1 ‘Full House’ Episode Gives Fans a Look at What Pam Tanner, Danny’s Wife, Was Like
Full House may be a comedy series, but it wasn’t afraid to touch on some hard topics, including the death of the matriarch of the Tanner family, Pamela. During a few episodes, however, fans learned what this character was like before the car accident.
Pam Tanner was the mother of the DJ, Stephanie, and Michelle
Full House has several iconic characters who make an appearance. There’s the motorcycle-riding guitarist Jesse Katsopolis. There’s the cartoon-loving comedian Joey Gladstone. There’s also Danny Tanner, the father of three girls, at the center of it all.
Throughout this series, this family tackles the hardships of life. That even includes discussing the death of one family member — Jesse’s sister and Danny’s partner, Pamela Tanner.
Pam Tanner died in a car accident
Shortly after Michelle Tanner is born, Pam Tanner dies in a car accident. The series begins following her death when Joey and Uncle Jesse move into the house to help Danny raise the three girls.
On a few different occasions, the characters mention that she died because of a drunk driver. This event, in turn, impacted DJ and her decisions as a young adult.
Despite Kimmy’s drunk protesting, DJ takes the keys to her car and drives her home. When Kimmy doesn’t forgive DJ, the Tanner sister explained that she lost her mom at the hands of a drunk driver — she wasn’t about to lose her best friend.
‘The Miracle of Thanksgiving’ episode taught fans more about Pam Tanner
Fans learned more about this character from the stories told by her loved ones. On Thanksgiving, Uncle Jesse told Danny about the time he gave her an American flag-themed makeover with “two things of finger paint and vanilla pudding.”
In “The Miracle of Thanksgiving” episode, DJ mentioned that Pam always used to say, “Smiles are free, so give them away.” Joey Gladstone even shared that because her laugh was “contagious,” he would always put her in the front row of his comedy shows to get the whole audience laughing.
In another episode of the series, “Goodbye, Mr. Bear,” Danny pulled out a home video of Pam Tanner, the rest of the family, and Stephanie’s beloved stuffed animal.
The video was taken when they first brought Michelle home from the hospital. After watching for a few minutes, DJ said how beautiful their mom was.
Pam Tanner’s love even extended decades after Full House ended. For Netflix’s spinoff series, Fuller House, Uncle Jesse and Aunt Becky adopted a daughter who they named Pamela Katsopolis. During one episode, Jesse said that she was named after his late sister.
Most episodes of Full House are available for streaming on Hulu. All five seasons of the Netflix original spinoff series, Fuller House, are available on the streaming platform, Netflix.
