eegad Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 What, no Goldbergs fans here? I thought for sure somebody would have mentioned last nights show... It was Thanksgiving and the uncle was talking up all his investment success, and ended up talking the kids and their friends into giving him all their money to invest for them in a "great electronics company that makes computer thingies". Meanwhile Adam sees the Atari E.T. commercial on TV and is psyched for it....and ends up getting the cartridge later that day somehow. We see Adam insert the cart into a 4-switcher and start playing the game "wow, great graphics, classic Atari!". Then he falls into a pit. Repeatedly. And he's screaming "Balls" and "are you kidding me?" and finally "how can I get ET back home when I can't even get him out of a pit? This is nothing like the movie!". Later in the episode the kids lose all their money when the company their uncle invested in has a horrible earnings announcement and the stock nosedives....the company of course was Atari. I like the show a lot and thought it was nice to see Atari prominently featured in a primetime show. The one thing I always find odd about the show though is that it is set in the 80s, but the timing of things very often don't make sense or match up. This episode was no exception. The ET cart came out in December 1982 if I recall, yet Adam was playing it on Thanksgiving, so a bit early. But the uncle mentions how "Wall Street" is his favorite movie....but that didn't come out until 1987. These shows are based on Adam Goldberg's childhood and at the very end of each episode a few brief home video clips of his from the 80s are shown that coincide with that episode. Interestingly, the clip from last night showed young Adam playing the ET game...on a 7800 Atari system, with a date stamp in the corner from March of 1989. 5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loxx O))) Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Welp, we watch on Hulu so you just spoiled it for me. I'll probably see it later tonight. But I will say you're correct about the timeline being all over the place. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Anything that happened before most people came online (became self-aware) is lumped into a big pile. They think that George Washington and Abraham Lincoln rode a dinosaur together during the American Civil War Revolution while playing Atari 2600 E.T. on a Game Boy. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Atari_Warlord Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 I enjoyed the episode although it will perpetuate the myth that E.T. caused the video game crash. The timeline is definitely all over the place, but most of these shows aren't striving for accuracy, so it really doesn't matter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Well I'm quite confused...Since Save2600 and I were talking about it in his status updates...And now they're gone! Anyway, It's a Great Show! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+save2600 Posted November 16, 2017 Share Posted November 16, 2017 Yeah, sorry about that. My bad. Love the show too, watch every week and yep - the timeline thing kinda irks as well. As did the obligatory "E.T. sucks" theme in this particular episode. Of course, a show like this is a hell of a lot more entertaining than most of what's on today, so little to complain about all things considered. Wondering why the seasons are only available on DVD though? No Blu-ray option. Very strange. Hoping somebody wakes up and start making them available in that format. Or perhaps they will after the show has ended and come out with a complete box set or something. Don't want the show to end anytime soon though! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Atari_Bill Posted November 17, 2017 Share Posted November 17, 2017 I love the show and watch it religiously. The creator has said in the past that he purposely doesn't adhere to a strict timeline within the 80s. That's why he always mentions the date as 1980 something at the start. They mix and match dates from the 80s like they're looking back without a perfect memory of the timeline. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maibock Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 "It was 1980 something and....." Is how the beginning of the show usually goes.. and then it's a retrospective look upon someone's life on the 80's. When you look back on the 80's doesn't it all kinda blend together? Aren't your stories a bit jumbled and mixed up? I know mine are.. that is how I imagine the show might have a look at the 80's. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 "It was 1980 something and....." Is how the beginning of the show usually goes.. and then it's a retrospective look upon someone's life on the 80's. When you look back on the 80's doesn't it all kinda blend together? Aren't your stories a bit jumbled and mixed up? I know mine are.. that is how I imagine the show might have a look at the 80's. For some things, but my family moved around a lot, so significant items, famous happenings and the places I lived are tied together, creating unique configurations that make it easier to remember. We also wrote a lot of things on the family calendar, like when I got certain Atari 2600 games and random things like that. The 1990s are more of a blur for me than the 1980s. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarifan88 Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 The Goldberg's is one of my favorite shows right now. I remember seeing other references to Atari in the past seasons. I think there was a reference to Pitfall! I haven't seen the latest episode yet, but thanks to "on demand" I will make a point to this weekend. Thanks for the heads up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+fdr4prez Posted November 18, 2017 Share Posted November 18, 2017 I gave up a long time ago on trying to get a consistent timeline for the show. It is too scattered, as seen in this episode. But fun nonetheless Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
totengott Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 whats a goldbergs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+Random Terrain Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 whats a goldbergs? I think it's people made of gold who live on an iceberg. I haven't seen even one episode, so that's just a guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt Jack V Posted November 19, 2017 Share Posted November 19, 2017 You're correct about the timeline being all over the place. Not to mention how Erica technically doesn't even exist, instead being a gender-swapped version of Adam's other brother, Eric. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
atarifan88 Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Either way I think the show is great. Like all shows though, it will run it's course. Love that they gave attention to Atari in the episode, but wished it was a more iconic game instead of the turd that ET was... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 And Eugene was playing Activision Boxing on Atari tonight on The Walking Dead! ... That's 2 Atari references in a week on popular shows! ...Not bad! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Loxx O))) Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 And Eugene was playing Activision Boxing on Atari tonight on The Walking Dead! ... That's 2 Atari references in a week on popular shows! ...Not bad! Wasn't there an episode in the previous season where he was playing Warlords? Or asked someone if they wanted to. I was drinking and couldn't remember correctly... but I do remember having to confirm that fact with my wife the next day. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zzip Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 What, no Goldbergs fans here? I thought for sure somebody would have mentioned last nights show... My wife loves the show, but for me, it's full of annoying characters and just isn't enjoyable to watch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tbb033 Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 i love the show, it gives me an 80's boner, but yeah the timeline's all over the place. Like a few years ago he got Zelda (87) and Zelda 2 (88) before a lot of much earlier stuff. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 Wasn't there an episode in the previous season where he was playing Warlords? Or asked someone if they wanted to. I was drinking and couldn't remember correctly... but I do remember having to confirm that fact with my wife the next day. Yep! He was playing Yar's Revenge actually, but mentioned Warlords and asked the ladies if they wanted to play it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted November 20, 2017 Share Posted November 20, 2017 i love the show, it gives me an 80's boner, but yeah the timeline's all over the place. Like a few years ago he got Zelda (87) and Zelda 2 (88) before a lot of much earlier stuff. I see it as a show hitting the highlights of the 80's (and sometimes resembling an 80's movie, too)...Hence the, shall we say fluid timeline. Complete anachronisms aside, If it stuck to a rigid timeline, ... And let's say it got cancelled. And then you're stuck with 1981 let's say...You might get an Atari reference and hit Empire Strikes Back, but never get to TRON, E.T., Goonies, or ever see an NES...This way they can pick and choose events as it suits them and the show can keep on keeping on... 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jason_Atari Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Staying on the Atari on tv shows theme, did anyone notice Eugene playing activision boxing on the walking dead last night? 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
+GoldLeader Posted November 21, 2017 Share Posted November 21, 2017 Staying on the Atari on tv shows theme, did anyone notice Eugene playing activision boxing on the walking dead last night? Indeed I did haha... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
0078265317 Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 I saw this also. It was good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hannacek Posted November 22, 2017 Share Posted November 22, 2017 (edited) The one thing I always find odd about the show though is that it is set in the 80s, but the timing of things very often don't make sense or match up. This episode was no exception. The ET cart came out in December 1982 if I recall, yet Adam was playing it on Thanksgiving, so a bit early. But the uncle mentions how "Wall Street" is his favorite movie....but that didn't come out until 1987. These shows are based on Adam Goldberg's childhood and at the very end of each episode a few brief home video clips of his from the 80s are shown that coincide with that episode. Interestingly, the clip from last night showed young Adam playing the ET game...on a 7800 Atari system, with a date stamp in the corner from March of 1989. The show takes place in 1980-something. It is partially explained by these are memories of when he was growing up, so sometimes he gets things a little mixed up. It gets a little confusing when some episodes reference things that happened in specific years like ET in 1982, Reagan's reelection in 1984, and Star Trek IV being the most recent Star Trek film. The show is taking liberty with the timeline for story and comedic purposes. Almost every episode has a movie like Wall Street that came out years after the event for the B story line, ET for the 2600. The writers go for a good story, and comedy, not a strict timeline. If the show had great continuity, the comedy would suffer. Other shows like Stranger Things and Halt and Catch Fire keep to a strict timeline. But for a light hearted comedy, a strict timeline would hurt the show more than help. At the end of every episode, they show a home movie clip of the real Adam Goldberg that relates to the episode. This adds to the timeline confusion, because you can usually tell the exact year that home movie was filmed based on a number of factors including the age of Adam, the pop culture, clothes, etc. Edited November 22, 2017 by Hannacek 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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