TV Review: Fuller House S1 E05, “Mad Max”

By Tyler Hodg

Despite “Mad Max” having the middle Fuller child’s name in it, the episode actually revolves around Stephanie–you know, just to make things confusing. But that’s not to say that Max and other characters don’t play a role; in fact, a major issue with Fuller House is that the episodes–and this one specifically–are too convoluted.

Stephanie is offered the opportunity to spin at the main stage at Coachella, which she obviously chooses, but in turn forgets to leave a “bravery scarf” for Max to wear at his trombone recital. Kimmy signs D.J. up for online dating and brings a man home, who is then mistaken for the plumber. Ramona babysits Tommy and starts to vlog it.

This is all in one episode.

The storylines are tied together well, but cramming too much into one episode makes impactful moments seem less significant,like the bombshell scene of Stephanie revealing to her sister that she is unable to have children. This is a major moment in the character’s life, yet there is no weight to it because the episode is overflowing with narrative.

And for the fifth installment in a row, someone other than D.J. is looking after Tommy. Does the mother not love her child or what? The only time the two are shown together is when she is checking up on her kid before or after leaving the house for some crazy event. The relationship between D.J. and Tommy should be charming and cute, but instead, comes off as dead.

Fuller House had some big problems leading up to “Mad Max,” and they don’t appear to be getting fixed. Everything boils down to the natural relationship between the families, which is not currently present, so the show lacks the authentic feeling needed to get viewers invested in it. If this specific problem is remedied, it’s possible that Fuller House can become more substantial.