The Goldbergs Review: Jedi Master Adam Skywalker (Season 4 Episode 23)

Two generations of Goldbergs fight to be seen as equals by their older siblings in The Goldbergs season 4 episode 23 “Jedi Master Adam Skywalker.”

“Jedi Master Adam Skywalker” shows both Adam and his Uncle Marvin vying for respect as the youngest of the family. I am an only child, so I can’t really speak to how well the show portrays how it feels to be the youngest sibling, but that doesn’t stop me from laughing at all the Goldberg antics.

The two storylines mirror each other so closely which gives a side-by-side comparison of this relationship in the young adult phase as well as the adult. It seems like a bit of overkill until they mention the similarities and use it as a catalyst to resolve the Adam plot.

Barry: From now on you are no longer our nerdy baby bro, you’re like a real person that matters.

Just when I think it’s being redundant or too on the nose, they drive home their reasoning for it. The Goldbergs has this great self-aware quality that helps them get away with these things. I don’t begrudge them this. In fact, I commend them for doing it so well.

They use this technique to comment on the Erica/Geoff relationship which has comprised much of the season. It’s a very quick bit in this episode, but it speaks volumes about a trope that often plagues other shows.

When there is a “will they or won’t they” situation, it is often played out over seasons for fear of losing that rich, story-building tension. Writers don’t fully commit to it when a pair finally does come together, and that is how the myth of the Moonlighting curse is perpetuated.

Although I feel like the Gerica ship took a tad too long to set sail, it is nothing compared to other series out there that string along their audience season after season. In just one exchange of dialogue, the writers acknowledge that they used the often used “will they or won’t they” device, and then poke fun at themselves for it.

Naked Rob: I hate to be that guy, but everyone is kind of over the whole Erica and Geoff thing.
Matt: Barry and Lainey might not be the fresh new couple, but you can’t help but root for them.

I love this. The Goldbergs‘ self-consciousness is one of my favorite traits of the show, second only to the 80s nostalgia.

About that nostalgia…

“Jedi Master Adam Skywalker” fits a lot of the 80s in without it actually being about those things. This sibling story can take place in any decade. The added retro material is all bonus.

We get Alf, Gremlins, floppy discs (with tender insides), and scratch and sniff stickers. It’s glorious.

Adam: How dare you use Alf’s good name to distract me. Alf is sacred.
Lainey: He eats cats, dude.
Adam: Cats are the chicken of Melmac. Doesn’t matter.

Season 4 Episode 23 is the penultimate episode for the season, and it has a nice end-of-year feel to it. All the talk of the yearbook superlatives is a light way to gear up for the more emotional material that is likely headed our way in the finale.

Stray Observations:

• The scene where Marvin is hired and fired repeatedly, rapid fire (pun intended) goes on longer than I thought would work, but it actually makes it funnier. “Friggin’ Reaganomics.”
• “Hold him down. We’ll beat him with his own toys.”
• “No person wants to sit on a bag of beans.”
• I think blaming Murray for how Marvin turned out is a bit dubious and harsh, but I do like the message at the end. “It’s time we both started believing in you.”

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

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