Fuller House season 5 part 1 ignored Michelle (played alternately by Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen) for the most part, until Danny (Bob Saget) made a subtle ominous line toward the end of the outing, hinting at the youngest Tanner sister's fate. While the fan-favorite character has yet to appear in the Netfix's sequel spin-off, it's curious if it's a set-up for what lies ahead for Michelle in the show.
Prior to Fuller House's premiere, and even months after its first season dropped on Netflix, there had been a lot of rumors regarding whether or not the Olsen twins will appear. Conflicting reports came out about their involvement, with Ashley supposedly not having any intentions of returning in front of the camera. Mary-Kate apparently briefly considered the gig, but decided to pass on it. Fuller House immediately gave an explanation for Michelle's absence - apparently, she's too busy running her fashion empire in New York (mirroring the twins' current real-life job with brands like The Row and Elizabeth & James). At first, Fuller House sold the idea, but after more than four seasons and several family affairs, it just doesn't make sense that that the baby of the family couldn't take the time off for her clan.
As the seasons went by, there have been fewer references to Michelle - to the point that they didn't even remember to call her when Stephanie (Jodie Sweetin) had her baby or when DJ (Candace Cameron Bure) got engaged. Fuller House season 5 part 1 had some passing references to her (like when Max talked about her getting an amnesia, which is a reference to Full House's finale narrative), but it's never about reaching out to her - they're more of a reminder that she once lived in the same ancestral home. At this point, the show's operating as if she no longer exists in present time. And nothing drove that idea more than Danny's congratulatory line to DJ, Stephanie and Kimmy (Andrea Barber) who are all now happily engaged to Steve (Scott Weinger), Jimmy (Adam Hagenbuch) and Fernando (Juan Pablo Di Pace).
Following the surprise celebration, attended by everyone including Joey (Dave Coulier) and Jesse (John Stamos), DJ, Stephanie, Kimmy and Danny gathered at the Tanner family dining area to relax. After the mandatory cheesy dialog, Danny bid all the girls goodbye, and just before he left, he made an interesting statement saying: “it’s so nice to have three daughters again.” Taken literally, that implies that Michelle has died. That's quite strange because as far as Fuller House goes, Michelle is still very much around, she just doesn't get to spend anytime with her family in San Francisco because she's now based on the East coast. Making things a much weirder is the fact that no made any additional comment about the implication of Danny's words. They all went along with it, as if he just didn't insinuate that Michelle's supposedly gone and it's never been mentioned before now.
It's no secret that the people behind Fuller House have repeatedly reached out to the Olsen Twins for a possible cameo. And with the series nearing its end, it's not surprising that fans are once again hoping that maybe this time, Michelle can finally come home to her family. Sadly, it seems like the show is simply ready to move on from her. Whether or not Danny's line is meant to hint at what the future holds for the character is currently unknown, although it's almost certainly just a knowing joke because of the Olsen twins' refusal to appear. At this point, it might be better for Full House fans to give up their dreams of seeing Michelle back at Tanner family home with her clan.