Can DJ catch a break?

In the Netflix series Fuller House episode “Fuller Thanksgiving”, DJ is a widowed mother of three young boys. She lives a life full of passion for her family. Throughout the episode we are introduced to the entire fuller family.-which is definietly a big one-.This includes DJ’s siblings and uncles. This time they are all coming together to celebrate Thanksgiving. Despite being a widow, a mother with children can keep the family together.

The episode opens with, DJ frantically talking to her siblings and friends about how perfectly she wants the holiday to be spent. She hands out an itinerary and chart for the day, ensuring that it would run smoothly if everyone followed it. It was so detailed, it even gave time slots for when someone could shower. We are constantly shown how DJ holds the family together, by putting things together for everyone.

DJ is a widow with three young boys, and she never shy's away from trying to be the perfect mother. Her friend Kimmy lives in their home with her daughter and ex-husband, so with an additional three characters, their life always seems a little more chaotic than most. We are shown a crazy busy lifestyle that the family lives, but DJ makes it work.

DJ also expects everything to go exactly her way, and when they don’t, she makes it known. The audience cares for DJ in a special way because of how she runs her family. Being alone in a big house with lots people to take care of is a challenge in itself, let alone having kids involved.

As the day is in full swing, the family starts making an entrance, showing us that their family may not be all that normal. However, DJ has her door open to including the whole family in the holiday. This is an enforcement of norms because the episode is showing that most families, during the holiday season, always have an open door to including each other. Since the holidays are all about families and friends coming together, the episode makes sure that everyone is involved.

It starts to become more clear that DJ finds herself struggling to complete the day exactly the way she had planned. The continuous scenes of DJ struggling is trying to show that it is normal for mothers to keep everyone intact. As any mother trying to run a family on her own, it will not always be easy, with kids running around and adults acting out of sorts. It is almost impossible to make everything seem so perfect. DJ stays positive and happy throughout the day, knowing she is surrounded with people she loves.

Ultimately the day does not go completely as planned, however everyone helps each other, and that does not go unnoticed. The norms that we see here are exactly what viewers want to see. DJ has a hard time throughout the day getting everything prepared for what she wanted to be the most perfect day, however it all came together in a different way that was still perfect. It became a successful holiday because the family was all together, happy and enjoying each others company.

DJ finds herself happy because of the way the day ended and she starts to realize that the itinerary for the day may not have been the best. This episode of Fuller House enforces the norm that being a widowed mother, she is strong and independent, able to do anything. She will struggle through her life, to make sure her kids are happy but she will never fail to provide for them, along with being happy for herself. DJ shows that no matter what, family is the most important and through the episode she does everything she can to make the holiday the best it can be.

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