Full Home has not been off the air for 35 years, because it’s lived on by syndication and streaming (with a Max subscription) and stays a fan-favorite. With practically 200 episodes beneath its belt, the basic TGIF sitcom tackled fairly a number of socially related subjects, together with subject material that was heavy for a comedy sequence. Andrea Barber and Jodie Sweetin have been digging into these topics for his or her rewatch podcast, and so they not too long ago revealed a DJ Tanner episode that makes them “uncomfortable.”
Barber and Sweetin, who performed Kimmy Gibbler and Stephanie Tanner, respectively, on Full Home and its Netflix revival, Fuller Home, rewatched and mentioned the Season 4 episode, “Form Up.” The installment sees DJ (Candace Cameron Bure) ravenous herself to look good for greatest pal Kimmy’s birthday pool social gathering. Throughout their podcast, How Impolite! Tanneritos, the actress talked concerning the weight loss plan tradition of the ‘90s. After Barber questioned if such an episode might be made at this time, Sweetin disagreed with that notion:
I can’t think about [this episode airing today]. There have been positively elements of it that made me uncomfortable or the place we have been — discussing younger ladies’s our bodies, frames, well being, all of that. We positively didn’t do anybody any favors.
Within the episode, DJ taped photos of thin fashions on the fridge, would solely eat ice dice popsicles and gave her lunch to Kimmy and later Comet the canine. The teenager even pushed herself so arduous whereas understanding that she collapsed in a fitness center. She was decided to have the proper physique for the pool social gathering, even if she was completely wholesome as is. Andrea Barber additionally did not take care of the episode:
It was very uncomfortable to observe. It made me actually really feel for Candace, too, having to hold this storyline.
The podcasters talked about how the storyline was about one thing that each teenage lady handled, which is why it was so visceral to observe. Each stars additionally gave the impression to be beneath the impression that the subject material might’ve been dealt with with extra nuance. On high of all that, Jodie Sweetin additionally recalled how Candace Cameron Bure was delicate about her physique in actual life:
‘Trigger I do know it was one thing [Candace] was delicate about. It’s like, ‘Hey, we’re gonna make a complete storyline concerning the factor that you’re essentially the most [self-conscious about]’ … I actually felt for her on this one, as a result of it’s arduous. It’s arduous when it’s one thing that you just’re actually coping with, to be like, ‘Oh, I’m going to fake that that is advantageous, and I can resolve it.’
The episode was resolved by the tip, with Stephanie telling everybody what her older sister was doing and DJ having a chat together with her father. It is fascinating to assume what it is like for a younger actor to carry out a “very particular episode” like this one, and Andrea Barber went on to debate how the Bure household felt beforehand:
Effectively, I do know that [creator] Jeff [Franklin] went to the Camerons. He went to the dad and mom and Candace and mentioned, ‘Is that this OK?’ And so they mentioned sure, and so they gave their blessing, nevertheless it doesn’t negate the truth that it’s a highlight on a teenage lady and her insecurity.
The basic ABC sitcom dealt with a variety of heavy subjects all through its run, together with consuming and smoking, with the load storyline arguably being one of many extra memorable episodes. Such a subject is hard to deal with, and a few could agree that it might’ve been dealt with higher right here. On that be aware, I can fully perceive the discomfort that Andrea Barber and Jodie Sweetin had whereas watching.
Ought to one other one other FH revival occur, I do not think about such a narrative could be produced. Although, if it did, I would think about the writers taking a deft strategy and infusing the story with what we find out about physique positivity. If you would like, you may take a look at the installment alongside the most effective Full Home episodes on Max. It’s also possible to seize a Netflix subscription to stream Fuller Home.