7.0/10214 votes#1 - Gap Year
Season 5 Episode 1 - Aired 10/16/2018
After dropping Junior off at college, Dre and Bow are beside themselves when they find him back at home announcing his decision to take a gap year. Meanwhile, Jack and Diane begin to question whether they should still be sharing a room.
Director: Gail Lerner
Writer: Doug Hall
7.0/10209 votes#2 - Don't You Be My Neighbor
Season 5 Episode 2 - Aired 10/23/2018
The neighbors decide to rent their house out for homestays and it’s causing problems for the Johnsons. Dre develops a newfound joy of calling the cops over petty neighborhood issues but begins to question the example he is setting for Jack. Meanwhile, Diane develops her first crush and Bow wants to help but lets Zoey take the lead.
Director: Pete Chatmon
Writer: Kenny Smith Jr.
7.2/10196 votes#3 - Scarred for Life
Season 5 Episode 3 - Aired 10/30/2018
The twins opt out of the family Halloween costume for fear it will hurt their social status in middle school. Dre and Bow take it upon themselves to protect them from bullies by putting together the best haunted house and invite the whole seventh grade. Meanwhile, Junior starts spending time with a girl from Ruby’s choir and Ruby doesn’t know how to feel about it.
Director: Todd Holland
Writer: Yamara Taylor
7.6/10276 votes#4 - Purple Rain
Season 5 Episode 4 - Aired 11/13/2018
The family is shocked to learn that Jack and Diane are not familiar with the iconic music of Prince. One by one, each member of the family works to explain Prince’s tremendous impact on their lives through his music.
Director: Charles Stone III
Writer: Peter Saji
7.1/10178 votes#5 - Good Grief
Season 5 Episode 5 - Aired 11/20/2018
Bow’s mom, Alicia, visits the family for the first time since the loss of Bow’s dad, and she is still heavily grieving. Bow decides to throw a big luau-themed party for what would have been her dad’s next birthday. Meanwhile, Mason has an extra ticket to an MMA fight and invites Diane on the same night as the party.
Director: Todd Holland
Writer: Gail Lerner
7.0/10179 votes#6 - Stand Up, Fall Down
Season 5 Episode 6 - Aired 11/27/2018
Junior hasn’t been doing much at home during his gap year, so Dre decides to put him to work as an intern at Stevens & Lido. Junior is astonished to see Dre’s co-workers say offensive things and Dre letting it slide. Meanwhile, Bow lets Ruby watch Devante after the nanny quits; and Ruby has a hard time following Bow’s rules.
Director: Ryan Case
Writer: Laura Gutin
6.9/10172 votes#7 - Friends Without Benefits
Season 5 Episode 7 - Aired 12/4/2018
Bow makes a new friend at work and Dre thinks she has broken bird syndrome. Meanwhile, Junior transforms his shared room with Jack into a frat house, and Ruby and Diane gang up against them.
Director: Ken Whittingham
Writer: Lindsey Shockley
6.9/10184 votes#8 - Christmas in Theater Eight
Season 5 Episode 8 - Aired 12/11/2018
The Johnsons have a tradition of going to the movies on Christmas and they can never agree on what to see. Dre wants to see an important film about Rosa Parks, but they all want to see the latest action-packed superhero blockbuster. Meanwhile, Junior becomes embarrassed about taking a gap year after he runs into his ex-girlfriend Megan at the theater.
Director: Jude Weng
Writer: Courtney Lilly
6.9/10175 votes#9 - Wilds of Valley Glen
Season 5 Episode 9 - Aired 1/8/2019
Dre must take Jack and Diane on a mandatory camping trip for school and hatches a plan for them to escape to a fancy hotel for some pampering. Meanwhile, Bow gets an award at work, but feels undermined after a colleague is surprised to learn that she went to USC for med school.
Director: Claire Scanlon
Writer: Christian Lander
8.2/10280 votes#10 - Black Like Us
Season 5 Episode 10 - Aired 1/15/2019
Dre and Bow are furious after Diane isn’t lit properly in her class photo. Diane doesn’t want to make it a big deal, but they decide to talk to the principal about the need for sensitivity toward all complexions. Meanwhile, Junior claims there is unspoken colorism within their own family, and things get heated.
Director: Salli Richardson-Whitfield
Writer: Peter Saji
7.1/10174 votes#11 - Waltz in A Minor
Season 5 Episode 11 - Aired 1/22/2019
Dre’s teenage cousin Kyra needs a place to stay and the Johnsons decide to take her in, but they have different approaches to helping her adjust to suburban life. Meanwhile, Jack and Diane try to vet Kyra on social media to get information on her.
Director: Pete Chatmon
Writer: Lisa Muse Bryant, Robb Chavis
7.3/10165 votes#12 - Dreamgirls and Boys
Season 5 Episode 12 - Aired 2/12/2019
Dre and Bow struggle with the changing times of identity politics and gender neutrality. Diane auditions for the school play and scores the male lead part, but her crush starts spending time with another girl. Meanwhile, Junior’s Valentine’s Day date goes awry after Dre and Pops have a talk with him about chivalry.
Director: John Fortenberry
Writer: Gail Lerner
6.9/10160 votes#13 - Son of a Pitch
Season 5 Episode 13 - Aired 2/19/2019
Junior is working at Stevens & Lido as an intern and takes some time to find his footing; but when he offers an idea during a pitch meeting, Dre immediately puts him in his place. Meanwhile, Bow has a meeting with one of Kyra’s teachers and learns that she has an aptitude for chemistry, but Kyra doesn’t want to transfer to a magnet school.
Director: Eva Longoria
Writer: Steven White
7.4/10182 votes#14 - Black History Month
Season 5 Episode 14 - Aired 2/26/2019
Dre is upset after he learns that Jack and Diane are getting the same surface-level education about Black History Month that he got when he was growing up. After taking it up with the twins’ teacher, he is asked to present at the assembly and wants to bring Black history to life.
Director: Tracee Ellis Ross
Writer: Laura Gutin
6.9/10168 votes#15 - justakidfromcompton
Season 5 Episode 15 - Aired 3/19/2019
Dre and Bow want to send Kyra to Valley Glen Prep, but after the school treats them like a charity case, they are infuriated. Meanwhile, Junior wants to get a job as Josh’s assistant at Stevens & Lido.
Director: Millicent Shelton
Writer: Lisa Muse Bryant
7.0/10157 votes#16 - Enough Is Enough
Season 5 Episode 16 - Aired 3/26/2019
After Kyra’s estranged father, Perry, shows up and wants to bring Kyra home to Houston, Dre and Bow work to show him the amazing life they can provide for her. Meanwhile, the kids go on a mission to get her one last chili dog from Larry’s.
Director: Michael Spiller
Writer: Doug Hall
7.0/10157 votes#17 - Each One, Teach One
Season 5 Episode 17 - Aired 4/2/2019
Dre feels like he has made a difference with the diversity at Stevens & Lido as the head of the Urban Division, but when Junior tells him that Josh is his mentor, Dre flips out. Meanwhile, Jack and Diane show their friends a video of Bow dancing and now she’s become the hot mom.
Director: Gail Lerner
Writer: Melanie Boysaw
6.8/10169 votes#18 - Andre Johnson: Good Person
Season 5 Episode 18 - Aired 4/9/2019
As they are planning Devante’s birthday, Bow wants to be more mindful with all the new child-rearing rules these days, but Dre isn’t having it. Junior tells Jack and Diane that they need to be more mindful of the environment and their first order of business is changing Ruby’s bad habits.
Director: Ken Whittingham
Writer: Esa Lewis
7.0/10156 votes#19 - Under the Influence
Season 5 Episode 19 - Aired 4/16/2019
Jack is going through an experimental phase and getting himself into trouble, so Dre chaperones the twins’ school dance to keep an eye on him. Meanwhile, Junior fights with his girlfriend, Niecy, after she thinks he spends too much time taking care of Devante.
Director: Linda Mendoza
Writer: Christian Lander
7.0/10156 votes#20 - Good in the ‘Hood
Season 5 Episode 20 - Aired 4/23/2019
Dre’s sister Rhonda takes Jack and Diane to her part of town in a black neighborhood and claims the twins are scared of their own community. Dre and Rhonda take them to a local diner to show them why it’s so special. Meanwhile, Bow becomes the “office mom” at work, and Junior tries to help her break the label.
Director: Rob Sweeney
Writer: Courtney Lilly
7.2/10159 votes#21 - FriDre Night Lights
Season 5 Episode 21 - Aired 4/30/2019
Dre is thrilled when Jack makes the football team, but Bow is against the idea. Meanwhile, Diane wants Junior to drive her to her first real date with Jalen, but Junior overstays his welcome.
Director: Charles Stone III
Writer: Lindsey Shockley
7.0/10156 votes#22 - Is It Desert or Dessert
Season 5 Episode 22 - Aired 5/14/2019
Dre has concerns about Jack and Diane spending the weekend with their friends’ family in the desert. Meanwhile, Pops is forced to come to terms with how he treats women after he helps set Junior up.
Director: Kenny Smith Jr.
Writer: Kenny Smith Jr.
7.2/10157 votes#23 - Relatively Grown Man
Season 5 Episode 23 - Aired 5/21/2019
After Junior gets an offer for his dream job working with Migos, Dre and Bow are determined to convince him to return to college and get his degree.
Director: Anthony Anderson
Writer: Steven White
The Best Episodes of black-ish Season 5
Every episode of black-ish Season 5 ranked from best to worst. Discover the Best Episodes of black-ish Season 5!
A family man struggles to gain a sense of cultural identity while raising his kids in a predominantly white, upper-middle-class neighborhood.
Genre:Comedy
Network:ABC
Season 5 Ratings Summary
"Gap Year" is the best rated episode of "black-ish" season 5. It scored 7/10 based on 214 votes. Directed by Gail Lerner and written by Doug Hall, it aired on 10/16/2018. This episode is rated 0.0 points higher than the second-best, "Don't You Be My Neighbor".