The Goldbergs – Bachelor Party

By: Ariba Bhuvad

This week on The Goldbergs is all about Barry’s (Troy Gentile) bachelor party! And can we please take a moment to “aw” at the fact that he picked Adam (Sean Giambrone) to be his best man? Once again, this week’s episode reflects on the series creator’s real life and pays homage to a Tom Hanks movie by the same name as the episode. While Barry didn’t initially plan on having a bachelor party, he changed his mind when he saw Lainey (AJ Michalka) was having a party of her own. He wanted her to dumb down the fun they were going to have, but the girls had something else in mind.

Wanting a party of his own, Barry asks Adam to not only plan the bachelor party but also be his best man. The both of them break down in tears over this emotional moment, which actually turns out to be quite hilarious. Neither of them wants to cry, but they’re so overwhelmed by the love they’re feeling for one another that they can’t stop. Beverly (Wendi McLendon-Covey) catches wind of the emotional turmoil and immediately shows up. When she also learns that Barry has just asked Adam to be his best man, she can’t help but start crying, too.

And while that was happy crying, Bev also faces an annoying obstacle in the form of her husband. While dropping the kids off at school in Murray’s (Jeff Garlin) car, she realizes just how broken down is the car. One of the passenger doors is shut tight by a rope while the other passenger door’s handle breaks off while she tries to open it. She decides she’s had enough and that Murray has to buy a new car–no matter what. But Murray isn’t exactly the money spending type, so it takes a lot of convincing, cajoling and manipulating. Initially, he refuses to engage but then he sets his eyes on a red sports car that looks a whole lot like a Ferrari. It’s hard to get him to let go of his old car, one that he’s had since his and Bev’s first date, but thanks to ever the arm-twister John Calabasas (Rob Huebel) eventually he comes around to it. Unfortunately, just a couple days later, the car breaks down. But what makes it worse is that it is such a rare car, that the parts will be impossible to replace.

This part of the episode is directly from creator Adam Goldberg’s life, as we learn in the post-episode scenes. The cutest part about this entire Murray/car storyline is what he takes away from it. No fancy car or object can ever amount to the best thing in his life–dear ‘ol Beverly. How cute are they?!

But now, back to the bachelor party! Trying to get inspiration from the Tom Hanks movie, Adam is tasked with the responsibility of bringing that party to life. He originally comes up with a very relaxed version of it, but Barry insists that he wants to go all out–clubs, dancing and everything. Since Adam isn’t exactly well-versed in the party arena, he brings in the only person that can help him–their dear Uncle Marvin (Dan Fogler). Of course, he manages to pull together the idea Barry was insisting on and hooks them up with completely ridiculous fake IDs. Once they arrive at the club, Barry quickly realizes this is not his scene…at all. In fact, a few minutes of the episode while at the club plays out in silent conversation over the loud music. 

The bachelor party failure saddens Barry because he thought he was ready to be an adult and do adult things. But he feels he’s letting himself and Lainey down already. Enter Adam to make sure his older brother doesn’t lose all hope. The party ends up being how Adam originally planned and it was absolutely perfect – an arcade free for all.