
16 of the best hugs to ever happen on 'Full House'
By Anna Redman
With brand-new series Fuller House streaming (Feb. 26), Nextflix has brought everyone’s favourite family, the Tanners, back under one roof – and we can't wait to see what hijinks beloved sitcom regulars (and a few new faces) get into this time around.
While some of the shows’ big names have had some recent moments in the limelight – Lori Loughlin appeared regularly in the early seasons of 90210, Candace Cameron Bure showed off her moves in Dancing With The Stars and Bob Saget narrated How I Met Your Mother – they’ve mostly flown under the radar since Full House went off the air in 1995.
But now they’re all back (with the exception of the Olsen twins who shared the role of the youngest Tanner, Michelle) and that feel-good formula that made Full House famous will be returning to the small screen. Those Danny Tanner ‘Dad Talks,’ endless life lessons, and the hug-it-out solution to every problem kept audiences captivated for eight solid seasons, so for a little taster of the love to come we’re reliving some of the original series’ most notable hugs.
Season 1, Episode 1, “Our Very First Show"
The
Full House love of hugs is evident from
the very first episode, and it’s also worth noting that they cover a wide range
of emotions. From Danny’s persistent and humorous hugging of Uncle Jesse, an
avid hug hater, to the more emotional father/daughter embrace after DJ reluctantly agrees to share a room with Stephanie, this episode is the perfect sampler
of everything that’s still to come.
Season 1, Episode 10 “Joey’s Place”
For the first few
episodes Joey is without a bedroom, sleeping on the couch, and by episode 10
the lack of privacy is getting to him. The family decides to renovate the
basement while he’s away on a two-week comedy tour, but Joey, who left feeling
irked and under-appreciated, takes the news that he’s been relocated to the
basement badly and storms down to retrieve his stuff. When he realizes the space
has been transformed, a hilarious combination of group hug and tackle session
ensues.
Season 2, Episode 3, “It’s Not My Job”
After Jesse sells a
jingle and tries to shift his career focus from his father’s extermination
business to his personal passion for music, he and his dad have a huge fight.
When they regroup for round two they are able to discuss their differing
opinions more rationally, and the masculine hug between father and son shows
that Jesse’s anti-hug mentality is wearing off.
Season 2, Episode 10, “Middle Age Crazy”
Following a bout of
middle child syndrome, a young Stephanie decides to "marry" her best friend
Harry. When the rest of the family realizes how neglected she’s been feeling, they
tell her how much she’s loved before giving her individual hugs. While
one-on-one hugs between two or three cast members occur fairly regularly, individual
hugs involving the whole family aren’t common practice, making this episode
somewhat unique.
Season 3, Episode 3, “Breaking Up Is Hard To Do (In 22
Minutes)"
Though it doesn’t
even last for one full episode, Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky do have a short-term
split. During their time apart DJ and Becky share a heartfelt conversation
about how the girls can always go to Becky for advice, even if she and Jesse
aren’t together. This chat is followed by a hug, clearly showing that Becky is
officially part of the family now – and, of course, she and Jesse have reunited permanently by the end of the episode.
Season 3, Episode 8, “Divorce Court”
Danny, Joey and Jesse try to settle the constant bickering between reluctant roommates DJ and Stephanie by allowing everyone to air their grievances in the living room. This episode wraps
up on the eve of Halloween and, with Stephanie dressed as Batman and DJ dressed
as the Joker, the sisters share a hug to reconcile their differences, offering
viewers a very unexpected sight!
Season 4, Episode 20, “Fuller House”
The “farewell” group hug in season four takes place after Jesse
and Becky’s honeymoon when they think, for a brief period of time, that they
might move out and live in their own place. Nope – the Tanner family's renovated attic
it is.
Season 4, Episode 26, “Rock the Cradle”
If they’re not blending hugs and morals then hugs and humour
is
Full House’s second go-to. At the
end of season four Jesse receives an overly enthusiastic group hug from the
family when he reveals he has exciting news. Having eavesdropped on her doctor’s
phone call, everyone thinks he’s about to reveal Becky’s pregnancy, but Jesse,
who doesn’t know yet, actually announces that he’s going on tour!
Season 5, Episode 3,
“Take My Sister Please”
A tender sisterly moment also serves as a transition in the
Full House way of doing things. After DJ requests her own room – and gets it – Stephanie feels a little abandoned and annoyed that she has to share with Michelle. After DJ explains that she's still there for anything Stephanie needs, and that Stephanie can now be the bossy big sister in the bedroom, the duo hug it out and start the moving process.
Season 5, Episode 4,
“Oh Where, Oh Where Has My Little Girl Gone?”
In dealing with a common parental problem, Danny worries
that he’s losing DJ and tries to hang on too tightly, ultimately driving even
more of a wedge between the duo. After a heart-to-heart, however, they resolve
their differences with a loving hug, naturally.
Season 6, Episode 3,
“Road To Tokyo”
In the later seasons of the show Jesse’s music career has
started to take off, and at the beginning of season six he visits Japan to
promote his single “Forever,” which has topped the charts across the Pacific.
Michelle spends the majority of the episode missing her Uncle J leading to an
adorable, heartfelt hug when he surprises her in the backyard while she’s
attempting to dig her way to Japan.
Season 6, Episode 11,
“Designing Mothers”
Vicky’s interior designer mother comes to visit and
redecorates Stephanie and Michelle’s bedroom without Danny’s permission, causing
a spat between their dad and his current girlfriend. The sisters concoct a plan
to reunite the lovebirds, which works and of course ends in a typical
Full House hug. The not so typical part
– Danny is fully decked out in scuba gear when it happens.
Season 7, Episode 1,
“It Was A Dark And Stormy Night”
The opener of the penultimate season sees the girls
reluctantly return from summer camp. The adults feel hurt that DJ, Stephanie
and Michelle didn’t miss them as much as they were missed, but everyone talks
it out over dessert. The best part of this group hug – it’s triggered by Joey
sitting on a plate of hot s’mores leading to a humorous ‘get-them-off-me’
dance around the living room.
Season 7, Episode 8,
“Another Opening, Another Show”
In what may be the only non-sarcastic exchange between Uncle
Jesse and Kimmy Gibbler in the show’s entire eight-season run, the pair share a
heartfelt hug after Jesse re-opens The Smash Club and everything goes
disastrously wrong. Kimmy, who has been hired on as a waitress gives, Jesse the
honest truth about how his bad attitude is causing the chaos and the two have a
short-lived bonding moment.
Season 8, Episode 9,
“Stephanie’s Wild Ride”
After DJ stops a rebellious Stephanie from going on a
risky car ride with some high school guys she met at the mall, the angry sisters
get into an emotionally charged argument. When Stephanie later learns that her friend was
injured in the car ride she narrowly escaped she changes her tune, rewarding
DJ’s ‘play-it-safe’ approach with a hug.
Season 8, Episode 24,
“Michelle Rides Again Part 2”
The final hug of the entire show couldn’t be left off the
list. As the entire cast unites (including Kimmy and Steve) at the end of the
last episode there’s a soulful group hug that blends warm and fuzzy with
feelings of sorrow as diehard fans say goodbye to the cast, and the
Full House residents prepare to say
goodbye to each other.