LisaM

Cracked up at "fish out of water" Jane in LA. I actually like the mystery tie back to the fire at Jane's apartment. Strange to see Gregory Harrison playing such a minor role (unless this is the precursor to him being a homicidal maniac).

Agreed. I thought that Lily was going to tell Daphne that she had already had an abortion but I guess that would shut down the drama which will inevitably pour out over the next few episodes. Adding the Down's issue seemed to be unnecessary piling on. It also reminded me of the controversy in Ohio where there is a push to prohibit abortion in the case of Down's. I was looking forward to the show coming back - mostly to fill a void on my dvr right now. It was comforting to see the familiar faces but the episode wasn't great. i agree with the poster above about Bay hallucinating all of the Emmetts. Wasn't it established that she has the same condition that killed Angelo? She might consider whether the hallucinations are related to that medical condition. The multiple Emmetts were an interesting way to keep the character in the show but his continue presence keeps reminding me of how insensitive he seemed during his breakup with Bay. I hope that she finds someone else quickly. The Daphne/Mingo conflict was boring. I did, however, really like Daphne telling Emmett that she was siding with her sister and not with him. I hope that Mary Beth comes back soon -- I really like Travis and Mary Beth together. John's financial problems seem like a manufactured way to invent a storyline for the parents -- although it would be interesting to see John/Kathryn more on the same level as Regina. Speaking of Regina, I liked the scene with Regina and Kathryn. Not thrilled that Regina is keeping Eric's secret; it's only a matter of time before the son contacts his mother via the internet.

Completely agree with this. She is so shrill - and one note - about everything. I really like Richard and hate that he ended up with her.

I definitely thought he was implying that he was interested in Jane.

I couldn't see Stef lying to Lena about the contents of the phone call - nor would she be so upbeat and happy throughout the rest of the party and in the house if that was the case. If indeed it is a breast cancer storyline, I could see the doctor ordering a sonogram just to be safe and that test showing a further issue. We've already had Shot Stef with a huge medical problem so perhaps it is not medical at all. Perhaps the bomb is completely non-medical - i.e. Stef wants to become a detective and Sharon sticks around to help because Stef is pulling ridiculously long hours. OTOH, the connotation of the word "bomb" is usually negative so I'm still betting on a health scare.

Complete speculation based on Hollywood Reporter article linked above.

Someone on Twitter (and possibly upthread here) pointed out that Lena was wearing the same outfit in the court for Callie's adoption as she was wearing in the Pilot when she met Callie outside of juvie. I hadn't caught that but it was a nice move.

Isn't she into photography? I recall an early episode where Lena praised the photos she took on her phone. She also took photos of foster kids at an event at the School.

Al Lowe, I think you nailed it once again.

I'm not sure that they are going to go the path of reversing the adoption. I think we may see the secret longing -- and probably a pregnancy scare -- but I'm not sure they want to go down the fraudulent adoption route - especially since Callie is 17. Of course, I can hope that they had the Brallie sex to pacify the shippers and are finally going to move on from it forever. :) It cracks me up that Callie and Brandon were trying to justify the sex with their version of "we were on a break".

This is exactly how I feel. Have hated Brallie since the pilot; my only wish was for Callie to be adopted by the Fosters, particularly after they adopted Jude. It finally happens - I'll admit that I teared up at the #FinallyaFoster moment - and it feels cheapened by the Big Lie. I still see no chemistry at all between the two actors/characters. ETA: At least the adoption went through. If they had scuttled Callie's adoption due to the Brallie sex, I would have been gone.

The Brallie sex made me so crazy that I really debated whether to watch this episode - and any future ones. I hate when a show that I love makes a wrong turn. The Brallie sex was a wrong turn IMO. It is a ticking time bomb which threatens to blow up the show. In TV land, secrets rarely stay secret. I so hope that there isn't a pregnancy scare - that would be too much of a cliche. Have to admit that I teared up during the adoption scene. Having said that, the episode was better than I would have thought. Loved the Lena/Stef saga - Stef's anger at the beginning and especially the good news about Stef's cancer scare being the catalyst for bringing them right back together. That felt realistic to me. Loved Lena's "talk" with Jude. They have always had the special bond.Also liked Callie/Rita. Really liked seeing the happy Adams-Foster family dancing around the kitchen -- because you know that won't last. I guess that the only cliffhanger (besides the Callie having sex with her now brother) is that Jesus apparently got thrown out of school?

http://www.thetvjunkies.com/the-fosters-maia-mitchell-midseason-finale-preview/?utm_content=buffer0c839&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer Interview with Maia about the finale. I interpret it as her saying that she will be in the family through her relationship with Brandon - which makes me want to puke. Interesting that she didn't say anything about her relationship with Jude. She also didn't say what would happen to her new family if the "true love" with Brandon falls apart. UGH

Really liked the Kiki meeting the friends scene. She and Korsak seem good together. Definitely better than the possibility of Angela and Korsak. I miss Susie Chang. Still hoping that it was her twin who was killed off. :) Jane twirling in that fringe jacket annoyed me. ETA: It has been bugging me all day as to where I've seen the actress who plays Kiki before. She played Deacon's girlfriend on Nashville - the one who had the affair with Teddy.

Al Lowe nailed it.

Al Lowe, you so nailed EXACTLY how I feel about this episode. It's truly funny how enraged I feel about fictional characters. Seriously pissed. Your piece was precisely on point. It is also so upsetting to see a show which I have praised like crazy for tackling groundbreaking subject matter make such an ill-advised wrong turn. Bradley Bredeweg tweeted last night: "Just wait until the finale. I promise you will ALL be happy." I don't see how that is possible if you were in favor of Callie being adopted by Stef and Lena -- unless TPTB plans to allow the adoption to go through despite the Brallie sex. His tweet would make sense if the sex was a dream sequence but the promo definitely doesn't point to a dream.

I could have just copied your whole post. I can't recall being this pissed off by a show that I loved since Picket Fences made a wrong turn many years ago. I have literally been thinking about this all night - how one act, the Brallie sex, has so turned me off of a show that I formerly adored. I have not seen the "smoldering", once in a lifetime love between Callie and Brandon at all this season. Instead, I saw two teenagers who had accepted that they needed to move on. (To me, Brandon always has the same hangdog expression so it is hard to read him at all.) Now Callie has committed the final act of self-sabotage and the show will veer off into a totally different direction. This is TPTB dumping on Callie once again. She isn't going to be adopted by her forever family; instead she is going to be tied to a boy that she had sex with when she was hopeless and thought adoption was off the table for good. I'm sure this will provide lots of dramatic stories for TPTB but it sucks for the character. What happens when Callie and Brandon decide that this isn't True Love?

Agreed. Which is why I am most likely done. Callie found her forever family - the one which adopted her beloved brother. She is 17 and will find another boyfriend but not another forever family.

I think that Brandon's issues with Mike fostering AJ go deeper than Callie. Brandon commented to Mike that Mike had come to the house to visit AJ more in two weeks than he visited Brandon in many months. I think that Brandon sees Mike trying to be the kind of father to AJ that he wasn't with Brandon - and Brandon is jealous of this. I also think that Brandon believes that AJ has much more in common with Mike (particularly sports) than he does.

I really liked the Brandon blowup at Stef and Lena about adding all of the kids to the house -- and especially his talk with Stef. Long overdue and very well done. Especially liked how Stef told Brandon that, if he objected to Mike fostering AJ, he had better speak up now. Also really liked how he mentioned that all of the kids were aware that Stef and Lena were bickering and having problems. Also really liked Jude's meltdown. Also long overdue and realistic. Liked learning more about Rita's life. No clue what motivated Carmen to lie about Rita hitting her (assuming that it is a lie). Liked seeing Jillian Armenante from Judging Amy as the plumber. Also liked seeing her lust after Stef. As for the Stef/Lena issues, I know that they won't break up regardless of the bickering or the issues but I wish that Lena would finally come clean with the Monte kiss info. Stef may be too busy for therapy but Lena is withholding a bomb. The Brallie thing is a dealbreaker for me so I really hope that TPTB don't go there. Callie is so close to having what she really wants - this family - and only turns to Brandon when she feels that all hope of that is lost. I understand why she felt the need to unburden herself by telling her story - complete with names and details - on her new app but calling out the judge by name who is going to rule on her adoption - not smart. The preview for next week really has me pissed off; hoping that it is a giant fakeout.

I thought that the actor playing the killer was quite good. He creeped me out - especially when he rode up to Jane on the bike and called her "Jane". I still miss Susie Chang. Perhaps her twin was the one who was actually killed?

I can't handle any more Brallie especially if they blow up Callie's adoption so that Callie and Brandon can rekindle their supposedly epic love story.

I really liked the whole plot with Ana having postpartum depression leading into the Stef/Lena discussion about Frankie. I also liked the scene where Stef/Lena explained to Ana's parents that they are her parents and are charged with making decisions - not the birth grandparents. I still wonder if Stef/Lena will eventually end up with the baby. Liked the scene with Mariana and the priest. Really liked that Stef/Lena reached out to Rita for guidance with the Callie/AJ situation. Liked Rita talking with Callie about bad habits - Brandon, AJ and even arguably Liam at the beginning before the rape - all foster brothers and all bad ideas. (I also liked that last week's birthday party showed us that Callie is inching ever closer to her 18th birthday.) As I stated in my annoyed post above, if they blow up Callie's adoption now - after having gone through a custody battle with a wealthy father who had private investigators at his disposal and surely would have uncovered the Brallie paperwork - I am going to be so pissed. I've seen no romantic chemistry at all between Brandon and Callie this season - none. My guess is that Callie ends up at the new Girls United for a time. Screwed again. I did notice that she has been referring to Stef and Lena as "the moms" this season - unlike prior to the end of the custody battle. As for Brandon, it is as if he is on his own island with the music camp storyline. Reminds me of Jesus and his girlfriend storylines. I FF through the music camp scenes. I'd rather see more of Brandon being jealous of Mike's interest in AJ. Really liked his point in a prior episode that Mike visits the house more now to see AJ than he ever did to see Brandon.

The ending with the problem with Callie's adoption has pissed me off. If TPTB blow up Callie's adoption to further the possibility of Brallie in the future, I think I am done - regardless of my love for Stef/Lena, Mariana and Jonnor. They just went through a huge custody battle with a wealthy father. There is no way that Robert's attorney would have failed to have uncovered the Brallie history. It is unrealistic that it would have laid dormant till now. This had better be a red herring.

Susie was my favorite character so very displeased that they killed her off. I hope that the actress goes on to bigger and better roles. I will miss her character on the show.