5 Dark Full House Moments We’re Amazed The Sitcom Got Away With
For a family comedy, Full House tackled a lot of dark storylines throughout its eight-year run. The iconic late ’80s/early ’90s sitcom followed the Tanners as they live an unconventional home dynamic in San Francisco. Single dad Danny Tanner was left to raise his three young daughters: DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle. He recruited his brother-in-law, Jesse Katsopolis, and best friend, Joey Gladstone to help him with the endeavor. especially since he also had the responsibility of financially supporting his kids. Eventually, the adult trio was tasked with raising the Tanner daughters, which resulted in a lot of memorable moments.
Pam Tanner’s Death Kicking Off Full House
The events of Full House were kicked off by the death of Pam, Danny’s wife. By the time the show started, it had already been a while since she passed away and the family was starting to settle into a routine after a period of deep mourning. Not much was revealed about Pam initially, but it was eventually established that she died in a car accident after a drunk driver crashed into her. Launching a family sitcom with a tragedy was a big risk, especially since Pam’s death and accident continued to be a recurring theme throughout Full House’s run. Luckily, the show was able to handle it quite impressively.
DJ Tanner Being Obsessed With Dieting
As the eldest Tanner daughter, DJ was the first to deal with teenage growing pains. While Full House featured creative storytelling, it mostly leaned on reality, which meant that a lot of its plots are rooted in real-life, making it very relatable. When DJ started to become more social as a young teen, Full House surprisingly tackled the dangers of promulgating unhealthy beauty standards. Insecure about her body, she went on a hard-core diet that involved her snacking on ice. She wanted to keep her plan secret from her dad and the rest of the family, but after she passed out, she had to come clean about it.
Stephanie Dealing With Peer Pressure
DJ wasn’t the only one to struggle with societal pressure in Full House. While Danny’s daughters were undoubtedly smart, they weren’t immune to some of the most common difficulties that a teenager goes through. For Stephanie, her issues used to come from being mixed with the wrong crowd. At one point, she had to prove herself to a couple of her schoolmates by smoking a cigarette. She did consider doing it to make new friends, but the Tanner middle child knew better than that. Seeing how uncomfortable it was for her to be surrounded by girls pressuring her to smoke was difficult.
Papouli Unexpectedly Dying
Deaths in sitcoms weren’t exactly new when Full House was on the air. The show itself started with the demise of Danny’s wife. That being said, Papouli passing away in season 7 was arguably one of the most gut-wrenching moments in the series. What made his death so much worse was the way it played out. Jesse’s grandfather from Greece visited San Francisco and immediately endeared himself to everyone in the Tanner family and their audience. Just as he was getting settled in, however, Papouli unexpectedly dies, shocking everybody. His demise was particularly hard on both Jesse and Michelle, who bonded over their shared loss.
Stephanie Experiencing PTSD
Not long after losing her mom, Stephanie developed PTSD after experiencing an intense earthquake in San Francisco. Rooted on her fear of also losing her dad, Stephanie became really worried about Danny, to the point that she wouldn’t even want him to leave for work. With the help of Jesse and Joey, the Tanner patriarch decided to seek medical help for his daughter’s condition. While Full House didn’t get to delve deeper into Stephanie’s experience with PTSD, the fact that a sitcom even tackled the disorder, especially from a little girl’s perspective, was impressive.