This season of The Goldbergs has fit in a major pop culture gag pretty much every episode. “I Caddyshacked the Pool” is no exception, even putting a plot point into the title.
The “Adam (Sean Giambrone) going through puberty” jokes continue, as the youngest Goldberg and his classmates, both male and female, find it awkward to strip down to their bathing suits in gym class. Unlike two weeks ago where the voice changing joke was played on way too long, this one uses the Caddyshack gag as payoff and as a resolution of the problem. However, we need to shift from the puberty angle, and quick. More on that later.
During the course of the episode, Beverly Goldberg (Wendi McLendon-Covey) hears of Adam’s disgust with his morphing body and tries to force him to love himself in the most hilarious of ways. If you know any of Momma Goldberg’s vocabulary towards her kids, you can see where it is going.
Erica (Hayley Orrantia), meanwhile, sees the music video for “We Are the World” and is inspired to make change. Barry hops on that bandwagon too and the two battle it out for better rights. Barry goes one step further and creates a “Barity (combination of Barry and Charity),” which is pretty funny. We also get some rapping from Big Tasty towards the end of the episode, and a humorous musical number from Erica and Lainey (AJ Michalka).
Murray Goldberg (Jeff Garlin) also has a heart to heart with Adam in his usual way, which means that he tells Adam something that is indirectly supportive. However, Gramps (George Segal) has been underused this whole season, this episode included, and that’s really sad.
I also am having trouble enjoying Adam’s story lines. The past two seasons there was something more entertaining about him, and I don’t know if it was just because his childlike nature was so identifiable in my eyes as a kid growing up, or his love of everything ’80s pop culture, or both. While I understand the comedy poking at his puberty is ripe, it is beginning to become old fast. Also, where is Dana (Natalie Alyn Lind)? We need more of her and Adam time, because that stuff is pure adorable gold.
Still, Barry and Beverly are the strongest elements of the program, and they continue to bring the laughs in. Adam spouting “balls” during the events is also always a guaranteed laugh, even in the case of my earlier statement about the character. I wish the Goldbergs would break from formula a little bit and stop with the heartwarming endings all the time, just let things lie, you know? Even when Murray comforted Adam, he did it in a way that was funny, but also sincere. We need a little bit more of that variation. Still, no matter what, The Goldbergs is still making me laugh out loud every episode, and that’s a pretty good thing. However, the show needs to take more risks.
ALSO STOP USING THE “CHARACTER SAYING A CURSE AND BLEEPING IT OUT” GAG EVERY EPISODE THIS SEASON PLEASE.
Rating: 7.5/10
The Goldbergs gets schmoopy with it every Wednesday night at 8:30 on ABC
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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-
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