HomeTelevisionTV Recap: The Goldbergs, 'The Dirty Dancing Dance'

TV Recap: The Goldbergs, ‘The Dirty Dancing Dance’

There’s a point in every young woman’s life where (if she was the right age) Dirty Dancing came into her life and took hold forever. I know this somewhat personally; my girlfriend would subject her father to Dirty Dancing on repeat thanks to home video rental. In the most recent Goldbergs episode, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) and Erica (Hayley Orrantia) fall under the spell of Swayze and Grey captivating each other with sweet moves, and this begins a domino effect into the path of everybody else.

The Goldbergs

This was the first time that I could ever think of that all the Goldbergs were on the same page, underneath the umbrella of “dance motivation.” Erica wants a Dirty Dance at school. Barry (Troy Gentile) says Dirty Dancing is gross and promotes Footloose. Beverly wants to live Dirty Dancing with Murray (Jeff Garlin) but papa Goldberg wants none of it. Adam (Sean Giambrone) teaches his father how to dance like in the movies to horrible results.

This all plays out wonderfully. Beverly’s wish to dance with her husband is turned down immediately, but Adam fights for his mom’s benefit and teaches his dad how to dance. However, it backfires. So Adam tells Murray to go videotape himself dancing so nobody is around to make him feel uncomfortable. He does, and Garlin’s “movements” are wonderful. His pure joy at his awful steps sells it. Pops (George Segal) and Adam view the tape, and are horrified, pretty much putting to bed Murray’s ability to impress his wife.

Meanwhile, Erica gets permission to have the dance at school but her dream is shut down by her mom who doesn’t see the “dirty” in Dirty Dancing the same way her daughter does, which is, more erotic. Erica is furious and Barry tells her she needs to dance angry, mocking/embracing all the dance moments in 80’s films, which is a sequence that made me cry with laughter. Gentile throws himself into the part, really just putting it all out there, and it cements why Barry is a golden opportunity for laughs.

Despite her mother’s wishes, Erica goes forth (secretly) with the “Dirty Dance,” getting some help from the JTP (JTP!). When she plans to be held up (like in Dirty Dancing by Geoff (Sam Lerner), he miscalculates and throws Erica into a table of treats. This was another glorious moment in already hilarious episode.

Nearing the conclusion, Erica ends up getting sent the principal’s office, a beautiful mess. Momma Goldberg sees the errors of her ways; she wants her daughter to live her dream, just like in the titular title of the episode. She sends Erica back to the dance floor to try with Geoff once again. Barry also shows off his moves as well. Rounding the group out, Murray “attempts” to dance with Beverly, as she knows Dirty Dancing is her dream too, just like their daughter. Adam captures it all on videotape, the role we first saw him way back in the beginning of Season 1. Awesome.

There was a lot going on in this episode, but ultimately it blended seamlessly together. “The Dirty Dancing Dance” danced its way into my heart, and without hesitation, I would say it’s one of the best entries in the series altogether. I had a great time watching this, and I owe it all to The Goldbergs.

Rating: 9.5/10

The Goldbergs Get Footloose Every Wednesday Night at 8:30pm on ABC

===========================================================================================================
Logan J. Fowler is a senior writer and video game editor on Pop-Break.com. He contributes his thoughts every week for Trailer Tuesday and ABC’s The Goldbergs.” Logan’s “kid at heart” nature has led to his discussion about pop culture that many geeks love to talk about, including superheroes, Super Mario Bros., Pixar, and Muppets, among other things. In addition, one of his first pieces for the site, “Top Ten Comic Book Movies,” was picked as a “Freshly Pressed” piece by WordPress and remains one of the site’s most well-read articles. Many of Logan’s friends have said that he moonlights as Spider-Man but this is so not true. Wait, are those police sirens I’m hearing?! Gotta go! -thwipp-
=========================================================================================================

RELATED ARTICLES

Most Recent

Stay Connected

129FansLike
0FollowersFollow
2,484FollowersFollow
162SubscribersSubscribe