The Goldbergs Season 6, Episode 7 recap: Bohemian Rap City

This week on The Goldbergs, Murray introduces Adam to a new hobby so he stops with his toy obsession. Erica and her band decide they want to audition for Star Search.

It was 1980-something and some of the generation’s biggest toys were hitting store shelves. Adam’s obsession with buying the latest and greatest toys had yet to slow down on The Goldbergs. When Beverly realizes maybe it’s time for her son to let go of his toy hobby, she encourages Murray to teach him about new adult hobbies. That plan then backfires and Adam gets in some major trouble.

The episode of The Goldbergs, titled “Bohemian Rap City,” also deals with some tension in Erica’s band. The Dropouts decide to audition for Star Search but a new opportunity arises for Erica. When she considers a solo career, Erica doesn’t just destroy the band, she might be destroying her friendship with her bandmates. What Erica decides for her future has a lot of repercussions in other aspects of her life.

Shopping spree

Adam still buys toys and has no embarrassment when it comes to his obsession. While Murray and Pops are watching news about the Berlin Wall, Adam switches the TV so he can learn about the latest Toys”R”Us shopping spree sweepstakes. Adam intends to send in his name but he needs money to send as many entries as possible.

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)

While Beverly is hosting a Tupperware party, her friends see Adam in the living room playing with his toys. They tell Beverly that they worry that Adam is too old to still have that kind of hobby and she gets defensive. Then she realizes her friends could be right so she goes to Murray. Beverly asks Murray to teach Adam a new adult hobby, specifically Murray’s stamp collection.

Band democracy

The Dropouts need an audition song for Star Search and Lainey happens to have a new original song she recently wrote. Erica realizes the song is written about Barry and she refuses to sing something written about her own brother. The rest of the band votes against Erica and she can’t stop gagging. Later, Erica and Geoff see a new recording booth at the local mall. The man in charge sells her on making a demo tape so she sings Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” The man, John, is surprised she can actually sing so he asks to be her manager as long as she pursues a solo career.

Lainey and Valley Erica find Erica’s demo tape and confront her. Erica brings up that she found a talent manager so the rest of the band think they’re being ditched. Lainey considers herself the Freddy Mercury of the band but Erica disagrees. Since the band seems to be splitting up, Barry announces that he is officially managing Lainey.

Financial investments

Murray announces that Adam’s toy time is over and shows his son the stamp collection. Adam is reluctant at first but agrees to give the stamps a chance. Instead, Adam uses the stamps to send in 600 entries to the Toy”R”Us sweepstakes. Of course, Adam doesn’t win the contest and he realizes he’s in major trouble.

Adam goes to Beverly regarding the stamp collection mess. She’s with her friends bragging that Adam is now a mature stamp gentleman due to his new adult hobby. Beverly also describes the valuable stamps as a financial investment which makes her son feel even worse. Adam finally blurts out that he used his stamps in the hopes of buying new toys.

Beverly tries to replace the missing stamps but Murray knows right away that they aren’t his stamps. He got a job at the post office at a young age after his mom passed away which started his hobby. Murray is very upset and knew Adam would somehow ruin his love of stamps.

To make it up to Murray, Adam buys him tickets to the local stamp expo. Adam realizes that stamps were more than a hobby to his father and tells Murray that he considers the same with his toys. Each of their hobbies reminds them of happier days which is why they can’t let them go.

Rap city

The Dropouts are recording their audition tape without Erica and she’s mad they picked the same song. She reveals that her manager booked her a gig at the mall food court so she’s recording her tape with a live audience. At the mall, the manager introduces her as Rikki Gold, the solo artist.

It turns out, Erica can’t perform the four-part harmony by herself. John quits as her manager and Erica figures out she made the wrong decision with leaving the band.

Erica tells Lainey and Valley Erica that she fired her manager but they already knew she blew her audition. Valley Erica was at the mall and saw Erica bomb with her gig. The Dropouts decided to add Barry to their band so he can rap during the song.

Right away Lainey realizes it won’t work so she kicks Barry out and invites Erica back in. They both agree they don’t need a front man as long as they work as a team.

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