Here's How The Goldbergs Handled Murray's Death

The Goldbergs has officially lost its patriarch.

In the Season 10 premiere of the ABC comedy, the death of Jeff Garlin's character Murray Golberg was revealed almost immediately. In the opening moments of the episode, we learned via a voiceover from Adam that Murray had passed away. 

"That year, there was one change that made everything stop," says Adam, as we catch a glimpse of the family going about their lives in the living room while Murray's chair stands empty. "Just a few months ago, out of nowhere, we lost my dad," he continues, as a spotlight is shone on the patriarch's favorite seat. "We will always love you, Dad. Always. And we will find a way to continue on together. Because, after all, we’re the Goldbergs."

The family is forced to confront their grief as they try to go through his belongings, and Erica (Hayley Orrantia) and Geoff (Sam Learner) ask for help from Beverly (Wendi McLendo-Covey) to prepare their baby's nursery. In a moment of catharsis, Beverly gets rid of Murray's chair, but when she regrets the decision and goes to retrieve it from the curb, it's gone. 

The empty space in the living room is hard for Beverly to handle, and her daughter tries her best to comfort her. "He’s always going to be in our hearts. Chair or no chair," Erica tells her mother. When they enter the nursery, however, they find that the chair is there - and thanks to Pop-Pop (Judd Hirsch), it's been converted into a rocking chair for the baby.

"It turns out the people we say goodbye to never really leave us. But that doesn’t mean we don’t miss them," says Adam in a voiceover. 

Garlin's exit from the show was announced last year after multiple complaints were made about his inappropriate conduct on set. Showrunner Alex Barlow first revealed that The Goldbergs would kill off Garlin's character last month.

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Jade Budowski is a freelance writer with a knack for ruining punchlines and harboring dad-aged celebrity crushes. She was previously a reporter/producer at Decider and is a member of the Television Critics Association. Follow her on Twitter: @jadebudowski.