Things You Didn't Notice In The Full House Pilot Episode
"Full House" filled every '80s and '90s kid out there with humor and good vibrations. It depicted your typical dysfunctional family that got into all kinds of G-rated shenanigans, but over the course of 24 minutes, they managed to find whatever solution was needed for the predicament plaguing them for the day.
The basic premise is set up in the pilot episode. Danny Tanner (Bob Saget) is devastated following the death of his wife. To stay sane while raising his three daughters, Danny enlists the help of his brother-in-law Jesse (John Stamos) and his best friend Joey (Dave Coulier). Naturally, there are some growing pains to work through, but as the show goes on, the unconventional family becomes closer than ever, as they all learn how to be there for one another.
The show had a stellar eight-season run, and it makes sense that some fans may only remember the later episodes. But let's take a step back all the way to that first episode. It turns out there are details hidden in there that may have slipped by you if the last time you watched it was in 1987.
The front door stays open for an absurd amount of time
The pilot episode of "Full House" opens with Danny saying goodbye to his mother. She's been helping keep things afloat at the house in the aftermath of Pam's death. Despite the fact it's time for her to go back to her own husband, the girls just don't want to say goodbye. Throughout this entire exchange and the introduction of Jesse and Joey, there's a lot going on, so it makes sense if some viewers failed to notice that for some reason, the front door remains open the entire time.
We understand it from a production perspective. Many people are coming and going, and it would be rather cumbersome to have someone knock before entering. Still, it's just not realistic. Claire Tanner (Alice Hirson) surely would've closed the door after she left. After all, it could've been hours until Jesse and Joey showed up. It must've been pure luck of the dice for all this to happen within the span of five minutes.
A sly mother swap
Going back to rewatch the pilot, it's understandable if you were confused about who the woman at the beginning was supposed to be. However, we quickly learn that this is Danny's mother, who's been helping out around the house for the past few months. The actress playing the mother is Alice Hirson, and she makes another appearance later in the first season in the episode "The Return of Grandma." However, something strange happened when Danny's mother showed up again in Season 3.
This time around, Claire Tanner is played by Doris Roberts, best known for her roles in the likes of "The Honeymoon Killers" and "The Heartbreak Kid." No official explanation has ever been given as to why the switch took place, but if anything, playing a grandma in "Full House" merely primed Roberts for what would become one of the most iconic roles of her career — Marie Barone in "Everybody Loves Raymond."
Danny's personality is also vastly different
There's a phenomenon in television known as "Flanderization." Named after Ned Flanders on "The Simpsons," it refers to a character becoming more of a parody of themselves as a series goes on. Being religious was only part of Ned's personality at the beginning of "The Simpsons," and over time, it completely overwhelms him. The same thing happened to Danny Tanner on "Full House," and when you go back to watch the pilot, that becomes readily apparent.
In the series' later episodes, Danny is a total neat freak. He's borderline germaphobic, which makes it all the stranger that he's all right with the house being an utter mess in the first few episodes, including the pilot. It's hard to believe Danny would ever need his mother to come back to help him get everything organized again, like what was the case for Season 1's "The Return of Grandma." Of course, we're betting he simply had a lot on his mind during those initial episodes to the point where he let a few chores fall to the wayside.
Joey lives in the alcove at first
The Tanners sure have one nice property in the middle of San Francisco, but there are some pretty big switch-ups in the pilot episode when Jesse and Joey move in. For starters, Uncle Jesse moves into one of the girls' old rooms with D.J. (Candace Cameron) and Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) moving in together. So what's to do about ol' Joey? As you might have forgotten for the first season, he moves into the alcove behind the couch, which isn't exactly the most ideal of spaces, but we're betting it's better than wherever he lived previously.
To be fair, this is a temporary situation. On Season 1, Episode 10, Danny apparently remembers that his house also has an attic and a garage, and either one would be better for Joey to live in than the living room. Once all of the junk's moved out of the garage, Joey happily moves in there, where he stays until Season 4 when Jesse and Rebecca (Lori Loughlin) move into the attic, so Joey gets Jesse's old room. One thing's certain — it's a massive property, and heaven knows how Danny could afford such prime San Francisco real estate on his salary.
Michelle doesn't show up until 10 minutes into the pilot
The pilot episode of "Full House" does an excellent job introducing us to the main cast right off the bat. We quickly see how Danny is the responsible one, taking care of two precocious little girls. Soon, Jesse enters the picture, and from his salacious story of meeting a girl about to go off to a Bob Hope show, it's readily apparent he'll be the ladies' man of the series. He's quickly followed by Joey, who's a total clown (in a good way, of course). However, it takes a while until we get to the real breakout star of the series — Michelle Tanner (Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen).
Surprisingly, we're not introduced to the final Tanner daughter until about 10 minutes into the episode. From there, she certainly makes herself known, and it's her dirty diaper that causes Jesse and Joey ample headaches for the remainder of the storyline. Michelle may not have been featured as much in the pilot as her costars, but she more than made up for it over the course of the following eight seasons.