The Goldbergs (season 5)

After Barry breaks Adam's glasses during gym class, Beverly complains to Coach Mellor about pitting big brother against little brother. Rick Mellor reveals a troubled childhood in which his big brother Nick always picked on him. Beverly visits Nick (Bill Goldberg), now the defensive coordinator for the Villanova University football team, and tries to get him to reconcile the issues with Rick for the sake of her own two sons. Elsewhere, Erica worries about the huge phone bill she's racked up by calling Geoff Schwartz every night from her dorm room. She's shocked when Murray tells her not to worry about it, but Murray has an ulterior motive—keeping his daughter in her room every night and away from the trappings of college life.

Erica is failing her film appreciation class, and her only hope for a passing grade is to write a term paper on a movie in one night. Erica has booked a musical performance that evening, so she calls Adam and invites him to D.C. for a visit. Adam brings Dave Kim, Chad Kremp and Sergei along, hoping for a Revenge of the Nerds college experience, but he soon learns that Erica was just using him to get the paper written. After Erica explains to Adam that college is nothing like the movie depictions, she and the guys work together to help her save her show and pass her class. Elsewhere, Beverly writes a resume and ponders the next chapter of her life—a "Bevolution"—which scares Murray because she won't be around to cook and clean as much. He suggests she just change her appearance rather than make a life change, so Bev gets a permanent hairdo. Although it looks horrible on her, Murray insists she looks great, but Bev soon catches on to his scheme. Meanwhile, Barry tries to get a home perm, but it does nothing to change the appearance of his already curly hair. Soon, all members of the JTP try perms, making each one look ridiculous.

Absent: George Segal as Pops

As they decide on Halloween costumes, Adam and Jackie have a major argument when Adam wants her to go as Princess Leia to his Han Solo. It turns out that Jackie does not like Star Wars, but is a big fan of Star Trek instead, and would like Adam to dress as Mr. Spock to her Lt. Uhura. With Adam worried about losing his girlfriend, Murray tries to teach him his technique of quietly acquiescing whenever Beverly wants to be in charge. Adam tries but Jackie sees right through it, and suggests that she and Adam should not be girlfriend and boyfriend. Adam later returns to apologize and profess his love for Jackie, no matter what her sci-fi preference is. Meanwhile, the JTP are playing with an Ouija board, which Barry uses to see if he and Lainey are destined to be together forever. Lainey is visiting Erica, and surprises Barry by showing up at the Goldberg's door on Halloween night. It turns out she has missed him greatly. The two vow that they will make the long-distance thing work, but later come to a realization that they are probably fooling themselves. Erica and Geoff have a similar discussion, insisting that they can make it work because they're only three hours apart and not twelve like Lainey and Barry.

Trying to move on from Lainey, Barry sets his sights on Jamie Weisman (Lily Donoghue), but gets shot down. He and the JTP invade Erica's bedroom to try to find clues about how to understand girls, despite Erica explicitly telling them over the phone to stay out. Beverly offers to help, which is met with resistance from Barry, but after Bev helps Naked Rob meet a girl, Barry starts to see Bev as more than just a mom. Acting on mom's advice to just converse and be himself, Barry lands a study date with Jamie. Mr. Glascott warns Bev that Jamie is a "bleacher person" causing Bev to try and break up the couple, but she later learns that Jamie is a straight-A student and helps Barry look cool in front of Jamie. Elsewhere, Murray's Ottoman Empire is facing tough competition from the Formica King (Richard Kind), who is known for his outrageous local commercials. Murray asks Adam to make him a straightforward sales pitch commercial, but Marvin jumps in and adds ridiculous elements without telling Murray. Murray fires Marvin, but later sees that his commercial was surprisingly effective, as Ottoman Empire experiences an increase in customers. After a brief time where Marvin works for the Formica King, Murray hires him back.

The "Bevolution" continues, as Beverly decides that she will not go overboard on Thanksgiving this year and instead invites neighbors and friends for a pot luck meal. Bev also refuses to swoop in and help Erica when the latter reveals she got a high-interest credit card at college and has run up $3,000 in debt. Erica then goes to a shady credit card booth, gets a card in Beverly's name, and immediately withdraws a cash advance. Marvin arrives in a decked-out convertible, announcing he has made a bunch of money in the stock market. He ropes the JTP into giving him their money with promises to make them all rich. Barry is excited when Marvin later announces a stock he purchased with the investment has quadrupled, only to be let down when he learns that Murray ordered Marvin to give back Barry's $1,000 before the purchase. Barry scolds dad for his old school thinking, saying he never wants to be middle class like him. Marvin soon announces he lost the JTP's money (plus his own and Erica's cash advance) buying Atari stock, which has tanked due to disappointing sales of its E.T. video game. Coincidentally, Adam has been playing the game and hates it. Barry later sees Murray giving Marvin some money to get back on his feet, and realizes his dad's responsible ways aren't so bad. Geoff offers his life savings to Erica to get her out of debt, but she refuses, saying she needs to be responsible for her own mistakes.

Murray decides it's time for Adam to learn to drive, but there is one problem: Adam is too afraid and doesn't want to learn yet. Meanwhile, Erica is despondent over having no friends and no fun at college, which is only made worse when Barry visits and seems to fit right in on campus.

Absent: Sam Lerner as Geoff Schwartz

Trying to make a music video in the vein of "Parents Just Don't Understand" by DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince, Adam and Barry create a video called "Dads Just Don't Care" which turns out to be an unflattering portrait of Murray. Meanwhile, Erica is tired of Beverly calling all the time to check up on her, and starts refusing to answer her phone, making mom fear the worst. Erica then rebels against her mama's girl image by hosting a wild party with her roommate. Beverly arrives just as the party has gone out of control, helping the two Ericas recover and do damage control.

Beverly becomes concerned about who she will spend time with after her kids flee the nest. Inspired by The Golden Girls and Barry's JTP, she tries to form a friend group with Virginia Kremp, Linda Schwartz and Essie Karp. Her efforts fall flat as the other three are planning the school's ski trip and say they are all still too busy with their children. But when a snowstorm cancels the ski trip, Beverly swoops in with a plan to save the day. Meanwhile, Erica has grown tired of Geoff's daily romantic gestures, telling him she just wanted to spend her winter break relaxing. When a disappointed Geoff leaves, Erica becomes concerned that she is turning into her gruff, unromantic father. Taking a tip from Adam, Jackie, and some of their favorite 1980s romantic comedies, Erica drives Murray's lawnmower to Geoff's to profess her love, but it backfires when she runs into Lou's car. In the end, Erica tells Geoff she really does love him, even if she struggles to find ways to show it. The real-life Beverly Goldberg, Virginia Kremp, Essie Karp and Linda Schwartz make guest appearances as a group of older friends that the Beverly character longs to be like.

In what is described as the pilot for a spinoff set in the 1990s and featuring characters from William Penn Academy, Mr. Glascott replaces Mr. Ball as the school principal and hires his sister, a single mother with two teenage daughters, to serve as his new secretary, while the girls get to attend the school for free. Mr. Glascott and Coach Mellor disagree on the best way to teach the children. This episode served as a backdoor pilot for the spin-off series Schooled.

Inspired by cable TV channels like QVC, Beverly wants to take the next step in her Bevolution and hawk her "BevWear". With an unusually supportive Murray encouraging her, Bev creates a number of gaudy, bedazzled jean jackets, but is later depressed after QVC rejects them. Murray insists he can sell them at the furniture store and later brings Bev a wad of cash. But Bev soon learns the truth when a rep from the Goodwill store returns the jackets to the house. With Bev tied up starting BevWear, Barry tries out for the William Penn football team, something his mom would never allow if she was her usual smothering self. Despite his attempts to impress Coach Mellor and Assistant Coach Fast (guest star Mike Quick), Barry is terrible and relegated to bench duty. Encouraged by Adam, Barry still finds a way to help the team, getting them fired up for a game with his rewrite of the Chicago Bears' "Super Bowl Shuffle".

Adam decides to make his own Indiana Jones film with Jackie and Erica's help, and despite his insistence that she does not interfere, Beverly enlists Johnny, Carla, Dan, Taz Money and the JTP to assist with the production. The filming is plagued with issues, leading Adam to have a nervous breakdown and abandon his dream of directing. Beverly helps him see that the part of the process he most enjoyed was the scriptwriting, and he decides to pursue writing as a career, while the production resumes with Johnny as director. Meanwhile Barry claims to have found the best Philadelphia cheesesteak, recounting an anecdote in which he got lost and stumbled upon a diner in Jersey, which he has not been able to find again since. Learning the location of the diner from Mellor, Barry sets out with Murray, but during the trip they get lost for hours, pick a cheesesteak that proves far too spicy, and get locked out of the closed diner with their keys still inside. Trying to steal a less spicy cheesesteak from a man at a bus station, Barry is injured while fleeing. Murray consoles him at the hospital, and they return the next day to buy more cheesesteaks, which are just as magnificent as Barry alleged.

After Beverly's friends make her realise Barry emotionally manipulates her so he and the JTP can have the run of the Goldberg house, a turf war breaks out between the JTP and the 'Frentas'. The Frentas are winning until they start fighting among themselves after the other mothers disrespect Barry, offending Beverly. Barry persuades Beverly to make amends with the Frendas, pointing out they only called him out because they care about her. Unable to attend rehearsals as Murray refuses to drive him, Adam is left out when the rest of the theatre students are allowed to take part in the local performance of Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat. Forming an unexpected bond with Mellor over Cats, Adam hopes to get Murray to like theatre, and thus tricks his father into attending a musical by claiming to have bought hockey tickets, but when a deceived Murray expresses genuine affection, Adam is forced to get actual hockey tickets, though Mellor helps him out. Adam unexpectedly enjoys the game and subsequently persuades Murray to see Joseph with him, but Murray loses interest and falls asleep. To make amends, Murray persuades Cinoman to put on a production of Joseph at the school, so Adam can be involved.

The Frentas begin taking a dance class and Beverly invites her reluctant family to a performance by them, but when she then attempts to convince them to attend with a demonstration, they laugh hysterically at her, leaving her fearing that her Bevolution has been in vain. She later demoralises the other Frentas, all of them becoming convinced that they will never again be anything more than mothers, and Murray notices Beverly's emotional state and forces Erica and Barry to make it up to her. They quickly make amends, but Beverly is still upset that Murray ridiculed her too. He decides to apologize by dancing, but ends up injuring himself, though he makes it up to Beverly afterwards with a real apology, persuading her to get the Frentas to perform. Meanwhile Adam feels neglected when Emmy begins dating popular student Brian McMahon, feeling this will elevate her to a higher social status and leave him behind. He tries to set her up with less popular romantic prospects (Dave Kim, Dan and Sergei), and later gatecrashes a party to berate Emmy, inadvertently leading Brian to break up with her. A furious Emmy accuses Adam of being a hypocrite, pointing out that she always acted as a third wheel during his relationships with Dana and Jackie, after which Johnny ejects him from the party for being a bad friend. Adam earns Emmy's forgiveness by persuading Brian to get back together with her.

Featured Song: "Flashdance... What a Feeling" by Irene Cara

Adam wins a radio contest in which a lucky listener gets to throw out the first pitch at a Philadelphia Phillies game. Adam then works out a deal to allow Barry to throw the pitch. Barry sees it as an opportunity to impress the Phillies and get a huge signing bonus to join the team, and he also convinces Murray that this is a chance of a lifetime. For a change, Beverly has to be the one to squelch a child's dream, as she doesn't want Barry to embarrass himself in front of 60,000 fans. When he practices with Murray, it becomes clear that Barry can't throw. He still goes through with the opening pitch, standing in front of the mound and lobbing a good toss to home plate. Elsewhere, Lainey is visiting Erica, and both complain about their first year in college. They discuss their passion for music and possibly playing together, also getting Valley Erica to join on drums. They quickly write a song, but somehow do not recognize its similarity to Joan Jett's "I Love Rock 'n' Roll". Valley Erica gets the band into CBGB in New York, having a relative with a connection to the establishment, but when they play their song they are quickly ushered off stage because it's a Joan Jett ripoff. The song however wasn’t the only thing they plagiarized. Despite the disappointment, the Ericas and Lainey all decide they want to quit school and pursue music full-time.

Adam tries to start a Mel Brooks club after he sees the movie "Spaceballs" and Jackie mistakes his club advertisement for political satire and puts it in the school paper. Meanwhile, when Beverly and Pops come up for parents weekend at school, Erica plans to tell them she's quitting college, but Murray surprises them and tags along.

Featured Song: "Goldbergs Theme Song" by Hayley Orrantia

Barry is hell-bent on pulling off a legendary prank, with the ulterior motive of getting suspended so he doesn't have to go to senior prom alone. At home, Murray insists that if Erica won't stay in college, she must get a real job and pay rent, but Erica is sure she can make money with her music. Beverly secretly slips Principal Ball a wad of money to hire Erica's band for the prom. With Adam's help, Barry disassembles Principal Ball's Suzuki vehicle, causing Ball to declare prom cancelled until someone confesses. Erica, Valley Erica and Lainey are dejected as a result. Erica learns that Beverly set up her gig and wants her to just pay her directly causing her to lash out like Murray for her daughter to get a real job. Barry ultimately confesses to Ball, but he wants Barry to stay silent because he was able to get a new Pontiac Fiero with the insurance money from his damaged Suzuki. The girls contemplate on how they can't stay with any of their families. Lainey learns from Adam that Barry confessed, and that he did it so that she and the band would still get to play at prom. Erica makes up with her parents and announces that while they will still play prom, she declares she will find a real job to play rent. As prom night proceeds, Barry is sitting alone on the football field, dejected that he can't get credit for his prank. Lainey stops to talk with him. Proclaiming that he can't imagine life without her, Barry impulsively asks Lainey to marry him, and she accepts. The two run into the prom, and Lainey heads to the stage as Barry shouts, "We're getting married!", much to the shock of Bev and Murray.