A Plot: For different reasons, Barry and Erica both sign up to be part of the Hands Across America charity event in their town, which is being coordinated by Coach Mellor. However, he is overwhelmed, and Beverly takes over so she can get one photo in the newspaper of her and her kids looking happy together. Barry and Erica decide to drop out of the event, so to keep them interested, Beverly lies and says she got actor Scott Baio to ditch the Philadelphia event and come to Jenkintown.
B Plot: Adam invites Emmy Mirsky to the Harvest Hop school dance after seeing how upset she is when a boy she liked shuns her. Adam is then shocked to see that Dana has come to town and expects him to take her to the dance.
- Be Careful What You Wish For: Beverly does succeed in getting a picture in the paper of her holding Barry and Erica's hands...but it's while she's forcibly pulling them back into position after they learn about the Celebrity Lie and try to leave.
- Be Yourself: An odd variant at the end of the A Plot, in that Erica and Barry convince Beverly that the disastrous newspaper photo from the event shows the "real" Goldbergs, and is more emotionally significant than fake smiling under false pretenses would have been. The whole article ends up framed and hung on the wall.
- Celebrity Lie: When Beverly becomes regional manager for Hands Across America, she claims that she got Scott Baio to come to convince Barry and Erica to take part. When she can't, she claims to have gotten a bigger celebrity - a Benjamin Franklin impersonator.
- It's All About Me: After the Hands Across America event spirals into disaster, Beverly walks away despondently while saying she just wanted a nice photo with her children...and Erica tries to calls her out on the guilt trip, baffled why everyone's just letting her leave after ruining a charity event.
- Planning with Props: Adam uses his action figures to plan for his Two-Timer Date. He's Leonardo, Dana is Princess Leia, Emmy is The Incredible Hulk and David Kim is a Transformer.
- Two-Timer Date: Adam enlists Pops and Dave Kim's help to make an elaborate scheme to take both girls to the Harvest Hop without the other knowing, which goes horribly when he learns that Dana is staying with Emmy while in town. After a fight, Murray advising Adam to not be a moron, and an apology to both girls, Emmy and Dana both accompany Adam to the dance.
