The Goldbergs Review: Mom Trumps Willow (Season 6 Episode 22)

Classic sibling rivalry and an epic mother/son feud make up this Mother’s Day episode of The Goldbergs Season 6 Episode 22, “Mom Trumps Willow.”

Beverly is smarter and more observant than her kids give her credit for. A lot of the time I think she knows about the elaborate schemes they go through just to get out of spending time with her, but she continues her smothering just for that chance that she’ll be able to guilt at least one of them into it.

Adam is her last chance for this Mother’s Day in 1980-something since Erica has been working a sick angle for weeks and Barry gets a pass after making a disgusting breakfast. Adam stands his ground, seeing Willow in the theater being more important, and says the worst possible thing he could say to her on her special day, “I hate you.” Yikes.

Beverly is done. 

What does “done” mean coming from a world-class smother? Adam takes it as a bluff, continues to push her buttons, and finds out exactly what it means. I’ve got to hand it to Beverly for her follow through on this because you know it is killing her.

But Adam has taken it too far this time with those three awful words and he deserves every bit of guilt and struggle he gets when she revokes her motherly duties and love. And it is a long, hard road back into her good graces. The dynamic between them has never been under so much stress before, and it really gives some gravitas to the usual silliness of these storylines. 

This particular predicament lends itself to a delicate balance of funny and serious that can be difficult to achieve on a family sitcom, but Wendi McLendon-Covey and Sean Giambrone navigate this terrain well. The mother/son relationship they have portrayed over six seasons has laid a foundation for this plot to work seamlessly. It takes all the necessary beats—Beverly being fed up, Adam’s stubbornness, over-the-top groveling, a heartfelt exchange—without sacrificing any laughs or emotion.

Along with McLendon-Covey and Giambrone’s superb performances, the story is genuine because it comes from a place of truth—creator Adam Goldberg’s truth. He actually said “I hate you” to his mom on Mother’s Day. I’m not sure if reality played out as comically as it does on this episode, but a solid and well-acted storyline sure comes out of it with the skillful writing that the show has at its disposal.

It’s possible that the strong Beverly/Adam plot weakens the Erica/Barry one, although The Goldbergs has shown before that they can fit two strong storylines into one episode.

It could be just that the plot is flimsy as it is or it could be that I have trouble relating to it being an only child. It seems very silly to me that this turns into a competition at all with only one of them going to Penn—and for Murray to go along with the madness by picking Erica.

Thank goodness they come to their senses. 

Although I find it somewhat weak, it is not without laughs or heart, and that is due to the comedic prowess of both Hayley Orrantia and Troy Gentile. They, too, have created a sibling dynamic over the past seasons which make a lacking storyline like this one so much more feasible and believable. 

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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