You Probably Forgot About This D.J. Tanner Episode

There's simply no denying that Stephanie's the rebellious one when it comes to Full House's Tanner girls. In contrast, D.J. is the oldest sister of the three, the one who experienced growing up first. And while you may associate Candace Cameron Bure's character with someone who is mature and responsible, D.J. made her share of crazy teenage mistakes. Before Stephanie was even old enough to worry about things like boys and being popular, D.J. tested her limits by skipping school. And that's why I think Season 1's "D.J. Tanner's Day Off" is the most underrated D.J.-focused episode in the entire series.

If there's any episode worth noting when it comes to D.J.'s character, it has to be this one. "D.J. Tanner's Day Off" focuses on one of the rare instances where D.J. breaks the rules and skips school so that she can get an autograph from one of her favorite celebrities — with the help of her best friend Kimmy Gibbler, of course. Not only is it an episode that actually shows us how D.J. and Kimmy are even best friends in the first place, but it's an inside look at D.J.'s desire to do what she wants and not always follow the rules.

Between her constant fear of getting caught, her celebrity obsession, and, of course, the lesson that comes from the adventurous day at the end, there's no denying how important this episode was to those of us who grew up watching the show. It was a lesson for all of us ready to test our rebellious sides as well.

Sure, you may be thinking that there are some other D.J. Tanner episodes that stick out more for her character — such as Season 2's "A Little Romance" or Season 3's "Back To School Blues" — I think this episode is the one that is often forgotten about. D.J. may have experienced getting a boyfriend and going to middle school first, but, when I think about learning life lessons through Full House, it's not often D.J making the mistakes that I can learn from. Instead, I think about Stephanie Tanner being peer pressured into smoking or even when Michelle was less than nice to her friends.

However, this episode proved that D.J. Tanner can try to let loose too. D.J. can test ways to break the rules and show how that is just as important as working to always get them right. And I think "D.J.'s Tanner's Day Off" was a perfect preview of the rebellious side that fans would soon be able to see more of with the debut of the Netflix revival, Fuller House.

Thanks to that Season 1 episode, the show was able to create a character arc for D.J. that helped her become the hard-working and caring mother we see her as today. Like any teenager, D.J. just needed to get some craziness out of her system. That's what helped her set an example and guide her two younger sisters straight from this experience at the end of the show's very first season — even if they didn't always follow her lead. (Plus, did I mention that the episode starts with one awesome rendition of Stacey Q's "Don't Make A Fool Of Yourself" in D.J.'s room? Seriously, how could other episodes even compete with this? She's basically just all of us when we think no one is watching.)

So step aside, Stephanie and Michelle. I'm feeling the D.J. Tanner love with this one. She will always be the fictional older sister we all secretly (or not-so-secretly) wish we had, mistakes and all.

Images: Warner Bros. Television; Giphy