The Goldbergs: “Why’re You Hitting Yourself?” (Episode 1.04)
The Goldbergs gets a lot of flak for being a boisterous sitcom, in both the literal and figurative sense. Propelled by Jeff Garlin’s high-strung, high-volume persona, many of the actors appear to be operating on a “the louder, the funnier” comedy mindset. That’s not necessarily a bad thing. Sometime louder actually is funnier (see classic bits from SNL-era John Belushi). Nevertheless, few things can drain a comedy faster than unrelenting high energy. It’s exhausting for the audience and all the more exhausting for the actors. Inevitably, you’re trapped by the law of diminishing returns. As our resident narrator Patton Oswalt once said in a great bit, certain jokes should ebb and flow like a Pixies song.
That being said, “Why’re You Hitting Yourself?” marks a step in the right direction. From the onset, you can almost feel the show’s cast and crew collectively relax. Oh, the comedy’s as broad as ever and the emotional climax remains as calculated as always, but there’s now an intangible ease to the proceedings. Adam Goldberg and Co. no longer seem as though they’re desperately grasping for laughs like the hyperactive middle school class clown who couldn’t tolerate sitting through a single class period without getting at least one chuckle from his classmates.
First, let’s start off with the really good news—Beverly actually gets a storyline where she’s not smothering her children before ultimately learning to let them go their own ways. Granted, forcibly setting her Pops up on a date can be considered a form of smothering, but it’s still a nice change of pace. Also, dammit if she’s not unquestionably great as a matchmaker.
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