Ep 20. Just Say No

It's the 80s and the Goldberg family is back for more laughs in the season 2 episode 20 of The Goldbergs titled Just Say No. The episode begins with Barry seeking advice from his father about how to impress Lainey, his crush. Murray advises him to give her flowers and be a gentleman. Meanwhile, Erica is trying out new hairdos to impress Geoff as she auditions for the school's drama club.

In school, Adam becomes obsessed with the anti-drug campaign and volunteers to create a video to promote it. He enlists the help of his friends Chad and Dave, who are happy to help. However, things take a turn for the worse when Adam gets carried away with the video and creates a melodramatic masterpiece that's more likely to scare kids than educate them. He even recruits Erica to star in the video, promising her the lead role in the school play if she agrees.

The video features Erica as a drug addict who loses everything to her addiction. The drama becomes too much for her, and she ends up quitting the project. When Adam realizes what he has done, he tries to make things right by re-editing the video to make it less frightening. He shows the new version to Erica, who agrees to participate in the project again. Together, they create a more informative video that educates rather than scares the kids.

Meanwhile, Barry's attempts to impress Lainey don't go as planned. He buys her flowers but ends up giving them to a random girl instead. He tries to make it up to Lainey by offering to help her with her project, but she declines, leaving him heartbroken. Murray tries to cheer him up by sharing his own experiences with rejection and emphasizing the importance of perseverance. In the end, Barry resolves to keep trying and never give up on his dreams.

Overall, Just Say No is an entertaining and heartwarming episode of The Goldbergs. It tackles serious issues like drug addiction and rejection with humor and sensitivity, balancing the dramatic and comedic elements of the show. The performances of the actors, particularly Troy Gentile as Barry and Jeff Garlin as Murray, are excellent, and the writing is sharp and witty. Fans of the show will not be disappointed by this episode and will look forward to more adventures with the Goldberg family.