Season 9 Discussion

[tennisgurl]

No matter how lame this show gets, I can always count on the JTP. "Did I bring something back with me?" The waterpark story in general was pretty fun, I've heard about the documentary and the park its based around, it sounds absolutely wild. It takes a tragic turn, but its a seriously crazy story. 

The wedding story was just an obnoxious as you imagine it would be when you hear "Beverley and Erica plan Erica's wedding" as the plot. 

[proserpina65]

On 10/7/2021 at 8:46 AM, Jediknight said:

"Did I die?"

At least we can still count on the JTP to bring the funny.

Yup, the JTP is always the best thing about any episode they're in.  Their parts for Adam's video actually made me laugh out loud.

 

[tennisgurl]

Adam was a real dick about taping the game, even if its not cool that the school basically blackmailed him into it. One of my big pet peeves is when people act like something is stupid just because they don't happen to like it, so I am glad that was basically the lesson of the week. When the Goldbergs are all out of that school system, you know there will be much rejoicing. 

Not a very good episode, but it did still have a few good lines, as the show often does. "It was the family bed that got me."

[Slade347]

Adam was such an asshole in this episode I would have actually cheered if one of the football players had stuffed him in a locker. 

Do the Goldbergs actually have three houses now? That furniture store must be doing some killer business.

 That Wonder Years bit at the end was great, though.

[BookThief]

1 hour ago, Slade347 said:

Do the Goldbergs actually have three houses now? That furniture store must be doing some killer business.

They did, temporarily, but I believe they sold the new one to Mr. Glascott, the guidance counselor, after Erica said no way in hell was she going to live next door.

[paulvdb]

Didn't Glascott say that he was renting the place? So the Goldbergs would still own it.

[zoey1996]

So answer me this, show: How were football victories recorded before there were video cams? Still photos? So maybe instead of relying on unreliable Adam, have someone take a few photos?

[joanne3482]

This was the first episode I've watched where I thought, when is this show ending?  It was not good. 

I can believe that the main house is close to paid off. If Erika is over 21 and they've lived in their house the kids' whole lives, I can buy that the current house either paid off or very close to it and probably with a low mortgage. But why not take the money and just upgrade their existing house? It was so weird.

On 10/19/2021 at 1:45 AM, paulvdb said:

Didn't Glascott say that he was renting the place? So the Goldbergs would still own it.

Yes, Glascott is renting the house next door. 

[tennisgurl]

The Barry/Erica/Geoff was majorly cringy, I got pretty much no laughs. The other one was a bit better, but this episode was impressively boring. Nothing too offensive and nobody was too unlikable like what sometimes happens, but I could hardly pay attention. The JTP were desperately needed, even if they would have been in the awkward Barry plot.

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

The Barry/Erica/Geoff was majorly cringy, I got pretty much no laughs. 

I thought Erica's line about Barry being too well acquainted with the scratching characteristics of the silverware was funny.  I've had a couple of really bad cases of poison ivy before, so my sympathy level for Barry was on high.  Never had it in that particular area though, thankfully.  Adam tricking him into rubbing the leaf oil on his face was pretty mean.  This was one of those episodes where you question how Barry ever got the smarts to be a doctor.

[853fisher]

This last one was pretty bad.  Barry was at his least likeable for me, and Glascott is just extraneous.  Why are we getting so much of him?  As consolation for "Schooled," where he had a larger role, being canceled?  I'm not feeling it.

Cheers to @mamadrama for sharing the Action Park video.  I enjoyed reading these recollections too.  When that logo flashed on screen, I thought it was a clever idea they hadn't drawn on yet.  I did think the set, obviously not anywhere near an actual water park, looked awful and silly.

Beverly IRL is totally insufferable and seems really insecure when it comes to her family.  Yes, sure, I'm sure whenever she visits Manhattan she can hardly get across Washington Square without people stopping her to tell her how well-remembered her son is. ;)  I'm not known for overestimating people's intelligence, but I think viewers know the difference between fact and fiction better than she gives them credit for.

Edited October 21, 2021 by 853fisher

[rmontro]

1 hour ago, 853fisher said:

This last one was pretty bad.  Barry was at his least likeable for me, and Glascott is just extraneous.  Why are we getting so much of him?  As consolation for "Schooled," where he had a larger role, being canceled?  I'm not feeling it.

What?  You didn't like Barry being a toddler?  I don't think his part on Schooled was bigger though, he basically had a guest role.  Honestly, I'd rather still have that show with us than this one, but there wasn't really that much difference.

I was amused by Glascott's antics, but I'm a private person so I couldn't have dealt with that much neighborliness and still remained sane.  His peering into Adam's bedroom was a bit much though.  Who does he think he is, the Burger King?

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

Lots of awkward situations last night ,but I was LMAO at some of the shenanigans. LOL, at the scene with Barry and Erica in the car and Barry sitting on her hairbrush to scratch his poison ivy.🤣  

[rmontro]

2 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

LOL, at the scene with Barry and Erica in the car and Barry sitting on her hairbrush to scratch his poison ivy.🤣  

I also found that amusing, although I'm not exactly proud to admit it.  

At least there was no movie tie in this week.

[rmontro]

19 hours ago, 853fisher said:

This last one was pretty bad.  Barry was at his least likeable for me, and Glascott is just extraneous.  Why are we getting so much of him?  As consolation for "Schooled," where he had a larger role, being canceled?  I'm not feeling it.

I just realized you were talking about Glascott on Schooled, and not  Barry.  My bad, please disregard my previous comments.  Yes, Schooled was cancelled.

[letter8358]

Elvira! I will watch it regardless....she is a legend. Just saw the promo...

 

[nora1992]

I thought Judd Hirsch was very sweet (in his gruff way)! 

[Phishbulb]

Elvira still looks pretty much the same at 70 as she did 40 years ago! Maybe she really IS a vampire...

[rmontro]

7 hours ago, nora1992 said:

I thought Judd Hirsch was very sweet (in his gruff way)! 

That whole plot did come off as surprisingly sweet.  The majority of the time I don't enjoy the Adam storyline, but this was one of the exceptions.  In fact, I thought the whole episode was pretty good.  Beverly didn't over involve herself in a particularly cringey way, and for the most part the Goldbergs didn't act as awful as usual.  It's like the usual weak spots in this show weren't there.  I didn't care much about Big Tasty, but Elvira made it just interesting enough.

[tennisgurl]

That was the best episode of the season by far, Elvira really does make everything better. I thought the plot with Adam and Pop Pop was really sweet in a gruff kind of way, and I like how they handled Pop's death here, it makes sense that the first Halloween after his death would be hard on Adam, that was always something they did together. "I don't like looking like a Canadian." 

Seriously, has anyone checked Elvira's attic for a portrait of her that looks suspiciously aged?

[nelroy78]

So we got the real Brea Bee, Valley Erica, Lainey, and old Ren back last night. VALLEY ERICA HAD TRIPLETS!!! That episode was pure gold last night. I like Kelli better than Carrie as Ren. Beverly and Adam both showed their tail last night but it worked out in the end. 

[Aryanna]

The girl that plays Joanne has a face that looks young but her neck looks like a woman in her 40s. Odd.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

I loved this episode, so wonderful to see Lainey again.  Somewhat awkward to see Lainey with Barry's gal  Joanne lol. So sometime in the future Barry and Lainey get back together?

[jww]

Puzzled by the time sequence, last week was Halloween, this week was senior recognition which is usually at the end of the school year in May.  Also track season is usually in the Spring too.  If the two athletes  were the stars, the school must have pretty sad teams as one might have been 5'6" at best, but then the senior class appears to have maybe 20 students in it so even Adam should be able to make the team.

[Aryanna]

12 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

I loved this episode, so wonderful to see Lainey again.  Somewhat awkward to see Lainey with Barry's gal  Joanne lol. So sometime in the future Barry and Lainey get back together?

I've missed Lainey too. I was so sad when Schooled was canceled but was hopeful that it would mean Lainey would be coming back to the Goldbergs. Alas, it wasn't the case. Lainey really should have been brought back though. Erica hasn't had a good friend to play off of since Lainey left. It was kind of sad and pathetic that Erica seemingly had no friends that she could call on to help her with wedding stuff. It made appear thst Erica was some kind of weird loner.

On a different note, how do Barry and Adam keep getting attractive women. These guys are such dorky goofballs. Yet Adam has dated Dana, Jackie, and now Brea. All of them very cute. Barry has dated Lainey (who was way out of his league), Ren and then Joanne. I know it's fiction but it's just a little too much to expect us to believe that these two (one of whom is a self confessed nerd) could land these cute girls.

[tennisgurl]

This started out as another obnoxious Beverly episode, complete with a "Bev was totally justified in being a selfish ass" moral at the end, but I ended up finding this one pretty funny. Loved seeing Lainey again and the Erica plot had a lot of funny lines and moments. "I'm sure that is what people will take away from this decade."

Bev did it for her own selfish reasons, but I do like the idea of a big celebrating all kinds of student accomplishments outside of athletics and I am glad that it worked out. And it was fun seeing grown up Brea again.

Edited November 5, 2021 by tennisgurl

[ljenkins782]

On 11/5/2021 at 11:00 AM, tennisgurl said:

This started out as another obnoxious Beverly episode, complete with a "Bev was totally justified in being a selfish ass" moral at the end, but I ended up finding this one pretty funny. Loved seeing Lainey again and the Erica plot had a lot of funny lines and moments. "I'm sure that is what people will take away from this decade."

Bev did it for her own selfish reasons, but I do like the idea of a big celebrating all kinds of student accomplishments outside of athletics and I am glad that it worked out. And it was fun seeing grown up Brea again.

Yeah, the dialogue around the athlete worship was the only part of the episode I really liked. I wonder if they're still doing that shit where the football players get their lockers decorated and lunches made by the cheerleaders, that seemed archaic even when I was in school. 

There are parts of this show that could still be good, but they always have to take it too far in spots. Like Beverly saying "touch your beautiful boy's man breasts" or whatever when Barry was shoving his pecs into Murray's face. It's stupid and not funny and drags down the rest of the show.

[One4Sorrow2TooBad]

LOL !!! That's Beverly for ya' , she loves her little schmuggems .😚

Edited November 10, 2021 by One4Sorrow2TooBad

[HyeChaps]

When this show began, it seemed as though Barry was a good athlete.  Later on, he was shown to be clumsy--just for a storyline?

[Aryanna]

19 hours ago, ljenkins782 said:

Yeah, the dialogue around the athlete worship was the only part of the episode I really liked. I wonder if they're still doing that shit where the football players get their lockers decorated and lunches made by the cheerleaders, that seemed archaic even when I was in school.

In my high school I think the cheerleaders only decorated the players lockers during homecoming. And they may have given them a gift like cookies or something. They certainly weren't slaves to the players and it was just one time not all year.

I would be surprised if any high school had cheerleaders be what basically amounts to slaves of the players. I think that's just an invention of tv and movies.

[ljenkins782]

18 hours ago, One4Sorrow2TooBad said:

LOL !!! That's Beverly for ya' , she loves her little schmuggems .😚

The smothering mom archetype is one thing, it's just that they make it so outlandish that it isn't even funny anymore. The broadening of the comedy over the years has reached a point where it's too over the top.

And it was extra irritating in this episode to have Murray endorse Beverly's over the top obsession with her kids. He's not wrong about it being a nice thing for Adam to acknowledge how much his mom does for him, but encouraging the behavior that she regularly engages with regard to the kids seems like a bad idea.

Quote

 

In my high school I think the cheerleaders only decorated the players lockers during homecoming. And they may have given them a gift like cookies or something. They certainly weren't slaves to the players and it was just one time not all year.

I would be surprised if any high school had cheerleaders be what basically amounts to slaves of the players. I think that's just an invention of tv and movies.

 

Yeah, same here, it was either homecoming or some other big game where the lockers got decorated and the lunches were made, but it still seems like a weird obligation.

As for the second point, there was a school near my district who had much better teams and more competitive programs for both football and cheerleading and when the hazing scandal broke in the news, the details of what went on between the football players and cheerleaders were pretty disgusting. So while it wasn't school-mandated, it was apparently an open secret that participating in the cheerleading program at that school came with a heavy price.

Edited November 10, 2021 by ljenkins782

[chediavolo]

I used to love this show when it first started. It has either run for WAY too long, they are making Beverly especially and most everyone else even more nasty, or I finally realized these people have big issues and are unlikeable. 

[nora1992]

I’m liking Judd Hirsch’s character this season; maybe because our clothing preferences are so similar…..

Really, though, can every episode not be about how insecure Beverly is? 

[zoey1996]

They did the Beverly being possesive over holidays with Hannukah at least once, and Bev being possesive in some way in nearly every episode. Enough already! 

[jww]

I guess it really is Always Sunny in  Philadelphia since it  looked liked it was July when they were outside playing football and they were all in short sleeves.

[rmontro]

Is the goal of this and every episode to get us to hate Beverly Goldberg?  That seems to be the aim.

[nelroy78]

They should’ve had Uncle Marvin in Glascott’s place. Doesn’t Glascott have his own family? I guess they were still pissed about the Nashville fiasco (the “Planes, Trains, and Automobiles” episode. (Angst-Giving). Yeah Beverly was out of line last night. 

Edited November 19, 2021 by nelroy78

[tennisgurl]

Why anyone is still friends with Beverly is beyond me, she's become such an unlikable ball of selfishness and insecurities. At least this time she had to apologize and they don't try to make it seem like Beverly was right all along for her crappy behavior. 

It was really random to have Glassman around and not with his own family on Thanksgiving, but I enjoyed how excited he was for the upcoming drama. I also liked a lot of the Pop Pop's story, Judd Hirsch has been a major highlight of this season. 

[proserpina65]

22 hours ago, jww said:

I guess it really is Always Sunny in  Philadelphia since it  looked liked it was July when they were outside playing football and they were all in short sleeves.

I live about an hour south of Philly in an area with very similar weather.  I can attest that we do have at least occasional Thanksgivings where it is warm enough to be outside in short sleeves.  Not this year, though, apparently. :-(

1 hour ago, tennisgurl said:

Why anyone is still friends with Beverly is beyond me, she's become such an unlikable ball of selfishness and insecurities. At least this time she had to apologize and they don't try to make it seem like Beverly was right all along for her crappy behavior. 

I'd honestly be fine with Beverly being out of the show completely.  I've never found her that amusing, and she's just gotten worse with every season.

[alexa]

Yes, this episode really has taken the Bev stories to a too much level.  I have been over this story for a while, but she was downright cruel this one.  And no friend would forgive her that easily.  

[Aryanna]

On 11/10/2021 at 2:09 PM, ljenkins782 said:

the details of what went on between the football players and cheerleaders were pretty disgusting. So while it wasn't school-mandated, it was apparently an open secret that participating in the cheerleading program at that school came with a heavy price.

eww

 

This show has become what Fesh Off The Boat was. Insufferable mother is awful, learns lesson, next week lesson is forgotten. Wash rinse repeat. 

Edited November 22, 2021 by Aryanna

[lh25]

Catching up on this show, sorry this is out of order.  On the Halloween episode, did the Grandpop say "you do you" to Adam?  Did people say that in the 80's?  I graduated HS in 1981 and don't remember hearing that.

[chediavolo]

On 11/18/2021 at 6:18 PM, rmontro said:

Is the goal of this and every episode to get us to hate Beverly Goldberg?  That seems to be the aim.

It’s working. I don’t know if the show is writing her more awful then in the beginning, or just the accumulation over the years of her being a screeching harpie nasty bitch to family & friends or just finding out more about how ducked up the real Beverly is that is making me wonder how I ever liked this show. 

[proserpina65]

My quick Googling indicated that NYU and Brown are a little more than 3 hours apart (depending on traffic, of course), so Adam's freak out seemed incredibly over the top to me.  I mean, it's not like Bria was heading off to Stanford.

I'm glad Beverly got a bit of a reality check from Ginsey about how her friends feel about her awful treatment of them, but no way would I have forgiven her if I'd been Ginsey.  I'm not really sure why anyone spends time with Beverly at all.

Edited December 2, 2021 by proserpina65

[Slade347]

You can't help but watch these episodes wondering why those involved with the Goldbergs (especially Beverly and Adam) bother to stick around.

It's weird to see an episode without Geoff considering he's probably gotten more screen time this season than everyone but Beverly and Adam.

I did laugh at the way Barry's voice changed when he did his Adam impersonation. 

[tennisgurl]

Barry's Adam impression was actually pretty good. Him and his girlfriend are pretty funny but I miss the JTP. Even as the show limps along I can always count on them. 

I have no idea why anyone even hangs out with the Goldbergs, especially Beverley, they all seem like such selfish assholes who treat their friends and loved ones like crap. I am glad that Beverley's crappy treatment of her friends was finally called out, but I doubt it will change anything, she'll be back to her usual crap soon. 

Adam is always a bit too dramatic, but his freak out about Brea was especially ridiculous considering heir colleges aren't even that far away. Plus, we already know that Adam and Brea don't work out, so this all just feels pointless. 

Edited December 2, 2021 by tennisgurl

[rmontro]

4 hours ago, proserpina65 said:

My quick Googling indicated that NYU and Brown are a little more than 3 hours apart (depending on traffic, of course), so Adam's freak out seemed incredibly over the top to me.  I mean, it's not like Bria was heading off to Stanford.

Well, young love and all that.  It's a big change from seeing each other every day.  Three hours is a good little jaunt.  They could probably do weekends together if they have the time, and the inclination.  It does make it a long distance relationship, and those are hard to maintain.  The main thing is that it played into Adam's insecurities.  

Beverly was awful as usual, but learned her lesson again supposedly, just like every other episode.  I did think Erica's greed over getting a lot of wedding gifts was kind of funny.

[HyeChaps]

Bev's "hair" looked horrible.

Barry didn't mention how his long distance relationship with Lainey didn't work.

[Aryanna]

These storylines are getting really thin. It feels like they're having to pad out a 22 minute show.

I don't know why Gen z or anyone else is friends with Beverly. I miss the jtp and none of the teachers are ever in the show anymore. The show has gotten smaller.

[853fisher]

1 hour ago, Aryanna said:

The show has gotten smaller.

It's funny you say this, because I was thinking that Beverly's other two usual girlfriends were conspicuously missing.  It would have been funny to find all three of them at the club together.  And I couldn't figure out why a friend of Beverly's would make a party for Erica, but if they were going to use that idea, surely Mrs. Schwartz would have been involved too.  It felt like they only wanted to pay one of them so they flipped a coin and Essie lost.