Happy Birthday, Babies (Part 1) | |
Season 5, episode 9 | |
Air date | November 12, 1991 |
Writer(s) | Jeff Franklin |
Director | Jeff Franklin |
Previous | Gotta Dance |
Next | Happy Birthday, Babies (Part 2) |
Happy Birthday, Babies (Part 1) is episode nine of season five. It originally aired on November 12, 1991.
Synopsis[]
Michelle is very excited about turning five and getting the whole family to sing "Happy Birthday" to her many times. She is having a Flintstones-themed party, which is scheduled for that afternoon. Anxious to start it, she declares that it is time, saying all they need are cake and balloons. They try to distract her until the actual time, by taking her birthday picture to put in her baby book. They look through the book, which was started the day she was born (and includes her birth announcement, hospital bracelet, and first tube of diaper rash).
In a series of flashbacks, they recall memories of Michelle (see Trivia). After telling her about all their past experiences, Danny puts the photo that he just took on the last page, telling her that the book has come to an end. Michelle is afraid that she is about to lose her status as "the baby of the family," because Becky is pregnant. Michelle thinks that this status is what makes her special. Still wanting to be the "little princess" that Danny has always called her, she rips out the photo and says she is staying four years old, storming up to her now-current room (that she shares with Stephanie) with the photo in tow, and leaving the entire family speechless, shocked, and dismayed, all in more ways than one.
The family goes on a search for her, and it finally ends in her current room, where they find her hiding under the blankets of her pencil bed, and all she can muster is, "You found me. Big deal."
But despite those words, the fact that they finally found her is not the big deal, nor is it that she is good at being the baby of the family. The big deal, as the family tries to tell her, is that she is special, not because she is the baby of the family, but because she is Michelle. To clarify the point, Danny assures her she will always be his "little princess", Stephanie his "little ladybug", and D.J. his little "tennis ball head" (to which D.J. replies, "Does anyone want to trade?"). In another series of flashbacks, they tell her about how they got her to do a lot of things, and how she learned a few tricks from D.J. and Stephanie (see Trivia). At the conclusion of those flashbacks, Stephanie remarks that Michelle is a piece of work, Joey clarifying that she's a cool young lady. In fact, Jeese clarifies the real big deal about her by saying that they go way back, with a few flashbacks focusing on just the two of them (see Trivia). This is followed by more flashbacks and an image montage, set to "You Are So Beautiful".
Finally, she is convinced, commenting on how she is cooler than she thought. Danny tells her that the older she is, the cooler she's going to be. But she has to keep growing...up, that is. He asks her if she is ready to turn five. She tells him yes, but she still has to wait for her party as they still have to decorate the house. Becky suddenly stops laughing (as "To Be Continued..." comes on, followed by the EP credits), puts her hand on her stomach, and then follows the rest of the family out of the room.
Trivia[]
- The third of three episodes written and directed by creator/executive producer Jeff Franklin ("Jesse's Girl" and "Just Say No Way" are the others)
- Unlike "Just Say No Way", both credits are separate: "Written by Jeff Franklin" and "Directed by Jeff Franklin", instead of together: "Written and Directed by Jeff Franklin"
- The episode spans the shortest amount of time in the series (13 minutes) – at the beginning, Michelle is told it is 2 hours, 29 minutes to her birthday; at the end she is told that there is 2 hours, 16 minutes
- The episode clips used in the flashbacks are from:
- Our Very First Show: Michelle's first diaper change
- Knock Yourself Out (1.07): Jesse and Joey's failed attempts to make her take her cough medicine
- Our Very First Promo (1.12): Jesse and Joey as her "hairstylists"
- But Seriously, Folks (1.16): Her first workout with Jesse and Danny
- Danny's Very First Date (1.17): Danny asking her to inform her sisters about such
- Mad Money (1.21): D.J. tricking her into finding a cookie in Jesse's duffel bag
- It's Not My Job (2.03): Jesse rocking out on an acoustic guitar, while she rocks out on a toy guitar
- Granny Tanny (3.05): Her first "big girl bed"
- Aftershocks (3.11): Her, Jesse, and Joey playing a rock version of "I'm a Little Teapot"
- Crimes and Michelle's Demeanor (4.02): Her first punishment
- Slumber Party (4.04): She returns from clothes-shopping dressed exactly like Jesse
- One Last Kiss (4.09): Her unsuccessful attempts to keep Sparky the Dog in her now-former room, call him "Peanut", and fool D.J.
- Working Girl (4.14): Her "Politeness Week" annoyances with her sisters
- Stephanie Gets Framed (4.16): Her inheriting D.J.'s piggy bank and learning about saving money
- A Fish Called Martin (4.17): Her performing "Do Wah Diddy Diddy" with Jesse and the Rippers
- Fuller House (4.20): Jesse's move-out that left both in tears
- The Hole-in-the-Wall Gang (4.21): Joey entertaining her with his Popeye doll and both singing the Popeye song; her catching her sisters in Danny's room after they accidentally knock down the clothes rack
- Stephanie Plays the Field (4.22): Her angrily asking Joey about Becky and Jesse's time alone
- The music before the commercial break is different on TV than on DVD.
- The same goes for the second part at the opening.