The Goldbergs Review: Yippee Ki Yay Melon Farmer (Season 6 Episode 10)

The Goldbergs goes into the holiday break with a knock-down, drag-out Christmas versus Hanukkah battle and a really fun episode.

This isn’t the first time Beverly has engaged in holiday warfare with another family. On The Goldbergs Season 5 Episode 10, “We Didn’t Start The Fire,” she goes head to head with Geoff’s father, a Smother in his own right, in a Hanukkah face-off. In fact, they even reference it on this episode, among a long list of others Beverly has challenged in the name of celebration.

The difference is that in this particular fight, the opponent doesn’t even know they are competing. Lainey (A.J. Michalka) and her dad, Bill (David Koechner), are just trying to survive the season which is a difficult time due to Lainey’s mom leaving them on Christmas. Barry invents a conflict so he can enjoy an elaborate holiday—Christian, Jewish, or otherwise—as long as lots of presents and good food are included. 

Beverly, in an attempt to win a non-existent competition, takes some liberties of her own, taking herself down along the way. And it ruins Lainey and Bill’s Christmas. Thus, Barry and Beverly are the hapless architects of a Christmas/Hanukkah disaster.

This entire storyline is so expertly executed, fitting a big idea into a concise and tight narrative. 

At first, it feels that Beverly one-upping herself for eight days straight will be as exhausting to witness as it is for Beverly to accomplish, but it’s not. In a quick succession, the crazy nights fly by. With this artful tactic, the whole thing is made even funnier. 

The absurd lengths Beverly goes to combined with Barry’s absurdly incorrect knowledge of Christmas provides such a charming chaos with a wonderful payoff that is in the spirit of the season. Erica readily going along with it (both with phase one and phase two) and Beverly’s admission of how terribly wrong the plan goes are small additions to the storyline that have a big impact overall.  

There is so much hilarity in this, I want to recount all of it, but I’ll stick with my favorite part which is Barry’s version of the Twelve Days of Christmas. I don’t know why Barry getting things wrong is so funny, but it is becoming a cherished facet of the show.

Here’s a brief synopsis of what he thinks constitutes the Twelve Days of Christmas: A Partridge Family CD (most importantly), eleven Roddy Pipers, nine Cloris Leachmans, six six-piece nuggets, five onion rings, and three french fries.

So a fast food combo is apparently instrumental to a successful Christmas.

The coming together of the two families in the end after Barry and Beverly see the error of their ways is exactly what this special holiday episode needs. Creating new and meaningful traditions is a great way to bring people of different faiths and backgrounds together. The lowkey Lewises and the over-the-top Goldbergs strike a perfect balance. 

All that seems worthy of its own episode, but there is another storyline that is told with comparable aplomb.

Uncle Marvin returns, gets the family involved in the usual hijinks, and then bails when things go south. This is a pattern we’ve seen several times with him on the show. It does not feel repetitive here because of the acknowledgment of said repetitiveness. 

Murray: You are an adult, Marvin. Why is it always the same with you?
Marvin: Because I am always the same! Every holiday I say next year I’ll be better, but it never changes.

Uncle Marvin just got really relatable. 

I have had similar thoughts, as I’m sure many of us have, especially around this time of year. Improving yourself and changing bad habits takes a lot of hard work. Luckily, Marvin has a supportive family to help him. 

His love for his nephew, and Adam’s unwavering admiration in return, have the ability to get Marvin to take some steps in the right direction. And his brother’s continuous and unconditional support is starting to sink in, giving him the boost he needs.

Implementing COPS and The People’s Court is a clever device in this plot that brings the nostalgic 80s element as well as Marvin’s hilarious delusions of grandeur. And even better is the use of Die Hard as the catalyst to get their story going.

It is a brilliant choice to feature this particular 80s movie in their holiday episode because as Adam says Die Hard is the “BEST. CHRISTMAS. MOVIE. EVER.” 

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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