The Goldbergs Review: Snow Day (Season 4 Episode 12)

The Goldberg clan is blessed with a “Snow Day” on The Goldbergs Season 4 Episode 12.

As happy as the kids are to finally have their school closed due to weather, they find that it means being cooped up with their crazy parents for the day. Having never grown up around snow, I don’t know the joy of getting a snow day. The way the kids react shows me that it must be a highly coveted and magical event since they aren’t wary of spending the day under the scrutiny of mom and dad.

Adam and Barry go head to head with their dad while Erica has to contend with Beverly.

Murray foils the boys plan to veg, watch TV, and snack on the holiday popcorn quadrant tin with his “dad rage.” They rebel against him by building a snow fort instead of shoveling the walkway. Murray tries to employ his parental authority and fails.

Having an odd fear of snow-related dangers, he gets stuck in the snow and freaks out, exposing a vulnerability. The boys didn’t think their dad could be vulnerable. Their reaction to discovering this is somewhat odd. I’m not sure I would be so gleeful, but this is situation comedy, after all, so I understand.

The plot device the writers use to reveal this vulnerable side of Murray seems a bit weak, as well. I just don’t buy Murray getting stuck in the hole that easily.

I like the plot line it prompts, but the idea and execution fall a little short.

Barry, as usual and much like his mother, takes this revelation too far. He convinces Adam to continue to disrespect their father “outside of the whimsical world of the snow fort.” Murray realizes what they are doing and decides to let it run its course. He says the next time they are in a jam and need their dad, they are on their own.

Twenty minutes later, they find themselves in a jam. Murray helps them out and resumes his patriarchal reign over the household. Murray giving into the kids ridicule so readily is surprising.

Even though the general structure of The Goldbergs episodes follow the same patterns, at least one character will do something I don’t expect.

Earning her title of “Smother,” Beverly asserts herself in Erica’s life.

Her whole life is validated when she finds out that Erica wrote about her in her personal hero essay for her college application. Beverly is in her element when she is in full-blown overbearing mode and it never disappoints. My biggest laughs are because of her ridiculousness.

Beverly: I can be cool. Hang with the hunkos in the bubbly tub with my ski goggs on.

Erica is (rightly) horrified and retaliates. Beverly gets her feelings hurt and Erica ends up sympathizing with her. This is Beverly’s classic M.O. She badgers her kids to the point of driving them away then makes them feel bad for doing so.

No matter how much it bugs them, they know she does it all out of love and it’s really hard to fault her for that.

As it is so often with the plot of The Goldbergs, the parents are their typical selves with the “dad rage” and the “smothering,” and, also typically, it backfires. They guilt the kids into running back to them, and all is right in the household again. The predictability of the story line doesn’t bother me, though, since there is so much hilarity along the way.

One part that strays from the usual narrative is the role of Pops.

Pops is always the voice of reason, but in “Snow Day” he competes with Beverly to be the subject of Erica’s hero essay instead of instilling his sage wisdom. This forces the kids and the parents to work their problems out with each other.

It ends with grown-up Adam’s heartwarming voice-over recap:

That’s the thing about your heroes. Even when we say we don’t need them they still have our backs. But, every once in a while, heroes need a little love, too, or at least a reminder of why they were so important in the first place.

Even though these closing thoughts are often cheesy, it recalls a nostalgic time when family sitcoms centered on life lessons. And that is very fitting for a show set in 1980-something.

Stray Observations:

• I really want Erica’s unicorn shirt and Adam’s Space Camp sweatshirt.
• Beverly using “parm” as a verb is perfect.
• Murray calls icicles “sky knives.”
• I love the use of “Believe It Or Not” from The Greatest American Hero. It was also cleverly used in one of my favorite shows, Seinfeld, as George’s answering machine message.
• Erica does this mock gagging bit so well. She’s done it several times in the past and I always love it.
• What is with Murray putting pretzels in a glass of milk and eating it with a spoon? He did this in episode 11, too.
• The tag at the end that shows clips from the real Adam Goldberg’s home movies shows the real Adam in a jacket that is exactly like the one they used in the episode. The authenticity never ceases to amaze me.

What did you think of this episode of The Goldbergs? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

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The Goldbergs airs Wednesdays at 8/7c on ABC.

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