S02.E05: Truth Be Told

[Tara Ariano]

Brandon's band go on a hike as they seek inspiration. Meanwhile, Callie worries about Jude and how her actions have affected him; Stef debates about whether to proceed with her investigation regarding Ana; and Emma reconsiders her breakup with Jesus.

[CPP83]

The whole business with Brandon and his father's girlfriend just...skin crawling doesn't even begin to cover it. Did he really need to have a pot brownie meltdown just to spend time with Lena? Is this show incapable of just doing some things simply?

 

I wonder if Callie's on the pill, otherwise having sex with just a condom would still be risking a potential underage pregnancy. Clearly she has some seriously unresolved issues with sex, which is understandable but like with so many things I guess they won't deal with it until something explosive happens. And she is a really crappy liar I have noticed, why has no one picked up on that yet?

 

And whatever is going on with the twins continues to bore the life out of me, all I keep thinking is how unfortunate that hair colour is on Marianna.

 

It's nice that no one has yet come up with the brilliant idea to just talk to Mike about anything going on in his life. Well at least Ana isn't dead, and good on Mike for trying to help her and do the right thing.

[Bringonthedrama]

Dani is one disgusting pedophile. Loved Brandon's response to her, and that he refuses to let her put all the responsibility for the ONS on him. And after her scene w/Stef, I really want Stef to find out about the ONS and rip that toxic b's head off. But first Lena can tear into her. 

 

I think we all knew Callie didn't truly want to have sex with Wyatt, even before she had that panic moment and started withdrawing from him.

 

Loved Lena with Brandon! Reassuring him, calm, no judgement about the pot. 

 

Good to see Callie has a friend who gets her, to confide in a little. Then that sweet, silent emotional moment w/Jude, awww that tugs at my heart. 

 

I guess Stef's relieved to know Mike's not a killer.

 

Am I the only one who thinks this Hayley girl is both insecure and a little cray-cray? Jesus is just a teen ass.

[truthaboutluv]

Saw the last scene with Brandon and Lena. That's a really crappy position he's putting her in but I'm not surprised he feels the way he does and in my opinion, his saying that no one will look at him the same again if they find out, is exactly why it needs to come out. He feels guilty and feels shame when the reality of what happened is that an adult woman took advantage of him, when he was drunk no less. I did laugh at his saying Stef would kill Dani because yes, that is likely an understatement. 

[LeGrandElephant]

I really wanted Callie to tell Wyatt about her past rape. I think he would probably be very understanding, and they could work up to sex a lot more slowly. I did think it was going to come up with Daphne - the next logical question in that conversation was "well, have you ever had sex?" But she didn't ask it.

Lena is a grownup and while it makes sense that Brandon would beg her not to tell, it's her responsibility to tell. Maybe she can help him see, beforehand, that people are going to be way more mad at Dani than at him, if at all at him.

The preview annoyed me because I wanted these plots resolved, and it wasn't about that at all.

[KaveDweller]

I think Lena was planning to tell, and that's why she was texting Stef about when she'd get home.  I don't see how she could possibly keep that secret and not seriously damage their marriage.  Not to mention it is just the right thing to do.

[CPP83]

Dani is one disgusting pedophile

 

 

She actually wouldn't be classified as a pedophile because pedophiles are attracted to small, prepubescent children. She's a statutory rapist however, at least for starters and the fact that she also allowed Brandon to have alcohol before their littler tryst, should that also come out would add to her charges. But just the sex alone is going to bury her, because the age of consent is 18 so regardless of anything she tries to say about Brandon, she, as the legal adult, broke the law.

[GildedLily]

I really could do without Jesus' love triangle. The only redeeming quality of it his scenes with Mariana.

I felt like the Jude stuff which was such a good cliffhanger got a bit of the shaft this week. But the end scene with Callie and Jude was perfect as their just the two of them scenes tend to be.

I figured Mike didn't kill Ana but her popping back onto this already crowded story canvas is not the best timing.

Loved high Brandon and that we finally got to see more of his dynamic with Lena as that relationship has been underdeveloped. She has to tell of course and I'm glad after seeing the head games Dani was playing. Stef and Lena need to make her head roll.

Sophia was both creepy and sweet and I look forward to learning more about her. But again the show already feels so crowded and somehow we're midway through this part of the season and none of the plots have really moved all that much from ep 1 so I don't know how they'll develop that too.

It's clear (or at least I strongly suspect) Wyatt and Callie will never have sex. Her still not telling him about Liam and the way the scenes were cut between their almost sex and Brandon getting high seemed to foreshadow a Brallie redux. And this is ABC Family- I imagine when Callie finally has sex, it will be with Brandon as a tag to a season finale. That's been clear since episode 1 or 2. Which is fine with me because I see no romantic chemistry between her and Wyatt- and I do like him in the role as sweet best friend who cares for her but who she loves but isn't in love with.

Next week looks good and maybe I'm horrible but I hope they don't end up with a baby. That's the last thing the show needs.

[CPP83]

Next week looks good and maybe I'm horrible but I hope they don't end up with a baby. That's the last thing the show needs.

 

 

You don't sound horrible to me because I agree, Lena's pregnancy never made sense from the beginning and adding an infant to a group of needy teens who are all falling apart at the seams in their own, special, and very demanding ways, it'd just be overkill imo.

 

And I hate to think that Lena might actually entertain not telling Stef and Mike the truth, because in the previews it didn't appear as if that information had been exposed yet but I hope I am wrong.

 

Stef and Lena have both kept things from each other but nothing of this magnitude or importance for all three parents to deal with, especially Mike who needs to dump Dani pronto, so if Lena actually does keep quiet, even for a little while...inexcusable really as far as I'm concerned. Brandon didn't earn the right to her sworn silence, not over something like this, and with her marriage right in the middle of it.

[SparklesBitch]

At least Mike isn't a killer. I was really afraid they were going to go there, so I'm relieved. I really loved Lena's automatic certainty that Mike couldn't have possibly hurt Ana. I get what Stef was saying about Ana threatening his family and Mike being willing to do anything to protect them because people do snap and do awful things, but as someone here said before, if Stef had any reason at all to believe that Mike was an angry, violent drunk, she would have have never put up with that and would have certainly done everything in her power to keep him away from Brandon.

 

Pot brownie notwithstanding, I also really enjoyed the Brandon and Lena bonding period we got to see. I liked that she was cool and calm and collected and didn't freak out or yell or judge. She listens, and that's awesome. That being said, regardless of Brandon's begging, she needs to at least tell Stef about Dani so that they can decide the next step together with Brandon. Or maybe she can win Brandon over first and support him when he talks to Stef. Someone needs to make it crystal clear to him that he was the victim and Dani is a predator. That woman is a vile snake and I'm glad that Stef defended Mike to her even if she really didn't know what was going on with him.

 

I felt badly for Callie AND for Wyatt, and poor Wyatt is definitely going to get his heart broken, but I think it would help him understand where Callie's head is at if she tells him about her past rape. Also, I'm a little ashamed to admit, as a 30 year old woman, that I want to be friends with Daphne. I like her and I hope they keep her around.

 

I also really liked the Lena and Connor scene. I love that he wants to help Jude, and I want to hug both boys tight and protect them from all the bad in the world. Connor's homophobe of a dad can suck it. The last scene with Callie and Jude warmed my heart, and I got a kick out of their screen names when Callie texted him on the TV screen. CallieAmity and Judicorn. Cute.

 

Jesus is really kind of a jerk and I'm bored with the whole Mariana wants to fit in crap. I really just want her to stop dyeing her gorgeous hair blonde.

[LeGrandElephant]

I hated that Callie thought her freak out was about Brandon. Did it really not occur to her that sex the first time after being raped might not be easy? And it would basically be her first real time as well, which is also something that can be hard emotionally etc. It shouldn't have anything to do with Brandon.

[GildedLily]

I hated that Callie thought her freak out was about Brandon. Did it really not occur to her that sex the first time after being raped might not be easy? And it would basically be her first real time as well, which is also something that can be hard emotionally etc. It shouldn't have anything to do with Brandon.

I think she wanted to believe her freak out was about something other than rape so she was trying to talk herself into it being about Brandon since that's way easier to process for her. I think she knows deep down exactly why she freaked out but can't deal with that yet. She wants to believe she's put the Liam thing entirely behind her.

That said, I think Brandon is an issue too, albeit a smaller one. She does have unresolved feelings clearly, he's the first person she let herself really get close to after the rape, the first person she told about the rape and likely at some point she entertained the notion that he could be her real first. So I don't see anything wrong with him being part of the equation- it would feel off from the canon of the show if he wasn't in her head one some level.

[LisaM]

 

I think Lena was planning to tell, and that's why she was texting Stef about when she'd get home.  I don't see how she could possibly keep that secret and not seriously damage their marriage.  Not to mention it is just the right thing to do.

Completely agree. We saw Lena text Stef for that purpose IMO.

 

I loved the Brandon/Lena scenes. Drugged Brandon was hysterical; I liked him more that way than at any other time. It was a good reminder that Lena was his mama for a long time. I loved how she handled his disclosure about the pot brownie - no freak out, just calm and reassuring.

 

Sophia is clingy and needy in a sad way. Jesus' new girlfriend is clingy and needy in a creepy way. I think she is actually a bit nuts; perhaps she has a body hidden somewhere. Speaking of Jesus, I really don't like what they have done to the character - at least when he was battling his ADHD issues, he was someone to root for. Now he seems not to care about anything except for his next girlfriend.

 

I really like Mariana this season when she is with the family. Not particularly interested in her at all regarding the dance team and it is time for her to ditch the blonde hair.

 

Loved the Judicorn and Callie scenes. Those two are gold together.

 

Loved seeing Stef touching Lena's pregnant belly -- but I continue to believe that they will lose the baby. I also believe that the baby is part of the stress that Jude feels.

 

Ana is alive - would have been more shocking if I hadn't seen the actress' name in the opening credits. She is alive -- but Dani will be dead shortly because Stef will kill her.

[possibilities]

This is such a family values show! Pot paranoia and parental calmness in the face thereof-- I love it.

 

Sad that Lena had to ask why Brandon called her instead of Stef, but happy that he did, and that she got that validation from him. She looked like she was going to burst, she was so happy about it. Loved the way she handled everything about that. Though I thought she took a little too long to realize something else besides the grass was upsetting him. But still-- good job, Mama!

 

Callie having a panic attack during sex was understandable. Then her seeing/hallucinating seeing Liam-- perfect. I am confused about her not telling Wyatt about the rape. Why doesn't she trust him yet? He's certainly proven his devotion and trustworthiness plenty of times. Is it because she sees him as a real potential mate, where Brandon was always the unattainable/forbidden/unreal option? So it's scarier to open up?

 

Jesus telling Mariana that boys don't have a choice when a girl wants sex would be bad enough. But we saw him make a choice with Emma, so it's not even that he's just an out of control hormonal ass. He's as lacking in direction as Mariana, maybe moreso, and he's not as likable as she is in other ways. Also, he seems to have no friends? They really need to show him interacting more with the family, to redeem him as something more than "Mariana's twin" and "that adolescent ass." Everyone else in the family has been made likable by showing them doing something loving for another family member. Jesus needs to do that, because so far he's just kind of living there, not really a participant.

 

Poor Sophia. She seems crazy lonely.  I don't know if it would have been the right time, but I really wanted Callie to invite her inside to meet Jude. They have to do that soon. If Sophia and Callie are going to meet again, I want Callie to bring Jude into it ASAP.

 

Connor with Lena was great. And I think I saw the kid who plays the part in a commercial; I don't even remember what the ad was for because I was all "Connor? Is that Connor??" Also, Lena talking with Jude after, was also really good. Lena is so sane, it makes me wonder if she somewhere down the line will have a breakdown of some sort, because can anyone be that poised all of the time? No breaking point?

 

Dani is so repulsive that I don't know what I want the show to do about her. Stef killing her would be poetic, but probably not good for the show. I just don't know. I do know that I want them to focus more on the impact the violation has on Brandon, and less on the just comeuppance of Dani herself. But I don't know how, precisely, I want them to get there.

 

Mike meeting Ana was a surprise. Is he helping her get clean? What else could he be doing? He seemed very happy going to see her, not like a guy carrying around a burdensome secret, slinking off to some horrible tryst.

 

I was glad Callie went to Jude, not Brandon, to talk about Liam.

 

I'm okay with Jude's story taking some time to resolve. I like that they are not rushing through things the way they did before. There are lots of stories happening, but it still doesn't feel as bloated as it did last winter, because they are taking their time and letting things breathe a bit. Also, how good is the actor who plays Jude? Without speaking, and without even moving all that much, his scenes are crackling with intensity. The kid radiates energy.

 

Love Daphne.

[SparklesBitch]

 

but Dani will be dead shortly because Stef will kill her.

 

I know this can't happen on the show, but I'd really love to see it anyway. Stef at the very least needs to get the opportunity to go full on Mama-bear on her. =)

Edited July 15, 2014 by SparklesBitch

[truthaboutluv]

Is it because she sees him as a real potential mate, where Brandon was always the unattainable/forbidden/unreal option? So it's scarier to open up?

 

 

I don't see it that way. Callie has just always been comfortable turning to and confiding in Brandon. Consider her stealing his phone in the first episode and then telling him about where she was going when Jude kept calling his phone. I always felt like she did that because she read Brandon perfectly the moment she met him and knew he was that guy, the one who despite barely knowing her then, would do everything to help her. And from that moment, she's been comfortable leaning on him and opening up to him, as much as Callie opens up to anyone. I don't even think it's a romantic thing one way or the other - she's just been more comfortable opening up to him than Wyatt. 

[Turkish]

 

Sad that Lena had to ask why Brandon called her instead of Stef, but happy that he did, and that she got that validation from him. She looked like she was going to burst, she was so happy about it. Loved the way she handled everything about that.

I was so happy we finally got Lena/Brandon scenes after I have been complaining about it pretty much the entire run of this show. Lena did look so happy for that validation which makes me worry going forward in relation to the Dani storyline. On the one hand, I was glad he felt safe and comfortable enough to reveal that information to Lena but I was also sad because it puts Lena in a tough position. If she tells Stef and Mike about Brandon he will likely never trust her in the future and if she doesn't tell she is not only jeopardizing his well-being but also damaging her relationship with Stef and Mike as well. It's a lose lose situation all around. I am grateful for the Lena/Brandon scenes though and hope we get many more to come.

 

Lena's relationship with Jude continues to be one of my favorite things about this show. Loved her scenes with him and Connor tonight. 

 

Dani is an absolute piece of shit. Brandon is right that Stef would go apeshit if she found out. Maybe Lena is scared of that too. I couldn't believe she tried to manipulate and guilt-trip both Brandon and Stef in the same episode. She is worse than Ana IMO because at least Ana has the excuse of being a junkie. Dani is just awful period. I so want Stef to lay hands on her. 

 

"#Brallie4Ever". They seriously put that up on the screen during a Callie scene that IMO had everything to do with her anxiety over her rape by Liam and nothing to do with Brandon. This network clearly loves pandering to that supposedly large fanbase and that indicates to me that they will keep going to the Brallie well as long as this show is on the air. They are likely endgame, which sucks because I really like Wyatt.

 

Poor Sofia seems starved for attention. She seems like the type of rich girl who has parents who shower her with gifts instead of spending time with her and pawn her off on the nanny. She is so desperate to have a relationship with Callie. When Jude starts talking again I hope the writers find a way to allow them to bond as well. I think it would be best for all parties involved. 

Edited July 15, 2014 by Turkish

[Bringonthedrama]

She actually wouldn't be classified as a pedophile because pedophiles are attracted to small, prepubescent children. She's a statutory rapist however, 

Good point, thanks - yes the description I really wanted was vile, repulsive (thanks possibilities!) statutory rapist. I really hope Stef and Lena can help him deal with and move past all his pain and internal conflict in time. I don't think he will truly understand for some time that he wasn't responsible, and Dani is a predator. It will be interesting to see how Stef, Lena and Mike handle Dani. 

 

Is it possible that Callie had that panic attack both because her 'first time' was rape, and because deep down she wants it to be with Brandon? I totally believe she felt weighed down and like she couldn't breathe and it scared her, but I recall she was relaxed and happy when she and Brandon made out horizontal on the floor of Daphne's new place. She had told him about Liam and the rape by then, and I got the impression Liam was the last thing on her mind during that last horizontal shot. 

 

The Callie-Wyatt bedroom scene (credit MM's acting) has me thinking she said she wanted to have sex with him because she wanted to prove to herself that she has some control of her own life, and to prove to herself that she's over Brandon. 

Edited July 15, 2014 by Bringonthedrama

[CPP83]

I think Sophia is being driven mainly by her desire to have a big sister in her life, not so much that's she may have no friends or home life isn't as ideal as it could be. She's been an only child and many only children can and do dream about having siblings, either younger or older, and Sophia could fear that she may be losing Callie before she ever had her, because Callie only came into their lives so she could get everything cleared up to go ahead with the adoption.

 

She very well could fear that Callie's exiting her life before she ever really entered it and doesn't want to just lose her sister. I think that's actually a pretty natural reaction to have despite how many friends she may have or her relationship with her parents, none of those relationships or connections would give her that of having a big sister and being someone's little sister. And of course because she's never been in this position before she's doing what she thinks can give her an edge in with Callie, such as buying her a coat she likes, and while that all seems childish and hopeful that sums up her age group really.

 

Good point, thanks - yes the description I really wanted was vile, repulsive (thanks possibilities!) statutory rapist. I really hope Stef and Lena can help him deal with and move past all his pain and internal conflict in time. I don't think he will truly understand for some time that he wasn't responsible, and Dani is a predator. It will be interesting to see how Stef, Lena and Mike handle Dani

 

 

 

I know Brandon is concerned about what Stef will do, but I honestly think Mike is the one who would react most violently and viciously because he should then be able to piece together why Brandon suddenly withdrew from him, right when he needed his Dad most. I think that Mike will be beyond furious at what Dani took from his son and from him, and if Stef is lucky to get a piece of her once he's through it may just be a miracle.

Edited July 15, 2014 by CPP83

[possibilities]

but Dani will be dead shortly because Stef will kill her.

I know this can't happen on the show, but I'd really love to see it anyway.

I usually don't ask for this, but maybe we can get some fantasy sequences...

[omgsowicked]

Wow, this was one of the best episodes of the season so far... I really liked how they stayed away from the petty drama and followed the adults more.

 

- Dani is disgusting. Now she manipulated Brandon in order to shut him up, telling him he slept with her to screw over his dad (really?!), who will fall off the wagon if he finds out, then tried to use Brandon as a bargaining chip with Stef. What nerve, doing that and having a nasty attitude, too. I'm so glad Brandon told someone, and that it was Lena. Their relationship has been very disappointing, considering she's been in his life since he was five and yet they seem like strangers. I hope they keep that up. But back to Dani, I kind of need Stef to smack her so hard it actually cracks my TV screen. Like, I wouldn't even be mad about that. LOL.

 

- I was glad Callie and Wyatt didn't have sex so easily, since this would have been her first sexual experience since Liam. However, I was not happy to see #Brallie4Ever on the screen when she said she thought she freaked out because of Brandon. I know they're endgame but ugh. But I was relieved that they followed it up with that Liam scare... that's what I thought the problem was and honestly, it's a better story to follow, to me at least.

 

I don't doubt Callie's feelings for Wyatt, in fact, I thought she's seemed content and blissful with him, especially compared to the beginning of their relationship where she was more on edge and cagey. Brandon and Callie make better siblings than lovers to me and I think she would have freaked out trying to have sex with him, too. I don't know if she's still doing therapy but now that sex is on the table for her, she needs to address these issues (while skirting around the actual "doing it" part, since this would violate her parole). I hope she tells Wyatt about the rape but I have a feeling that's something she'll only have shared with Brandon. Cuz #Brallie4Ever. *rolls eyes*

 

- Thrilled to hear that they have Jude in therapy. He really needed it. I'm also glad that they started a way to dialogue with him via the game messaging system... it can be much easier to talk through text, especially when there's some heavy stuff going on. I loved his scene with Callie, I was tearing up. Does he know what happened with Liam? I can't remember if he knows exactly what happened or just knows something happened. We probably won't ever get to know but I'd like to know what his experience with that family was like.

 

Also, I know Connor's just a supporting character but I love him as if he were a main character, lol. I really liked his scene with Lena... kid was almost in tears over the fact that Jude wasn't talking to him and he thought it was because of him. I'm glad Lena told Jude about it, as I'm sure that's one of the things that's bothering him. Hopefully they'll talk through the game or maybe pass notes at school.

 

And I couldn't help myself... I laughed when I saw #PoorJude on the screen, as I used to watch ABC Family's Twisted and #PoorJo was a massive fail of a hashtag. It was done much better here.

 

- Jesus is just... meh. His whole Casanova thing is just not doing it for me and his existence is kind of useless now. That dance team girl seems like a stalker in the making. I wouldn't be surprised if her college boyfriend was actually a random guy she was stalking and their breakup was actually her being served with a restraining order.

 

The only thing I liked was the last scene, where Jesus called Marianna a sheep because she really is. Oh, and that opening scene with Marianna sounding like she was having some "Marianna Time" was pretty funny.

 

- Absolutely shocked to see Mike at Ana's hotel (I didn't notice her name in the credits). I highly doubted he attacked/killed her because that would be irredeemable but I didn't expect him to be meeting with her/helping her out.

[Turkish]

 

And whatever is going on with the twins continues to bore the life out of me, all I keep thinking is how unfortunate that hair colour is on Marianna.

I can't even watch her scenes without being distracted by that the entire time. That said, even without the hideous blonde hair I just don't care about Jesus's love life enough to want to pay attention anyway.

 

 

hope she tells Wyatt about the rape but I have a feeling that's something she'll only have shared with Brandon. Cuz #Brallie4Ever. *rolls eyes*

This show isn't exactly subtle. I feel like they are telegraphing Callie and Brandon eventually having some bonding scene over their rapes together, which ugh. No. 

 

 

Jesus is just... meh. His whole Casanova thing is just not doing it for me and his existence is kind of useless now. That dance team girl seems like a stalker in the making. I wouldn't be surprised if her college boyfriend was actually a random guy she was stalking and their breakup was actually her being served with a restraining order.

#Morello

Edited July 15, 2014 by Turkish

[Milaxx]

I think she wanted to believe her freak out was about something other than rape so she was trying to talk herself into it being about Brandon since that's way easier to process for her. I think she knows deep down exactly why she freaked out but can't deal with that yet. She wants to believe she's put the Liam thing entirely behind her.

That said, I think Brandon is an issue too, albeit a smaller one. She does have unresolved feelings clearly, he's the first person she let herself really get close to after the rape, the first person she told about the rape and likely at some point she entertained the notion that he could be her real first. So I don't see anything wrong with him being part of the equation- it would feel off from the canon of the show if he wasn't in her head one some level.

Callie often reacts to things once she see them through Jude's eyes. She can pretend she's okay with the failed adoption, the trauma of her rape & her probation, but she's really powerless barely hanging on. Once Jude stopped talking and she could do nothing about it all that powerlessness came to a boil. The only way she can react, is with the only thing she has control over, her body, However she's still in denial about how much of an effect the rape had on her. I just hope Wyatt doesn't get his heart broken in the middle of all of this. I'm still annoyed that Callie & Brandon are end game.

 

Loved all of Lena's scenes this week. I think that's what makes Lena/Stef work. Lena's more laid back and zen. I dislike the amount of info those previews gave away. That said I wasn't that crazy about the pregnancy storyline to begin with. I wish they had just let the actress wear lose clothes and carry a lot of big pocketbooks. 

 

Am I the only one who thinks this Hayley girl is both insecure and a little cray-cray? 

 

A little? I think Hayley is straight up wacko. I'm also worried about how needy Sophia seems to be, but I think she's more poor little Ritchie Rich lonely than psycho.

[mjgchick]

Jesus someone tell Mini Snow White to calm down. She's so desperate to have a big sister mean while Jude is staying quite because Callie has another family. I'm kind of over his silent stuff.

Gia the pedophile needs a swift kick in the face. You just knew you couldn't trust her since she started smoking in the girls bathroom in Full House. Poor Brandon though. I'm so glad at least one ABCFamily show knows that an adult should not be having sex with a teen. (Looking at you Pretty Little Liars.) I love when Lena get to be mama with Brandon. It reminds you that Brandon doesn't see her as just a step mom.

I'm glad the show remembers Callie's past with her foster brother and him forcing her to have sex with him. I don't ship Callie with Dust but he keeps her away from Brandon so I'm ok with that.

Last but not least I freakin love Conner. I'm still intrigue on if he's gay or he's just non judge mental.

[GaiusB]

I am nervous everyone is being convinced Brallie is the endgame. I surely hope that is not true. I do not mind "controversial" relationships, afterall i find Cersei/Jaime to be very romantic in the World of forced marriages and i shipped Starbuck/Leoben in BSG, but in this show Brallie feel so wrong to me. Maybe it is because Fosters is more grounded show then BSG and GoT, but also i just do not feel there is enough chemistry between Brandom and Callie to justify it.

[Eeksquire]

OMG, Dani is Gia from Full House?! Thanks for that @mjgchick - I never would have caught it otherwise.  Also, I have to admit, I had to read through the whole thread here to even remember who Sophia was - guess the character is a non-entity to me still.

 

 

The only thing I liked was the last scene, where Jesus called Marianna a sheep because she really is. Oh, and that opening scene with Marianna sounding like she was having some "Marianna Time" was pretty funny.

 

I missed most of the opening (thanks thunderstorms!), but the only redeeming feature of the Jesus storyline is that it maybe (I hope?) will get Mariana back to her natural hair color.  She can stay on the dance team, if she must (although now that Lena isn't the principal, maybe they'll kick her off anyway), but the blonde has got to go.  

 

I LOVED the whole Brandon-pot-paranoia freakout.  I loved Lena's reaction.  And I called it that he'd go to Lena, because she's the only parent he has that isn't armed (and I did giggle when he said that Stef would kill her - even though it's a typical a teenage exaggeration - "Dad's gonna kill me!" - he has personal knowledge of Stef pulling a gun on someone in defense of her kids).

[galax-arena]

Brandon's actor's face just irritates me. He always has such a hangdog expression, and there's something about the shape of his mouth that I find weirdly repulsive. /shallow

 

I noticed that Jude's video game username was Judicorn. I like to think of Mariana agreeing to play the game with him that first time and making him choose that name, lol. 

[Primetimer]

Jude's not talking. Mariana's getting played. Callie's wigging out. Jesus is being stupid. Brandon is...so Brandon. Al has questions.

Read the story

[sunsheyen]

Brandon's actor's face just irritates me. He always has such a hangdog expression, and there's something about the shape of his mouth that I find weirdly repulsive. /shallow

 

I noticed that Jude's video game username was Judicorn. I like to think of Mariana agreeing to play the game with him that first time and making him choose that name, lol.

Ahh, brooding, melancholic teen. Kind of a more emotional Dylan McKay. Sometimes I can deal with his face as a soulful emotional artist, other times i want to smack him and say, "Get it together!" Overall I think he's cute, but he doesn't have the Avan Jogia smoldering pensiveness that I like. /ashamed mom

Is Judicorn something the fandom made up and the writers did his screen name as a nod, or was it part of the story that I missed previously? Either way, I absolutely cannot STAND judgemental Jude! He is forever cutting his eyes and looking disapprovingly at people. Ugh. I don't find him precious ever, and I really don't care about his muteness.

I didn't chime in last week, but the 6 month timeline they gave was ridiculous. To acknowledge that time frame is to tell me they squeezed way too much in. We had: Jude's foster home rescue/Stef pulls a gun part 1; Mariana the drug dealer; the fake id and Kindle theft of '13; Liam is a foster sister rapist part 2/Callie gives a warning; mike shoots Stef; Brandon quits music; pregnancy scare with aN illegal immigrant/move back to the motherland; Mike falls off the wagon; Callie goes back to juvie/Rosie ODonnell as Wise house mother; Callie and Wyatt's big adventure; quincinera; Stef's dad dies/a brand new Prius!; Any Day Now reunion/ Lena's mom is colorstruck; Talia's revenge, and I can't even remember the rest. Slow it down, show!

[marceline]

As a proponent of medical (and recreational) cannabis, I like the way the show handled Brandon's experimentation. I was so afraid that they would give us the cliche "Dazed and Confused" gigglefest that we've seen a million times. Instead, we got to see a fairly common negative reaction without the reefer madness drama.

 

I really hope that the show is giving us the narrative that Callie is using her feelings for Brandon as a deflection for dealing with the PTSD around her rape. Her talk about wanting to control her life, the panic attack, the seeing Liam, I hope all this is leading to a real examination of what happened to her and not just another round of Brandon/Callie. It's intriguing that we've got Jude with his mutism and now Callie with her flashbacks. Hopefully, she gets a little therapy too. I wonder what it will take for Jude to start speaking again. I thought he might say something when Callie said she thought she saw Liam. I gotta give props to the actor playing Jude. Conveying emotions with no dialog is tough even for adults and he's breaking my heart.

 

It looks like I was right about the show hiding Sherri's baby bump. Lena is still supposed to be in the first trimester and clearly Sherri was further along than that.

[GildedLily]

 

GaiusB, on 15 Jul 2014 - 07:41 AM, said:

I am nervous everyone is being convinced Brallie is the endgame. I surely hope that is not true. I do not mind "controversial" relationships, afterall i find Cersei/Jaime to be very romantic in the World of forced marriages and i shipped Starbuck/Leoben in BSG, but in this show Brallie feel so wrong to me. Maybe it is because Fosters is more grounded show then BSG and GoT, but also i just do not feel there is enough chemistry between Brandom and Callie to justify it.

 

See I think the chemistry totally justifies it and has from "Who is this?" in ep 1. Maia sparks with David Lambert in a way that she just doesn't with the actor who plays Wyatt. For an ABC Family show where romantic chem is often not there, I think the show hit pay dirt with the way these two play off each other. I feel like the show can't not mine it.

 

I agree with whoever said they loved the sheep line. Best thing Jesus has ever said. Ever. Maybe the only good thing.

 

I also think last night made it clear that Brandon and Lou are not going to be any major love story. They may hook up, she may force him to think about things but the whole pot brownie debacle showed she's so not the girl for him

Edited July 15, 2014 by GildedLily

[possibilities]

I do love that the show is willing to show complex relationships, so that having chemistry does not necessarily mean they're going to feel obligated to make it into One True Love and drag it out to the most ridiculous degree, thus eating the show. I was initially certain that Lou was introduced to be Brandon's new love interest, but I agree that this episode made that seem much less of a done deal. And I'm glad. The kid had a messy break up with Talia, fell in love with his foster sister and went through all that business, and then was taken advantage of by his father's girlfriend. He might have some mild chemistry with Lou, but he should be having at least as many panic attacks as Callie, over anything in the neighborhood of approaching a new partner. And, apparently, he is. Until this episode, I was really worried they were going to just bury that possibility, and make it all about Mike, and the other adults, and not have Brandon himself show direct impact from the rape.

[truthaboutluv]

Brandon's actor's face just irritates me. He always has such a hangdog expression, and there's something about the shape of his mouth that I find weirdly repulsive. /shallow

 

 

I think the actor's eyes are interesting in that it has this way of always making him look like he's two seconds away from breaking into tears. I think that partly lends itself to the "hangdog" expression. But speaking of mouths, that's one of the things that bugs me about Wyatt. The actor has a bad habit of having his mouth hang slightly open when he's listening to another person or just standing silently in a scene and it makes him look like he has this "d'oh" face. 

 

Overall I think he's cute, but he doesn't have the Avan Jogia smoldering pensiveness that I like. /ashamed mom

 

 

And different strokes because while Brandon or the actor personally does nothing for me (I find both him and the guy playing Wyatt just two decently looking guys), I find Avan Jogia's whole "hippie/indie" schtick incredibly annoying. He's an okay looking guy but never got the hype over his looks and he's only serviceable as an actor imo. Sorry off-topic, moving on now. 

 

I am nervous everyone is being convinced Brallie is the endgame. I surely hope that is not true. I do not mind "controversial" relationships, afterall i find Cersei/Jaime to be very romantic in the World of forced marriages and i shipped Starbuck/Leoben in BSG, but in this show Brallie feel so wrong to me. Maybe it is because Fosters is more grounded show then BSG and GoT, but also i just do not feel there is enough chemistry between Brandom and Callie to justify it.

 

 

I already stated my opinions on how fast the writers moved with Brandon and Callie so I won't repeat that. That being said, I do think Brandon and Callie has clearly been positioned and set up so far as "end-game". Now hey, who knows how long the show will last and with the way these writers blast through storylines, who the hell knows how things will change but I do think that for right now, Brandon/Callie is the intended pairing and frankly I didn't think that was even subtle or that anyone would be genuinely surprised by that. Yeah they've set the reset button because frankly the whole thing just became way too over the top last season but I don't think it was ever going to mean that the pairing was truly over. 

 

However, not to rehash my post in the General Discussion thread, the problem is the writers have backed themselves in a corner by making the pairing too intense, too fast. I think it would have been far wiser and smarter to keep the attraction or possible attraction/interest as something bubbling under the surface with small hints here and there that tells the audience something could or will happen in the future but without Brandon or Callie ever actually admitting any attraction to each other.

 

Blasting through the relationship was a mistake in my opinion because not only did it ruin Brandon's character in many people's eyes, it put them at this now kind of awkward place. I know some felt Brandon and Callie were acting like believable siblings last week and it was great but I'm sorry, I didn't buy any of that and I felt having Wyatt and others say it was incredibly forced. Including Brandon telling Lou Callie is his sister as much as Marianna - yeah the girl you were rolling around, tonguing on a floor just barely a month ago...sure. Because despite blasting through storylines, time on this show doesn't seem to be moving nearly as fast. 

 

I didn't chime in last week, but the 6 month timeline they gave was ridiculous. To acknowledge that time frame is to tell me they squeezed way too much in. We had: Jude's foster home rescue/Stef pulls a gun part 1; Mariana the drug dealer; the fake id and Kindle theft of '13; Liam is a foster sister rapist part 2/Callie gives a warning; mike shoots Stef; Brandon quits music; pregnancy scare with aN illegal immigrant/move back to the motherland; Mike falls off the wagon; Callie goes back to juvie/Rosie ODonnell as Wise house mother; Callie and Wyatt's big adventure; quincinera; Stef's dad dies/a brand new Prius!; Any Day Now reunion/ Lena's mom is colorstruck; Talia's revenge, and I can't even remember the rest. Slow it down, show!

 

 

Yup basically... 

 

Right now I'm just looking forward to the inevitable Dani fallout and particularly Stef going gangsta on that bitch. Let me know when that happens.

Edited July 15, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[Samantha84]

That dance team girl seems like a stalker in the making. I wouldn't be surprised if her college boyfriend was actually a random guy she was stalking and their breakup was actually her being served with a restraining order.

 

#Morello

 

Oh. My. Word. I thought the same thing w. the description above. Yeah, Haley seems like a mini, more obvious, Morello. 

Brandon being high off those pot brownies was hilarious and the only time I truly liked the character. He's always been so serious [is that from being the oldest?] or he's being almost creepy/nasty w. Callie. Sorry, don't ship them, never have, and never will. 

[Bringonthedrama]

The recent stuff w/ Brandon and Mike, and Callie and Jude and their bio fathers, makes me wonder about Jesus and Mariana's dad. I know I've missed moments in both seasons. Is he dead? Did he abandon them and Ana?

[Turkish]

The recent stuff w/ Brandon and Mike, and Callie and Jude and their bio fathers, makes me wonder about Jesus and Mariana's dad. I know I've missed moments in both seasons. Is he dead? Did he abandon them and Ana?

I'm pretty sure they said he abandoned the family. If he's still alive I'm sure the writers will find a way to shoehorn him into this show eventually.

 

Based on the previews for next week, I think Lena's baby drama is going to take precedence over the reveal about Brandon's rape. I'm betting she doesn't even get the chance to tell Stef. The title of the episode alone suggests it's going to be a big Lena episode, which I couldn't be happier about. I'm about 90% positive she loses this baby though. I so can't wait to get back to Brandon's storyline after that because Dani's days are numbered. They have to be. Stef may not claim to have a favorite but we all know it's Brandon. It's about time she reached her boiling point with all that's going on. And who knows what Mike will do when he finds out.

[SnarkyMcSnarkerson]

Gia the pedophile needs a swift kick in the face. You just knew you couldn't trust her since she started smoking in the girls bathroom in Full House.

This! All I could think when she was on screen was "Didn't any of these people watch Full House?? She's clearly bad news!"

[mjgchick]

I don't know if Stef has a favorite. She seems to treat all of the kids the same. Even the new ones in Callie and Jude. She's just so damn over protective. lol No wonder why Brandon called his other mom. Could you imagine how she'll be with the new one? I'm going to assume the baby makes it out alive because I don't think they can handle something that huge of a loss right now.

[Eeksquire]

You know, the more I think about this upcoming Baby Drama story, I wonder if it might be an interesting direction to move in if Lena is hospitalized/on bed rest and inaccessible for some amount of time.  She provides such a ballast for Stef and all of the kids that it might be an interesting direction to go, story-wise.  (Plus, I don't know how the shooting schedule/Sherri Saum's actual pregnancy/delivery schedule intersected, but it might be a way to get her some maternity leave while not disturbing the story line too much.)

 

Of course, as interesting a storyline as that might be, my favorite part of the show is Lena and Stef, so that would be kind of a terrible loss for me.  Especially if we're subject to the continuing story of Jesus and Mariana's Questionable Behavior.

[peachmangosteen]

This show isn't exactly subtle. I feel like they are telegraphing Callie and Brandon eventually having some bonding scene over their rapes together, which ugh. No. 

 

This is the first thing I thought of and I may have actually screamed "Nooooooo!" at the TV. I think when that happens maybe I'll be able to finally kick the bad habit of watching this show.

 

See I think the chemistry totally justifies it and has from "Who is this?" in ep 1. Maia sparks with David Lambert in a way that she just doesn't with the actor who plays Wyatt. 

 

I see no chemistry between them myself and I personally think she sparks 10 times more with AS than with DL. But I have to accept that I am in the minority. (At least according to however ABC Family determines it.) And that Brandon/Callie is endgame. I mean I've consciously known that since before the show even premiered, but once Wyatt arrived on the scene I kept trying to make myself believe maybe they wouldn't go the expected route.

 

I thought this episode was awful. At least Brandon/Lena finally had scenes, but I didn't like them as much as I hoped I would. I've come to the conclusion that the only characters I truly care about are Wyatt and Mike which LOL this isn't gonna end well for me.

Edited July 15, 2014 by peachmangosteen

[marieYOTZ]

 

Jesus someone tell Mini Snow White to calm down. She's so desperate to have a big sister mean while Jude is staying quite because Callie has another family. I'm kind of over his silent stuff.

 

Jesus is just a teen ass.

 

I interpreted "Jesus" the wrong way in both of these!  

[Geo]

 but as someone here said before, if Stef had any reason at all to believe that Mike was an angry, violent drunk, she would have have never put up with that and would have certainly done everything in her power to keep him away from Brandon.

 

 

Yeah, that was me and I have to admit I'm a little surprised that Stef would be so quick to think Mike would do that.  I actually think it's kind of funny that Stef is all worried that Mike would kill to protect his family when all along we are expecting her to Kill Dani when she finds out what she did to Brandon.  I actually laughed out loud when Brandon said to Lena "Mom will kill her..."   Poor Lena, she has suddenly become the keeper of secrets in this family and she already has enough to worry about right now.

 

Speaking of Lena, she was spot on in all of her scenes this episode.  I loved every moment she was in.  Her and Stef, her and Jude, her and Brandon. She was soooo good and understanding and but most of all....she was real.  It reminded me so much of season one and her talk with Jude about the nail polish.  I miss that.

 

Ok kids,  doing drugs is bad, bad, bad but can we get some more potbrownie Brandon please? This is the first time I've been able to stand him this season. When he was talking about the trains and suddenly got so worried about Crime and Punishment....LOL! I loved the look on Lena's face.  I so want to have Lena as an emergency contact on my phone!  

 

Jesus has no other purpose on the show than to sleep with Mariana's friends.  Got it.  Move on.

 

Yes, Haley is cray-cray.

[alexvillage]

 

I didn't chime in last week, but the 6 month timeline they gave was ridiculous. To acknowledge that time frame is to tell me they squeezed way too much in. We had: Jude's foster home rescue/Stef pulls a gun part 1; Mariana the drug dealer; the fake id and Kindle theft of '13; Liam is a foster sister rapist part 2/Callie gives a warning; mike shoots Stef; Brandon quits music; pregnancy scare with aN illegal immigrant/move back to the motherland; Mike falls off the wagon; Callie goes back to juvie/Rosie ODonnell as Wise house mother; Callie and Wyatt's big adventure; quincinera; Stef's dad dies/a brand new Prius!; Any Day Now reunion/ Lena's mom is colorstruck; Talia's revenge, and I can't even remember the rest. Slow it down, show!

Got tired just reading this! You are right, too much for 6 months and everyone seems to recover pretty fast from everything.

This is also why I have a problem with Callie being all "moms this, moms that". I think the character would not realistically refer about Stef and Lena as "my moms", at least not so naturally. 

 

For the first time ever I liked Brandon. I like how they dealt with the pot browning too. 

 

On the other hand, each episode I like Callie less. Not sure what it is, but I only like the character when she is with Jude - this could be because of Jude though because I cannot not like him.

[smrou]

I don't think Lena has any intention of keeping the Dani thing a secret.  I would be shocked if she does.  However, given how scared Brandon is that it will ruin all of his family relationships if it comes out I wouldn't be surprised if she bides her time a bit.  Tries to convince Brandon to let go of his guilt and see the situation for what it is--Dani taking complete advantage of him--before letting Stef know.

 

But speaking of mouths, that's one of the things that bugs me about Wyatt. The actor has a bad habit of having his mouth hang slightly open when he's listening to another person or just standing silently in a scene and it makes him look like he has this "d'oh" face.

Yes!  I notice this all the time and it bugs me.  I think it makes him look slow-witted and therefore unattractive.  Also...idontlikehishair.  Having gotten past that superficial stuff, Wyatt has really grown on me as a character.  I don't see his relationship with Callie as an equal one--he seems so much more committed and in love than she does--so I'm pretty convinced he's in for a world of heartbreak, but he's just shown himself to be such a good, patient, reliable guy for Callie.  Which is why I agree with what some others said that if Callie confided in him about her rape I think he would have been super understanding about it.  Instead he's just confused and probably hurt because he feels rejected.  

[truthaboutluv]

Here's my main issue with the Wyatt/Callie relationship and it may seem minor to some, but I can't get past the fact that the writers gave no concrete explanation for his whole living arrangement. And the longer it's left just hanging in the air, the longer I'm left to conclude that basically Wyatt left his mom's place to come back to a state where he had no solid place to live for a girl who he had not spoken to since the day he ratted her out to her foster parents and who the last time he saw her, she was in love with her soon to be foster brother. Like this is why I just can't really get on-board the relationship because I can't get past the utter stupidity of his actions and I certainly don't see them as romantic.

 

As much as Brandon has been called creepy and borderline compared to Liam by some, I just find Wyatt's actions incredibly dumb and nonsensical and that makes me not root for him and Callie. Because sorry, all I can think everytime I see them is dude needs to go home to his mother or the writers need to make up some relative and give some solid explanation of his living situation. Wyatt is a kid and I'm supposed to honestly think it sweet or romantic that he's basically on his own, bumming at some foster girl's apartment to be with a girl who frankly doesn't need any boyfriend right now if you ask me. Callie should just be single because she clearly and understandably has way too many issues and shit going on in her life. 

[sunsheyen]

The problems I will have with Lena not telling Stef will be twofold. First, she gets upset when she is excluded from parenting decisions about Brandon, and keeping quiet is not going to inspire any turnabout on that front. Secondly, she is a mandatory reporter because of her job. Brandon being her son doesn't change that or give her any leeway.

Wyatt, ehh I don't love or hate, which is an improvement from me disliking him when they gave him the bad boy image at the start.

[maraleia]

The ratings are in and the episode got a 1.61 million viewers and a .7 share in the 18-49 demo. The show hasn't gotten these kinds of numbers since the 16th episode when they got 1.68 million viewers and a .6 demo.

[peachmangosteen]

Here's my main issue with the Wyatt/Callie relationship and it may seem minor to some, but I can't get past the fact that the writers gave no concrete explanation for his whole living arrangement. 

 

This isn't an issue for me in regards to Wyatt or Callie/Wyatt, but it is an issue for me in regards to the writers. And it's just on top of all the other problems I have with how they've written the show/mapped the stories since 1A.

[morakot]

Lena is Brandon's mom but she's also his vice principal and he is a minor. Aren't teachers required to report abuse to the authorities as soon as they are informed of it?

 

(Of course, that leads me to the need in general for Lena to observe boundaries in her treatment of the children as her children and as her students. I don't get that she does that. )

[marceline]

Lena is Brandon's mom but she's also his vice principal and he is a minor. Aren't teachers required to report abuse to the authorities as soon as they are informed of it?

 

Interesting point. In fact, as a teacher and a cop, both Stef and Lena are mandated reporters of abuse.

 

Of course I'm still stuck on the fact that Mariana's dance team managed to kick somebody off the team because pictures of her drunk showed up online even though she got drunk at the acting principal's house.