The Thanksgiving edition of The Goldbergs always seems to follow one specific formula-Adam’s (Sean Giambrone) Uncle Marvin (Dan Folger) comes to visit. He always has a new job. He gets into a fight with his brother Murray (Jeff Garlin). Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) always says it’s Thanksgiving and everyone should stop fighting. The holiday is temporarily wrecked. Things get worked out in time for the end credits.
They say “If it isn’t broke, why fix it?” Sometimes, this is a valid point. However, for The Goldbergs, it has been four years running with the same Turkey day gags, and I was really feeling the negative effects of it last night.
Story goes that Adam loves Knight Rider and equally loves K.I.T.T. It just happens to be that the infamous car from the show will be in the Gimbel’s Thanksgiving Day parade. Adam begs his dad to see it, but Murray won’t budge. However, when Marvin and Murray discover Knight Rider on their own, they fall in love with it, and go to the parade, with Murray completely forgetting about Adam’s desire to see it too. Adam vows revenge, and pits the two brothers against each other, adding a much needed new way to get these two to fight. Murray and Marvin duke it out to be the Hoff, because each one thinks he is. Due to the battle, Marvin takes Adam to the mall and steals the car, because he wants to prove to his brother that he’s the Hoff. Okay, calm down Marvin. In any case, the two siblings figure things out just in time for dinner.
Meanwhile, Barry (Troy Gentile) says that his mom should invite Lainey (A.J. Michalka) and her dad (David Koechner) over for dinner, so Beverly does, only there in lies a battle too because each has their own way of doing Thanksgiving. Bill (Lainey’s Dad) says it is a little more important because he doesn’t have a wife, so it is a important day for him and his daughter, and Beverly finally buckles. She realizes that a little bending is necessary.
I may have cut the second story line short explanation wise, but that’s the episode in the nutshell. The formulaic nature just didn’t jive (Turkey?) with yours truly. To me, Adam was the only one who delivered the goods in the episode, aside from a pretty funny moment with a potato gun involving Marvin and Barry. I love The Goldbergs, I really do, but if the show is renewed for a fifth season, the Thanksgiving game has to be shook up a little. Here’s hoping.
