| Michelle Rides Again (Part 1) | |
| Season 8, episode 23 | |
 | |
| Air date | May 23, 1995 |
| Writer(s) | Story: Marc Warren & Dennis Rinsler Teleplay: Adam I. Lapidus |
| Director | Joel Zwick |
| Previous | All Stood Up |
| Next | Michelle Rides Again (Part 2) |
Michelle Rides Again (Part 1) is the first part of the two-part series finale (season 8) of Full House. It originally aired on May 23, 1995.
Synopsis
Michelle has been taking horseback riding lessons. Stephanie is scheduled to play Juliet in the school production, Romeo and Juliet. Andrew Berkeley will be playing Romeo. She has been wanting to share a kiss with him, who always seems reluctant to do it. Michelle convinces her that it's because she has dry lips.
Meanwhile, Jesse and Joey have an audition to see if they can get their own late-night TV show, and Kimmy is trying to help D.J. find a date for the senior prom.
At the stables, Michelle meets a girl named Elizabeth, whose mother, Morgan, is a rich snob who insults Danny by saying that he has the air of stable help. Michelle tells him that there's a jumping contest for kids and their horses next week, and she asks his permission to compete in it.
When Morgan tells him that Michelle couldn't possibly win because Elizabeth wins every year, Danny gives Michelle permission to enter.
At home, after Danny and Michelle have bought the equipment she needs, Andrew comes over to rehearse the play with Stephanie while Michelle is watching. The latter slips up and mentions that Stephanie likes Andrew and is afraid to kiss him because she has "dry lips", and he leaves. Stephanie, after a short chase with her (in which the former threatens to "breaketh her bones" and the latter can only chant "dry lips, dry lips" thus setting off the chase), vows to never forgive Michelle for driving him away (as the audience groans over what just happened), and all Michelle can reply to that is, "I guess dry lips make people cranky." (as the audience laughs at that remark)
Later, at the Bayview Equestrian Center, Danny is still going at it with Morgan. By this time, they have put so much pressure on Michelle and Elizabeth to win the contest that they no longer want to compete. So they decide to skip it and ride their horses on a nearby riding trail so they can ride for fun instead of doing so under pressure to win.
When the competitors make their way to the track to begin the competition, Danny, Joey and Morgan notice that Michelle and Elizabeth are missing, and Jesse then shows up at the equestrian center. Michelle and Elizabeth ride into a clearing, where there's a log and Elizabeth jumps her horse over it quite easily.
When Michelle and her horse, Old Peppermill, try to jump, he becomes spooked and throws her off, and the subsequent hard fall she takes leaves her unconscious when Danny, Jesse and Joey find her. Elizabeth, who is still on her horse when she sees this, immediately hops off, and also tends to Michelle, calling out her name and telling her to wake up. The four of them are still tending to her as "To Be Continued..." appears (followed by the EP credits).
Trivia
Michelle's number is 8 and Elizabeth's is 11 in the horse riding competition.
At the end of the episode on the Warner Bros. season eight DVD, there is a promo showing screenshots for the next and last episode.
Quotes
D.J.: [to Kimmy] Wow, you have a date and a dress. So far, my prom’s looking like a bag of chips and our remote control.
Kimmy: That’s because you spent the whole year dating Nelson and Viper. Nobody knows you’re available.
Morgan: Enjoy your little fantasy, because in reality, my Elizabeth wins this competition every year.
Danny: Oh, really? Well, not this year, because Michelle Tanner's gonna kick your butt!
Michelle: What if I don't win?
Danny: Don't worry, honey. Winning is not everything.
Michelle: I'm glad to hear that.
Danny: Yeah. As long as you beat that Elizabeth girl with the loudmouth mother.
Joey: You know what, Jess? If we're gonna be on live TV with professional wrestlers, I've gotta go find my tights, because otherwise I'm gonna have to shave my legs!
Jesse: God, I hope he finds them.
Michelle: [to Elizabeth] Riding used to be fun.
Elizabeth: Yeah, before parents got involved.
[Michelle and Elizabeth are riding, when they notice a log up ahead...]
Michelle: I like riding a horse when you don't have to win anything.
Elizabeth: Yeah, it's so cool. Hey, wanna jump that log?
Michelle: Yeah, let's do it.
[Michelle's horse stands up and bucks, and she gets thrown off and takes a hard fall. She lies on the ground without moving...]
Elizabeth: Michelle! [She hops off her horse.] Michelle! Michelle, are you okay? Michelle, wake up! [Then the three men come riding towards the girls...] Michelle, wake up! [to the guys] She fell off her horse.
Danny: Michelle? Don't move her.
Jesse: She must have hit her head.
Joey: Oh my gosh, what happened? Is she okay?
Danny: I don't know. Michelle, do you hear me? Honey?
[Michelle doesn't respond.]