User Reviews

Ah, yes, the famous Papouli episode. The obligatory "very special" episode dealing with the death of a loved one. As corny as Full House can be, I do believe this episode was very moving and well-written for the most part. Particularly, the transition music between Papouli's last scene as he bonds with Michelle over a traditional Greek dance and the next morning as the family gathers around the kitchen table and grieves, is bone-chilling. Such an abrupt change in tone to symbolize how suddenly Papouli died. Yet whenever I catch a rerun of this episode, I feel as if there's something missing. Something pretty major.

Remember the original premise of Full House? Danny Tanner was a widower. I repeat, a WIDOWER. The first season dealt with not only Jesse and Joey moving in to help raise three daughters, but Danny and the girls coping with their wife and mother's untimely death in a car crash. After the first season, the late Pam Tanner was mentioned very little throughout the rest of the series. And out of all episodes they could have mentioned her in, they failed to do so in the "very special" death episode. This episode would have been a perfect opportunity to mention the tragic death of Danny's wife/Jesse's sister/DJ, Stephanie and Michelle's mother. They could have very easily written a lament for Danny, Jesse, DJ or Stephanie about how Papouli's death reminds them of the pain and grief they felt when Pam passed away. Perhaps in the next to last scene where Jesse and Michelle grieve together in the boat in the backyard, he could have told her a little story about her mother, since she was too young to have any recollection of her. I don't understand how it couldn't have occurred to any of the writers that this would be a good time for the family to talk about Pam, especially since Papouli was her grandfather as well as Jesse's. That detail has always bothered me.

Other than that, I think this episode handled the death issue quite well considering the large detail they missed. Papouli has very limited screen time, and he was only seen previously in the "Greek Week" episode waaaaaay back in season 4, but he has that lust for life and an irresistible charm that makes you fall in love with him right away and leaves you teary-eyed when he dies. The remaining 2/3 of the episode is somber, but ultimately there's a happy ending.

Never fails to make me cry when the family has to tell Michelle that Papouli passed away. I feel the emotion from everyone. This is a wonderful episode and hits all the right spots.

This episode truly shocked me as a kid. The death is done so well in this masterpiece of an episode.

One could not get more emotional than this. Usually regarded as a corny old show, this episode is one that would touch anyone with a true sense of emotion. I remember before it aired when I was a kid, the fair forewarning before the show explaining that watching it as a family was best on a "very special episode you'll never forget." They weren't kidding, this is truly an episode one could never forget.

Though already explained in the official IMDb synopsis; the following may contain spoilers:

As explained in every episode guide, Michelle becomes extra attached to her visiting grandfather, who dies unexpectedly. She and her great grandfather develop an extra close bond, which is so adorable and special to see. Initially, she is very shy of the man; as she is the only one not to have a memory of his first visit in an earlier episode when she was very little. Old enough now to understand, she grows very attached and fond of the man. It is very sudden when the family is so saddened; and the music starts to play to hint of it. Brings chills and tears to the eyes of any viewer with half a heart.

It is a very special episode, as Michelle and Jesse hide their emotions at first, but use their usual special bond to grieve and work together as a team through the matter. This is a very beautifully done episode, especially when one can relate their own life experiences to it. Like the announces said and were right about when it first aired--it is a very special episode you will never forget.

I like this episode. I am not going to lie, the first time I saw it, when I was probably about nine years old, I cried when Papouli died. It's a good episode, but it makes me sad, every time I watch it. And even though Papouli wasn't a main character, it is still heartbreaking.

In this episode, Jesse's beloved Grandfather, Papouli comes to visit the family. Sadly, while he's there, Papouli unexpectedly dies in his sleep. Jesse is devastated, and so is Michelle, who had recently become very close with him. The family all try to come to terms with the untimely death.

Fun Fact: The scene where everyone is in the kitchen, is one of the only scenes in the entire series to not contain a laugh track, or any other sounds.

Overall, I give this episode a 6 out of 10, which in my rating books is: Good.

In this episode we see a relative of Jesses arrive from Greece for unknown reasons, but within the time you see him (2-3 scenes) you love Papouli just like the Tanner family does, so once you find out he has passed away so suddenly you feel just as sad and at a loss. After seeing this episode roughly 50 times in my life, I am emotionally invested in each Full House character so if they are connected to Papouli like that, I am too and each and every time I've seen this episode I have most definitely cried like a baby. I am very impressed with the strong impression they give to Papouli from the beginning of the episode to show how special of a man he is to the family. This episode is also dark in content when the family has to handle a grieving loss and the emotion portrayed is real. One of the only episodes in which comedy or silliness was not in the fore front, but a more relatable situation that real families have had to handle. I give this episode 5 stars because of the instant connection to Papouli I had, and the portrayal of grief that was given by each character, I think they did an amazing job bringing the reality of something that's not widely talked about especially on a family sitcom.

I have the feeling that Papoulie really died in real life so they have got to finish the episode for his sake!