The Goldbergs Review: I Coulda Been A Lawyer (Season 6 Episode 13)

An oft-spoken Beverly quote rightfully gets its own episode on The Goldbergs Season 6 Episode 13, “I Coulda Been A Lawyer.”

After a back to back miss, The Goldbergs Season 6 Episode 11, “The Wedding Singer,” and a hit, The Goldbergs Season 6 Episode 12, “The Piña Colada Episode,” I was curious as to where this episode would fall on the scale, and it seems to land right in the middle. It is kind of blasé—it’s funny though not hysterical, it’s thoughtful but not overwhelmingly heartwarming.

Beverly has been saying “I coulda been a lawyer” for years, and it’s great that Erica tells her to put her money where her mouth is—sort of holding her accountable in a way Erica might wish she was held accountable for herself. It’s a case of a mother who admits she’s past her youthful ambitions and a cautionary tale for Erica. 

See, it’s a bit convoluted. This storyline could have been more streamlined. The lead up is there, edited into a humorous montage with which the show always does so well, but it gets muddled along the way with the stop sign win and then Erica’s desperate need for her mom to have career goals. 

The whole “everyone is a lawyer” argument would not hold up in court and goes on entirely too long. They’re trying to play up the “coulda been” joke, but it falls flat. 

Beverly: Mama’s out. I think I’m okay just knowing I coulda been a lawyer.
Erica: How could you possibly know that if you gave up after two minutes?
Beverly: Well, if you think about it I already kind of am a lawyer.
Erica: Except you’re not a lawyer because you did nothing to become one.
Beverly: According to the show L.A. Law, anyone can represent themselves in court, so that kinda makes me a lawyer.
Erica: No, it makes you a person who wants to be a lawyer, but isn’t one.
Beverly: If I can defend myself in court, then you can, Daddy can, anyone can. So when you think about it, doesn’t it make us all lawyers?
Erica: That is an incredibly dumb way to think about it.

It’s also an incredibly dumb part of this storyline. Oy vey, my head is spinning with its basic triviality that goes around in circles.

The resolution is sweet though. Beverly realizes with Erica’s help that just because she’s fulfilled her dream of being a mom, she doesn’t have to give up her other dreams. A cookbook is an excellent way to pursue that. And Erica is given some positive motivation to put into her own dream.

The Murray/Barry storyline is similar to the Beverly/Erica one where it is the parent that insists on the questionable tactics for their agenda. Murray and Beverly are both cutting corners and teaching their kids that it is okay to do so. Luckily, they’ve taught their kids many lessons over the years and Barry and Erica see that it’s not the right way to do things.

Just as Erica schooled Beverly on ambition, Barry schools Murray on the importance of honesty. The “shoulder padding” the resume is a pretty funny scheme, and it’s no surprise that Barry enthusiastically goes along with it. It’s nice to see that he is the one to put a stop to it in the end.

The parent/kid role reversal works really well with these characters, especially after six seasons of them being in our homes. The actors always nail the sentimentality even when the written jokes aren’t quite up to par.

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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