Warning: The following contains spoilers for The Goldbergs, season 10, episode 20.While The Goldbergs season 10 finally justified Murray’s bleak worldview, it would have been nice if the family sitcom got around to this before killing off the character in the premiere. Murray’s death was not handled perfectly in The Goldbergs season 10. When allegations of onset harassment were leveled against his actor Jeff Garlin, Murray was swiftly killed off before The Goldbergs season 10 began and the show’s premiere dealt with the fallout of this sudden loss. However, this only came about after The Goldbergs season 9 awkwardly covered up Garlin’s exit with a CGI stand-in of the actor, meaning the sitcom’s cover-up work wasn’t seamless.
Similarly, although The Goldbergs season 10 uses Pop-Pop better than any earlier outing of the show, the series still gave this character a story that explained Murray’s character way too late. Like Murray, Pop-Pop is an irascible, often mean-spirited figure in the Goldberg household. However, unlike Murray, Pop-Pop almost never shows the heart hidden under his bitter exterior. When he was originally introduced, Judd Hirsch’s character was essentially an even more cynical, older version of Murray, which left him without an obvious role to play when Garlin’s character was written out. However, The Goldbergs season 10, episode 19. “Flowers for Barry,” fixed this a little too late.
The Goldbergs Season 10 Explained Why Murray Was So Bitter
Pop-Pop’s explanation of how he ended up with Murray’s mom could have explained why Murray was so bitter. However, this would have been more impactful if Murray hadn’t been killed off in The Goldbergs season 10 premiere. The contrast between Beverly’s sweetness toward Adam in The Goldbergs and Murray’s more traditional parenting style always seemed intense, but the revelation that Pop-Pop tried to rid himself of Murray’s mother before she fell pregnant and failed could explain why Murray was never a cheerful or sweet presence. Of course, this would have only worked if Murray was still around.
Without Murray present, the news that Murray’s childhood was an unhappy one just seems needlessly dark. There is no way for Murray to process this since the character is dead, so Pop-Pop’s revelations in The Goldbergs season 10 instead just allowed the show to explain why Murray had such a bleak view of life without changing this. This could be an effective tragic-comic twist in a darker show, but The Goldbergs is effectively a live-action cartoon. Much like The Goldbergs season 11 wouldn’t have worked because the show can’t address serious steps like Adam’s career and college life, the sitcom couldn’t pull off this grim punchline.
The Goldbergs Season 10 Hasn’t Handled Murray’s Absence Well
The unnecessary confirmation that Murray’s childhood was the byproduct of a loveless marriage is just the latest way that The Goldbergs season 10 has struggled with Murray’s death. Beverly’s grief over the loss has been all but ignored in The Goldbergs season 10 since she is the most over-the-top and cartoony character in the series, but this hasn’t worked since she is also the figure most closely impacted by the character’s early exit. Similarly, Barry’s grief over losing his father made for a solid subplot in one outing, but this only drew more attention to how little Erica and Adam have discussed the topic in The Goldbergs season 10.
Episodes of The Goldbergs air Wednesdays on ABC
