Many millennials dream of the day they get a letter of acceptance to Hogwarts. People flock to Universal Studios's Wizarding World of Harry Potter to experience the magic of Harry Potter in real life. There's not a day that goes by where I don't hear someone quote Harry Potter or use a reference from the movies. The first book in the series, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone was released in 1997. From then on, more books in the series have been released along with a movie series. Many millennials were really young when Harry Potter was first introduced to the world and have grown up with it, holding a special place in their heart for the wizard movies and books.
I feel like I'm the only one who hasn't seen the mystical movies or read the huge book series. Have you seen the books? They're huge. Now I love reading, and I love good movies, but I just haven't been able to get into this series. I think it's just because I did not grow up with Harry Potter like many did. I wasn't allowed to watch the movies as a kid because my parents thought it included too much "witch craft." Now that I'm older, I can watch them and have tried watching them with no luck. They're okay, but it's just not as special to me as it is to everyone else. It makes me sad and a little left out--that I've missed out on something most of my peers got to enjoy and experience together. I'm always greeted with a sigh when someone finds out I have yet to see the movies. It baffles them. How could I not have seen Harry Potter?
Many millennials have their Harry Potter, but I have my Full House. That is the show I grew up watching. I even own every season on DVD and have probably watched them over a thousand times. I loved how the character Stephanie was around the same age as me and going through similar situations I was going through. I could relate. Then, when I got older I was able to relate with the older sister, DJ. Instead of wanting an acceptance letter to Hogwarts, I wanted a big family like the Tanners had. I wanted an Uncle Jesse, a Joey and sisters that had my back.
That's why when I found out Netflix was coming out with a sequel to Full House called Fuller House, I was ecstatic. Just like how Harry Potter fans are excited about the new Harry Potter movies, I'm excited about the sequel. A lot of the reviews on Fuller House have been very negative and people don't seem to understand how meaningful the show is. As someone who is a Full House fan, I loved Fuller House. I watched the whole season in one day. It was so cool seeing the Tanner family back together again in their house.
I'll admit at first, I was a little disappointed that characters like Danny, Jessie, Rebecca and Joey only showed up sporadically during different episodes. I was also disappointed that Michelle would not be making an appearance as neither Mary Kate or Ashley Olsen were willing to play the character. Once I watched the series, I realized none of that mattered. It was still a good show. It brought back so many memories of my childhood when I watched it. The days I would sit in my room and imagine what it would be like to have a big family.
One of my favorites parts of Fuller House was the flash backs. They made me so emotional. It was cool to look back on. I was also happy that they brought on Steve. DJ is now a widow and Steve is single. They had a budding romance on Full House, so I was really rooting for their relationship to rekindle on Fuller House now that DJ is a widow.
I enjoyed the small details they added into the show. The details that no one, but true fans would catch, such as the joke with the chicken. In Full House, there was always chicken around that Uncle Jesse was always eating. They included chicken in Fuller House as well. Also, Steve was always hungry in Full House and he had that same character quirk in Fuller House.
The show is also in some ways, a shadow of the original, which I enjoy and find interesting. In Full House, Danny was a widow with Joey and Jessie helping him raise his kids. In Fuller House, DJ becomes a widow and raises her kids along with her friend Kimmy. Also, some of the situations DJ's children get into were similar to that of Danny's kids. In Full House, Stephanie ran away from home and went to Rebecca's house. In Fuller House, DJ's son runs away by hiding in the back of Uncle Jessie's trunk.
I always watch shows and get so invested in them. Once it's over, I miss the characters and wish I could see their whole lives play out. To see characters as children now as adults is a cool experience. For those who have not seen Fuller House, I recommend you do so.
We all have that show that brings us joy. It doesn't necessarily have to be Harry Potter or Full House, but we all have one that we invested a ton of our time to. The effects a show can have on a person's life is so powerful and can bring people together. So whether you grew up watching Fuller House, Harry Potter or something else, it's always going to have a special place in your heart. What's a movie or TV show you grew up watching that is special to you?
