The Goldbergs Review: Bachelor Party (Season 6 Episode 9)

On The Goldbergs Season 6 Episode 9, “Bachelor Party,” we see how complicated it can be to give to our loved ones. 

There is a lot of Goldberg family heart in this episode, and in true fashion, it all leads up to it with tons of comedy. It is chock-full of the elements that are unique to the show which make it so great. There’s the ever-present 80s element, a (truthfully critical) tribute to a retro classic (Bachelor Party), and the most unique of all, a story pulled directly from show creator Adam F. Goldberg’s real life.

Enter the Bitter, the Ferrari of Austria. It might be the first thing that has ever made Murray feel special, but in a more tangible way. What he learns along the way is that he’s been special all this time because of his marriage to Beverly. The whole development of this storyline is so freaking sweet I can barely stand it.

Beverly forces him to go looking for a new car out of necessity—Murray has the same car he had when they went on their first date. “It has sentimental value,” he explains, trying to appeal to her own sentimentality. The fight he puts up is expected and funny, but made all the better by his unexpected fondness for a luxury vehicle. 

Once the “car compliments” start to make him feel special, he embraces Beverly’s splurge only to have the car break down and literally fall apart in his driveway two days later—which is all the true story aspect. First, his realization that he feels special is my favorite thing about this episode and maybe out of all of Murray’s moments on the entire run of the show. It could be that at times I really relate to Murray (like it’s kind of frightening, actually) so him getting this win feels like one for me, too. 

Secondly, Murray finally grasps that the thing is a hunk of junk, and that being happy about an extravagant purchase and feeling special for once in his life is depressingly short-lived. His reaction is genuine; the disappointment is palpable. But, the conclusion he comes to at the end is so precious.

Murray: I don’t need nice things to be happy. I already got the nicest thing in the world: you.

The final narration sums it up just as wonderfully, as always: “That’s the thing about the people we choose to spend our life with, in the end, they are all we need to get by. And when it came to that busted down Bitter it really did sit in our driveway forever, but it didn’t matter because every time my dad saw it he was reminded that he already had the greatest gift of all: a person to spend his life with.”

The mushiness is not confined to the Murray storyline alone, but it’s also seeped into the Barry/Adam one as well. 

Actually, it is prefaced with the sappy brotherly love that they acknowledge in a clever way. Then it is wrapped up in a typical family sitcom manner that works well given the type of show The Goldbergs is and the overall performances and sibling chemistry of Troy Gentile and Sean Giambrone.

It is a pleasant surprise that Barry picks Adam as his best man when he has the whole JTP to choose from. It is so sweet that it distracts me from the fact that Barry and Lainey are having their bachelor/bachelorette parties already. Are they really getting married that soon? Wild.

Barry: Adam, it’s recently come to my attention that I need a best man and I’ve made my choice.
Adam: Naked Rob, right? He’s the heart and soul of the JTP.
Barry: No, dummy, it’s you because you are my brother and you mean the stupid world to me.
Adam: What?
Barry: Stop. Don’t make this all weird and tearful.
Adam: I just can’t help it, it’s just such a wonderful moment for us. 
Barry: No! Don’t you dare feel deep emotion because then I’ll feel deep emotion, too.
Adam: I just have a brother who loves me so much.
Barry: It’s true.

Both Gentile and Giambrone really engage with this beginning funny scene as well as the actual emotional scene at the end. 

Other aspects of this storyline that work really well are the addition of Uncle Marvin and the hilarious bit with the captioning while they are at the noisy club. All actors do a fantastic job with this ingenious angle of joke telling. “VIP” being confused with “JTP” is especially good. 

Side note: Adam is glaringly incorrect. We all know the heart and soul of the JTP is Matt Bradley. I will die on this hill. 

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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