The Goldbergs – Mister Knifey-Hands

By starrymag | October 30, 2018

By: Ariba Bhuvad

 

 

The Goldbergs brought back one of the biggest nightmares of the 80’s (literally) in the form of Freddy Krueger for last week’s Halloween-themed episode, “Mister Knifey-Hands.” Not only did the iconic horror icon make an appearance in the episode, but Robert Englund came back to reprise his role, making it authentically horrifying.

 

In the spirit of Halloween, Adam (Sean Giambrone) and Jackie (Alexis G. Zall) decide they want to have a movie marathon and watch the scariest movie they can find at the video store. Jackie picks up a copy of A Nightmare on Elm Street, but Bev (Wendi McLendon-Covey) stamps her disapproval on it immediately. Adam tries to act like he’s upset over it, but secretly he’s relieved because Freddy Krueger is no joke. However, Jackie’s parents have already rented the movie instead, so it looks like Adam’s in for a frightening evening.

 

After watching the movie, Adam is scared out of his mind and unable to fall asleep. In fact, he is too scared to fall asleep! He stocks up on soda to keep him awake and away from the grasp of Freddy Krueger. His mind has gotten away from him to the point that he can’t even look at Beverly’s sweater that looks a bit too similar to Freddy’s.

 

Adam finally comes clean about watching the movie at Jackie’s which ignites a smotherly fire within Bev and Murray (Jeff Garlin) is equally upset after learning that Jackie’s parents are hippies. In an effort to chase away the nightmare of it all, Bev tries to suggest a number of things Adam should do including taking a warm bath, but that doesn’t work out too well when he imagines Freddy emerging from the water with his knifey-hands.

 

Geoff (Sam Lerner) tries to convince Erica (Hayley Orrantia) to do a couples costume for Halloween, but she is not exactly enthusiastic about the idea. She’s far too embarrassed to do any of the costumes he’s suggesting and her complex about being “cool” hasn’t quite left her despite experiencing college.

 

While dropping Geoff off at school, the guidance counselor (Tim Meadows) spots Erica and invites her in. As a graduate of the high school, he hopes that Erica can inspire the other students. But things take a wrong turn when she starts talking about dropping out of college and says that high school is essentially pointless.

 

After this, everyone starts to look up to Erica around the school which prompts her to stick around for as long as she can. She finally feels on top of the world again, but Geoff is concerned that she’s taking it all a bit too far. The tables have turned and now he’s embarrassed of her behavior and how she’s conducting herself. But she doesn’t believe him when he says that people are starting to talk about her and she goes on a mission to prove him wrong.

 

In an effort to help Adam face his fears, Jackie’s dad (Scott Adsit) gives him a Fangoria magazine which spills all the details about how horror movies and characters come to life. It’s the quickest way to overcome the fear and prove to himself that it’s all fake. After Adam starts acting normal again, Beverly thinks its her doing. Adam bursts her bubble by telling her that Jackie’s dad is the one that suggested the magazine.

 

Of course, Mama Smother is not happy that someone else dare parent her children so she confronts Jackie’s parents at the corn maze later that day. Even Murray joins because he just can’t stand hippies, a hate he’s carried since college.

 

Thanks to the parents all-out war, it indirectly causes issues between Jackie and Adam. Adam vents his anger towards Bev and Murray. To make up for it, Bev watches A Nightmare on Elm Street but falls asleep and has a Krueger nightmare of her own where she comes face-to-face with him and realizes that she needs to apologize. Meanwhile, Krueger is confused as to why his knifey-hands and burnt up face isn’t doing the trick.

 

Bev goes to apologize to Adam, but learns that Jackie is over and hiding in the closet. When her parents come to pick her up, all the parents make up and agree that they have different ways of raising their children, and neither of them are wrong.

 

According to Geoff, Erica is officially losing it when she attempts to bring kegs to the high school party. Given that she’s not twenty-one years old, she was only able to get her hands on non-alcoholic beer. she tries to pass it off as the real deal before being intercepted by the counselor, who then passes it along to the other teachers who think it actually is beer.

 

Geoff finally tells Erica how he’s feeling about her behavior and Erica hurtfully blurts out that she was the one that was always embarrassed which is why she chose to keep their relationship a secret in the beginning. Realizing she had gone too far, Erica surprises her beau later in one half of the couple costumes he wanted them to be in. She also comes clean about being worried about her future.

 

And despite whatever the future may have in store for Erica, for the time being she made Geoff one happy man as the two walked into the school Halloween party decked out in their nerdy couples costume.