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The Goldbergs – “Boy Barry” Recap. The Mug Rug.

Season 3, Episode 5

Air Date: Wednesday, October 21, 2015, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Do you really want to hurt me?” – Barry

Battle of the ‘stache.’

The bromance between Murray (Jeff Garlin) and his friend Bill (David Koechner) reaches a new level when Bill convinces Murray to grow a mustache like his. The confidence that comes with Murray’s added facial hair doesn’t sit well with Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey), especially when Murray starts making his own decisions and ignoring her input. Will Beverly win back Murray’s attention or will the power of the ‘stache’ prove to be too much?

Watching Murray and Bill’s friendship grow over the last two seasons has been fun. The writers have done an excellent job creating a genuine evolution for Murray as he breaks out of his shell. Needless to say, this isn’t the same Murray from season one.

The banter between Murray, Bill, and Beverly is amusing, albeit silly, at times. The countless TV references, including Magnum P.I. and Charlie’s Angels, had me laughing throughout the episode. Even I wasn’t surprised to see the lengths Beverly goes to in order to get rid of Murray’s mustache. As ridiculous as things get, the writers are still able to wrap things up with a strong message about friendship.

Meanwhile, it’s obvious Barry (Troy Gentile) goes too far to impress Lainey (AJ Michalka) when the Jenkintown Posse (JTP) members, Andy Cogan (Matt Bush), Geoff Schwartz (Sam Lerner), and Naked Rob (Noah Munch), start questioning the safety of Barry’s plan. While Lainey gets Barry to back down, it’s hard not to laugh as Geoff takes Barry’s place with disastrous results. I’m rooting for Geoff and hope he and Erica (Hayley Orrantia) start dating at some point.

The dialogue between Lainey and Erica is amusing as they try to find a way to snap Barry out of his current needy phase, especially after he dresses up like Boy George to impress Lainey. Who better to take on the challenge of messing with Barry than Erica, who seems all too eager to help?

Erica: “Unleash me.”

Lainey: “I don’t know, you look too excited right now.”

Who will win.

While the focus of “Boy Barry” is the relationship between Barry and Lainey, it’s nice to see Lainey’s friendship with Erica get some quality time as well.

The breakup between Barry and Lainey sets up an entertaining story line when Lainey takes a page from the Barry playbook to show how much she loves him. Both the writers and actors appear to enjoy creating some interesting role reversal scenes that are a delight to watch. I’m not sure whether to cringe or laugh as Lainey takes up the moniker “McDLT” and busts out a rap to win Barry back. The addition of Michalka as a series regular this season is a welcome one; I can’t wait to see where her relationship with Barry goes next.

No episode this season is complete without a Johnny Atkins (Sean Marguette) sighting, much like the scenes with the obligatory foul-mouthed Beverly that are always bleeped. As much as I hate to admit it, Atkins, the over-confident, first chair in the school band, is starting to grow on me. I’m curious to see how long the writers keep him around. Speaking of appearances, the running gag throughout “Boy Barry” involving Randy (Karan Soni), the car salesman, is hilarious.

With Adam (Sean Giambrone) being the focal point for much of the season, it was surprisingly that he was notably absent through most of “Boy Barry.” Adam’s late appearance is well worth the wait, though, when he gives Barry a letter from martial arts legend Chuck Norris. Things take a hysterical turn when the letter advises Barry to obey his brother, referring to Barry as a “douche-nozzle.” Is Adam behind the letter? Who knows? Either way, douche-nozzle makes me giggle.

Resorting to bribery?

The Goldbergs have always leaned more toward the nonsensical side of things when it comes to story lines but given the more serious puberty driven themes of the last few episodes, “Boy Barry” comes across as especially silly. That’s not a bad thing, as it only takes a few minutes to become re-acclimated to that kind of humor.

“Boy Barry” follows the standard playbook for The Goldbergs with one person hurting the other’s feelings, only to regret it, and then go out of their way to fix it. Despite the familiarity, the writers do a wonderful job making “Boy Barry” seem fresh, entertaining, and worth watching.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Boy Barry.”

Tune in to The Goldbergs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c, only on ABC.

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All photos © 2015 American Broadcasting Companies, Inc. All Rights Reserved.

 

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.

Greg Staffa

I provide testosterone to the site. You won’t be reading about how nice a actress looks in a dress or how much of a hunk Matt Bomer is in my reviews. I describe colors using words like brown, not taupe. My twitter name is @staffaroadtrip because I love road trips and have done two different 48-state road trips since 2008. My favorite show is White Collar.