| A House Divided | |
| Season 7, episode 24 | |
 | |
| Air date | May 17, 1994 |
| Writer(s) | Teleplay: Tom Burkhard, Adam I. Lapidus & Carolyn Omine Story: Dennis Rinsler & Marc Warren |
| Director | Joel Zwick |
| Previous | Too Little Richard Too Late |
| Next | Comet's Excellent Adventure |
A House Divided is episode twenty-four in season seven of Full House, as well as the season finale. It originally aired on May 17, 1994.
Jesse and the twins are playing with their new outdoor play set indoors, when Becky comes in. He explains to her that the reason for this is that Danny reseeded the grass outside, and he is about to go blame Danny, one-on-one when Becky tells him that Danny is waxing the hallway floor, which makes things worse. When the twins ask Jesse to slide on the slide, he does not want to, and they give him "The Lip" (apparently borrowed from Michelle), so he helps them go down the slide.
Synopsis
When the family starts complaining that there is not enough room in the house for nine people, they consider finding other places to live. The problems are various, ranging from Joey being in the bathroom for almost to a little over an hour (despite reserving it for exactly that long) and an irritated D.J. wanting to take a bath since she's got a date tonight, to Michelle annoying Stephanie with playing "Down in the Valley" on her harmonica when Stephanie needs to study, and thus leading Stephanie to snatch it out of her hand, and ask her to go practice elsewhere. As she snatches it right back, her current roommate even adds that her name above her bed indicates that the room is also hers, despite Stephanie having had it since day one, when she shared it with D.J., her former roommate.
Stephanie also points out that she has had to put up with "Harmonica Girl" for three whole days, and is not about to make it four (see Quotes).
After D.J. complains about Joey being in the bathroom too long, Danny goes in to talk to him (see Quotes). Then, amidst the girls fighting outside, Jesse comes in and says that Danny needs to show a little consideration for some of the other people living in the house. And speaking of which, for starters, Joey says that Jesse could do that by knocking on the door when someone's in the tub, like him! And Jesse just asks the "bubble boy" to just focus on eating his pizza.
In any event, Jesse says that Danny does everything without consulting him first: closing the backyard, waxing the floor, rearranging the cupboard, defrosting the fridge, and even Scotchguarding his old high school yearbook. He asks if Danny sees a pattern developing, and Danny does... except there is another pattern developing, and it's that Jesse complains too much. What he does not know is that Jesse's small complaints have turned into one large one.
Suddenly, the doorbell rings and everyone heads downstairs complaining to Danny. But as soon as he calms everyone down and opens the door, there's nobody there! The complaining starts up again, and after Danny quiets everybody down, he decides to hold a family meeting after dinner. Then Joey comes downstairs, squeaky clean as ever. This leads to more mayhem as the girls rush upstairs to see who'll get to use the bathroom first (and D.J. wants to make good on her date plans by going first), but suddenly, Joey realizes he left his garlic bread in there! So he rushes back to get it.
Then, millionaire industrialist Lou Bond shows up, wanting to buy the house from Danny, because Mr. Bond used to live in the house before the Tanners moved in years ago, and it is the house that Mr. Bond grew up in. Michelle is the only one who is against the idea of selling the house and moving out of it, so she tries everything to stop the sale from happening.
Later that night, after dinner, Danny calls a family meeting as planned. After a small fight between Stephanie and Michelle fight over what to do with each other, Jesse tells the two roommates to make up. Then, making good on his promises and despite Becky urging him to reconsider, he lodges a ton of small complaints into a large one (see Quotes).
With that out of the way, Danny has the floor again, and his point regards the house sale. While D.J. says that there are enough people living in the house already and Joey says that Bond is sharing their bathroom, Danny clarifies that Bond does not want to live with them, he wants to buy the house from them. The thing is, Bond's offer for the house is double its current value, thus allowing the family to buy a bigger house in the same neighborhood where no one's going to drive each other nuts (see Quotes). He then realizes that this is the first family meeting where everyone agrees on something for a change, and says that the decision is final—they are all moving out and into their own places! And while everyone is happy with the fact they can have their own thing, from their own bathroom to their own bedroom, they forget about the thing that keeps them together: The fact that they are a family. They all express happiness about being able to have their own things, except for a very unhappy Michelle.
The next day, everyone looks at various housing options, and even Steve comes by to help (see Quotes). On another note, Jesse and Becky find a house on Lynnwood Street complete with a hot tub—which the boys confuse with a bathtub at first, until Becky drops the bombshell (see Quotes). When Michelle walks by, they tell her that, when they move in, there will be a hot tub party, and she is invited.
Upstairs, D.J. and Stephanie talk about what will happen when Stephanie gets her own room, and Michelle's unhappy about that as much as she is about the house sale (see Quotes).
And speaking of whom, Michelle is entertaining her friends Denise and Teddy with her harmonica, when the older girls come in and warn her about the upcoming inspection. After they all learn what it is and what happens, the three of them (literally) put their heads together to come up with a plan to stop the sale.
Their first plan involves the Yellow Pages and a phone call to "buy" some vermin, but it fails. So they put their heads together to come up with another plan (see Quotes).
From Teddy squirting Bond with a water gun for the "leaky roof", to Comet and his friends showing up in her room for the "vermin" and "infestation", and slanting D.J.'s room for the "broken foundation", Michelle's new plan seems to be coming to fruition.
Suddenly, everyone else comes home from their various housing explorations, as well as having gone out to eat during the inspection (see Quotes). With the help of her friends, and even Comet's friends, Michelle succeeds in stopping the sale.
Thanks to Michelle, and "The Lip" (her pout), everyone realizes that the house they are in has been a part of the family for years. Everyone reminisces about their own memories in the house. And they realize one thing: It is more than just walls, ceiling, and a roof—it is their lives, where they have had so many good times together.
D.J. remembers the first time they moved in with Pam, the house was as big as a castle. Stephanie says since she was too small to reach the counter, she couldn't reach the cookie jar, so Joey had to help her. Joey says that he was not going to leave his fingerprints on the jar's lid. Jesse says that when he moved in with Joey to help Danny raise the girls for a few months, he did not realize that those few months would turn into seven years, including raising his own family. He realizes it was the best move he ever made and the right move, too. Becky decides to wait on the hot tub, as they have had a lot of love, laughs, and babysitters.
With this to think about, Danny changes his mind and decides to not sell the house. And to make things better for Michelle, he takes back his promise to ground her "for life". He now understands why she was depressed; as indeed, everyone was talking about wanting their own thing. She points out the main thing from their meeting: nobody cared that they weren't going to live in the house anymore and that they would all break up if they all moved out of the house.
Danny tells her that they do care, and they were just trying to make things a little better, but Michelle says that everything already is better. She even adds that it is the best house she has ever lived in, to which D.J. remarks it is the only house she has ever lived in. So everyone decides to hold off on wanting their own thing.
Just after the decision is made to stay, Kimmy arrives. She says that she and her mom have been arguing about whether her sneakers or her clogs stink more, and wants their opinion. As soon as she reveals them, everyone backs away. When Mr. Bond finds out that she is the next-door neighbor (see Quotes), he is glad that it turned out the way it did after all (and he leaves).
D.J. then tells her that the family is staying. And Stephanie adds that the shoes are leaving, as she takes them and throws them out, which then causes the rest of the dogs to howl and clear the yard. What they do not know is that Comet ran off with the other dogs. When Denise notices this, she takes him back home, reminding him where he lives, and Michelle reminding everyone where they live.
Quotes
[Michelle is sitting on her bed and playing her harmonica as Stephanie enters.]
Stephanie: Oh, no. Harmonica Girl lives. Michelle, give me a break. It's been three days.
Michelle: I have to practice "Down in the Valley". [She tries to start up again, but her sister quickly snatches the harmonica out of her hand.]
Stephanie: Why don't you practice down in the basement? [Michelle looks at her, disgusted.] I have to study.
Michelle: In case you're wondering why my name is on the wall [as the camera cuts to a wide shot to reveal such], it's because it's my room too. [She takes back her harmonica.]
[Joey is delivered a pizza while taking a bath.]
Pizza deliverer: [to Joey as he comes out of the bathroom] Thanks, dude! [His tip is covered with bubbles – which he blows off.]
Danny: [yelling through the door] Joey! When you're finished, there better not be a pepperoni ring around the tub!
[As the camera cuts to a wide shot, Stephanie dashes into the hall with harmonica in hand, causing Michelle to give chase.]
Michelle: Give it back, harmonica stealer!
Stephanie: No way, music murderer!
[Michelle makes a dash towards her sister, but Stephanie keeps a tight grip on it.]
Stephanie: [as they wrestle and yell] No!
Michelle: Dad!
D.J.: [running towards them and breaking them up] Guys! Guys, stop fighting! Dad does not want to hear your petty problems! ... Dad, I'm not going to have enough time to dry my hair! [All 3 begin complaining to their father at the same time.] Joey's been in there for over an hour!
Danny: Guys, guys, guys! Hey, hey! I can only handle one problem at a time, okay?
[Danny goes into the bathroom, where Joey is in the bathtub eating a slice of his pizza as Danny comes in to have a chat with him over being in the bathroom too long.]
Danny: Oh, this is a pretty picture. You know, I like Italian food in the bathroom as much as the next guy, but don't you think you've been in here long enough?
Joey: [as he puts down his pizza slice] Danny, I share the bathroom with three girls. There's always someone in here blow-drying, moisturizing, tweezing... All I'm asking for is an hour of peace and quiet, where I can gather my thoughts.
Danny: Yeah, I guess you're right. Every man deserves a chance to sit back and reflect on the deeper meanings of life.
Joey: Thank you, Danny. [excitedly] Alright, tub hockey [pulling out a rubber duck and rubber shark]! Here we go! Sharks vs. the Ducks! [making the "Charge!" fanfare trumpet sound with his mouth] Charge!
[As Danny exits the bathroom, he is met by complaints from the girls.]
Stephanie: Dad!
Michelle: Dad!
D.J.: Dad!
Jesse: Dad! I mean, Danny.
[The 4 of them follow Danny downstairs arguing non-stop.]
[Kimmy comes out of the kitchen holding a milk carton.]
Kimmy: You're running out of moo juice, Pops.
Danny: I'm running out of patience, Gibs.
Kimmy: [as she drinks the milk] Eww, this stuff's gone chunky!
Danny: And it's yours as a lovely parting gift! [in a game show announcer voice] Kimmy Gibbler, go on home! [She exits, closing the door on her way out. Danny then returns to the matter at hand.] Wait a minute. Lou Bond? Of the Bond Foundation? Bond Plaza? The Bond Trade Towers?
Mr. Bond: Ah, the Bond Trade Towers was my father. And, this was our house before daddy hit it big. I lived here the first 12 years of my life. Lots of marvelous memories.
[Up in the attic apartment...]
Jesse: Alright, if he wants a family meeting, I will make a list of complaints [with a pencil in hand]. First complaint: I hate family meetings.
Becky: Jess, give it a rest, huh? Hey, the boys are napping. And you know what that means [smiling].
Jesse: [tosses the pencil in the air, looks into her eyes, and in a sexy voice...] Oh yeah.
Becky: We get to use the slide! [They make a mad dash to see who gets to go first.] No! No, honey! I wanna go!
Jesse: I'm going first! [pulling her off the steps]
Becky: No! Honey, let me go first. No, get back here.
Jesse: [sliding down and she grabs his ears] The ears! Ow, ow, ow, ow, ow [as Danny and Mr. Bond walk in].
Danny: Guys, I hope we're not interrupting anything... weird.
Becky: [She freezes.] No problem [as she releases her grip on his ears].
[In the living room, the family meeting is underway.]
Jesse: Alright [clears his throat as he flips his notepad to address an item on his complaint list]. Lack of consideration: On March 4, 1989, Danny paints the banister without telling anyone. I slide down said banister on my way to a job interview, at which I am nicknamed "skunk pants".
Danny: Jess, I still have the floor here [in the meeting].
Jesse: Fine. If you're gonna have the floor, and you're going to wax it, tell us.
Danny: OK. [assuming the floor again...] Alright, as you all know, Mr. Bond – Lou Bond – is a very wealthy man. Now, he has everything he's ever wanted his entire life, except for one thing: to live here – in the house he grew up in.
D.J.: Forget it. There's enough people living here already.
Joey: He's sharing your bathroom.
Danny: No, guys; he doesn't wanna live here with us. He wants to buy the house.
[In the meeting, regarding the house sale and buying another one...]
Stephanie: I can have my own room!
D.J.: I can have my own bathroom!
Jesse: I could have my own kitchen, I could have my own living room, I could have my own backyard...
Becky: Honey, it's called a house.
Jesse: That's what I'm saying. I mean, you know, we've been talking about moving to our own house someday. Maybe, maybe that someday is now.
Becky: Well, the boys could use some more growing space. I mean, they're not getting any shorter.
Joey: I'm definitely ready to move into my own place. After all, I'm a grown man. Plus, I need more shelf space for my toys.
Danny: You know what? I think this is the first family meeting where we all actually agree on something. Well, that's it then. I mean, we're, we're out of here. We're moving.
D.J.: This is great! I can't believe it! I can't believe that I'm going to have my own bathroom. I don't even have to share it with Joey anymore.
[The next day, everyone looks at various housing options. Jesse and Becky are in the kitchen, as their twins play nearby.]
Becky: Oh, Jess, look at this house on Lynnwood Street. It's got a big backyard, central air, and a hot tub.
Jesse: Ooh, a hot tub - I love hot tubs. Hey boys, how would you like to live in a house with a hot tub?
Nicky or Alex: What's a hot tub?
Jesse: It's cool. It's like a... it's like a really big bathtub.
Nicky or Alex: No bath!
Alex or Nicky: No way!
Becky: No, no guys, this tub is outside, and you don't have to use soap.
Nicky or Alex: Now you tell me.
[Steve also helps Joey with his housing options.]
Steve: So my mom says if you buy a condo from her real estate office, I get half the commission, plus one of those really cool yellow jackets [not the insects].
Joey: Hey, look at this one, huh? Natural Meadows.
Steve: Yeah, I sold one of those yesterday.
Joey: Look at all these cool activities: lawn bowling, shuffleboard tether-ball [turns the page], and look at how happy all these people are.
Jesse: That's 'cause they're all naked! It's a nudist colony!
Steve: Oh, my God! I'd better give Father O'Connell his check back.
[Upstairs, Michelle entertains Denise and Teddy with her harmonica, when her sisters enter.]
Stephanie: When I decorate my own room, I'm gonna put my bed by my window, my dresser by my door, and Michelle down the hall.
Michelle: [sarcastically] Ha ha ha.
D.J.: Michelle, when we move out, you're gonna have your own room again. If Stephanie comes in, you can throw her out.
Michelle: [sadly] Can I practice now?
D.J.: Later. Dad says we have to clean up because tonight Mr. Bond's coming over for an inspection.
Michelle: What's he inspecting for?
D.J.: Well, he has to check everything out and make sure it's perfect or else he won't buy the house. You know, make sure the foundation's straight, there are no leaks, and especially there's no infestation.
Teddy: What's infestation?
Stephanie: You know, vermin. Disgusting stuff like termites, rats, silverfish, roaches.
Teddy and Denise: Ewww!
Michelle: Ewww!
Stephanie: Exactly.
D.J.: But don't worry. Dad's devoted his entire life to keeping vermin out of the house.
Stephanie: Except Kimmy.
[The older sisters leave, and Michelle and her friends quickly must come up with a plan to stop the sale.]
[Michelle, flanked by her friends, uses the Yellow Pages to make a call to "buy" some vermin, to no avail.]
Michelle: Hello? I'd like to order some vermin. Eww! Thanks, anyway. Bye. [She hangs up, and gives the bad news.]
Teddy: What'd they say?
Michelle: They don't sell them; they only kill them. We need another plan.
Teddy: OK, but keep away from my head.
[The rest of the family's just come home from going out for dinner.]
D.J.: We're home!
Joey: Yeah, we brought you a 'doggy bag' [which he sets on the table].
[And the sight of Comet's friends scares them, with the smallest snagging the bag on the way out.]
Jesse: Must be Comet's poker night.
Danny: Michelle, if you were this upset about moving, why didn't you say something?
Michelle: You were all going crazy. Everyone was talking about hot tubs and telephones in the bathroom. Nobody cared that we're not gonna be living together anymore.
Danny: Sweetheart, we care. We were just trying to make things a little better around here.
Michelle: It already is better. It's the best house I've ever lived in.
D.J.: Michelle, it's the only house you've ever lived in.
Michelle: It's a great house. Everything happened here. Don't you guys remember?
Jesse: Yeah, sure we remember, Michelle. We all love this house.
Michelle: Well, if you love this house, then why are we moving? Aren't you guys gonna miss us [pouting]?
Jesse: There it is. The Lip. The Lip. That's where Nicky and Alex get it [originally passed on from Stephanie to Michelle].
Mr. Bond: [watching close by] Well, that was a Hallmark moment.
[After the family has their happy moment about not selling the house, Kimmy makes her return.]
Kimmy: Hey. You guys have gotta help me. My mom and I are having a big argument. Now, which stinks more: my sneakers or my clogs?
Everyone (except Mr. Bond): Oh! [They back away, wave the odors, and/or hold their noses.]
Mr. Bond: [with a Transatlantic accent] You again. Who are you?
Kimmy Gibbler: The next-door 'neigh-bar' [imitating his accent].
Mr. Bond: Sometimes, things work out for the best. The sneakers.
[Denise takes Comet back to the Tanner house.]
Denise: Comet, you live here!
Michelle: We all live here. [And everyone reunites with and pets their four-legged friend.]
Trivia
- The last appearance of Steve Hale as a main character (though he makes an appearance toward the end of the series finale)
- This was considered to be the series finale, but they decided to renew with season eight
- The second episode to feature Michelle's pout ("The Lip"); the first being "Stephanie Gets Framed" where after she is too late to buy from the ice cream truck and D.J. suggests that she save up her piggy bank money for other things, and treat herself to some Fudgsicles from the freezer
- A plot line very similar to this one was used for the series finale of the popular sitcom Step by Step (also produced by Miller-Boyett Productions, in association with Lorimar Television/Warner Bros. Television, and distributed by Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution)
- Joey's "bath hockey" with a rubber duck and rubber shark is an homage to a popular NHL rivalry between the Anaheim Ducks and the San Jose Sharks (in fact, around the time this season began, this was the Ducks' first season in the NHL)
- When Kimmy says that the Tanners' milk has gone sour, the audience can be heard going "Ewww!"
- Goof: In Stephanie and Michelle's fight for Michelle's harmonica, when Michelle asks Stephanie to give her harmonica back, the harmonica is in Stephanie's right hand. But when the fight actually starts, it's in her left hand.
Allusions
- A House Divided:
- The episode title comes from the beginning of a quote by Abraham Lincoln: "A house divided against itself cannot stand", referring to the Civil War
- Bond: "The name is Bond, Lou Bond"
- From Secret Agent 007, James Bond, and how he introduces himself to someone