Analytical Episode Review:Full House, "Terror in Tanner Town"

Yeah I haven't exactly been pounding these out. But let's try to change that now. I was in the mood for something sappy and sickeningly sweet. Hey, I know!!!

I wanted to pick an episode of this series which I have a lot to talk about, and this one is perfect. Let's take a closer look at this,interesting, episode from season four.

“Trouble in Tanner Town”

What happens when a rotten kid visits the Tanner’s? Hijinks of course!!

Plot Summary-Danny has a new girlfriend, and when she is called into work the Tanner’s agree to watch her son Rusty. Not realize what a demon child the kid is. Meanwhile, Becky and Jesse continue to argue about their upcoming wedding.

Best Line-“Oh. That's what this is about. Look, Rusty, I know how you feel. My parents are divorced, too. It hurts that they're not together. But you can't wreck every relationship that your mom tries to make. You know that's not fair.”….Danny trying to make us feel sorry for the little brat

Nitpick of the episode-Cindy is a dry cleaner, and for the plot to work she has to be called away for a problem in the store. Ok, WHAT??? What in the world couldthis problem be? Why is the store even open, it’s not like a hospital thatnever closes.

Standout Character-D.J., Steph, and Michelle for getting their sweet revenge in the end

Syndication Edit-The girls discussing why they are washing Comet. Better than playing with Rusty.

Episode Fun Fact-I got nothing

My Thoughts-In preparing this it finally dawned on my one of the reasons I don’t care for this episode. The episode is all about Rusty! Think about it, he is the one who pulls off these pranks and then he is the one who gets the heartwarming speech at the end. Maybe this would be ok if Rusty were in any way likable! However, I hated this kid and didn’t care what his deal was. The regular characters feel like they are supporting characters in his story! Heck it takes till the end of the first half for D.J. and Steph to get a line. And no Kimmy, who knew how to be obnoxious and yet likable. Most of the time. Even for Full House, there is so little story here. It’s just Rusty being a jerk and that’s it.  

The problem is the practical jokes just seem mean. Now I will admit, I am not a practical joke fan. I am a sarcasm fan. So let’s go through this one gag at a time. We have Rusty loosening the salt shaker and tucking the tablecloth in Danny’s pants causing him to wreck the table. Ok, that’s not so bad. He gives gum to the girls to stain their teeth. Ok that’s a classic. He strategically throws a ball causing Danny to fall into a mudpit. This is so forced and contrived I could be here all day on this one. He ruins Joey’s audition tape he was working on—for his job! That is uncalled for and not funny. He manages to connect the doors so that the girls and Jesse and Rebecca are stuck in their rooms. He does the kaleidoscope trick giving Michelle a black eye. He causes Comet to run into the house while he had been taking a bath, and ruins the family’s dinner in the process. Finally he(somehow) puts dye into Danny’s shampoo giving him green hair. The problem with all of these is that these pranks are mean spirited. He isn’t just having fun,he is trying to piss them off so Danny will break up with Cindy. In the end Danny says it will take more than a little green hair to ruin their relationship.Then, what did do it? Of course Rusty gets his comeuppance in the end, which is great! I won’t spoilt it, check out the episode if you want to see t.

I do like that Cindy doesn’t just shrug off Rusty’s actions, I get the feeling the ride home wasn’t to much fun for Rusty. Of course in typical sitcom fashion Cindy is just suddenly here in this episode. We learn they met “two weeks ago”.Always nice when these shows don’t show us that but just establish it and move on. But don’t worry Rusty and Cindy appear only two more times and then vanish into the same ozone, never to be heard from again. And thank goodness, Cindy is boring! And Rusty was just a jerk. Someone needs to teach the kid manners and respect for other people’s property. Jokes on your buddies is one thing, but people you barely know?

Ok, one more little rant. The subplot has Jesse and Rebecca arguing over where to have the wedding. Rebecca picks Nebraska because that is where her family lives. Jesse picks….Graceland. Sigh. Really?? Why would you want to drag your family, and Rebecca’s, to Tennessee just because you idolize Elvis? I hated Jesse and that Elvis crap and this episode it just drives me nuts. An even worst time is one episode where he insists on having Christmas there. Yeah, that isn’t stupid.

Bottom line, if this show were even a little connected to reality Rusty would be given a smack and Danny would have told Cindy to take a hike after he messed with his whole family all day. But this series is not connected with reality, which is why we love it.

Grade=C, A very average episode that isn’t bad but gets on my nerves!