The Goldbergs – "The Darryl Dawkins Dance" Retrospective. Secret Shame.

Season 2, Episode 11

Air Date: Wednesday, January 14, 2015, 8:30/7:30c on ABC

Rating: ★★★★★

“Now, whaddaya say you run your grandpa over with a car?” – Pops

I love their friendship.

After taking on the New Kids on the Block last week in “DannyDonnieJoeyJonJordan,” The Goldbergs set its sights on another 80s icon, The Transformers. Will the death of one of Adam’s (Sean Giambrone) cartoon heroes be too much for him to handle?

I greatly enjoyed the scenes between Adam and Pops (George Segal). I have only vague memories of my own grandpa and wish I could’ve experienced the same strong connection Adam has with Pops on The Goldbergs. One of the things missing with kids today is the level of creativity the children who grew up in the 80s had. Watching Adam and Pops in their homemade cardboard costume brought back memories of my own childhood despite growing up a fan of Gobots. Nowadays, parents go out and buy a costume for their kids the days before Halloween and that’s the end of it. For my generation, kids spent weeks putting together an outfit using cardboard, tape, scrap materials, and anything else they could get their hands on. Unlike the stores that only carry costumes around Halloween, kids back in the day would create stuff all year round.

Which one is which?

Although Barry (Troy Gentile) would never admit it, his ideal woman is a younger version of his mother. We’ve seen glimpses of this throughout The Goldbergs and it was only a matter of time before a doppelgänger episode aired. “The Darryl Dawkins Dance” finally gives us that when we meet Evelyn Silver (Allie Grant), a younger dead ringer for Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey). While Erica (Hayley Orrantia) immediately notices the likeness, Barry can’t quite put his finger on it. “I like your sweater; I find it oddly comforting.” I applaud the writers for their restraint, given this bit could have easily gotten out of hand, becoming an annoying spectacle very quickly. Instead, they found the right balance, making the scenes entertaining without going over the top. I especially liked seeing Murray’s (Jeff Garlin) unnamed young doppelgänger, played by Garlin’s real life son James Garlin, interacting with Evelyn. While I appreciate the limited amount of time spent playing it up in these scenes, I wouldn’t be opposed to seeing Evelyn on the show from time to time.

Barry finally gets the girl.

I’m torn when it comes to Barry and Lainey (AJ Michalka) being a secret couple. I like that a relationship with Lainey always seemed to be just out of Barry’s reach previously. The looks and glances throughout the seasons have had meaning because you felt there was something there but things didn’t seem to connect. The way Lainey is always quietly there for Barry, much to the chagrin of Erica, makes for some special moments between the two. I hope their relationship evolves, and the writers keep that unique connection between Barry and Lainey.

Some have questioned The Goldbergs’ excessive use of product placement. “The Darryl Dawkins Dance” could easily be viewed as an extended Transformers ad. I’ve stated before one of my favorite things about The Goldbergs is the Goldbergs’ home movies at the end of each episode. Each clip highlights events from the past that have a connection to that particular episode, providing validation to the story. Watching the real life Adam Goldberg in the 80s mourning the death of Optimus Prime and making his own Transformers movie as seen in “The Darryl Dawkins Dance” adds to the show’s authenticity. In the end, maybe The Goldbergs is less about product placement and more about ‘Adam’ placement. After all, the placement of things on the show is less about the products themselves and more about creating the world through the eyes of a young Adam.

My only complaint about “The Darryl Dawkins Dance” concerns the repetitive Erica verses Barry conflict that has become all too predictable. Brothers and sisters fight and surprisingly, they don’t always make up. Too often, we see Erica sabotaging something in Barry’s life only to regret it, and then try to make it right by the end of the episode. In “DannyDonnieJoeyJonJordan,” we saw the tables turn on Erica as Barry and Adam finally got the upper hand on her, but even that was short lived. I hope the writers can find other ways to show the brother and sister conflict without relying on the same template.

Tweet me @Staffaroadtrip or leave a comment below to let me know what you think about “The Darryl Dawkins Dance.”

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.