on family, the Fuller House finale is a jumbled mess of jokes, an appearance by Joey McIntyre, and no real family connections.
Full House revolves around family always being there for one another, but Fuller House didn’t get the memo. Fuller House season 1 brings together the Tanners and Kimmy to rally around DJ during her time of need. However, the family aspect nearly falls off the radar as Fuller House shifts focus to DJ, Kimmy, and Stephanie’s friendship. Fuller House learns the wrong lessons from Full House as family is no longer the center of the story. Full House leans heavily into parenting and how three single men are raising three little girls without putting tons of emphasis on Danny, Jesse, and Joey’s private lives.
The children of Fuller House are used for subplots. Kimmy and Stephanie move in specifically to help DJ with parenting. However, there are very few moments where DJ, Kimmy, or Stephanie are actually parenting Jackson, Max, Ramona, and Tommy, and this extends into the Fuller House finale. Tommy is born after DJ’s husband has died. He has never met his father, so Steve stepping in to fill that role should be a huge deal, but it goes unmentioned. In fact, Stephanie’s baby is barely on Fuller House despite being a huge storyline for Kimmy to be her surrogate.
The Full House finale finds the Tanners rallying around Michelle when she falls off a horse and has amnesia. Jesse explains to Michelle that it felt like part of her was missing, so part of each of them was missing as well, but they got through it. Danny then says, “Just like we always will.” It’s a poignant moment and tugs on the heartstrings that no matter what happens or where they end up, the Tanner family will always be there for each other during times of need which is emphasized throughout the series. Fuller House prioritizes female friendship over family and parenting.
The Fuller House finale is the wrong ending for the Tanners. Instead of exploring three separate endings, DJ, Stephanie, and Kimmy end up with the exact same ending marrying their partners. Fuller House never explores Stephanie’s most interesting storyline and gives her a generic wedding with no meaning. The only special moment for Stephanie is when she announces her pregnancy after struggling with infertility, which is a huge announcement that is only mentioned in the last few minutes. Kimmy remarrying Fernando seems thrown in for a triple wedding, and she has no significant story in the finale. Kimmy could be absent entirely from the episode and it would go unnoticed.
The only part done right in the Fuller House finale is DJ finally marrying Steve. However, after their teenage romance in Full House and DJ becoming a widow, the triple wedding doesn’t do DJ and Steve’s happy ending justice. The Fuller House finale should have focused only on DJ and Steve getting married and coming full circle to form a blended family. Though Fuller House does one thing better than Full House, the absence of the family-oriented storylines fail to highlight how DJ has grown since the death of her husband.
