The Goldbergs – “Dungeons and Dragons, Anyone?” Recap. Dungeon Master.

Season 3, Episode 20

Air Date: Wednesday, April 6, 2016, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“They’ve learned our ways.” – Dave Kim

Just boys having fun?

After years of being picked last in gym class along with the rest of the nerds, Adam (Sean Giambrone) convinces Coach Mellor (Bryan Callen) to let him be team captain. Adam’s newfound power quickly goes to his head as he betrays his friends by picking the jocks for his team. Hoping to restore the balance between the dorks and the jocks, Mellor has Dave Kim (Kenny Ridwan) pick the game the two sides will play. Dave’s choice is “Dungeons and Dragons,” the fantasy tabletop, role-playing game featuring trolls, wizards, and dragons.

While “Dungeons and Dragons” was off limits at the Staffa household, it was a way of life for the kids down the street, who I’ll call the Joneses. My strict Catholic mother would often watch in confusion as the Joneses took to the street in costume, battling mythical creatures. Was it because my mom feared they were dabbling in Black Magic or simply because the Jones kids were wearing costumes? Either way, they were always viewed as the odd kids of the neighborhood.

I had some reservations upon first reading the synopsis for “Dungeons and Dragons, Anyone?” given the similarities to the “Double Dare” episode where Adam abandoned his friends for the opportunity to be on a game show. Both episodes follow a similar path, but what sets “Dungeons and Dragons, Anyone?” apart is how the writers use the reversal of roles to allow the jocks to experience some of the competitive frustrations the dorks feel on a daily basis.

Letting Barry in on the action.

Despite the “Dungeons and Dragons” theme, which focuses on Adam and his misfit nerd friends, one of the surprises about the episode are the touching moments Barry (Troy Gentile) experiences while striving to be included in Adam’s game. Seeing Adam mature has been enjoyable, especially when watching his relationship with Barry evolve from pesky little brother to someone Barry sees as almost an equal. Not that Barry would ever admit that.

Meanwhile, Erica (Hayley Orrantia) narrows down the list of colleges she wants to attend. Unfortunately for Erica, the distance from home doesn’t sit well with Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) or Murray (Jeff Garlin), both of whom are torn as to where their precious daughter should go to college. The banter among Beverly, Murray, and Erica is hilarious as each side tries to make their case for which college Erica should attend.

The Goldbergs usually excels when using popular films from the ‘80s to help drive a story; unfortunately, the same can’t be said for “Dungeons and Dragons, Anyone?” While the movie Back to School, starring Rodney Dangerfield, perfectly fits the theme of the episode, it misses the tone. Often, the writers of The Goldbergs lure the audience in with the comedy, only to have them grabbing tissues by the end of the episode. Everyone’s emotions when discussing where Erica should go to college are drowned out by the silliness of all the Back to School references. I would rather have seen a Back to School themed episode where all the focus was on a bored Pops (George Segal) who decides he wants to go back to college.

Nerds vs Jocks.

One of the criticisms of The Goldbergs has been series creator Adam Goldberg’s use of the ‘80s era by combining various events that take place years apart and putting them in the same episode. And while much of the music used on The Goldbergs is drawn from songs from the ‘80s, Goldberg chose instead to hire rapper/producer Kurtis Blow to put a “Dungeons and Dragons” twist to his 1994 hit, “Basketball” in “Dungeons and Dragons, Anyone?” I can only imagine what those who are upset about the ‘80s timeline think about the fictional song.

“Dungeons and Dragons, Anyone?” is an average episode. While enjoyable, the show misses the opportunity to tug on the heartstrings of the audience and become an instant classic. Perhaps the writers are saving that level of emotion for the episode where Erica actually leaves for college.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Dungeons and Dragons, Anyone?”

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

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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.