The Goldbergs – "Family Takes Care of Beverly" Retrospective. Who’s Mikey?

Season 2, Episode 5

Air Date: Wednesday, October 29, 2014, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Family takes care of family.” – Beverly Goldberg

Happy Halloween

After an incident at his apartment during an epic Halloween party, Pops (George Segal) is forced to move in with the rest of the family. While having all her men under one roof may be a dream come true for Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey), Murray (Jeff Garlin) is less than thrilled.

I really enjoy Segal’s performances especially when his character tries to fit in with the kids instead of acting like a grandpa. Segal’s scenes with Sean Giambrone, who plays Adam, always seem to have an extra amount of heart. Considering the show was created by the real Adam Goldberg, it’s clear he had a special relationship with his grandfather growing up.

Defying death.

After saving Erica (Hayley Orrantia) from carrying out a dangerous urban legend, Barry (Troy Gentile) believes Erica should be his servant until the debt is repaid. Too bad Erica doesn’t agree.

Erica: “I’m not anyone’s slave. You didn’t save my life and it’s not real.”

Barry: “Alright then, you’re so certain it’s not real, then do it.”

As silly as it sounds, you can die from eating Pop Rocks while drinking soda; at least that’s what many of us believed growing up in the 80s. As Patton Oswalt explains in the voiceover, “There was no Google or Wikipedia so you believed every stupid rumor you heard.”

Watching the show as an adult and seeing urban legends from your childhood play out through the eyes of young Adam is one of the things that makes The Goldbergs so enjoyable. It gives you a chance to unlock buried memories and relive them.

I really enjoy how the writers set up the dynamic between Barry and Lainey (AJ Michalka). Barry is convinced one day Lainey will fall for him but despite Lainey’s assurances to the contrary, she always seems to be there when Barry needs her.

Candy screening

Last season’s Halloween episode was the episode that sealed my love of The Goldbergs. So as this season’s Halloween episode approached, I found myself excited to see what kind of antics the Goldberg family would get into this year. Unfortunately, I think I over-hyped myself in anticipation. “Family Takes Care of Beverly” isn’t a bad episode; I simply hoped to see a more Halloween focused episode.

Instead, “Family Takes Care of Beverly” is about what happens when someone in the family needs help. The writers do a nice job addressing a topic that many families are forced to face during a serious situation yet they include many entertaining moments. This may not have been the episode I was hoping for but it’s an enjoyable episode that reminds us of the importance of family.

Tune in to The Goldbergs Wednesdays at 8:30/7:30c, only on ABC. Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Family Takes Care of Beverly.”

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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.