Ep 14. Barry Goldberg's Day Off

Barry Goldberg's Day Off is the 14th episode of the second season of The Goldbergs, a comedy series that follows the hilarious and dysfunctional lives of the Goldberg family in 1980s Pennsylvania. In this episode, the high school senior, Barry, is faced with the temptation of skipping school, especially when he discovers that everyone else in his family is taking a day off too.

The episode begins with Barry waking up to his alarm clock, snoozing it and going back to sleep. When he finally wakes up, he realizes he's late for school and can't be bothered to make the effort to go. Meanwhile, his mother, Beverly, is still in her pyjamas, her father Murray is watching TV and his sister Erica is getting ready to skip her community college class. Barry decides to stay home and indulge in a day of doing nothing, while Erica takes a job at the mall to avoid having to attend her class.

Barry's day off is anything but relaxing though, as he is constantly interrupted by his mother who is determined to make him a scrapbook of his life. She follows him around the house taking pictures and collecting mementos, while Barry becomes increasingly frustrated with her meddling. He even tries to leave the house, but has to resort to running away from his mother who wants him to wear a homemade outfit.

Meanwhile, Erica is struggling with her new job at the mall, where she has to deal with unruly customers and a pushy manager. She realizes that skipping class wasn't worth it, and decides to go back to college to pursue her dreams of becoming a singer. Her father, Murray, supports her decision and helps her record a demo tape.

Back at home, Barry is still trying to escape his mother's clutches and decides to enlist his friends to help him. Together, they come up with a plan to fake his death by setting up a fake explosion in his bedroom. While the plan works perfectly, Beverly catches them in the act and is deeply hurt by Barry's deception.

In the end, the family comes together to work out their issues and Beverly realizes that she needs to let go of her obsessive need to control her children's lives. Barry learns that sometimes it's better to face your problems than to run away from them, while Erica finds the courage to follow her dreams.

The Goldbergs' Barry Goldberg's Day Off is a funny and heartwarming episode that explores the challenges and rewards of growing up in a dysfunctional family. It's a reminder that sometimes the best way to deal with life's problems is to face them head on, even if it means making mistakes along the way.