TGI – Full House 209 “Our Very First Christmas Show"

Summary

Pod Meets World: TGI – Full House 209 “Our Very First Christmas Show”

Podcast: Pod Meets World (iHeartPodcasts)
Episode Date: December 11, 2025
Hosts: Danielle Fishel, Will Friedle, Ryder Strong
Episode Theme:
A nostalgic deep-dive as Danielle, Will, and Ryder watch and discuss "Our Very First Christmas Show," the first-ever Full House holiday episode (Season 2, Episode 9, aired December 16, 1988). Along the way, the hosts share personal holiday memories, reflect on holiday myths like Santa, critique sitcom structures of the era, and unpick the uneven charm of this TGIF staple.

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Main Theme & Purpose

The core of this episode is a lively, sometimes irreverent rewatch and breakdown of Full House’s first Christmas special. The Pod Meets World hosts analyze the sitcom’s structure and emotional beats, digress into memorable debates (especially about telling kids the truth regarding Santa), share behind-the-scenes stories from ’90s primetime TV, and compare the experience of acting as child stars. As always, nostalgia, pop culture critique, and playful bickering abound.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Warning for Parents—Santa Talk Ahead

(14:00–16:40)

• Before diving in, Danielle gives a heads-up: the following discussion will include candid debates about Santa’s existence.

  “So maybe don't listen to this one with little ones around because it could interfere with the magic of Christmas.” — Danielle Fishel (14:24)

2. Holiday Myths: To Santa or Not To Santa

(14:43–21:30)

• The trio debate whether to let children believe in Santa Claus:
  • Ryder: Never told his son Santa was real; treats it as a fun story, not a lie.
  • Will: Enjoys the fantasy, says he'd relish going all-out with Santa shenanigans.
  • Danielle: Offers a middle-ground—lets her kids steer the conversation, never explicitly confirming or denying.

  “I'm not saying yes, they're actually Santa's coming ... we tell a story together.” — Ryder Strong (16:22) “Like a three year old needs to know that there is no Santa Claus. Really? How does that affect anybody's life?” — Will Friedle (16:15)

• Humorous barbs fly as Will and Ryder joust about the difference between fantasy and lying to kids.

  “Why not kill the kids? ... they shouldn't have any hope!” — Will Friedle (18:25)

3. How to Handle Children's Questions About Death, Belief, and the Afterlife

(23:39–25:14)

• Danielle shares her method of reflecting bigger existential questions back on her kids, gently encouraging them to decide what they believe.

  “... My role as your parent is to tell you how the world works to the best of my ability... I have the things that I believe and things ring true to me or they do not. And you also ... will make up your mind about what rings true to you.” — Danielle Fishel (24:00)

• The hosts agree on the importance of open debate—even 30 years in, Ryder and Will often change each other's minds through these conversations.

4. TGIF Sitcom Nostalgia and the Full House Phenomenon

(26:18–30:58)

• The hosts reflect on the dominant sitcoms of their youth, joke about the prevalence of “men-raising-kids” shows in the '80s and '90s, and question if the Full House formula would even work today.

  “It was because you had three men and a baby... My Two Dads—the whole idea of all that kind of stuff. Yes. Like, that's just a bygone era...” — Ryder Strong (48:21)

5. First Impressions: Full House as Newcomers

(28:19–31:14)

• Will and Ryder admit they’ve never watched a full episode of Full House before and are initially baffled by the tone and structure.
• Ryder shares a story about bombing an early audition for the show and being berated by a casting director.

6. Reactions to Child Acting on Sitcoms

(45:44–47:10; 50:08–52:06)

• The trio discuss the pressures placed on the Olsen twins and other child actors, including “cookie rewards” for delivering lines.
• Both Ryder and Will express discomfort at how the show treats very young actors (“not looking at a kid, more a ‘performing monkey’”).

  “Every time it cut to the Olsen twins, I got very uncomfortable. … we are looking at a child being tortured. Like, I'm like watching a baby being told.” — Ryder Strong (50:08)

7. Episode Structure & Plot Recap

(59:48–98:46)

• Holiday Photo Chaos: Classic Full House cold open as the family attempts a group photo.
• Santa Panic: Stephanie worries Santa can’t find her if they’re away, makes hand-drawn maps.
• Airport Snow-In: Family is stranded overnight in airport baggage claim on Christmas Eve.
• Santa Disguise: Joey tries to cheer up Steph by dressing as Santa. The real Santa (?) later makes a magical appearance, returning lost presents.
• Jesse & Becky: Their burgeoning romance features a cheesy but consent-filled mistletoe kiss (“consent—kiss sent!” – Danielle, 95:20).
• Closing Sentiment: “Christmas doesn’t have to happen in one certain place. It happens in our hearts.” — John Stamos as Jesse (90:56)
• The group is baffled by the episode’s logic and writing, including inconsistent seat assignments, overuse of holiday songs, and surreal plot turns.

  “It was like somebody took way too many drugs and scribbled some ideas down, and then some actors went and did it.” — Ryder Strong (62:01)

8. Behind the Scenes: Cast, Crew & Guest Stars

(39:55–44:59)

• Detailed summaries of the Full House cast's careers (Bob Saget, John Stamos, Dave Coulier, Lori Loughlin).
• The hosts are shocked to learn John Stamos is a longtime touring member of the Beach Boys.

  “So a guy named John Stamos was on a soap opera... then stars on a sitcom and immediately becomes a member of the Beach Boys?!” — Ryder Strong (41:46)

• Brief, affectionate nods to the starring kids and anecdotes about working with (and meeting) the Olsen twins.

9. Sitcom Logic and Over-the-Top Holiday Spirit

(60:23–64:43)

• The trio poke fun at the exaggerated, unrealistic style of late '80s sitcoms: unbelted car rides in credits, magical plot fixes, and a family that breaks into song (sometimes five times in twenty minutes).

  “Five songs in twenty minutes.” — Will Friedle (98:46)

10. Cultural Takeaways and Final Thoughts

(98:46–99:47)

• The hosts acknowledge their outsider perspective and that their tongue-in-cheek critiques might not sit well with dedicated Full House fans.
• They reaffirm the value of candor and playful nostalgia in their own rewatch podcast ethos.

---

Notable Quotes & Moments

• On Santa:

  “The joy shouldn’t be based on a lie. All of it is.” — Ryder Strong (18:49)

• On Child Acting:

  “I'm not cool with this... this isn't cute. I can't understand what she's saying... it's like watching kids get, like, you know, great. They made money, they got their cookie fine.” — Ryder Strong (51:55)

• On Nostalgic Cheesiness:

  “What’s the matter with you people? The first Christmas was in a manger... Christmas isn’t about presents or Santa Claus or cows. It’s about a feeling. ... Christmas doesn’t have to happen in one certain place. It happens in our hearts.” — Paraphrased Jesse (John Stamos) monologue (90:56)

• On Catchphrases:

  “Have mercy.” — Jesse’s catchphrase (95:59) “How rude.” — Stephanie’s catchphrase (76:19) “Ooh la la.” — Ryder Strong (100:07) (joking about adopting his own sitcom catchphrase)

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Memorable, Light-Hearted Exchanges

• On Full House Logic:

  “Did you guys believe anything about the show? Did you believe any moment? Did anything feel real at all?” — Ryder Strong (60:49)

• On the show's musical numbers:

  “Five songs in twenty minutes.” — Will Friedle (98:46)

• On the Olsen twins’ reward system:

  “Get Ashley. She's a grabber, you know what I mean? ... The other one's just a grabber. The other one's a talker.” — Ryder Strong, riffing on the rumored cookie-bribe techniques (88:33)

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Important Timestamps

• Santa, Santa, Santa warning: 14:00
• Debating Santa with kids: 14:43–21:30
• Existential parenting – afterlife talk: 23:39–25:14
• Nostalgia for TGIF sitcoms/child acting chat: 28:19–31:14, 50:08–52:06
• Full House cast & legacy: 39:55–44:59
• Full plot recap begins: 59:48
• Dissecting the episode’s logic: 60:23–64:43
• Catchphrase acknowledgment: 95:59–100:13
• Final critique and fan disclaimer: 98:46–99:47

---

Tone & Style

The episode is irreverent, affectionate, and self-aware—sometimes caustic, but always inviting listeners in on the joke. The trio embrace their roles as '90s-kid sitcom alumni, balancing cultural critique with genuine nostalgia and the occasional warm-hearted aside.

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Summary for Non-listeners:
This is a classic Pod Meets World episode—meaty with nostalgia, honest about childhood mythologies, gently savage in its appraisal of TGIF sitcoms, and laced through with the hosts’ trademark banter. The Santa debate will especially resonate for listeners pondering how (or whether) to maintain holiday magic with their own kids, while the Full House dissection is a fun, sometimes brutal trip down memory lane for fans and skeptics alike.

Transcript

[Danielle Fishel]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human. Every year I think I'm ready for the holidays and then suddenly I'm the one hosting. This year though, Whole Foods Market low key saved me. Maybe even high key.

[Will Friedle]

Same Susan and I walked in for one thing and walked out with a whole game plan. Their heat, neat sides, lifesavers and 365 staples like stuffing mix, cream of mushroom soup and green beans have made my pantry the quintessential Thanksgiving haven't.

[Ryder Strong]

And Whole Foods has single handedly made me the best host gift giver around. Their curated cheeses or cookie gift boxes Instant hero status for Maine's I grabbed.

[Danielle Fishel]

Their bone in rib roast and I'm not kidding. It's a showstopper.

[Will Friedle]

So if you're scrambling like we always are, just order, pickup or delivery. Whole Foods is truly the holiday headquarters. New Traditions, Zero Chaos Shop for everything.

[Ryder Strong]

You need at Whole Foods Market your holiday headquarters.

[Danielle Fishel]

If you're like me, you're juggling a million things during the holiday season. Buying gifts, planning family vacations, prepping for holiday parties. It's never ending. But CVS is here for all of it. Just imagine going to one store to buy everything you need. From same day photo cards to calendars, ornaments and photo books to delicious candy and stocking stuffers galore, CVS has you covered. Plus CVS is introducing joyword, their new brand which includes trendy, cute and colorful holiday staples like nutcrackers, snack, snow globes and more. Visit cvs.comholiday or your local CVS for everything you need this holiday season.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

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[Ryder Strong]

That'S meant to make everyone's job easier.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

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[Ryder Strong]

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[Malcolm Gladwell]

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[Karen Kilgariff]

Make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry. A gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs that doesn't just sparkle, but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings, this season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship, or a heartfelt gift for a family member. Say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop [e-mail] or visit your closest Pandora store.

[Danielle Fishel]

20Th Century Studios presents the upcoming comedy Ella McKay from Academy Award winning writer director James L. Brooks. Emma mackey plays Ella McKay. An idealistic young woman who juggles her family and work life in a story about the people you love and how to survive them. Featuring all star cast including Emma Mackey, Jamie Lee Curtis, Jack Louden, Kumail Nanjiani. Ayo Adebury. Julie Kavner. With Albert Brooks and Woody Harrelson. Ella McKay. Only in theaters Friday.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, the amount of tears and.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Battles I've had and I think useless.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. For nothing.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, for not.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, for not. I started skiing at five, so.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

And were you good by like five or six?

[Ryan Seacrest]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

And I've never forgotten. So if I put skis back on, it comes back to me. My dad taught me when I was five and we used to go once a year for a week.

[Ryder Strong]

So for a whole week you'd be skiing?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yep.

[Ryder Strong]

I think that's the key, Danielle. Just don't go one day thinking, yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

We weren't going to do that when. Because when I learned to ski, that's. That's always what we did. We did two family vacations a year. One was to Hawaii and the other one was a ski vacation. And, like, they were all the ski. We went skiing for at least three days in a row, which I remember by the end of day two, I was like, my whole body hurts. Like, I'm sore. My dad being like, mind over matter. We will hit the mountain the next day. And I also have never forgotten. Like, I mean, I don't even remember the last time. How long ago was it that I was on skis? But I was. I, like, put them on and I was like, am I even going to know how to do this? I was doing Black Diamonds by the end of the day, it was like, yeah, I'm back.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, you just.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's like riding a bike.

[Ryder Strong]

It is. It's like riding a ski.

All right, all right. He's got pre show chatter. We could act. We should have been recording this. Welcome to Pod Meets World.

[Will Friedle]

I'm Danielle Fishel. Let's move on, people.

[Danielle Fishel]

You just said you don't have.

[Will Friedle]

I know, but I like people to think I do. I'm literally. And I'm literally wearing what I slept in last night. That's not even a joke.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God, dude.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, it's so great. Will, do you ski?

[Will Friedle]

I have skied a couple of times. I've never liked it. It's just. You're cold. Start at the top, and then you go all the way to the bottom, and then you're just where you started. It's like, I can't Stay here and have a drink.

[Ryder Strong]

What the fuck's the point?

[Will Friedle]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh my God. Stupid. Feel like you're flying. You're out in the trees on the mountain. There's nothing better. Nothing.

[Will Friedle]

There's lots and lots of things better.

[Ryder Strong]

Nope.

[Will Friedle]

So, yeah, no, not. Not interested.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jensen broke his hand on the lift once.

[Will Friedle]

Why do you break your hand on the lift?

[Ryder Strong]

Can Jensen.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, Jensen can ski.

[Will Friedle]

Can't get on the list.

It depends what you call ski. If I can't get off the lift.

[Ryder Strong]

Exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. But he is a little afraid. That's one of the reasons why he's happy to just postpone taking the kids skiing is that after breaking his hand, falling off of the lift, getting off the lift, he's like, we don't. We don't need to do that again.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I would wait. I would wait at least until they're both over 7 mm. And then. Yeah, make sure you do three days in a row. First day with an instructor that's not you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, I plan on putting them in ski school.

[Ryder Strong]

Yep.

[Will Friedle]

That's what my brother in law does. He taught me how to ski in less than. It was like three hours and I was shushing all over the place. And yeah, even as I got it, I was like, wow, you've never, you've never shushed. See, this is the difference between east coast and west coast skiers.

[Ryder Strong]

Shush, shush.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, I was. And even, even I was like, oh, if I just learn how to stop and. And figure it out, then I'll love it. And I learned how to stop and do all that st and take jumps. And I was still like, this is stupid. Nope.

No.

[Danielle Fishel]

Will, you're such a curmudgeon about some things. You're so childlike about. About. Really. About some things.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm uncomfortable.

[Will Friedle]

You can't even walk when you take the skis off. Like.

No, you just don't feel cool. No, I. That's the one thing I do feel is cool in ski, because everyone's cool. You're in 37 layers. You can't tell that you're overweight.

[Ryder Strong]

Part about skiing though.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

When you sit.

[Ryder Strong]

In a lodge, women throw themselves at you if you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh.

[Ryder Strong]

If you hurt yourself.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh my gosh.

[Ryder Strong]

Same.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, it's great.

[Will Friedle]

Easton just said, I talked to a guy in Tahoe about trying to ski and he looked me up and down and said, eh, might be too late for you.

[Ryder Strong]

It is true. Here's the thing. It's a ridiculously expensive sport because the gear costs so much, the lift tickets cost so much and there's a lot of effort in just getting used to the cold. And you know, we were skiing in like, you know, negative 10 degrees but.

[Will Friedle]

You can hold a drink while you play pickleball.

[Ryder Strong]

No, it's pretty beautiful.

[Will Friedle]

For the record, literally hold a drink cold.

[Danielle Fishel]

I would definitely not be able to take my kids someplace that's going to be minus 10. I, I we yeah, I couldn't handle I'm cold all day long. Well, welcome to Pod Meats World. I'm Danielle Fishel.

[Ryder Strong]

I'm Ryder Strong.

[Will Friedle]

And I'm Will Friedle.

[Danielle Fishel]

Every year I say I'm going to find the perfect holiday gift for friends and family and then suddenly it's December 22nd, 8pm and I'm panic buying a candle called Garage Sale Mystery Box.

[Will Friedle]

The goal is always the same. It must be personal, but not weirdly personal. It needs to convey I care about you, but not I had this custom carved with your baby teeth and this.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is why Aura Frames is the answer to the entire crisis. It's the easiest gift to give. I got one last year from my mom and dad and I swear it has changed their lives.

[Ryder Strong]

You can preload photos before it ships so it arrives already special with all your favorite memories ready to digitally display. Add pics of your kids, your dog that time of birthday cake lit your hair on fire.

[Will Friedle]

And then you just keep adding pics all year long straight from your phone and everyone can see them. Well, I mean the ones you want them to see.

[Danielle Fishel]

Unlimited free pictures and videos.

[Will Friedle]

Boom.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's the gift that keeps giving. No complicated setup either and anyone can do it. Wifi app done.

[Ryder Strong]

Honestly, it makes holiday shopping easier because it's so thoughtful. Without much work on your end, it looks like you planned ahead even if you definitely did not.

[Will Friedle]

Don't wait. Win the holidays now with Aura Frames.

[Danielle Fishel]

For a limited time. Save on the perfect gift by visiting auraframes.com to get $35 off or as best selling Carver Mat frames named number one by Wirecutter by using promo code podmeetsworld at checkout.

[Ryder Strong]

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[Will Friedle]

This deal is exclusive to listeners and frames sell out fast, so order yours now to get it in time for the holidays.

[Danielle Fishel]

Support the show by mentioning us at checkout. Terms and conditions apply.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Hello. Hello, I'm Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast smart talks with IBM. I recently sat down with IBM's chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, and I asked him, how can companies use AI to its fullest potential to create smarter business. My one advice to them Pick areas you can scale. Don't pick the shiny little toys on the side. For example, if anybody has more than 10% of what they had for customer service 10 years ago, they're already five years behind. If anybody is not using AI to make their developers who write software 30% more productive today with the goal of being 70% more productive. Yeah. So we are not asking our clients to be the first experiment on it. We say you can leverage what we did. We are happy to bring out all our learnings, including what needs to change in the process. Because the biggest change is not technology, is getting people to accept that there's a different way to do things. To listen to the full conversation, visit IBM.com smarttalks.

[Danielle Fishel]

Moms juggle a million things during the holidays and CVS is here for all of it this holiday season I'm juggling never ending parties, gifts for my family and friends, traveling with a four and a six year old, and so much more. But CVS is my one stop shop. It's close, quick and easy. Perfect for moms who need to check things off their list without any extra stress. My kids are doing a Secret Santa at school this year and CVS made it easy with a selection of small toys and games under $15. They also have unlimited options of pre wrapped gifts, gift sets, holiday cards and stocking stuffers. Plus CVS is introducing Joyward, their new brand which includes trendy, cute and colorful holiday staples like nutcrackers, snow globes and more. Perfect to add to your festive decor. Trust me. Visit cvs.comholiday or your local CVS for everything you need this holiday season.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't know about you guys, but I love to buy gifts. I love it so much. I love it so much more than getting gifts. But the one thing that I do love, especially when it comes to my daughter, is getting matching things. I know it's such a cliche, but I love it so much. So I have the perfect brand for you. Pandora Jewelry can make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry. A gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs that doesn't just sparkle, but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings, this season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship, or a heartfelt gift for a family member. Say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop [e-mail] or visit your closest Pandora store.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Looking for your next obsession? Listen to High Key, a bold, joyful, unfiltered culture podcast coming at you every Friday. Now, my question is, in this game of mafia that we're going to play, are you going to do better than me?

[Danielle Fishel]

Say it now.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Duh.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Period. I'm gonna eat.

[Will Friedle]

You're gonna do better than me?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm gonna eat. Yes. I literally will. Ryan will. I cannot wait till we both team up and get you out, and then one of us gets the other out. Cause we didn't realize they were a traitor the whole time. And you were actually an innocent. Y' all won't even know that I'm a traitor. This is going to be delicious. Well, thank you for coming to our show. And on that note, thank you for.

[Ryder Strong]

Coming to my show.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Listen to High key on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Danielle Fishel]

Hello, everyone. Like all good Full House recaps, this one needs a bit of a warning. We talk a lot about S A N T A. Satan.

[Will Friedle]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

We'Re talking about Ca. Oh, sorry. And the difficult.

[Danielle Fishel]

And the difficult nature of dealing with his existence. And kids. So maybe don't listen to this one with little ones around because it could interfere with the magic of Christmas. Thanks a lot, Ryder.

[Ryder Strong]

Santa, Santa, Santa.

[Danielle Fishel]

And now for the show, Full House.

[Ryder Strong]

Let's do it. Here we go. Santa is Jesus, and he's magical Santa. Oh, God, that's right.

[Will Friedle]

Ryder's gonna bash that too.

[Ryder Strong]

Santa's here and he's magical Jesus.

[Will Friedle]

I could see Ryder being the parent who hands India's first gift at two and goes, merry Christmas. This is from your mom and I. Cause Santa's not real.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, yeah. Absolutely true.

[Danielle Fishel]

100.

[Ryder Strong]

I never. I never lied to my kid.

[Will Friedle]

The fantasy.

[Danielle Fishel]

I also, I really. I was like, we're not gonna lie. We're not gonna do it. We've never really needed to. Adler was just like, I was. As a kid, which is like, no, this isn't real. And I'm like, well, why do you. Why do you feel that way? And he's like, come on. I mean, really? And I'm like, but is there a. Do you like the feeling. Feeling of Christmas? Like, you know, Christmas is about. It's a. It's a spirit. It's a feeling. It's not really about a re. But he. He's just like, yeah, no, it's not real.

[Will Friedle]

I'd be. If I had kids, I'd be walking on the roof at Midnight, like dressed like Santa. I'd get glimpses of. They'd get glimpses of me.

[Danielle Fishel]

You know who you would be? You'd be an elf on the shelf parent. And you would be so, so annoying. Good at it. But I, and me and Ryder, you couldn't pay. There's not enough money in the world to make me an elf on the shelf parent.

[Will Friedle]

And that's the thing is I don't even like Christmas. I just like being able to have a fantasy world for a child for a while. That's awesome.

[Ryder Strong]

Fantasy world you can have. You just don't say it's real. You just enjoy the fantasy together.

[Will Friedle]

Like a three year old needs to know that there is no Santa Claus. Really? How does that affect anybody's life?

[Ryder Strong]

What do you mean? I'm not telling a three year old there is no Santa. I'm just not saying there is a Santa. I'm saying, oh my God, let's have fun. Let's tell this story. And Santa lives here and there's, you know, we tell a story together. But I'm not saying yes, they're actually Santa's coming, delivering your presence tomorrow morning, you know, in the middle.

[Will Friedle]

To each his own, my friend. To each his own.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, we participate. Like, Keaton fully thinks that when we go to the mall and he tells Santa what he wants, that that is the moment that it's decided that, like, I have to talk to this person. He has not really made a big deal about the fact that there are Santas at different malls. Like Adler did. Adler with all of that was like, why is there a Santa here? And it was like, well, Santa can't be everywhere. And he was like, hmm. It's like Adler was just always suspicious. Keaton's a little more like, listen, all I know is that when I told this man last year that I wanted a Paw Patrol backpack, I got a Paw Patrol backpack. And he also thinks.

So. He also thinks that the Amazon gift guide that we get in the mail is how you have to tell Santa what you.

And so this, this weekend, I said to Keaton, because Keaton said he wanted a John Cena backpack. And I said, do you want to ask Santa for that? Sounds like a good thing. You could ask Santa for. You could ask him for a John Cena backpack. And he turns and he looks at me and he goes, it isn't in the book.

See, he couldn't ask for something that wasn't in the book.

[Will Friedle]

Thank you. How can you ever find a John Cena background?

[Ryder Strong]

Why Are you saying thank you like this? That proves something that you've been arguing, Will. What do you mean, thank you?

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you, thank you, thank you.

[Ryder Strong]

Santa needs the message. You obviously have to send us a message.

[Will Friedle]

He believes in fantasy. He believes the fantasy.

[Ryder Strong]

That's the thing.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's like.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Hold on.

[Ryder Strong]

Is this part of our episode? Because I feel like we have to have a trigger warning for listeners that.

[Danielle Fishel]

We'Re gonna, you know, they're paid.

[Will Friedle]

Why not just crush their fantasy right now, Ryder?

[Ryder Strong]

Why? Why their kids? Why not kill the kids?

[Will Friedle]

You don't need it, Ryder.

[Ryder Strong]

They don't need a trigger warning. Kill the fantasy.

[Will Friedle]

They don't need to know they're two. They should not have any hope.

[Danielle Fishel]

Killing the fantasy kids.

[Ryder Strong]

Crush it.

[Will Friedle]

You don't need a trigger warning. Let them know Santa, the Easter Bunny, all the things they love, they're fake.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Tell them right now they shouldn't have that joy in their life, even up to five.

[Ryder Strong]

Why? The joy shouldn't be based on a lie. All of it is.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, my God. It's not a lie. It's a fantasy. Right? That's the joy. That's not a lie. That's a fantasy.

[Ryder Strong]

Those are two completely. Then I think we're saying the same thing. Then I think we're saying the same thing.

[Will Friedle]

So if your kid came to you at three and said, is Santa real? You'd say no?

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, then we're not talking about the same thing at all.

[Ryder Strong]

But what about the kids asking that question? Right? They're already at a level of like, you know, incredulity that I think is worth it.

[Will Friedle]

So you're telling me every time a kid asks a question, it's because he's at a level of incredulity?

[Ryder Strong]

No, it's.

[Will Friedle]

The kids ask questions. Hold on.

[Ryder Strong]

If there's a thing where there's Santa, is Santa real?

[Will Friedle]

Can I fly? If I jump off the roof, can I do all this kind of stuff? So that's just kids asking questions. Of course you would answer the questions.

[Ryder Strong]

You could fly if you jump off the roof because it's good for your fancy.

[Will Friedle]

But it's good. But thinking that there's somebody named Santa Claus, that's.

[Ryder Strong]

That brings gifts.

[Will Friedle]

If you're good that, you know, wants you to deliver joy all over the world, how does that hurt a kid who's 3 or 4 years old?

[Ryder Strong]

To believe that's real doesn't necessarily hurt them. It's just not telling them the truth.

[Will Friedle]

But so do you think. Do you think it's Also there's some sort of a responsibility. Then tell your kid, maybe don't go and tell your friends he's not real because you might ruin another kid's fantasy.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, it depends on what we're talking. I mean we talk about Christmas and specifically you're talking about one religious, one country's tradition.

[Will Friedle]

Santa isn't religious. Santa's for no, because Jesus is the, is the, the Santa was created by the Coke company in, in the 1930s. That's the Santa we see. Right. Is, was created by the Coke.

[Ryder Strong]

So if you're Jewish, you're celebrating Christmas, you're saying it depends.

[Will Friedle]

My stepson is, my son in law is Jewish and loves Christmas.

[Ryder Strong]

Right there. So it's a, there's a variety of options out there, but for the most part it's called Christmas. It's mostly a Christian tradition, but if.

[Will Friedle]

You want to tell your kid that Santa isn't real, then your kid's three or four. Is there some point where you have to say to your kid, but other kids might believe he is and maybe don't ruin that for them? So don't go tell other kids that.

[Danielle Fishel]

I offer the middle ground, which is what we do, which is I turn it back on them and I. So I. When Adler would. Every time Adler asks me, I say the same thing, what do you think? And I let him talk it out and I'll say, so people believe all kinds of different things. I love to believe in the story of Santa and it's fun. Our family celebrates it. We leave him cookies and carrots and I just kind of reiterate what we already do and never really actually say yay or nay. I'm not going to direct.

[Will Friedle]

But you writer said you would say no, he's not real.

[Ryder Strong]

If a kid asked me if is Santa real?

[Will Friedle]

Wait, even another kid. So somebody else's kid comes up to you and asks if Santa's real.

[Ryder Strong]

Who's for you? I say no, I wouldn't feel right if, if another parent. No, of course. Okay.

[Will Friedle]

All right, good. Okay. Well you say like if a kid comes up to me, well, well, if kid.

[Ryder Strong]

If a kid comes up to me and says, do you believe in Santa? I'm going to say no, I don't, if that's what you mean.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

What.

[Ryder Strong]

But why are you, why is you walking up to a.

[Will Friedle]

No, I don't know. I don't believe in Santa. Little kid golf.

[Ryder Strong]

Why are you on my lawn?

[Will Friedle]

Jesus. Yeah, exactly. Oh, anything to destroy the fantasy writer.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Love it.

[Ryder Strong]

If, if a kid walks up to you and says, do you believe in what? Like, name another. Fantastical. Fantastical anything. What do you say? Why would it kill you?

[Will Friedle]

How old is the kid? Four? Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

You believe in elves and. And hell.

[Danielle Fishel]

Bad thing.

[Will Friedle]

Wait, no. Bad, bad demons.

[Danielle Fishel]

No elves.

[Will Friedle]

Wait a second.

[Ryder Strong]

The devil.

[Will Friedle]

Bad, bad you about two different things. You're equating telling a four year old the devil is real?

[Ryder Strong]

Angels over in heaven. Bodhisattvas. Bodhisattvas. Buddhas. Bodhisattvas and Buddhas.

[Will Friedle]

Can I answer. Can I answer one of your questions? Your mom has. My kid's mom has passed away. And he comes up to me and says, mom's an angel, right? And she's watching over me. Am I supposed to go, no, I don't believe in angels.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's what Ryder did.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

Of course you say, yes, of course you do. Oh God, yes.

[Will Friedle]

Your mother is an angel and watching over you. Of course you do. Sleep well. Of course you do. That shouldn't even be a question.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh man.

[Will Friedle]

Wow, Danielle, which one would you do?

[Danielle Fishel]

We talk about the fact that my mother in law can see them and is. But I do actually believe there is an afterlife.

[Will Friedle]

Me too.

[Danielle Fishel]

And Ryder does not.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Danielle Fishel]

So for me, that's not me lying. I do think there is.

[Will Friedle]

There's something else.

[Danielle Fishel]

There's something else. I have absolutely no idea what it is.

[Will Friedle]

Same.

[Danielle Fishel]

But I know that our. Whatever we're made of doesn't die. Like, I mean our go somewhere, our skin, our bones, something that, that. But that energy doesn't ever die. So it's somewhere. And whether or not we're just like floating energy balls, there's somewhere. So. And I explained that to my kids too. Like what we believe. What I believe is. Is not necessarily what you're going to believe. My role as your parent is to tell you how the world works to the best of my ability. And I'm not a genius, I'm not a scientist. I have the things that I believe and things ring true to me or they do not. And you also, as you grow up, will make up your mind about what rings true to you and what feels, what makes sense to you. And other people will believe totally different things. And neither of you are guaranteed to be right. We don't freaking know about a lot of things. So that's how we talk about it. Just very much like I like to constantly bring questions like that back to my kids about, well, what do you think? And just the same way when my kids are having a problem with another kid at school, And I can start to suspect. I don't think this kid is a very good friend. But I don't want to say I don't want you being friends with that kid. But I will point out to them, well, how does that friend make you feel? And then when regularly they're thinking to themselves, when I'm around this friend, I regularly don't feel good. If they know, like friends shouldn't make you feel bad about yourself all the time. I want them to just be in touch with that. Kind of like their own thoughts, their own intuition.

[Will Friedle]

Sure.

[Danielle Fishel]

Their own instincts.

[Ryder Strong]

Sure.

[Danielle Fishel]

And so anyway, I'm glad we all agree. I'm glad we're all on the same page. Yeah, we all agree. We're all very.

[Will Friedle]

Ryder and I have been having a version of this conversation for 30 some odd years, so this will never end.

[Danielle Fishel]

And if POD meets Twirl taught me anything, it's that I really shouldn't interfere in the fighting. I just need to take a step back and wait till I realize we're at a total.

No. What I'm saying is when you guys would just continue to battle things out, it makes for great radio. So I just, I'm gonna, just gonna sit back. When I realize we're at an impasse and where nothing else will be accomplished, then I will, then I will jump.

[Will Friedle]

I'd like to point out there's been several times and I'm not going to get into them, but several times where I was absolutely adamant on my side of major things and arguing with Ryder completely changed my mind. 180°. 180°. Like, completely changed my mind. So it works.

[Ryder Strong]

I think. I, I, yeah, I think having the conversation and the debate is way better than just avoiding it.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, I agree 100%.

[Ryder Strong]

Always better to get into it.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, Yeah, I agree.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, the holiday season is in full swing. Lights are hung, trees are up, and capitalism is thr thriving. And POD Meets World continues its journey through special holiday sitcom episodes. And this week we are visiting Our Neighbors, a TGIF classic whose Rewatch podcast is our spiritual spin off. It's the show single handedly responsible for questioning the existence of predictability. It's Full House. And recently they reviewed our existence of predictability. Yeah, because it's the theme song. Whatever happened to predictability? Ah.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, I had no idea.

[Danielle Fishel]

Listen, you guys have to really be a Stan. You have to be a Stan. A full house to get it.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't think that's gonna happen.

[Danielle Fishel]

No. Okay.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, does that mean I like, I'm I. I'm a fan.

[Danielle Fishel]

Big fan. Yeah, like a. Okay, so Eminem had a song called Stan.

[Ryder Strong]

I knew this.

[Will Friedle]

I know that song.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, so. And the Stan was like obsessed and you know, and so that's like when you're more than a fan, you're a. I stand Stan. It end up at the end with.

[Will Friedle]

The guy killing his like, girlfriend and everything.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's romantic. Well, just get.

[Ryder Strong]

For the love of God. This is like 20 year old lingo.

[Danielle Fishel]

Fantasy. It's fantasy. Don't ruin the fantasy. Don't ruin the fantasy of the Stand murdering Eminem's wife. We all want to share in that. If a four year old comes up to you and says.

[Ryder Strong]

Get in the trunk, we're taking the body.

[Will Friedle]

We're taking the body because you. That's how you love somebody. That's how you love them.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, recently they reviewed our pilot, so it's time to return the favor as.

[Ryder Strong]

We take a look at this. Yeah, I want to hear attention. The. How rude Territos.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, God.

[Will Friedle]

They did that. Ryder went on Lakin and. And Stacy Keenan show.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I know.

[Danielle Fishel]

This is great. We're just so busy.

So it's time to return the favor as we take a look at season two, episode nine, our very first Christmas show. It aired originally on December 16, 1988, just a week before the Yuletide holiday. And like the title suggests, this was their very first Christmas episode. So I know we have touched on this when we talked to Jody and Andrea in the past, but have either of you seen a full episode of Full House before?

[Will Friedle]

Nope.

[Ryder Strong]

Nope.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, so this was your first?

[Ryder Strong]

Maybe I had, because I thought my buddy Sean Fox was on an episode.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

And I auditioned for that part too.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh.

[Will Friedle]

So I think, how do you beat you for that? And three ninjas. You are partying the whole night before your Full House audition too.

[Ryder Strong]

Sneaking into one of the worst auditions ever. I remember the casting director, like lecturing me, being like, no, that is. Yeah, like telling me. I was like, basically didn't know how to act. And I just remember walking out and being like, kidding. This sucks, man.

[Will Friedle]

Oh my God.

[Ryder Strong]

And then Sean got it. And that was like. The first day we met actually was we were both flying down to LA to audition for multiple parts and he. He got Full House.

[Will Friedle]

Brett, the casting director lectured you?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I forget. I just remember it's one of the. Cause you know, it's early on in my career, so I'd only been on maybe 20 auditions in my. At all. And it was like one of the first times flying down to LA for an audition and she was just like, I don't know what I did, but she was like telling me how horrible I was and that I should not have. Yeah. Oh, my God.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I want to give that young boy a hug.

[Ryder Strong]

I think it was okay. I was probably. I probably walked out being like, she doesn't know what she's talking about.

[Will Friedle]

I'll get boy be told in a year.

[Ryder Strong]

Honestly, I was probably like, full house sucks anyway.

Which I had never seen. But now I see that I can say yes.

I really had a hard time watching this. I had no. I. I did go on to watch another episode after this Christmas and I'm glad I did. I'm glad I did because I thought this was in particularly a weird episode.

[Danielle Fishel]

Really?

[Ryder Strong]

Yes, it's weird.

[Will Friedle]

It is weird.

[Ryder Strong]

It doesn't make any sense. Whereas, like the next episode had. I watched like literally the next episode and it had a story and it was really cute and very fun and I was like, okay. But this Christmas episode was a little just. I had no idea what was happening.

[Will Friedle]

It is jarring if you've never seen one before, I think to just be thrown into this one because I didn't. I was like, wait, is he with him? Who's the brother?

[Ryder Strong]

Or something? Well, it's the same thing I experienced a little bit with Family Matters. I'm just like, I have no idea what this kid.

[Will Friedle]

We don't know the situation is and.

[Ryder Strong]

We'Re already in like a, you know, genre bending episode. Like.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, yeah. That's not fair for you guys then to judge the show.

[Ryder Strong]

Probably not.

[Danielle Fishel]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't think so either.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

No.

[Will Friedle]

No. Show was on for like 43 years, wasn't it?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, it was like. Yeah, yeah. 43 seasons I was on Full House. I know. I think you guys know this. I did two episodes.

[Will Friedle]

You played Candace Cameron. Oh my God. Everything just fell off behind me.

[Danielle Fishel]

What happened to your Funkos?

[Ryder Strong]

God.

[Will Friedle]

Happened to my.

[Danielle Fishel]

If a 4 year old comes out.

[Ryder Strong]

Santa Claus.

[Will Friedle]

It could be.

[Ryder Strong]

Did Santa Claus.

[Will Friedle]

Oh my God, is Santa here? Actually I'm having work done on my roof, so that might be.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, that is probably what it was. What fell more Funkos. How many Funkos do you have? A whole store back there.

[Will Friedle]

I only have characters that I do.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, wow.

[Will Friedle]

So there's Batman, Star Lord, Ron Stoppable.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did just one figure fall though?

[Ryder Strong]

No, which one?

[Will Friedle]

My Batman fell, but so did my.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my Rufus.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's what it was.

[Will Friedle]

Rufus.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's so cute.

[Will Friedle]

And if I do this, I get more magic powers and I can make more fall. God, that would have been.

[Danielle Fishel]

That would have been so great.

[Will Friedle]

Damn it.

[Danielle Fishel]

That had worked. That would have been amazing. Maybe you would have convinced the elf.

[Ryder Strong]

On your shelf does come alive though, right? That. Do you have to move that, right?

[Will Friedle]

I didn't want to get into it. You have to move the elf on the shelf.

[Ryder Strong]

Right. It moves at night without it come. You know.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right, but of course. Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. And then the kid has 4 year old's not around.

[Will Friedle]

Oh God.

[Danielle Fishel]

Trigger warning again. People are like started the episode, they think it's over. No.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Okay. Yeah. And so the elf is always just getting into mischief. So people have to come up with very creative things. Like, like people will sprinkle flour across their counter and then, God, people go all out. Oh yeah. And then the flower thing is somewhere else and it's ripped open and the elf is like buried in it. And he was like trying to bake cookies, but he got stuck in the flour. Or it's like always some and every day it gets progressively bigger and bigger and bigger and people look so forward to it. And I. You can. Is there anything more theater kid energy?

[Will Friedle]

No.

[Danielle Fishel]

Than everyday elf on the shelf. It's Christmas.

[Will Friedle]

Elves don't bake cookies. Keebler elves bake cookies. Keebler elves are in trees. Christmas elves are in the North Pole. Two completely different types of elves. So that's weird.

[Danielle Fishel]

The elf is there visiting the house to watch the children, to report back to Santa. So he's participating.

[Will Friedle]

So he's a narc.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's a narcissist.

[Will Friedle]

Oh my God.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's participating in all the human.

Traditions here. So he can do anything. He can do anything.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Hello.

[Ryder Strong]

Hello.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

I'm Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast smart talks with IBM. I recently sat down with IBM's chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, and I asked him, how can companies use AI to its fullest potential to create smarter business? My one advice to them, pick areas you can scale. Don't pick the shiny little toys on the side. For example, if anybody has more than 10% of what they had for customer service 10 years ago, they're already five years behind it. If anybody is not using AI to make their developers who write software 30% more productive today with the goal of being 70% more productive. Yeah. So we are not asking our clients to be the first experiment on it. We say you can leverage what we did. We are happy to bring out all our learnings, including what needs to change in the process because the biggest change is not technology is getting people to accept that there's a different way to do things. To listen to the full conversation, visit IBM.com smarttalks.

[Danielle Fishel]

Moms juggle a million things during the holidays and CVS is here for all of it. This holiday season I'm juggling never ending parties, gifts for my family and friends, traveling with a four and a six year old, and so much more. But CVS is my one stop shop. It's close, quick and easy, perfect for moms who need to check things off their list without any extra stress. My kids are doing a Secret Santa at school this year and CVS made it easy with a selection of small toys and games under $15. They also have unlimited options of pre wrapped gifts, gift sets, holiday cards and stocking stuffers. Plus, CVS is introducing Joyward, their new brand which includes trendy, cute and colorful holiday staples like nutcrackers, snow globes and more. Perfect to add to your festive decor. Trust me. Visit cvs.comholiday or your local CVS for everything you need this holiday season.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't know about you guys, but I love to buy gifts. I love it so much. I love it so much more than getting gifts. But the one thing that I do love, especially when it comes to my daughter, is getting matching things. I know it's such a cliche, but I love it so much. So I have the perfect brand for you. Pandora Jewelry can make their holiday unforgettable with a gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry. A gift that tells a story and shows you know, theirs that doesn't just sparkle, but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings, this season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship, or or a heartfelt gift for a family member. Say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop [e-mail] or visit your closest Pandora store.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Looking for your next obsession? Listen to High Key, a bold, joyful, unfiltered culture podcast coming at you every Friday. Now my question is, in this game of Mafia that we're going to play.

[Will Friedle]

Are you going to do better than me?

[Danielle Fishel]

Say it now.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Duh.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Period. I'm gonna eat.

[Will Friedle]

You're gonna do better than me?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm gonna eat. Yes. I literally will. Ryan will. I cannot wait till we both team up and get you out and then one of us gets the other out because we didn't realize they were a traitor the whole time. And you were actually an innocent. Y' all won't even know that I'm a traitor. This is going to be delicious. Well, thank you for coming to our show. And on that note, thank you for.

[Ryder Strong]

Coming to my show.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Listen to High key on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder? With a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one, fully integrated platform that handles everything. CRM, accounting, inventory, e commerce, hr, and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part, Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business, whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o dot com.

[Danielle Fishel]

When did we usually tape Christmas episodes? Was it like September?

[Ryder Strong]

No, it was a little later.

[Will Friedle]

October.

[Danielle Fishel]

October.

[Will Friedle]

October.

[Ryder Strong]

November.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, not quite like that.

[Will Friedle]

Did we do one every year?

[Ryder Strong]

Did we ever really do a full. We had.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, Topanga visits for Christmas. Everyone hated Topanga in that episode.

[Ryder Strong]

All right, and then the Christmas Eric.

[Will Friedle]

Becomes Eric is Santa Claus and adopts Tommy or wants to adopt Tommy.

[Ryder Strong]

Christmas Carol episode the one.

[Danielle Fishel]

The episode season one where he gives you the. He ends up giving you the basketball.

[Will Friedle]

Basketball. Your dad can't afford presents, so that's three.

We haven't done a season seven. Oh, Fe. Fe reading. Twas the Night before Christmas.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. And some of this could be part of.

[Ryder Strong]

No, that was part of the Danielle. That was part of the Topanga visiting Christmas. But I'm wondering what's the one where there was a dream sequence where Corey.

[Danielle Fishel]

Saw the Full House married to Matt?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, that one.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, anyway.

[Ryder Strong]

All right, let's go. Full house, guys. Full House.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's go. So for those who want to watch along with us, before or after, Full House is available to stream right now on Hulu. So let's get into their first contribution to the holiday Genre with the synopsis the family gets snowed in at an airport on Christmas Eve, all while Stephanie worries that Santa won't be able to find her. So it was directed by John Boab, a very busy director in the 80s and 90s, with 91 episodes of the Facts of Life bearing his name.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

Along with turns on the Cosby Show, Hanging with Mr. Cooper, and Grace Under Fire. This is one of four Full House episodes he directed. It was written by Kim Weiskopf. Kim was a writer producer who worked on shows like the Jeffersons and Sister Sister, but most notably, he was a showrunner for Married With Children, where the. For the final few seasons, he also voiced the family dog, Buck. Kim passed away from pancreatic cancer in 2009. He was just 62 years old. Jumping into starring. It was starring our heartthrob John Stamos as Jesse Katsopoulos. This is the show that made star Stamos a household name. He had been a star on the soap opera General Hospital, but this was his major breakout. He is also, weirdly, in the Beach Boys. He's just what? Yeah, he's just. Now he's in the Beach Boys. He's been a member.

[Ryder Strong]

He's a Beach Boy.

[Will Friedle]

He's an actual member of the Beach.

[Ryder Strong]

How do you become a member of the Beach Boys?

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, people die and then you keep.

If a four year old asks you.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes, you can be part of the Beach Boys.

[Will Friedle]

He's an actual.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's an actual boy. Yeah, he's a real Beach Boy.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then Bob Saget is Danny Tate.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't understand. Does that mean he's. He goes on. He goes around tour playing Beach Boys.

[Will Friedle]

Be Beach Boyin.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, he. He be Beach Boyin'.

[Ryder Strong]

What does he do? What does he play? He plays guitar.

[Will Friedle]

He's a guitarist, right, and sings? No, he's a drum.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Who?

[Will Friedle]

He plays drums. Oh, he tours with them. According to Eastman, John Stamos is a drummer. Plays guitar.

[Ryder Strong]

Drummer.

[Will Friedle]

Full house. He sung nine songs in this one episode.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Sorry.

[Will Friedle]

I was too busy listening to Kokomo for John Stamos's drumming. Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Was he already doing it by Kokomo? He was the drummer, yes.

[Will Friedle]

Guys, guys, Easton is a. Is a Beach Boys expert. He's on his track.

[Ryder Strong]

Hold on. So a guy named John Stamos was on a. A. A soap opera. Then he gets a. In the late 80s, he stars on a sitcom and immediately becomes a member of the Beach Boys.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow. I mean, so the actual Kokomo you.

[Will Friedle]

Hear on the radio Is John Stamos. Is John Stamos playing Kokomo? I mean, listen. Aruba, Jamaica. John Stamos. He toured Kokomo. I think he. And he's in the music video as the drummer.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, my God.

[Danielle Fishel]

How does this not.

[Will Friedle]

It's like everybody knows that John Mayer's with the Dead now. How do we not know John Stamos.

[Ryder Strong]

Is with the Beachboys? A lot of people don't know about John Mayer and the Dead.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's true.

[Ryder Strong]

I feel like they still don't.

[Will Friedle]

Crazy Dennis Wilson. I knew Dennis Wilson. Dennis Wilson was the one who drowned, correct?

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, here's Wikipedia. Stamos has occasionally performed in concert with the Beach Boys dating back to 1985, typically playing drums and various other percussion instruments. In 1988, he appeared in their video for Kokomo, in which he played conga drums and steel drums.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

In 1990, he played drums for them on the title track of the comedy Problem Child and also appeared in the song's music video. In 92, he sang lead vocals on a new version of Forever for their album Summer in Paradise. The song was originally written and sung by beach boy Dennis Wilson and released in 1970. The song was featured twice on Full House. The first was a recording sung at his character's wedding, while the second was a recording sung for his character's Twin Sons. The 1992 music video titled Forever by Jesse and the Rippers featured Stamos predominantly. However, three of the Beach Boys members are briefly shown singing harmonies with Stamos, Carl Wilson, Bruce Johnston, and Mike Love.

[Ryder Strong]

Why didn't any of us join the Monkeys? My God.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's not. Seriously, it's not too late. What if the three of us joined the one other living member of Monkeys?

[Ryder Strong]

Mickey Dolan's and us.

[Will Friedle]

Just us and Mickey Dolan's.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's do it.

[Will Friedle]

Boy meets Monkeys.

[Ryder Strong]

I love it.

[Will Friedle]

Ryder's the only one that has any musical talent, so I know you guys.

[Ryder Strong]

Could play the tambourine and, you know.

[Will Friedle]

I'd find a way to mess it up.

[Ryder Strong]

I didn't know he was in the Beach Boys. That's crazy. Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

All right. Well, Bob Saget as Danny Tanner. Bob was a stand up comedian cast as the wholesome dad, despite his act not really matching the family style of the show. Bob also appeared in movies like Half Baked and TV shows like Entourage. And tragically, he passed away in 2022 at just 65 after slipping in a hotel room and hitting his head. And then we have Dave Coulier as Joey Gladstone. Another standup comedian, but this time from Canada. We want to wish Dave a speedy recovery. He recently announced that after beating lymphoma this year, doctors have diagnosed him with tongue cancer. So we love Dave here and we know he is a fighter. And thankfully, the prognosis is good, so we are wishing him the best. And then Lori Loughlin as Becky Donaldson. Lori joined in season two and had appeared in the movies Rad and Back to the beach before Full House. Ah.

[Will Friedle]

Lori Loughlin and Rad made me understand the world in a way I never thought I would.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

That was unbelievable. God, what I wouldn't give to go ass sliding with you. Nobody will get that.

[Danielle Fishel]

No.

[Will Friedle]

Unless you're a fan of Rad. Yes. Oh, wow. Great movie.

[Danielle Fishel]

And now for the young cast members. Candace Cameron Bure as D.J. tanner. Jody Sweetin. Although she was just Candace Cameron back then. Jody Sweetin is Stephanie Tanner, and Ashley and Mary Kate Olsen are the twins swapping duty as Michelle Tanner. Did either of you two ever meet the Olsen twins?

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. At some point. Didn't they go on the cruise with us?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, yeah. They were on a cruise.

[Ryder Strong]

Weren't they on the cruise? I feel like I definitely, like, met them.

[Ryan Seacrest]

You did a couple.

[Danielle Fishel]

I think you did a cruise I didn't do, and I think that's the one they were on.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I definitely met them, but I don't think I've ever had a conversation more than, like, 30 seconds or, like.

[Will Friedle]

I interviewed them when I was on Nickelodeon.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did you? How'd that go when they were.

[Will Friedle]

They were only like five, if that. And this was the one where the woman had two. Their handler had two Dixie cups taped together with M and M's in them. And whenever they would, like, their. Their gaze would go somewhere else. She'd go and shake the thing and they would snap back to the. It was weird.

[Danielle Fishel]

They talk about that on their podcast, apparently.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, do they?

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, good. I mean, this was always the. Yeah, that's what I always heard is that they were trained by. With food. Like, literally. That's why every shot of them is a single and they are waiting to get a cookie if they say the line correctly or an M M or whatever.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, that was.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know. This was such a weird experience to watch this show and, like, try and wrap my head around, like.

What this show is. Like, I was just like, okay, so it's three funny guys, like, three comedians, and then three child children, like, and, like, children, children, children, children. And, like, it's just the collision of those two things is like, all this show is. It's like cute kids that say cute kid things and then, like, zany dudes.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes. Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

That's the whole concept of the show. That's all Full House is supposed to be.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, wait. We talk strange. To me, it's just like, there's no story. There's no character. I don't know what's happening. But it was like, okay, I guess if we're just here to, like, like, watch the kids say something cute and then the dad say something zany, that's all we're doing.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't even mix with the heartstrings of, you know, these kids tragically lost their mom.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I was saying.

[Danielle Fishel]

So they're all there.

[Will Friedle]

So Bob Saget's wife is John Stamos's sister.

[Danielle Fishel]

Correct.

[Will Friedle]

She passed away.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

He moves in to help take care of the kids. And Dave Coulier is their friend.

[Danielle Fishel]

Friend. Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. But when you. I watch the next episode, and it's much better. And Coulier and Stamos are, like, working together to, like, write jingles.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes, that's it. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

And that dynamic is actually pretty great. Like, watching the two of them as actors, I was like, oh, I can see this is, like. It's very sick comedy. But I just.

[Will Friedle]

Could.

[Ryder Strong]

I just. This episode, I could not wrap my head around, like, what was happening.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, you've never seen enough waiting for.

[Ryder Strong]

The kids to be cute.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then it made perfectly good sense to me because I have seen. I have seen a few episodes of Full House.

[Will Friedle]

Okay. So, yeah, it was, I think, out of context, and this is our fault when we're jumping into these specialty episodes.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I don't think so, man. I think it's a weird. I think it's a cultural. Like, you would never create a show like this now. Like, the idea of, like, men raising girls was just already, like, its own genre back then.

[Will Friedle]

It was because you had three men and a baby.

[Ryder Strong]

You had like, all the idea. And, like, My Two dads. The whole idea of, like, all that kind of stuff. Yes. Like, that's just a bygone era, and that's clearly, like, part of the impetus behind this show. And then, like. Yeah, just, like, isolated shots of kids, like, being cute, which we had a little bit in Boy Meets World. You think about season one, who was literally just like, an Olsen twin. Like, people love. People loved it. Indy loved it when we watched it. So, like, there's. There's. There's a rationale behind it. I just don't get it because I'm like, why are we watching this? Like, what? And it's like, oh, it's so the family can sit around and be like, cute little girl.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. I was amazed because this is the first one I'd ever seen. I. I'd always heard that they started when they were young, but they were young.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, Jody was young. This is season two. She's like six.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I mean.

[Ryder Strong]

These are like kid kids. And Jody's carrying so much of the show.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know she is.

[Ryder Strong]

That's what I couldn't. Especially the next episode. It's literally all her every season.

[Danielle Fishel]

Was pissed about her, about Jodie, because Jodie was great. This is supposed to be his star making vehicle and she stole everything.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, she Urkelled him.

[Danielle Fishel]

She Urkeled him and he was pissed.

[Will Friedle]

Didn't he also try to get the Olsen twins fired?

[Ryder Strong]

Cute kids and zany adults.

[Will Friedle]

I think John Stamos has admitted that he also tried to get the Olsen twins fired from the show. Yeah, because that's a little different. He just didn't think they were delivering.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right. That's different. Yeah. He was jealous of Joey, so he.

[Will Friedle]

Just wanted to get rid of the three of the four kids that were on the show.

[Ryder Strong]

He didn't get the mms when he said his lines.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Yeah, right, exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

He was really pissed.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right. Or you missed it. They weren't giving him the M&Ms. They were shaking it. Like, no, no, that's just to get their eye contact.

[Ryder Strong]

But once they said the line correctly, they got a cookie or an M. M. Yeah. Oh, God, I'm sorry. It made me very uncomfortable. Every time I cut to the Olsen twins, I got very uncomfortable. I just kept. Because I was just like, what are we looking at? We are looking at a child being tortured. Like, I'm like watching a baby being told. Like, I was like watching a performing monkey. I'm sorry. I was like, this is not. I'm not cool with this. Like, what? This isn't cute. I can't understand what she's saying. Like, we're just. I'm like. Every time it made me uncomfortable, I.

[Will Friedle]

Was like, I do agree the scene with Ashley being waterboarded was too much.

[Ryder Strong]

The whole show just grinds to a halt. And then we're supposed to wait and then it's like, cute moment with the kid. And I'm like, yeah, but that is like. I don't know. It just made him uncomfortable.

[Will Friedle]

Tortured.

[Ryder Strong]

Tortured is A bit. A bit far.

[Will Friedle]

But I don't disagree that I felt uncomfortable. It was like, you're sitting there. Let's get a clo. A tight. Because we've been there because we know the situation. We know that the camera's on them, that they're just focusing on them. And let's say you're lying. And now let's say it again. And now let's say it again. Like, we know what it takes. So, yeah, that made me uncomfortable.

[Ryder Strong]

You're looking at a baby that literally has no way of knowing what it's doing or why it's saying the things. It's. When I see Jody, I'm looking at a very precocious kid who has, you can tell, has a light behind her eyes that is, like, conscious of what she's saying. And even if it takes a little bit for somebody to read the lines to her and work with her, she's capable of. Like, I'm seeing a kid. Like, I'm seeing an actor. And like, I remember having Indy at that age. Like, you could get him to do. But like the other. The Olsen twins. You're watching, like, essentially in like a non thinking animal, like, do a thing. And like, that's makes me uncomfortable. I'm sorry.

This is my favorite thing ever. It's not cute. It's like, I'm like, that's. No, I'm watching kids get, like, you know, great. They made money, they got their cookie fine.

[Will Friedle]

I guess we're all. Danielle's about to cover her vein. That's what you've done.

[Ryder Strong]

I mean, look, Indy wanted to watch another episode and I was like, hey, but, but. But then he did start sort of commenting on. Every time it cut to the Olsen twins, he was like, they look weird. Like, they look uncomfortable. Like, yeah, they don't know what they're saying, man. They don't know. Yeah, and then he kind of thought it was funny. And then every time it cut to them, he's like, look. Oh, my God.

[Will Friedle]

Aren'T they billionaires now? Like, little, like, literal billionaires?

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

They've got such wonderful handbags and clothes and. Yeah, they make great, great stuff. All right, guest starring.

[Ryder Strong]

We're like an hour in.

[Will Friedle]

Should we do the whole breakdown or just do this?

[Danielle Fishel]

Do we need to go through scene by scene? Can we just recap the episode? Okay. Yvonne Wilder as Irene Katsopoulos. Yvonne is best known as Consuelo in West side Story, both on stage and in the 1961 film, but also appeared in the TV show Operation Petticoat and seven episodes of Full House. House. Wilder passed away in 2021 at the age of 84. And then we have John A. Priya as Nick Katsopoulos. An accomplished character actor, A Priya is most recognizable as young Tessio in the Godfather Part 2, and also appeared in movies like the Stepford Wives and New Jack City and TV shows like the Sopranos. Apria passed away in 2024 at the age of 83. We have Christy Summers as the stewardess. Christy was an 80s hottie who played mud wrestler in the movie Battling Beauties and Round Card Girl and Foxy Food Fight. On tv, she appeared in My Two Dads, Cheers and Charles in Charge, two Michael Jacobs shows. Oh, wow.

[Will Friedle]

That's right. Wait, what was it? It's Naked Food Fight. What was the name of that one?

[Danielle Fishel]

Foxy Food Fight.

[Ryder Strong]

You're googling it. That's why she got canceled. Adding it to my list of things to watch.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly, man.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then Sorrell Brook as Lionel Brook, acted in more than 100 plays and 150 TV shows, but will always be known as Jefferson Davis, Boss Hog from the Dukes of Hazzard.

[Will Friedle]

Brooke was. And General Barker. General Barker on MASH.

[Danielle Fishel]

General Barker.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Brooke was a TV legend who passed away in 1994 at the age of 64.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Hello.

[Ryder Strong]

Hello.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

I'm Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast smart talks with IBM. I recently sat down with IBM's chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, and I asked him, how can companies use AI to its fullest potential to create smarter business? My one advice to them, pick areas you can scale. Don't pick the shiny little toys on the side. For example, if anybody has more than 10% of what they had for customer service 10 years ago, they're already five years behind. If anybody is not using AI to make their developers who write software 30% more productive today with the goal of being 70% more productive. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Wow.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

So we are not asking our clients to be the first experiment on it. We say you can leverage what we did. We are happy to bring out all our learnings, including what needs to change in the process. Because the biggest change is not technology, is getting people to accept that there's a different way to do things. To listen to the full conversation, visit IBM.com smart talks.

[Danielle Fishel]

Moms juggle a million things during the holidays and CVS is here for all of it. This holiday season, I'm juggling never ending parties, gifts for my family and friends, traveling with a four and a six year old, and so much more. But CVS is my one stop shop. It's close, quick and easy. Perfect for moms who need to check things off their list without any extra stress. My kids are doing a secret Santa at school this year and CVS made it easy with a selection of small toys and games under $15. They also have unlimited options of pre wrapped gifts, gift sets, holiday cards, and stocking stuffers. Plus, CVS is introducing joyword, their new brand, which includes trendy, cute and colorful holiday staples like nutcrackers, snow globes, and more. Perfect to add to your festive decor. Trust me. Visit cvs.comholiday or your local CVS for everything you need this holiday season.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't know about you guys, but I love to buy gifts. I love it so much. I love it so much more than getting gifts. But the one thing that I do love, especially when it comes to my daughter, is getting matching things. I know it's such a cliche, but I love it so much. So I have the perfect brand for you. Pandora Jewelry can make their holiday unforgettable with the gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry. A gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs that doesn't just sparkle, but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings, this season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship, or a heartfelt gift for a family member, Say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop [e-mail] or visit your closest Pandora store.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Looking for your next obsession? Listen to High Key, a bold, joyful, unfiltered culture podcast coming at you every Friday. Now, my question is, in this game of mafia that we're gonna play, are.

[Will Friedle]

You gonna do better than me?

[Danielle Fishel]

Say it now.

[Ryder Strong]

Duh.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Period. I'm gonna eat.

[Will Friedle]

You're gonna do better than me?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm gonna eat. Yes, I literally will, Ryan. Well, I cannot wait till we both team up and get you out and then one of us gets the other out because we didn't realize they were a traitor the whole time. And you were actually an innocent. Y' all won't even know that I'm a traitor. This is going to be delicious. Well, thank you for coming to our show. And on that note, thank you for.

[Ryder Strong]

Coming to my show.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Listen to High key on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcast podcasts.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other. One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business. This is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything. CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling log ends. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part, Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not use you? Try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o.com.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jumping into our recap, we start our cold open in the Tanner's living room. He had Danny adjusts the camera while everyone and stands in front of the Christmas tree prepping their annual Christmas card picture. He declares look merry, peaceful and joyous before running into the shot. Everybody say Christmas cheese. Then the phone rings and the girls run off, ditching the family photo. The guys try and salvage the shot, grabbing the three kids just in time for the camera click. We freeze on a very cute yet chaotic Christmas photo. We get our signature full house opening with its earworm of a theme song and we are back in the Tanner's living room. Danny holds it.

[Ryder Strong]

You want to talk about opening credits for okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, you want to talk about it?

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know. I mean, did you guys, I don't know, know.

They didn't even look like they could play soccer. I didn't know what was happening. Like, John Stamos is like diving beneath them. Like went before his legs. I didn't believe a single thing about this show. Did you guys believe anything about the show? Did you believe any moment? Did anything feel real at all?

[Danielle Fishel]

Like even in a.

[Ryder Strong]

Like, even in a. Like jokey. I didn't understand why things were happening. It's like literally not a single moment. Like, why?

[Danielle Fishel]

Where?

[Ryder Strong]

Who was sitting? Where in the. In this. In the airplane.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Oh.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, I know.

[Ryder Strong]

Does a kid not recognize their uncle as Santa Claus? Like, none of this made any sense to me.

[Danielle Fishel]

I will say the snow is fake.

[Will Friedle]

There's not like, oh, the snow is bad.

[Ryder Strong]

Everything. There's not like mistletoe. He just kisses a girl like what is, like, none of this.

[Will Friedle]

You know what it is? You know what it is? Especially at this point, I think it's still the 80s. And especially this opening title sequence. I mean, think about, like. Like, how many times have we done stuff where it's like, all right now, like you normally do in real life, Put your arms around the people you're walking with and just walk together in a line. Do you know what I mean?

[Ryder Strong]

That's what I mean.

[Will Friedle]

It's so sick.

[Ryder Strong]

They're not wearing seatbelts in the car. Like, none of it. It was just like, what is going on? Like, I don't believe. I don't believe a single frame of this. And I know I'm not. I guess I'm not supposed to. I'm just supposed to be like, kids, zany guys. But I can't. I can't turn my brain up. Sorry, I can't dance.

[Danielle Fishel]

Doesn't want you to live in the real world. Based on the ending, it's just like, oh, maybe Mag magic is real. Like, so the whole episode. I will say that if there's gonna be. If you're asking a legit question.

[Ryder Strong]

Message on a laptop. I don't know. Why do we. Why did Santa leave a message on a laptop? Like, none of them. I just, like, it was like somebody took way too many drugs and scribbled some ideas down, and then some actors went and did it.

[Will Friedle]

And speaking of that, this is the poster for Foxy Food.

[Ryder Strong]

Foxy Food Fest.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, get it closer, get it closer.

[Will Friedle]

I don't know if you can see it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, there we go.

[Will Friedle]

They're literally just in bikinis holding spaghetti.

[Danielle Fishel]

Spaghetti is so big in food fights.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't understand. Holding giant things. A whole movie of them fighting, apparently.

[Will Friedle]

Because it literally says, shot live at the Whiskey a Go Go on the Sunset Strip.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, shot.

[Ryder Strong]

Let's do a remake starring you and me.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay?

[Ryder Strong]

It'll just be us in bikinis.

[Will Friedle]

In bikini. And you'll show up and you'll be like, why don't you have any food? I'll be like, I ate it on the way here. There are a lot of Stan pages on Instagram that will be very excited about this idea.

[Danielle Fishel]

I mean, honestly, you guys don't even suggest it unless you're serious. Because, first of all, I will be so rich from just putting this together.

[Ryder Strong]

I will go on Dancing Stars, but I will do a food I will do. I will do a foxy Food fight. Remake me in a bikini.

[Will Friedle]

We are gonna rename Fatty Food Fight.

[Ryder Strong]

That'S gonna be great. I will strip down and throw spaghetti.

[Danielle Fishel]

All your favorite.

[Ryder Strong]

You don't even have to pay me. Just give me food. I'll do it. Exactly. They're supposed to be meatballs, but it was a long trip.

[Danielle Fishel]

And if you start to lose focus, I'm gonna shake some M&M's at you.

[Ryder Strong]

Seriously.

[Will Friedle]

As long as we could all walk arm in arm there, we're fine.

[Ryder Strong]

To the whiskey.

[Will Friedle]

A go. Go. Then I'm good. Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

It was when I watched the second episode that the opening credits really struck me as bizarre. Just like, I don't believe any of this. The next episode, it did get better. It did have a story. It was character. But this episode, literally, they fly somewhere that stop and none of it makes.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't know what's happening. It's just not in the normal realm of like a Halloween episode. You just suspend your disbelief.

[Will Friedle]

I also don't think it's the same car. Like, they cut to them in the. In the. They're driving in that red convertible. But then when they pull out, I don't. It's not the same car. Right. That was fake.

[Ryder Strong]

And the poor Olsen twin is like, pointing at the helicopter, following them, being like, why is the helicopter following us? They're like, eat a cookie, stay quiet.

Count.

Anyway, the Olsen twins have had nothing to do with any of the remakes or anything.

[Will Friedle]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

I think they've lost any commentary about, like, do they talk about Full House?

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's not go through scene by scene. Let's just recap. Let's talk through what the episode was. Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

The only funny bit, and it takes way too long, is when she grabs the guy's wig.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's not jump to it. Let's not jump.

[Ryder Strong]

Wait a minute.

[Will Friedle]

Now we.

[Danielle Fishel]

Let's just walk through what happens. Like, Danny is recording with his camcorder.

[Ryder Strong]

Why is he recording with this camera?

[Danielle Fishel]

He's writing it off that they make that joke multiple times.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, he.

[Will Friedle]

I guess he's. There you go. He's a newscaster.

[Danielle Fishel]

So he is recording this as like Cory Matthews would for his. For school, but he's doing it for work. They're going to air this footage on his morning talk show, Wake Up San Francisco.

[Ryder Strong]

Go right.

[Will Friedle]

A two. A two hour retrospective of their trip.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's gonna edit it into something that could be on Tik Tok.

[Ryder Strong]

It's a family reunion.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yes. That they have to fly there the day of Christmas.

[Ryder Strong]

But then it's. Whose family is it?

[Danielle Fishel]

Because it's Danny's family. Maybe his dead wife's.

[Ryder Strong]

His dead wife because her parents are there.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right, exactly.

[Ryder Strong]

So it's his dead wife's family that he's organizing the whole family reunion on Christmas.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Ryder Strong]

For the.

[Will Friedle]

Wait, isn't that John then John Stamos. But then his parents are already there on the flight with them, so why would they have to fly anywhere?

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, no, no, no. It's not just the parents. It's their extended family, like her cousins. I think it's their family.

[Will Friedle]

But the mom and the dad and the son and the daughter all lived in San Francisco.

[Ryder Strong]

The logic of the seating doesn't even make sense. Why are the three of. There's two girls sharing one seat. I don't know, in the front row. It's 1B or whatever. So it's clearly the front row. And then what they're not sharing comes up and says, I also have this. They all three people got assigned the same middle seat. Yes, but the girls are sitting in the.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, are they sharing one seat? Because I know that later. Dave Coulier and the kitty. The man with the kitty wig, they're sitting next to each other. So those are two seats.

[Will Friedle]

Yes.

[Danielle Fishel]

So does it just look like the girls are sharing a seat, or did they just lift the armrest? Remember seats that used to do that? You could lift them, rest.

[Ryder Strong]

You can still do flights.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, really?

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

So anyway, he's recording. They're getting ready to take off on their family vacation, and he's recording it because eventually he's going to write it off. We get a couple of jokes about that, and then they're on the plane.

[Will Friedle]

They move to first class, which, again, I thought, if you want a good runner joke. They only did it once. They should have kept coming back from first class with bigger and grander things.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, that's funny.

[Will Friedle]

Like, you know, you keep coming back and, you know, her hair's in rollers, and there's a salon up here. Like, you could have kept doing stuff like that, but they had to jump.

[Ryder Strong]

That wouldn't have been realistic.

[Will Friedle]

And that's true. They would have lost realistic.

[Danielle Fishel]

But we also get, for the first time in this scene where Stephanie makes it very clear that she doesn't want to go on this trip because she's worried Santa won't know where she is.

[Will Friedle]

Right.

[Danielle Fishel]

Which is a very common thing for kids that a lot of kids, I, my kids included, have been like, wait a minute.

[Ryder Strong]

It.

[Danielle Fishel]

Our fireplace doesn't. Doesn't go down to the ground. How is Santa gonna get through the. How's that gonna happen? So kids being nervous that they're not gonna be in their normal spot for Christmas and that Santa won't know where they are is totally relatable for families. So she decides to make a map to tell Santa where she's gonna be.

[Will Friedle]

Not a detailed map at all. He'd never be able to find that.

[Danielle Fishel]

But somehow he does because he's. He sends a message late later through.

[Ryder Strong]

A laptop, through a laptop, through a laptop. And he thanks her for the maps.

[Danielle Fishel]

Plural.

[Ryder Strong]

Even though she only drew one.

[Danielle Fishel]

No, she draws a map on the plane now. I'm here. Okay, Remember, she draws one on the plane and says, santa, I'm in the plane now.

[Will Friedle]

Gotcha.

[Danielle Fishel]

So it is.

[Will Friedle]

Santa only brought gifts, the gifts that they already bought. And just for the Tanner family. Right. Nobody else in the airport got a gift from the real Santa Claus.

[Danielle Fishel]

People are singing. They're with their family.

[Ryder Strong]

When. When they have. Wake everybody up. It's Christmas. Wake up. I was like, I would be so. Dude, John Stamis just, like, turns on the lights. It's like, get up, everybody. It's Christmas. Dude, you already had to give a speech last night about the coat rack. Christ.

[Will Friedle]

I also felt like I was reading the original Hobbit book where by the ninth Hobbit song, I'm like, I can't do this anymore. How many songs did they sing in this movie? In this show? I know it started with them walking out singing a song.

[Danielle Fishel]

And for those of us who don't love musicals, it's a lot of musicals.

[Will Friedle]

Thank you.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Agreed.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, D.J. is tying Michelle's shoes. She asks if she can keep a secret, and she says she's found all the Christmas presents. And then she breaks down what everybody's getting. So she knows she's getting a CD player and that Stephanie is going to get roller skates. And Michelle. What is Michelle getting? Toys. Rolling in new toys.

[Ryder Strong]

Just a cookie. Just a Dixie cup filled with M&M's. That's all you get.

[Danielle Fishel]

Better. Listen, you don't have to hear that terrible sound. If you just listen. Say your lines.

[Will Friedle]

It's really your fault.

[Danielle Fishel]

So I'm saying, listen, if you don't want me to shake this at you, just do what I say. That's it. That's all you have to do. Okay, we're. Now we're on the airplane. Danny is again running his video recorder. He's getting ready for. For takeoff. He asks DJ to recap what's going on, and she says, well, I'm getting ready to Buckle my seatbelt and return my seat back to its original upright position. And this is where Stephanie makes another sign that says she's on a plane. She puts it in the window, and then Jesse's mom enters. She's in a fur coat and a matching hat. She's got a sour face. She says whoever designed these airline bathrooms was not wearing pantyhose.

And then Becky walks on the plane.

[Ryder Strong]

Ooh.

[Danielle Fishel]

Everyone's exciting to see, excited to see her, including her morning co host, Danny, who turns the camera her way.

[Will Friedle]

And I thought she came on the show later. So she's been there like, the whole time?

[Ryder Strong]

No. Well, she's a guest star this episode.

[Danielle Fishel]

She's a guest star, so she's. I think she's.

[Will Friedle]

But she's been established already.

[Ryder Strong]

Does she end up marrying Jesse? Is that what she does?

[Danielle Fishel]

She does, yeah. I think season two is where she's introduced.

[Ryder Strong]

Do they have kids too? Are there more events? Yes, they have the twins.

[Will Friedle]

Right? Because that's what Danielle said. Is he.

[Ryder Strong]

Were there twins to play the twins?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, it's the Olsen twins. Twins.

[Ryder Strong]

Did they get cookies at M M's too?

[Will Friedle]

If they. If they did their lines.

[Ryder Strong]

Are they also billionaires?

[Will Friedle]

Probably not.

[Danielle Fishel]

No.

[Will Friedle]

Probably not.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

Wouldn't it be great if.

Just finds out that the odds are. If you had Eminem's shaking at you and cookies tossed at your face when you were a young. Young Jack.

[Ryder Strong]

Put Indy out there. Now you would be making me money.

[Danielle Fishel]

Even though Ryder believes that you have to be evil in order to be.

[Will Friedle]

A sociopath, to be a billionaire, you don't. You just need to shake M and Ms. At somebody. Billionaire.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, well.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jesse springs up from his seat, surprised to see Becky, and he says maybe the two of them could slip away and go skiing or something. And she thanks him, but no, she's just changing planes in Denver. She's going to Nebraska for Christmas. This. And then Joey stands up and announces. That was Jesse striking out.

So I thought it was very, like, weird that later when we talked about that Santa brings presents, but only for the Tanner family. That also during Jesse's whole speech about what Christmas means, he just completely disregarded the idea that, like, her whole thing was about seeing her family. And he was like, it's not about cows.

[Will Friedle]

Like, it didn't matter. She's like, I really miss my family. He's like, yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

He's like, yeah, you know what we could have in our hearts here?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, let me sing Kokomo and we'll be fine.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, and then A curmudgeon old man approaches DJ Accusing her of sitting in his seat. I've got but one B child. And D.J. responds, no, I have one B adult. And apparently Danny does too. So there end up being two seats in first class. And they offered to let D.J. and Stephanie sit in first class, who is 1C.

[Ryder Strong]

Do you see what I mean? Like, if the three of them have 1B.

[Danielle Fishel]

Dave Coulier is later sitting there.

[Ryder Strong]

Two of them get to go.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay, so Danny is sitting in. Who's 1A? Because Danny is sitting in 1A.

[Ryder Strong]

That's what I mean. It. You can't.

Does Michelle get her own seat?

[Danielle Fishel]

No, Michelle is sitting on Dave. Cool.

[Will Friedle]

Where do they.

[Ryder Strong]

Where do they land?

[Will Friedle]

Oh, don't get me started on that.

[Ryder Strong]

What? They didn't say what city they're in Colorado.

[Will Friedle]

And they have you land and they keep you overnight in the baggage claim.

You can't go into the rest of the airport.

[Ryder Strong]

You just have to go to the baggage claim. Wait until the next morning. Everyone can get their own hotel room.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

It's.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, go. The snow looked real.

[Danielle Fishel]

Later on the flight, still on the airplane, the stewardess asks Danny if he enjoyed his dinner. And he says, well, the liver wasn't bad. And she corrects him, you had the chicken, sir. And he concludes, then it was awful.

[Ryder Strong]

Awful.

[Danielle Fishel]

So Becky enters and then ushers the girls back to first class. It's the pilot's birthday. They're cutting the cake. We've seen that. They've had all kinds of great food.

[Will Friedle]

More of that would been fun.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Yeah. And then Michelle realize pets the man in front in one bee's hair, says kitty, and then pulls off what turns out to be a toupee. He freaks out and grabs his hairpiece. And Danny apologizes, explaining she really loves animals. And then we get the first time they sing the Girl from impanema because apparently it's Michelle's favorite song.

[Will Friedle]

So we're two songs in. Let's just keep a tally because we started with the song, so we're so.

[Ryder Strong]

And we have to pretend that she's crying because of course.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right. She's not. Just audio.

And the entire family sings along. Imagine if this is your plane.

[Will Friedle]

Oh, God, you lost me. With two kids in first class.

[Danielle Fishel]

Will.

You'Re not that person, are you?

[Will Friedle]

Absolutely.

[Ryder Strong]

What?

[Danielle Fishel]

The kids should be in first class.

[Will Friedle]

There should be an age limit for first class. It should be 30.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Wow.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

I can't believe this. You don't want to travel with my family then?

[Will Friedle]

Of course I do. As Long as the kids are in the back and I'm fine with it. You'll see them. We're going to the same place.

[Danielle Fishel]

Then the stewardess announces, there is a heavy snowstorm in the Rocky Mountain area. They are going to be making an unscheduled landing. Everyone groans, and she responds, sorry if I bummed you out. And now they're at the airport. And the family, covered in snow, runs inside after landing, Stephanie's not happy, and Danny assures her, don't worry, it's not going to be long.

[Will Friedle]

So wait, I'm curious. They land at an airport that's big enough to accomplish a wide body jet or.

Accommodate. Sorry, a wide body jet. But there's no jetway, so they have to literally. Are they taking the slide to get off the plane to then walk outside in the snow to get into the airport?

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah. There's stairs.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

I guess. Yeah. Interesting.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, the stewardess then announces they're gonna be here overnight until morning. She says, let me be the first to wish you a very merry Christmas. Danny is heartbroken. D.J. can't believe it. They're gonna spend Christmas in an airport. And Stephanie says, I knew we should have never gone on this trip. Santa will never find us now.

[Will Friedle]

Now.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then we go to a commercial break and Stephanie's on the payphone pleading operator, if Santa's not listed, then give me the number for Mrs. Claus. And then she says, how rude. Which is her catchphrase.

[Will Friedle]

Is this the first time?

[Danielle Fishel]

No.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay.

[Danielle Fishel]

I think it's episode one. I think she even says it maybe in the pie. It's been going on basically the whole time. So Stephanie runs over to her family and DJ Says, I will handle this one. I know how to talk to kids. Kids. And this was completely unneeded. But the man with the toupee comes over and says, is this where your tribe is sitting?

[Ryder Strong]

Yes, because he can't see that. They're literally sitting right there. Why do you need to have. I'm gonna be way over here.

[Danielle Fishel]

Did they just want to remind us that he exists?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is that all it was?

[Will Friedle]

Because, like, he's not Santa. Right.

[Ryder Strong]

I think he is because he's gone. And then his laptop.

Right.

[Will Friedle]

So he's supposed to be.

[Ryder Strong]

Is it the actual actor play?

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

That's what I'm wondering is if. If same actor, Sorrel, whatever his name is, is actually.

[Ryder Strong]

I don't know, I think that might have actually been Santa. Would Santa himself as a cameo.

Then.

[Will Friedle]

Santa was on a bunch of shows that year.

[Ryder Strong]

They. She Pulls on his beard. It does not move. That's a. That was really Santa. Well, that I'm not going to break. Look, Will, I'm, I'm, I'm playing into the fantasy of what to believe. Santa.

[Will Friedle]

First of all, Santa, unfortunately is not credit, so they're gonna hardly Santa.

[Ryder Strong]

But he did get a cookie.

[Danielle Fishel]

They only had to shake the M and M's at him once.

[Ryder Strong]

They. Yes.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Santa.

[Will Friedle]

Santa. Hey, we're gonna say that one more time.

[Ryder Strong]

Santa, over here.

[Danielle Fishel]

Spray me in the face with a water bottle.

[Ryder Strong]

Hey, hey, use a clicker. Santa, over here. Santa, stay with me. I have a real.

[Will Friedle]

Can we air this episode?

[Ryder Strong]

I don't think so is the question.

[Will Friedle]

I have, as we're an hour and 20 minutes in.

[Ryder Strong]

Are we gonna be able to air this?

[Will Friedle]

Is this the lost Podbeats World episode? Do we actually have one?

[Ryder Strong]

We do have. We do have a Lost Potbeats World. Oh, my God.

[Will Friedle]

The girl from Epanema goes walking.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, I thought that guy was supposed to be Santa too.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, that's what I thought.

[Ryder Strong]

Implication.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Hello. Hello, I'm Malcolm Gladwell, host of the podcast smart talks with IBM. I recently sat down with IBM's chairman and CEO Arvind Krishna, and I asked him, how can companies use AI to its fullest potential to create smarter business? My one advice to them, pick areas you can scale. Don't pick the shiny little toys on the side. For example, if anybody has more than 10% of what they had for customer service 10 years ago, they're already five years behind. If anybody is not using AI to make their developers who write software 30% more productive today with the goal of being 70% more productive. Yeah. Wow. So we are not asking our clients to be the first experiment on it. We say you can leverage what we did. We are happy to bring out all our learnings, including what needs to change in the process. Because the biggest change is not technology, is getting people to accept that there's a different way to do things. To listen to the full conversation, visit IBM.com smart talks.

[Danielle Fishel]

Moms juggle a million things during the holidays and CVS is here for all of it. This holiday season, I'm juggling never ending parties, gifts for my family and friends, traveling with a four and a six year old, and so much more. But CVS is my one stop shop shop. It's close, quick and easy. Perfect for moms who need to check things off their list without any extra stress. My kids are doing a secret Santa at school this year and CVS made it easy With a selection of small toys and games under $15. They also have unlimited options of pre wrapped gifts, gift sets, holiday cards, and stocking stuffers. Plus, CVS is introducing Joyward, their new brand, which includes trendy, cute and colorful holiday staples like nutcrackers, snow globes, and more perfect to add to your festive decor. Trust me. Visit cvs.comholiday or your local CVS for everything you need this holiday season.

[Karen Kilgariff]

I don't know about you guys, but I love to buy gifts. I love it so much. I love it so much more than getting gifts. But the one thing that I do love, especially when it comes to my daughter, is getting matching things. I know it's such a cliche, but I love it so much. So I have the perfect brand for you. Pandora Jewelry can make their holiday unforgettable with the gift that says it all from Pandora Jewelry. A gift that tells a story and shows you know theirs, that doesn't just sparkle, but speaks. From new festive charms to forever rings and personal engravings, this season, give a gift that's perfectly theirs. Whether you're shopping for a shiny surprise for your significant other, matching bracelets to celebrate your friendship, or a heartfelt gift for a family member, Say more this holiday season with Pandora. Shop [e-mail] or visit your closest Pandora store.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Looking for your next obsession? Listen to High Key, a bold, joyful, unfiltered culture podcast coming at you every Friday. Now, my question is, in this game of mafia that we're gonna play, are.

[Will Friedle]

You gonna do better than me?

[Danielle Fishel]

Say I now.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Duh.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Period. I'm gonna eat.

[Will Friedle]

You're gonna do better than me?

[Georgia Hardstark]

I'm gonna eat. Yes. I literally will. Ryan will. I cannot wait till we both team up and get you out and then one of us gets the other out because we didn't realize they were a traitor the whole time. And you were actually an innocent. Y' all won't even know that I'm a traitor. This is going to be delicious. Well, thank you for coming to our show. And on that note, thank you for.

[Ryder Strong]

Coming to my show.

[Georgia Hardstark]

Listen to High key on the iHeartRadio app, Apple Podcasts, or wherever you get your podcasts.

[Ryan Seacrest]

Running a business is hard enough, so why make it harder with a dozen different apps that don't talk to each other? One for sales, another for inventory, a separate one for accounting. Before you know it, you are drowning in software. Instead of growing your business, this is where Odoo comes in. Odoo is the only business software you'll ever need need. It's an all in one fully integrated platform that handles everything CRM, accounting, inventory, E commerce, HR and more. No more app overload, no more juggling logins. Just one seamless system that makes work easier. And the best part? Odoo replaces multiple expensive platforms for a fraction of the cost. It's built to grow with your business whether you are just starting out or already scaling up. Plus, it's easy to use, customizable and designed to streamline every process so you can focus on what really matters running your business. Thousands of businesses have made the switch, so why not you try Odoo for [e-mail] that's o d o o.com.

[Danielle Fishel]

So Becky is over there at the looking sad and Jesse's dad says that he needs to go over there to comfort her. And he says times of crisis always bring people together. Trust me, I met your mother the day Elvis got drafted and Jesse barks back, pop. That's taking advantage. That might work. So then Jesse sprints over to sit with her and asks how she's doing and Becky admits that moving to San Francisco has made her homesick. She was really looking forward to spending Christmas with her family. Ten of us kids gathered around a big turkey. This was my year for a drumstick. Jesse mentions his parents would make her feel like part of their family and unfazed. Becky says no, she hasn't seen her family in a really long time. Her brother mentioned that Janice has really blossomed. Jesse asks if that's her sister and Becky corrects him, no, my cow. She excuses herself to call home again, and nearby DJ Is comforting Steph about their situation. She guarantees that Steph's roller skates she asked for will be there tomorrow, and Steph asks how she can be sure, and DJ Tells her Rudolph the red nosed reindeer will find you because his nose is radar.

Danny is still very stressed. They have not found the Presence yet. The Presence did not make it on this journey, and Steph runs over to Danny with good news. DJ Explained it Santa's gonna get here with the presents because Rudolph has red nose radar. Danny thinks fast, explaining that red nose radar doesn't always work in very heavy snow, and Steph asks if that means Santa isn't coming and DJ Is confused. I had her all cheered up, dad. Then you bum her out big time, Danny says. She's old enough to hear the truth now. The airline lost the bag with their Christmas presents. DJ freaks out what you mean they lost my new CD player? And Danny wonders how she knew she Was getting a CD player. Did you guys ever.

[Will Friedle]

I was just gonna ask you this. Have you ever. Did you ever find your presence or do any of that? Stu?

[Danielle Fishel]

Never once.

[Ryder Strong]

The big story in my house. I honestly. Here's the story. I can't remember if it was me or my brother. I think it was me. Found my parents presence and then told, like, all I was supposed to relay the information about what my parents had got in Shilo. And all I said was, a guy with a feather in his hat. A guy with a feather in his hat. And Shiloh was like, turns out it was like a knight toy. Like a figure with like a feather in his hat or whatever. But that was all. So. Yeah, you can. So that's what I still say to Indy when he's like, what am I getting for Christmas? Like, a guy with a feather in his hat.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's cute.

[Will Friedle]

Susan told me she found her presents one year and she's like, it just ruined Christmas because she found everything. And then she's like, I had no surprises. Yeah, that's why I never went looking the same.

[Danielle Fishel]

I don't want. I don't really want to know.

I like pretending like I want to know, but I don't really know.

[Will Friedle]

No, of course not. I already know what I'm getting right. Or the year.

[Danielle Fishel]

Do you?

[Will Friedle]

Samba pants. We've talked about it.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Oh, yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Oh, those fringe pants. Yeah, like Alex Earls. Those are the best pants.

[Ryder Strong]

I actually do know what I'm getting both of you guys. I haven't gotten it yet, but I don't know. Wow.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Interesting.

[Will Friedle]

Okay.

[Ryder Strong]

Although I guess I'll add samba pants to the list, so.

[Will Friedle]

Should hope we're gonna have to wear them during our food fight.

[Danielle Fishel]

Danny turns to his family and announces this isn't going well. And he asks for any ideas. And Jesse's mom shakes Joey's blue bag. And Joey smiles. Hey, don't give me. It's not a pod swap. This is not a pod swap. Don't give me that.

[Will Friedle]

Shaking Joey's blue bag is something we gotta start talking about. Yikes. That's not a euphemism there.

[Danielle Fishel]

A little later in the airport, Michelle is staring at the old toupee man again. And then Joey, now dressed as Santa Claus, sneaks up behind Steph. Ho, ho, ho. Steph is relieved that Santa found her. And in this episode, Steph does not know that it's Joey. She just fully buys that this is Santa. Yeah, this is really bothering writer.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, you can kind of tell it's him.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. Becky asks Jesse who that is and Jesse responds, bright eyed Santa Claus. Santa takes a seat and tells Stephanie to sit on his knee. She's ecstatic. He knows her name. He says, well, I know when you're sleeping, I know when you're awake. Take. Steph tells him she's tried to be good this year and he says he knows she's been very kind to her family and friends. Jesse's mom carries Michelle over to Santa's lap and he exclaims ho ho, ho. To Michelle and she replies, ho ho. Joey. Wonder how many cookies that took.

[Ryder Strong]

Over here, over here, over Mary Kate.

[Danielle Fishel]

Mary Kate.

[Will Friedle]

Do you think they had ho ho Joey? Which one, which one? Like they each did a good thing. Like, you know what I mean? Where it's like, oh well, somebody's got to walk from here to here and then grab this. Get Ashley.

[Ryder Strong]

She's a grabber, you know what I mean? Cute grabber. Grabber. The other one's a talker. The other one's just a grabber. Like do you think, did you, did they just swap them out better with opposable thumbs.

[Will Friedle]

Right?

[Ryder Strong]

That's what I'm saying. It's not fully formed humans yet. There's no good or bad. They're just, it's, there's no good or bad.

[Danielle Fishel]

We cannot place judgments on a non fold.

[Malcolm Gladwell]

Believe.

[Danielle Fishel]

God. If Mary Kate asked you if Santa was real, what would you say?

[Will Friedle]

I would shake a rattle at her. Look over here.

[Ryder Strong]

Look over here.

Oh my gosh.

[Danielle Fishel]

So Michelle realizes that it's Joey and Stephanie is shocked. She pulls on his beard and she says it is Joey. Steph is offended. She runs away and she rushes back to her phone booth. DJ can't believe that the presents are lost. Joey knows he's broken Stephanie's heart and Becky is sad she won't see her family or her cow. DJ Reminds them again, but also the presents. Danny says it's all his fault. If it wasn't for me, we'd be spending Christmas at home instead of at baggage claim. And then Jesse chimes in and this went on for so long.

[Ryder Strong]

What was the point of this?

[Danielle Fishel]

It turns it around.

[Ryder Strong]

I know, but is Jesse this the Christmas spirit, guys, why is he right?

You know what would have been nice is like, okay, even if Ganny was like, this is all my fault. And here's, I shouldn't have done this. And it's all because I wanted to honor my dead wife's family to make it to her reunion. Then it's like, oh, that's what this is really about. Connect it.

[Danielle Fishel]

To mention that again.

[Ryder Strong]

Just if that's. If it's her family reunion that he's doing all the.

[Danielle Fishel]

This for.

[Ryder Strong]

That's the spirit of Christmas. Anything?

[Danielle Fishel]

No, just.

This goes on for so long and.

[Ryder Strong]

Well, because John Stamos was gonna. He was pissed off. He's gonna leave the show unless they gave him a big sa. Gr.

[Will Friedle]

I need a Christmas monologue.

[Ryder Strong]

Give him a Christmas monologue.

[Danielle Fishel]

What's the matter with you people? The first Christmas was in a manger. They did okay. I mean, so what if we're stuck in this crummy dump? Christmas isn't about presents or Santa Claus or cows. It's about a feeling. It's about people. It's about us forgetting our problems and reaching out to help other people. And then the rest of the gate starts listening in. Christmas doesn't have to happen in one certain place. It happens in our hearts. And so many of these were such, like, such classic cliches. I kept waiting for it to be like a joke. And all it was was reaction shots of the family because being like, he's right.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah. And the atmosphere, the background. We're like starting to listen like, hey, wow.

[Ryder Strong]

Slow clap.

[Will Friedle]

2B is right. 2B. And 2B. And 2B is right.

[Danielle Fishel]

Jesse asks D.J. what she sees near the wall and she answers, a coat rack. But Jesse corrects her. He sees a big, beautiful Christmas tree. He asks Joey what he sees and he answers, vending machines. But no. Jesse sees a Christmas dinner with all the trimming things. He asks his dad what he sees and he answers, a conveyor belt. This time, Jesse can't think of anything. It is, in fact, just a conveyor belt. The point Jesse is trying to make here is that they can give these kids the best darn Christmas they've ever had. Because outside, the snow is falling. Jesse leans down to the growling old man with the toupee. And friends are calling you who? He starts to sing the lyrics and everyone joins in on screen. Ride 3.

[Will Friedle]

Three songs.

[Danielle Fishel]

As the whole gate claps along, Danny grabs Stephanie from the phone booth. And even now she is starting to grin. We return from a commercial break. We're still in the airport. Everyone is now sound asleep except for Michelle. She switches on the conveyor belt, moving Danny, who appears to have fallen asleep on the baggage claim. He disappears and Michelle waves. Bye, Daddy.

[Will Friedle]

Funny beat, funny sitcom beat.

[Ryder Strong]

Funny murderous child. Always funny. Always, always cute. Always cute. She's finally getting revenge for having to do all these episodes.

[Will Friedle]

Just sit down and watch cartoons.

[Ryder Strong]

I Mean Lily was like six.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

That's Jody's age, right?

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Think about that. Yeah. So think about how young the Olsen twins were.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Ryder Strong]

That is. They were.

[Will Friedle]

She's got. They've got to be, what, three here? Yeah, Maybe.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. At most.

[Ryder Strong]

Yikes.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah.

[Danielle Fishel]

So DJ notices the coat rack is now a makeshift Christmas tree. And she loves. It doesn't even matter that there are no presents. Danny slowly rolls in on the conveyor belt, now covered in snow. Don't ask me how he slept through all of that.

[Will Friedle]

Two feet of snow. Two feet of snow in like, in like 90 seconds.

[Ryder Strong]

Days sleeping.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah.

[Ryder Strong]

Until it's appropriate for him to sit up.

[Will Friedle]

Even when they're wiping off his face. He's like wiping everything off.

[Ryder Strong]

Like nothing made sense. I'm like watching this going. I, like, literally, visually, moment to moment. Things don't connect and make sense, let alone lodge. I mean, like real life. Oh, my God. Guys.

Sweater game is strong on this show. And watching the next episode, it's not just a Christmas sweater thing every episode, I guess because the next episode they're all wearing crazy sweaters. Crazy sweaters, everyone.

[Danielle Fishel]

You like them?

[Ryder Strong]

Well, no, I'm just saying it was a thing. It was.

[Danielle Fishel]

You said sweater game strong. So I.

[Ryder Strong]

As in bold and, you know.

[Will Friedle]

Oh. Not as in rider strong.

[Ryder Strong]

No.

[Danielle Fishel]

Or. Or even just as in, like, good.

[Ryder Strong]

Is it? Yeah, just noteworthy. And. And. And loud. Going for it.

[Danielle Fishel]

Sweater game loud.

[Ryder Strong]

Sweater game loud.

[Danielle Fishel]

Check. Okay. As they cover Danny with a blanket, Nick points to Becky and he asks his son, what do you see over there? Jesse responds, I see Becky by the coughing machine. But Jesse's dad sees it differently. I see a woman waiting to be kissed under the mistletoe. And so Jesse makes his way over to Becky at the machine. He wishes her a merry Christmas. And she says, you know, if it couldn't be with my own family, it's nice to be with yours. He looks back at his parents, who are feverishly motioning for him to make his move. He decides to go for it. He points out to her that they're standing under the mistletoe. And she says, well, no. He says, I know, but it's, you know, the law. Christmas law. She says, well, I am a law abiding citizen, so thankfully we get actual consent.

[Ryder Strong]

Yes.

[Will Friedle]

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Consent.

[Danielle Fishel]

Kiss sent. And then they make out and, like, make out. I know, it's romantic. So they. They've gone on dates already at this point in the show. It's not like this is their first. First kiss.

[Will Friedle]

Gotcha.

[Danielle Fishel]

Okay. They. I think they've already gone out on, like, a date or two, which is how he knows she only wants to be friends.

[Will Friedle]

Gotcha. And it's amazing because as I'm watching these two actors, the only thing going through my head is, like, their kids would be stunning.

[Danielle Fishel]

I know.

[Will Friedle]

I mean, my God, two gorgeous human beings. Yeah. Their kids would be stunning.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah. So Becky pulls away, and Jesse musters. Have mercy. Another catchphrase. That's his catchphrase phrase.

[Ryder Strong]

Oh, really?

[Danielle Fishel]

Huh. Have mercy is his. So Becky walks off, and then a random older lady grabs Jesse and plants a massive kiss on him. Lots of this was very popular in the 90s.

[Will Friedle]

She also. Really? She opens her mouth. This ain't a peck.

[Ryder Strong]

Have mercy. I want my catchphrase. Can I have a catchphrase for this? Yeah, for this show. I don't know why. Why? Have mercy for him.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's a romp. It's a romp. Is good.

[Will Friedle]

I don't like it.

[Ryder Strong]

No, I just like the non sequitur. Just like. Like, ooh la la.

You could just.

Be positive.

[Danielle Fishel]

It could be anything. Sarcastic.

[Will Friedle]

It is what you make it.

[Ryder Strong]

Ooh, Allah.

[Danielle Fishel]

Then Santa walks over to Stephanie wishing her a Merry Christmas. She hesitantly asks, are you really Santa? He challenges her to give his beard a tug, and she does. It's a real beard.

[Ryder Strong]

Okay, so he didn't answer in the affirmative.

[Danielle Fishel]

Right.

[Ryder Strong]

So.

[Danielle Fishel]

Well, he's going to show it with all the other things.

[Will Friedle]

Exactly.

[Danielle Fishel]

St. Nick explains he just wants her to have the merriest Christmas ever. With that, he raises his hand in the air, and we hear a magical sound. The conveyor belt starts up and the presents appear. The girls rush over in excitement. When Steph turns to thank Santa, he's gone. Everyone is shocked, and Steph runs off to investigate. Danny whispers to Joey, he probably went to change out of your Santa costume. But Joey shakes his bag, and the costume is still in it. Jesse calls out for everyone, and he shows them a nearby laptop screen that reads, merry Christmas. Ho ho ho.

[Ryder Strong]

Was this just because laptops were new and, like, it was exciting. The computer screen could say, merry Christmas.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ho ho ho. And it's very unimpressive clip art. It's just. It's. It's great. And then they shake their head in disbelief. There's no way. But then Steph returns. She saw Santa Claus flying away. Jesse's confused. He looks to his family and asks, you think? DJ Admits she doesn't know what to think. All I know is this turned out to be a great Christmas. They all run off to open presents, but Steph stays behind. She notices the laptop screen now reads, thanks for the maps, Stephanie. And it's an even worse public domain image of St. Nick checking his list. She smiles and whispers, you're welcome, Santa. Dani encourages her to start opening the presents as everyone starts singing Christmas carols. They start with Deck the Halls, and then Danny transitions them to the girl from ipanema.

[Will Friedle]

5. 5 songs in 20, 20 minutes.

[Danielle Fishel]

And then a sweet little message appears on screen. Happy holidays from our family to yours. And that's our episode. And we're sorry that you guys hate us. And they. They don't like it that we do these. They don't want us to ever do these again. Yeah, I'm not. I don't. I don't. I don't.

[Ryder Strong]

Covering other shows.

[Danielle Fishel]

Yeah, because we. Because we don't know them. We don't. We. We basically. We make fun of them and they love them, and it's because. Because we are snooty and really.

[Ryder Strong]

Yeah, Timmy. This is a bad episode.

[Danielle Fishel]

We've said that about all of them.

[Will Friedle]

Except for Friends and Fresh Prince. Oh, no. And the first Urkel.

[Ryder Strong]

The first Urkel, first Steval was hysterical.

[Will Friedle]

We loved the first Stevil.

[Ryder Strong]

If you say it louder.

[Will Friedle]

Yes, Stevil. We love the first Stevil. Second Stevil was not good.

[Danielle Fishel]

Thank you all for joining us for this episode of Pod Meets World. As always, you can follow us on Instagram Pod Meets World show. Send us your emails.

[Ryder Strong]

Podmeetsworldshowmail.com Justin D. Watch the cartoons.

[Danielle Fishel]

And we've got merch.

[Ryder Strong]

Ryder.

[Will Friedle]

Danielle. Ryder. Danielle.

[Ryder Strong]

Hey. Ooh la la. Ryder. Ooh la la.

Ooh la la.

[Will Friedle]

All right, get the other one in here.

[Danielle Fishel]

Have mercy.

[Ryder Strong]

Mercy Church.

[Danielle Fishel]

Podmesworld show.com we love you all. Pod dismissed.

[Will Friedle]

Even though you hate us.

[Danielle Fishel]

Pod Meets World is an iHeart podcast produced and hosted by Danielle Fischl, Will Friedel and Ryder Strong, executive producers Jensen Karp and Amy Sugarman, executive in charge of production, Danielle Romo, producer and editor Tom. Tara Suedbaksh, producer Matty Moore, engineer and Boy Meets World super fan Easton Allen. Our theme song is by Kyle Morton of Typhoon. Follow us on Instagram odmeatsworld show or email us at podmeatsworldshowmail.com hi, it's Karen.

[Karen Kilgariff]

And Georgia from my favorite murder Reading. A skincare label shouldn't feel like decoding a dead language.

[Danielle Fishel]

Instead of mystery ingredients, Crunchy gives you skin care and makeup that's safe and effective.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Crunchy delivers uncompromise clean beauty with clinically proven ingredients, sustainable packaging and trusted certifications like EWG Verified and Leaping Bunny Crunching.

[Danielle Fishel]

Is creating a future where clean beauty is a genuine promise, not just a marketing term. Because trusting what you put on your skin should be the standard, not the luxury.

[Karen Kilgariff]

From their award winning foundation to their nourishing skin care line, Crunchy is raising the bar.

[Danielle Fishel]

It's so true. So I've been putting on more makeup than I ever have in my life because we've been doing videos and live shows and so I am really, really careful about what I put on my skin because I break out easily. So I love that. Crunchy is so clean and so nourishing. I'm actually wearing makeup that's good for my skin and makes my skin look better instead of hiding all the imperfections which is usually what I use makeup for, honestly.

[Karen Kilgariff]

Visit crunchy.com to shop clean beauty that performs and take 20 off your order with code MFM.

[Danielle Fishel]

That's code MFM at c-r u n c-h I.com the real clean Beauty Goodbye.

[Ryder Strong]

From nursing and healthcare to business and it Rasmussen has a range of programs to fit your goals and passions no.

[Will Friedle]

Matter what your day to day looks like. Rasmussen's programs allow you to balance school with life while you pursue your degree.

[Danielle Fishel]

So if you're ready to pursue your education goals, Rasmussen is ready to help you take that next step.

[Ryder Strong]

Head on over to Rasmussen Edu and check out the opportunities waiting for you.

[Will Friedle]

Your future is a bright one. Rasmussen University can help you get there. Hey, it's Ryan Seacrest for Albertsons and Safeway. The holiday season can be exhausting with all the parties and the end of year celebrations, but don't forget to take care of yourself by stocking up on your favorite nutritional products. Now through December 30th. Shop in store and online and save on items like Cliff Snack Bars, Luna Bars, Boost Nutritional Energy Drinks, Premier Protein Shakes, Z Bar Variety Packs, Open Nature Powder and Body Fortress Protein powder. Offers end December 30th. Restrictions apply. Offers may vary. Visit albertsons or safeway.com for more details.

[Danielle Fishel]

Amazon Five Star Theater presents Real Customer Reviews performed by Eva Longoria. Tonight's review sports briefs. Oh boy, where do I even start with these performance mesh boxer briefs? These boxer briefs are like a magician. You know the one where you go, where did that rabbit come from? So if you're looking for underwear that not only performs well, but also gives your package the attention it deserves, then look no further. 5 stars Nickalicious shop. The perfect gift this holiday season on Amazon.

[Ryder Strong]

What a matchup we got, y'. All. This is that classic HBCU version.

[Danielle Fishel]

Non stop action.

[Ryder Strong]

The band is rocking and the crowd lit. Chance echo drum beat, everybody showing that school pride. A game like this. Yeah, it calls for an ice cold Coca Cola.

[Will Friedle]

Ah.

[Ryder Strong]

Crisp and refreshing. That's a game changer right there.

Yeah, that taste always hits the right note. Just like the band at halftime. And just like that, we're back at it. Passionate fans, school colors everywhere, and an.

[Danielle Fishel]

Ice cold Coca Cola.

[Ryder Strong]

That's a winning combo? No matter the sport, no matter the yard. Everybody knows fan work is thirsty work? So grab a Coca Cola and keep that HBCU pride going.

[Danielle Fishel]

This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed Human.