The Goldbergs – "As You Wish" Retrospective. The Masked Man.

Season 2, Episode 21

Air Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2015, 9:30/8:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die.” – Adam

Father/Son bonding.

Murray (Jeff Garlin) gets excited when Adam (Sean Giambrone) reveals he wants to try out for a sport, but the excitement quickly fades when the sport in question turns out to be fencing. Is Adam really interested in the activity or is this just a ruse to get his hands on the item he needs to recreate one of his favorite movies, The Princess Bride.

When it was announced the 1987 fantasy romance film would be heavily featured in “As You Wish,” I knew I was going to have a problem. Since I’m not a huge fan of The Princess Bride, I knew I would miss some of the references to the movie. Anyone who has read my reviews of the former USA Network series Psych knows I have a love/hate attitude towards homage episodes. In order for them to work, the viewer has to enjoy both shows. Anytime you merge two different mediums, you run the risk of fans tuning the show out even if just for that one episode. On the other hand, there is a chance new viewers will give the show a chance, wanting to see what the series does with the source material. Truth be told, had it been another Star Wars themed episode, my feelings would have been totally different.

Despite my initial reservations about The Princess Bride theme, the writers do a wonderful job creating less of an homage and more of an appreciation of the movie in “As You Wish,” especially since it deals more with the relationship a father has with his son. The chemistry between Garlin and Giambrone as the two struggle to find some common ground is something to enjoy.

TROY GENTILE, HAYLEY ORRANTIA, WENDI MCLENDON-COVEY

Is your mother a yenta?

Meanwhile, Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) is in full matchmaker mode when she sets up Erica’s (Hayley Orrantia) voice teacher, Miss Cinoman (Ana Gasteyer), with Barry’s (Troy Gentile) wrestling coach, Coach Miller (Bryan Callen), much to the dismay of Erica and Barry. The new pairing causes trouble not only for Erica and Barry but the entire school as well. Thankfully, Beverly has a plan.

Initially I had some concerns about this plot point given some of the past matchmaking episodes. But “As You Wish” takes a new approach to the topic by turning Beverly into a “yenta.” Turns out Beverly isn’t the only Goldberg with the yenta gene as Erica begrudgingly realizes she too has her mother’s gift for gossip. It will be interesting to see whether Erica’s talent becomes a blessing or a curse as she becomes more and more like her mother.

Who is that masked man?

I admit, I never considered myself a fan of The Princess Bride but having watched “As You Wish” and as a child of the 80s, I suddenly find myself questioning why I wasn’t a fan of the film. After all, as Adam puts it, “Do you like romance, pirates, wizards, Mandy Patinkin?” Maybe it’s time I give The Princess Bride another chance.

“As You Wish” is a heartwarming episode about the bond between father and son. I especially enjoyed Adam’s transformation into the character, Inigo Montoya, thanks to Murray’s advice. Often, we’ve seen Murray struggle to identify with Adam so when Murray comes down dressed as André the Giant’s character in The Princess Bride, Fezzik, I almost teared up. I said almost. Tell me you didn’t too; I dare you.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “As You Wish.”

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.