"Making Out Is Hard To Do" is an episode in the eighth season of Full House.
Stephanie gets Danny to consent to letting her attend a house party hosted by Gia, not knowing that it's actually a make-out party. In the meanwhile, Barry Williams makes an appearance on Jesse and Joey's radio program to promote a song from the band he leads, which turns out to be the Rippers, Jesse's old band that fired him not long ago. The Rippers' new single quickly becomes a hit, causing Jesse to decide to quit music altogether.
Tropes in this episode include:
- Above the Influence: While Stephanie has a crush on a boy in her year, she doesn't enjoy the idea of making out with him at Gia's party simply because everyone at the party is expected to make out and eventually breaks it off and decides to ask D.J. for a ride home. Danny compliments Stephanie for this at the end of the episode, calling it a "saving grace" from the whole incident.
- All Just a Dream: The aftermath of Jesse's decision of quitting music turns out to be just a nightmare.
- Added Alliterative Appeal: During the sequence that results after Jesse decides to quit music, the rest of the Tanner family has an introductory title each for them (e.g. Rebecca is "ex-wife" and Danny is "ashamed brother-in-law"). Joey's title? "Boing Boing Brain".
- Bread, Eggs, Milk, Squick: The interview sequence after Jesse's intended claim to quit music comes with two examples of this.
- As each of the Tanner family gets interviewed during the sequence, a title is illustrated on TV: Rebecca is "ex-wife", Danny as "ashamed brother-in-law", and D.J., Stephanie, and Michelle is introduced as "niece" each. The title of choice for Joey, however, is "Boing Boing Brain".
- Joey's statement during said sequence goes this way:I was Jesse's partner on the radio, and his best friend. Now, I'm dating his wife.note
- The Cameo: Barry Williams makes an appearance, under the premise of promoting a new song.
- Compliment Backfire: Overlaps with Digging Yourself Deeper when Michelle tries to console Jesse when he feels down after finding out that the Rippers became more popular under the new leadership from Barry Williams than they ever were when Jesse himself was the leader:Michelle: I liked the Rippers better when Uncle Jesse was in the band.
Jesse: Aw, that's sweet, Munchkin.
Michelle: Before they had a hit song, and everybody loved them, and they opened for the Stones—
Jesse: W-W-Whoa, the Stones?
Michelle: Only on the west coast.
Joey: Uh, I think that's all the cheering up that Uncle Jesse can stand right now.
Michelle: *awkwardly* Gotcha. - Exact Words: As Stephanie asks for Danny's permission to attend the house party hosted by Gia, Danny inquires her about "adult supervision". Gia responds that her mother would never let her have a house party without adult supervision, only to tell Stephanie after Danny leaves that such is why she doesn't tell her mother, who's scheduled for work that night, about the upcoming house party.
- Funny Background Event: As the result of straining his voice due to overexertion, Danny spends most of the episode acting mute and uses hand gestures as his means of communication, since his voice sounds hoarse when he talks under this condition. At one point, Rebecca and D.J. exploit this for kicks.
- During the conversation about "Wake Up, San Francisco", Rebecca jokingly claims Danny wouldn't even care if he never returns to the show, prompting Danny to make unflattering gestures behind her (e.g. holding his own nose) while she keeps up with her self-promoting words in jest.
- Upon Stephanie requesting a ride to Gia's place, D.J. asks for Danny's car keys. Danny obliges, before he proceeds to mime the motion of wearing the safety belt. D.J. then responds with: "Got it, Dad. I'm gonna drive very fast and pick up really cute hitchhikers." Danny looks alarmed at once and starts motioning for her to slow down.
- Gag Nose: Nicky and Alex both don the Groucho Marx disguise, which comes with a pronounced big nose, to show how ashamed they are to have been fathered by Jesse. And the Humiliation Conga at Jesse's expense only grows and gets worse from there...
- Home-Early Surprise: Gia hosts a make-out party that Stephanie attends, though Stephanie doesn't know beforehand what kind of party it would be. Part of the reason the party gets busted is because Claire, Gia's mother, arrives home early from her work shift and witnesses it firsthandnote .
- Humiliation Conga: Jesse suffers from this after he swears off music for good, as he eventually ends up leaving the Tanners, all of whom speak of him in unflattering terms (yes, this includes Michelle), Rebecca divorces him and dates Joey, Jesse himself has become washed-up, overweight and balding, and, to top it all off, he's engaged... to Kimmy (who looks like Peggy Bundy and acts obnoxiously towards him, too) of all people. It's a good thing the whole incident was All Just a Dream, though that doesn't prevent him from screaming in panic upon seeing Kimmy again.
- Magic Antidote: Danny spends most of the episode suffering from laryngitis and unable to talk beyond a high-pitched whisper. When he goes to confront Claire about Gia's make-out party, she cuts him off to feed him a single spoonful of what she calls a secret family recipe—and his laryngitis is immediately cured.
- Mocking Music: The popular song performed by the Rippers (now with Barry Williams as its leader) serves as this to Jesse, as it's a painful reminder that the Rippers are more popular now than they ever were when Jesse was leading the band. Unfortunately for him, all of the local radio stations — including the Spanish-speaking one — play it frequently due to the sheer popularity of the song, much to his immense exasperation.
- Not What It Looks Like: Played for Laughs. After Jesse wakes up from his nightmare (where he ends up washed-up, overweight, and BALDING, while Rebecca ends up divorcing him and is romantically involved with Joey), he sees Rebecca and Joey face-to-face in close proximity, prompting the following conversation:Jesse: How could you do that right in front of me?!
Rebecca: Joey had cream filling in his eye.
Joey: Those Boing-Boings really pack a punch. You squeeze one too hard and — pffft.
Jesse: So there's nothing going on between the two of you? Joey's just an idiot?
Joey: Is there a third choice? *beat* I need to change my eye. *walks away* - Oh, No... Not Again!: Jesse says this late in the episode upon hearing the song by Barry and the Rippers once too many.note
- Parents as People: When Danny accuses Claire of being an irresponsible parent for "allowing" her daughter to have a make-out party without any adult supervision, Claire owns up to the mistake and explains that, as a single mother who's working as a waitress, she has a hard time balancing all of her responsibilities. She also rightfully points out that Danny was unaware of the details of the party (he only found out because Stephanie mistook him for D.J. on the phone) and doesn't have a moral high ground. The two agree that they're both struggling to handle their daughters' teen rebellion and make peace.
- The Pete Best: In-Universe. The plot-line of this episode makes it clear that the Rippers is more popular with Barry Williams as the lead singer than the band has ever been with Jesse leading it.
- Right in Front of Me: Early on when Barry Williams is trying to promote a new single by The Rippers, he makes a joke about the previous leader while sitting next to Jesse. Luckily for Barry, Jesse isn't too offended to let Barry promote the new song.Joey: Isn't that a winky-dink of a coincidence? Jesse was dumped by a band called the Rippers.
Barry: Oh, I'm sure it was a different band. These guys got rid of their singer because he spent more time moussing his hair than playing his guitar.[Joey and Barry start laughing, & then Joey stops once he sees Jesse standing up and casting him a Death Glare]
Jesse: You try keeping this cowlick up with just gel. It doesn't work, man!
Barry: *realizing what he'd done* I'm sorry. I didn't realize that it was you. - Spaghetti Kiss: Joey and Rebecca kiss this way via sharing a Boing-Boing. This is part of the Humiliation Conga at Jesse's expense.
- Take That!: During Jesse's Dream Sequence of his whole family turning their backs on him and he ending up washed-up, overweight and balding, Kimmy is his obnoxious fiancée, who sports a big red bouffant hairdo and wears a leopard-print top, tight black leggings and heels. Sounds familiar?
- Talking with Signs: Due to Danny's loss of voice for much of the episode, he relies on hand gestures or writing stuff down as his means of communication, the latter of which is shown when he inquires Stephanie and Gia about adult supervision for Gia's house party (by writing down "adult supervision" on a sheet of paper and showing it to them).
- Tempting Fate:
- Jesse tells Barry Williams, who's trying to promote the Rippers at the time, that one shouldn't expect to make it big in music quickly. Cue the new Rippers song becoming a smash hit and pushing the band to stardom quickly, causing Jesse to give up music altogether, a decision that would haunt him later (in a Humiliation Conga that turns out to be All Just a Dream).
- More immediately following Jesse's declaration that he would quit music:Rebecca: So this decision to give up music has nothing to do with all the hoopla over Barry and the Rippers?
Jesse: Hoopla? What hoopla?
Kimmy: (entering the house while wearing a t-shirt with "JESSE & THE RIPPERS" but with "BARRY" printed over "JESSE") Barry is GOD! Can you believe they're opening for the Stones? - Then immediately after Kimmy's entry, Jesse takes Nicky and Alex away from the kitchen with the stated goal of going someplace where one wouldn't have to hear the song by "Barry and the Rippers", only for Nicky and Alex to start singing lines from the song in question, which does nothing to soothe Jesse's mood.
- You Are Grounded!: Danny says this to Stephanie near the end of the show, as punishment for attending an unsupervised house party on purpose and deceiving him about it, though he also compliments her for calling for a ride immediately after finding out what kind of party it turned out to be and being above the peer pressure of kissing some other boy just because everyone else was doing it at the party.
