The Goldbergs Review: School-ercise (Season 9 Episode 18)
Barry and Geoff have a literal bro-off over an internship and Beverly has an incident at school that almost gets her cancelled, 80s style, on The Goldbergs Season 9 Episode 18, “School-ercise.”
I never knew Beverly Goldberg could actually experience embarrassment. She may seem above such things with her super smothering and endless energy, but she’s still human with perfectly natural bodily functions.
More often than not she is the one doing the embarrassing. How many times have we seen her ask her kids in public if they “have to make” complete with her own descriptive hand gesture? It kinda makes your heart break for her when she lets out a “two-cheek squeak” during her Jazzercise P.E. class and thinks she can’t come back from it.
At first glance, this appears to be out-of-character. I can clearly picture her responding in a different way, like coolly telling the kids that it’s okay to release air from their “tushies” or something of that (smother) nature. Beverly reacting as she does by running out of the class feeling humiliated causes us to dig a little deeper into figuring out why.
Adam, her baby, is a senior and just weeks away from graduating high school. Teaching Jazzercise, which is one of her passions, to Adam and his classmates is a last desperate grab at hands-on involvement in her kids’ school lives. Knowing that this special time with Adam is soon to be over brings up emotions and makes her act irrationally.
It’s not really about the fart at all, it’s about the finality and the natural progression of things. We mustn’t diminish the fact that this a graduation for Beverly, too—a big, scary life change where there’s no way of telling what the future holds.
Beverly: Well, I guess my time here really has come to an end. I’m sorry it ended this way.
For a smothering Yenta control freak, this is a hard truth to accept, and it’s nice to see Adam stand up for her so publicly. Even though at times she’s made his high school career miserable, the times she has come to his defense or helped him with some problem or comforted him far outweigh her embarrassing ways.
Beverly: So you’re not embarrassed of me?
Adam: Always. But, I can’t have you being embarrassed of yourself. You’re Beverly Goldberg.
Barry and Geoff are taking their brotherhood very seriously by getting into a brotherly battle over a coveted internship. They do this by trying to outdo each other at their own game. Geoff hilariously assumes Barry’s boisterous rap alter-ego—”Say hello to Dr. Big Tasty, MD”—and Barry hijacks Geoff’s “delightful persona.”
Of course, the internship goes to Raj, the 3rd and only candidate not to be engaged in this wacky BFF/siblings-in-law behavior. Erica and Joanne playing puppetmasters in this situation gives the storyline some added punchiness and interesting side-by-side comparisons of the two couples.
On a personal note, this review is doubly nostalgic for me. I started writing here at Tell-Tale TV by reviewing The Goldbergs—Season 4 Episode 12, “Snow Day,” to be exact. I haven’t covered it for a while, but was thrilled for the chance to fill in. My babies are all grown up! And Wendi McLendon-Covey’s Beverly remains one of my favorite sitcom moms of all time.
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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Erin Allen
Erin is a former script supervisor for film and television. She's an avid fan of middle aged actresses, dark dramas, and irreverent comedies. She loves to read actual books and X-Files fan fiction. Her other passions include pointing out feminist issues, shipping Mulder and Scully, and collecting pop culture mugs.