The Goldbergs – “Magic is Real” Recap. Another Dana.

Season 3, Episode 18

Air Date: Wednesday, March 23, 2016, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“He cut me in half, but I love him twice as much.” – Beverly

The next Dana?

Following his breakup with Dana (Natalie Alyn Lind), Adam (Sean Giambrone) fears he’s become invisible to women. Struggling to find ’the one’, Adam seeks the advice of anyone willing to listen, including Dave Kim (Kenny Ridwan). Unfortunately for Adam, Erica (Hayley Orrantia) has the perfect woman in mind to give Adam all the love he needs. “Mom, Adam is feeling unloved.” Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is only too happy to oblige. Poor Adam can’t catch a break.

After watching David Copperfield’s walk through the Great Wall of China on television, Adam believes magic is the perfect way to woo the ladies. After all, who doesn’t like magic? Adam’s plan is flawless, except for the fact he doesn’t know any tricks. Lacking the funds to buy the necessary magic tricks, Adam convinces Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) that if she helps, she can be his lovely assistant. With Beverly involved, what could possibly go wrong?

The Great Adam.

I really enjoyed the magic scenes; they have a childish innocence that is fun to watch as Adam and Beverly try to perfect their craft. I’ve always been a fan of magic; in fact, I saw Copperfield perform in the early ‘90s and was amazed by his showmanship. What makes magic fun is you don’t have to be Copperfield to do it. Heck, for years my father has walked around with a red handkerchief and a fake thumb in his pocket just to show strangers how he could make the handkerchief disappear.

Breakups suck, especially when it’s your first love. So, it is easy to empathize with Adam during “Magic is Real.” Giambrone does a wonderful job conveying Adam’s heavy heart as he tries to fill the void left by Dana. The writers treat Adam’s childhood breakup with a heartfelt seriousness, rather than use it as an opportunity to cast someone new as the Adam’s next love interest.

Meanwhile, Barry’s (Troy Gentile) lackadaisical approach to the Preliminary Scholastic Aptitude Test (PSAT) forces Murray (Jeff Garlin) to do the unthinkable—get involved. “Look, you’re going to prepare for that test. Your whole damn future depends on it.” Turns out Murray isn’t the only one who thinks the PSAT is important. Not only does Lainey (AJ Michalka) push him, Barry is shocked to discover JTP members Andy Cogan (Matt Bush), Geoff Schwartz (Sam Lerner), and Naked Rob (Noah Munch) have all been studying.

Part of freelance Ninja for hire training?

I doubt I’m the only one surprised to see the JTP siding with Murray over the importance of the PSAT. It’s hard not to laugh as they acknowledge their dreams — becoming a successful WWF villain, female body inspector, and a steel drummer at a clothing optional beach — might be unrealistic. Remaining defiant, Barry is convinced a career as a freelance Ninja for hire is the way to go.

Written by Mark Kirek, “Magic is Real” feels restrained, especially scenes involving Barry’s PSAT. His decision to finally embrace the test isn’t given enough time to develop. What could be a heartfelt moment between Barry and Murray comes across as rushed, without enough time for a natural transition for Barry. I like the message director David Katzenberg is trying to convey; I just wish he had more time to flesh the story out.

“Magic is Real” follows the usual template employed by The Goldbergs. Despite the familiarity, it’s an entertaining episode that captures the joy of a young kid discovering magic. The Goldbergs’ episodes are always enjoyable when a comedic storyline turns into an emotional one, and “Magic is Real” doesn’t disappoint. The scene between Adam and Beverly at the end is especially touching. Hopefully, it isn’t long before Adam finds love again.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “Magic is Real.”

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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.