S02.E09: The Most Handsome Boy on the Planet

[Kromm]

Holy Carp!  No topic yet? Odd, because this was a GREAT episode.

 

One thing I noticed for the first time: the scenes between George Segal and Sean Giambrone are really really good. For some reason I never thought about the chemistry between the two, given that "grandpa/grandson chemistry" is an odd thing to notice and comment on. But this isn't a normal grandpa/grandson situation--rewind and watch the scene with Pops and Adam, after Murray and Erica leave the room. It's not a little kid speaking to an elder as much as it is two cronies hashing something out. It's GREAT--there's a natural back and forth timing between them that's incredible. 

 

Also, Paul Sorvino?  Yay!  And that HAIR?  Good lord.  I know that man.  I've seen that man.  He's like a million mean grumpy grandpas in one.

 

This episode features a lot more of Patton's narration than usual.  But it worked for this script. 

 

And the Barry/Bev modeling storyline?  The kind of crazy story this show does so well.  And actually I loved Erica's role in this episode too--the snarky advisor thing she was doing--it was limited but well executed.

 

Also, I loved the authentic New Year's footage. Different faces or not, we could DEFINITELY recognize those people. Barry was SO Barryish. Beverly was SO Beverlyish. Even Murray (the most physically different looking) was fairly recognizably Murrayish.  Love love loved.

 

And if I'm the ONLY person who laughed out loud at the New Year's thing on the screen where you could see "198" and Barry was blocking the last digit?  Well I'm okay with that.

Edited December 11, 2014 by Kromm

[Angeltoes]

I felt stupid because I was surprised their house had no sign of Christmas then it dawned on me that they were Jewish.

[lambertman]

And if I'm the ONLY person who laughed out loud at the New Year's thing on the screen where you could see "198" and Barry was blocking the last digit?  Well I'm okay with that.

 

I liked that but I immediately wished they'd had the family shout "Happy Nineteen Eighty Something!" :)

[Kromm]

I liked that but I immediately wished they'd had the family shout "Happy Nineteen Eighty Something!" :)

Nah, I prefer the joke implied via the physical blocking, rather than confronted head on in that kind of meta fourth wall breaking fashion.

 

Unless... they had them shout "Happy Nineteen Eighty..." and then there's some loud noise that covers what they're saying (if there'd been some joke earlier in the episode that led to a loud noise being let out by something at inopportune times, which reappeared at the end).

That said... I don't know too many people who yell out the year at New Years.  So it might be too odd even with the noise gag.

[readster]

 Oh how I heart this show. The funny thing is, if you look carefully at how Barry covers the last digit during the countdown, you can tell it says: 1986 on it. What's funny even using the E.T reference is the movie was shown in theatres on and off during the early 80s since it was so successful. I was in 1st grade and the local movie theatre had it during Christmas and that was 1984, two years after it had been out and it was brought back in 1987 at another local theatre before not showing up again unless it was a film festival or the 20th anniversary. My wife even said she remembers seeing it at the movie theatre when she was growing up in 1986. 

  Poor Murrey, he has a much better relationship with his kids but sadly he ended up taking some of his dad's worst traits including losing the pants. Then his brother went the opposite trying to not be like them and ended up doing very stupid stuff. Does make you wonder where grandma went if she is to blame why Pop Pop ended up so angry at the world. Great episode. 

[Traveller519]

Barry blocking the screen was a great call out. I also laughed at that.

 

"Here's a cheque, I made it out to cash." "When did you even write that?"

 

Rob Huebel is great as these types of characters, a guy who should be a slimy salesman, but has a great amount of charm to back it up. And damn, if it wasn't cool to see Paul Sorvino kicking it with these guys, he plays grumpy comedy so well.

[shipmate]

There really was one of those modeling places at the King of Prussia (outside Philly) in the 80s. The would keep all the cool headshots in quasi-shadow box to lure in unsuspecting teens and preteens, as kids hung out at the mall all the time back then. Watching with Mr shipmate I kept saying "I bet that's at king of Prussia!" Yeah... he didn't care nearly as much as I did.

[biakbiak]

There were those kind of modeling places all over the country.

[shipmate]

I realize that but the show is set in the Philadelphia area. Since I was a teen in the same area in the 80s, I get an extra kick out of it.

[jww]

Did I hear right, Murray's father was mad at him because he advised him not to invest in 7 UP?  7 UP was introduced in 1929 and was third in sales behind Coke and Pepsi by the mid/late 40's.

[Perfect Xero]

At this rate Bev and Barry will be competing with Lucile and Buster at the first Motherboy.

[Dilandau]

My brother got some of those "modeling pics," except he was a toddler when it happened. Instead of super modeling apparently it was for advertisements and stuff. We still have the pictures from it, they actually turned out pretty nice, but obviously it was a scam. 

[maraleia]

 

When Barry is approached by a modeling representative in the mall, Barry is convinced he'll be famous but Erica believes it's a scam so Beverly threatens the modeling rep to give him a gig or else. Later, Adam runs into his Pop Pop, Murray's grumpy dad, and thinks he can help mend the fences between estranged father and son.

[Arynm]

I really wish we had gotten a Hanukah episode. I liked that they did not make the family Christian just to do a Christmas episode. I am Jewish, and would like to see some sort of nod to their religion in the show. I wonder what the thinking behind the scenes were on that? Oh, the stories they could tell with the food alone! they could do an entire episode on gefilte fish.

Pretty funny episode, I had to pause the show to regale my kids on how I was "discovered" in line at the grocery store. I bet you can guess where that got me.

[Traveller519]

I really got the feeling they wanted to establish the family for their unique quirks to begin with. I think at the end of this season they'll be there. People will know them as the Goldbergs, the wacky family first and we can explore the faith for some plot lines (Adam's Bar Mitzvah and Hanukkah would be fun episodes in my opinion).

[Kromm]

I really got the feeling they wanted to establish the family for their unique quirks to begin with. I think at the end of this season they'll be there. People will know them as the Goldbergs, the wacky family first and we can explore the faith for some plot lines (Adam's Bar Mitzvah and Hanukkah would be fun episodes in my opinion).

They're running up against a bit of a potential deadline with Sean Giambrone though, and when he might start to look his age.  The show can be vague about what part of the 80s it's in, what grade Adam is actually in at the time, etc. because they've trained their audience hopefully by this point to understand that the actual show is in a sense happening inside the adult Adam F. Goldberg's mind, where he sounds like Patton Oswalt, looks the same in any given part of the 80s, and we bounce around.  But a Bar Mitzvah pegs Adam as 13 whenever it's happening, even if the year is still announced as "Nineteen Eighty Something", and Giambrone is already 15 (and possibly 16 by the time they'd get around to such an episode).  

 

Sooner or later he's going to start to look like an older teen, and then even if the show sticks with it's guns and still "Nineteen Eighty Somethings" us with apparent early 80s happening events in some episodes, those will be background events and not Adam's personal timeline.  No matter when in "Nineteen Eighty Something" it is, whether we know when it is even, Adam probably still has to LOOK a passable 13.

Edited December 16, 2014 by Kromm

[Traveller519]

I hadn't realized Giambrone was that old already, but I'm not particularly good at guessing ages. I guess we need to prepare for the inevitable start of the season with his voice three octaves lower.

[readster]

 Yeah, and not to mention the rest of Adam's friends are in their teens now or entering puberty. They are only going to be able to throw in so much before the nineteen eighty something has to stay in tune with more mid to late 80s before they are all high school looking age. Even going as far as verging on 89. 

[TobinAlbers]

Is it wrong that I kind of got Pop Pop's rant about E.T.? Not that I agreed with it, but got it, even as I as laughing.

"We don't know anything about that finger. It could be weaponized'

"I felt sorry for those feds. They were trying to examine that thing and the kid kept getting in the way'

I'm so old, LOL.