The Goldbergs season 5, episode 19 recap: Flashy Little Flashdancer

This week on The Goldbergs, Beverly and her friends get inspired after seeing Flashdance. Adam is upset when Emmy gets a new boyfriend so he devises a plan so he won’t lose his best friend.

More from ABC

• Dancing with the Stars season 32 week 9 scorecard: Who went home on DWTS?
• Roger Howarth is leaving General Hospital (Cast exit explained)
• Taylor Swift won’t appear in special Dancing with the Stars episode
• ABC will start rolling out its midseason schedule January 2024 (Release dates and airtimes)
• Grey’s Anatomy season 20 officially has a premiere date (Everything to know)

It was 1980-something and it was the golden age of dance movies. Beverly and her friends, aka the “Frentas,” see Flashdance for the first time and it was a life-changing experience. After seeing the movie, they are inspired to take up dance and what better place than a class within the community.

The episode of The Goldbergs, titled “Flashy Little Flashdancer” also dives into Adam’s struggle when his best friend starts dating a popular classmate. He has been friends with Emmy for a very long time and he worries that she will leave him behind. Adam decides to make a plan so he worst fears don’t come true.

Aglow with dance

Beverly announces that the Bevolution is still happening so she convinces her friends to take a dance class at the community center. The ladies certainly aren’t experienced but they are passionate about their newfound love of dance. They run into Barry and the JTP playing basketball and the boys are shocked when they see the women. They consider this type of dance to be for young women but Beverly is ready to prove them wrong.

At home, Beverly informs the rest of the family that she will be performing at an all-ages dance recital and she expects them all to be there. She even spread a rumor that Geoff was cheating on Erica so she would come home and have an excuse to attend. That fact doesn’t go over too well but she’s home so she gives her mom a chance. Beverly gives her family a taste of the recital and performs a Flashdance-inspired routine. Instead of sharing their admiration and support, they all laugh.

Pickleball partner

It’s a typical Saturday night and Adam is playing video games with his longtime best friend Emmy. He cherishes their time together despite the fact that they are getting older. At school during gym class, Coach Mellor announces that they will be playing pickleball so they need partners. Adam assumes he will partner up with Emmy but she tells him that someone else asked her. Adam is stuck playing with Mellor and struggles with the fact that Emmy chose Brian over him. Emmy even decides to ditch Adam and go out to lunch with Brian which worries Adam even more.

Bust a gut

Not only did the family laugh at Beverly but Murray actually injured himself in doing so. He laughed so hard, he cracked a rib so he had to go to the hospital. Beverly realizes that her family thinks her new passion is a joke so she doesn’t dress for the next class. She still attends to explain to her friends that they are only fooling themselves thinking they can be dancers. Her doubts are pretty convincing and they are all left without hope so they all quit.

Back at home, Beverly is obviously still upset about how her family reacted. Murray tells Barry and Erica that they should go create a touching song to make it up to her, their usual tactic for apologies. They come up with an extravagant performance involving a fog machine and the JTP but before they can get a word out, Beverly forgives them. It wasn’t the kids who upset her, it was Murray. She knows her kids will act this way but she wants Murray to apologize and be supportive.

Watch your favorite shows on fuboTV: Watch over 67 live sports and entertainment channels with a 7-day FREE trial!

Beat it

Since Emmy is dating a popular kid, Adam is afraid she will leave him behind. He tries to play matchmaker but Emmy reveals that she likes spending time with Brian. Adam needs a way to get in with the cool kids and he thinks he has the perfect way to do so. He asks Pops if he will help him buy the iconic red jacket that Michael Jackson wore in the music video for “Beat It.” The jacket is very costly but after witnessing that Adam might be in over his head, he gives in.

Adam wears the jacket to a party and impresses everyone there–except for Emmy. When Adam reveals his reasoning for coming and his worries about losing her, she calls him a hypocrite. Adam is currently dating Jackie so Emmy feels like Adam should have no right to be upset if she too wants to date. The confrontation scares away Brian and possibly ruins Emmy’s chances with her new relationship.

Face the music

As a form of apology, Murray makes up his own “I’m sorry” dance. It was a sweet gesture but he ends up re-injuring his ribs and needs to go back to the hospital. In the end, it does the trick and it convinces Beverly to continue dancing if that’s what she enjoys. Murray also tells her that she must make her friends un-quit and perform at the recital. During the routine, everyone sort of forgets all the moves so Beverly asks for a restart and gives the group a pep talk. They weren’t perfect but it was an unforgettable performance. They received a standing ovation and Beverly got what she always wanted–her family’s support.

Adam is very upset at the fact that he severely messed up his friendship with Emmy. Pops tries to console him and tells him that they have years of friendship and they will always find a way back together. In order for that to happen, Adam must go make it right. Adam sheds the jacket and races to Brian’s house. In order to win back Emmy as a friend, Adam knows he needs make things right between Emmy and Brian. Since Adam knows everything about her, he helps Brian and gets everything back on track–including their friendship.

Next: The Goldbergs season 5, episode 18 recap: MTV Spring Break

New episodes of The Goldbergs air Wednesday nights on ABC at 8/7c!