S03.E03: Deja Vu

[Tara Ariano]

AJ receives support from Callie's family, but Callie's not sure he's trustworthy. Meanwhile, Stef gives Lena some unexpected news about Monte; and Jude struggles to get past the shooting incident.

[lilB1rdy]

Excited to say this is my first post on previously tv!

Anyway, I used to watch the fosters in the first season and cared about all the characters, especially the Callie/Brandon storyline. But now I only watch for Jude and Connor haha. I like Mariana, Lena and Stef but don't care for everyone else. Brandon looks like a zombie, Callie is too angry and miserable for me to like, and I'm so happy Jesus is gone. I'm already 40 minutes in to this episode and we've only had 1 Jude/Connor scene which already makes an episode kinda suck.

 

[SparklesBitch]

Excited to say this is my first post on previously tv!

 

Welcome! =)

 

As for this episode, I liked it. There was less edge-of-your-seat, high stakes drama, and I always love it when Stef and Lena get to be relaxed and playful with each other. They were so cute together in this episode (goofing around with Jenna on video phone, swoon!), despite the underlying hint of hey love, Monte kissed me one time and I don't know how to bring this up because you're going to understandably freak out.

 

I was kind of bored with Mariana's story, but glad that she got to help out her biological family with a pretty great idea. I was also pleased to see that AJ seems like he might actually end up being a positive addition to the show, and I really liked that they gave Mike something to do. He seemed really excited to connect with AJ.

 

I still find Connor and Jude utterly adorable, and I think that their relationship just rings so true, especially Connor wondering why Jude would be ashamed of not wanting to play the zombie game and Jude being all well, you insulted me, jerkface, so duh....and then Connor finally admitting that he's not okay with what happened during the shooting. Teenage boy bravado covering all sorts of unresolved deeper feelings. Sounds about right.

 

Also, I totally see what they were trying to do with the whole gun storyline, and I thought Stef handled it extremely well (especially her short talk with Jude in the bedroom)....however, it made me feel a little strange for not only being excited to learn how to shoot a gun for the first time, but not freaking out (or bursting into tears) when I finally did learn because of the seriousness of the situation or whatever.

 

I'm a gay chick in my early thirties and I learned how to shoot way back in the day when my police officer father offered to take my teenage brothers shooting and neither of them would touch a gun, so I asked if I could go. Years later, we still go every so often and it has become my favorite father-daughter bonding activity. Other than that I learned at an outdoor range, my first shooting experience was exactly like Jude and Connor's. I got the same speech about how to handle a gun, was instructed over and over how to stand, how to aim, what to shoot for....and then later how to load the clip, put the clip in the gun, then clean everything afterward. I think learning all this stuff definitely takes the mystique out of guns and teaches you that Stef is right, it isn't a game, there are very real consequences to using one incorrectly, etc.

 

I was surprised that Lena was so against it from the beginning.....I figured she'd be all for any sort of educational opportunity, and like Connor said, there's no safer person to learn with than a cop. Then again, her wife did end up on the wrong end of a gun at least one time that ended incredibly badly, so I suppose I can't blame her.

 

And now for the shallow comments....whoever was in charge of dressing Lena and Stef in this episode really brought it. They looked gorgeous through the whole thing! Also, Stef at the shooting range was super hot......both because of the shooting and that jeans and slightly baggy blue button down shirt combination. Dang, girl. And her uniform. Always the uniform.

 

Lena, of course, is always effortlessly and elegantly gorgeous, but she's so cute with all her curls piled on top of her head at bedtime!

 

Lastly, and not forgotten.....Carl's reaction to Stefa and Lena being each others' wives. So funny, and based on my experiences, so true. Stef's line was great: "Sisters, really?" =)

[possibilities]

It's weird that now that they've stopped hiding their feelings, Jude and Connor seem to be constantly at odds.

 

Brandon's constant disappointment face came into good use when he was looking at Mike. It's so clear Brandon sees Mike as a child and does not in any way trust his common sense, and I can't really blame him for his feelings given their history, but the way he just could not even hide his skepticism about Mike being able to handle a foster kid was the most fun I've thought Brandon was in maybe forever. He was practically rolling his eyes at the whole thing, and you could see the thought bubble forming to say: "I wonder how I'm going to have to bail my dad out of this debacle, and I'm disappointed my moms are also dim enough to think it's a good idea." I have no idea how it's going to turn out, but I do kind of wonder if Mike is actually competent to pull it off. I like him, but he's not been shown to be very reliable, and even his enthusiasm comes across as kind of gee willikers, and not particularly savvy. He's amazingly naive for a cop, and his codependent tendencies and barely sober history make watching him in this situation really unnerving. He's well meaning and a nice guy but I just don't know.

 

Mariana for the win, as usual. I like her birth-cousin. Not looking forward to seeing the Matt/Wyatt situation explode.

 

Stef/Lena (and Carl!) I love, but I did think Stef was a bit too dismissive of Lena's expression of "I don't want to set up a friend with my boss," so they still have a bit of a problem with communication and Stef riding over Lena's feelings. And Lena's inability to either talk about or get over the kiss with Monte is distressing. If it wasn't anything, then just tell Stef: things are weird with Monte because she kissed me. I have to work with her and I don't want any more boundary fuzziness and role confusion, so no, I'm not going to be her matchmaker and I'm no longer her friend either. Stef would get over it if Lena did, but apparently Lena hasn't.

 

At least nothing horrible happened to Callie this week.

 

AJ skipping out on summer school ought to bite him, but it looks like they ignored that whole element of his acting out.

 

I wonder if there's going to be more to the plumbing renovation or if it's just a good vehicle for showing contractors being doofs about a lesbian household.

 

Oh, and I laughed at the moms reminiscing about Callie asking them if they were dykes. It was much funnier now than it was when it happened, and it's rare a show will so very effectively bring back something like that. I really liked it.

 

I think Jude and Connor having some PTSD from being shot at is reasonable, and that it's manifesting differently for each of them is interesting. Connor is not triggered by noises, but has flashbacks. Jude is upset by shooting games and the sounds associated with them. It hasn't been very long since it happened, given that Connor is still wearing the boot. I like that the show is handling things like this without staying in the emo/angst they so often got bogged down in in the past-- yet somehow still taking it seriously and giving it some dignity.

 

When Callie said everyone had their own room before she and Jude arrived, I realized that I had somehow not realized that was so, and had always pictured them as being used to sharing. GIven that's clearly not the case, I think it's amazing there has been so little conflict over the twins giving up their privacy and Brandon keeping his. Jude and Jesus had some issues, but it makes Mariana once again even more My Hero because she has always been 100% welcoming to Callie.

 

I really love the Callie-Mariana harmony and I hope they don't let boyfriend drama destroy it.

 

I viscerally despise Monte. I think I might be over-reacting, but I can't shake it. I just hate her hate her hate her. Everything about her, even when it's not specifically terrible, makes me hate her even more. I can't tell if the actor is deliberately trying to infuse everything she does with an annoying quality or if I am just reacting to her and her storyline this way for my own reasons. But I can't stand her and this dates from even before the kiss.

[DeepPoet117]

I'm kind of pissed off about Mariana's grandfather's comment about her not having been in the family for very long. She's been in his family since her birth, they just didn't know about her. I'm glad Mariana isn't afraid to speak her mind. It also bugged me that Callie was so certain that AJ would run away, which granted he kind of did, but it just felt like she was projecting her own history onto him.

 

I loved the scenes with Jude/Connor/Stef at the shooting range. And the Stef/Lena/Jenna/Monte plot. Finally we see Stef and Lena as adults with friends and spending time with those friends. Is Jenna the mom of the kid who did the poetry thing about his moms' divorce?

[LisaM]

 

Is Jenna the mom of the kid who did the poetry thing about his moms' divorce?

Yes. They said that they "got Jenna" in her divorce from Kelly, Garrett the poet's other mom.

[tennisgurl]

 

Excited to say this is my first post on previously tv!

Welcome! Hope the show picks up for you soon, it sucks when you fall out of love with a show. I really liked this episode, and I am enjoying the season, for the most part. 

[izabella]

I really love the Callie-Mariana harmony and I hope they don't let boyfriend drama destroy it.

 

 

I don't think it will.  Callie seems to be way over Wyatt.  But I can see why Mariana is reluctant to tell her about it.  It's certainly awkward!

[Eeksquire]

I really liked Wyatt's text message to Mariana - it was playful, it showed he cared about her, but was not immediately "wehadsexsonowyourmygirlfriend" stalker-y (not that we would expect that of Wyatt, given his actions in the past), and Mariana smiled at it, which also feels very real. I have enough confidence in this show to look forward to how they handle the fallout when Matt returns and everything comes out.  Or doesn't come out.

 

I have to say though, that the AJ storyline interests me not.at.all, which I think is why I'm having a hard time getting into this season.  It seems they replaced Jesus with an equally wooden actor and the repetition we've seen so far is going to get old REALLY FAST (in fact, it's already gotten old) if this kid has no other motivation or storyline than "I want to find my brother." Next week: "I want to find my brother." Week after: "I want to find my brother." On and on ad nauseum.

 

I'd much rather have any one of the Girls United girls return - all of them seemed to be more carefully fleshed out as characters from the first moment they appeared than AJ has in three episodes.

[Primetimer]

Al Lowe falls down the churronut-hole and emerges with more questions about The Fosters.

Read the story

[izabella]

I don't see why we need new characters at all.  It's a big family with a lot going on - do we really need to focus on AJ's problems now? 

[tennisgurl]

I liked this episode, for the most part. WAY more good than bad.

 

The Good: Mariana being sisters with Callie, bonding with her bio family, and using her coding skills are a good use of your Mariana. I like Wyatt, so I`m ok with him still being around, but I don`t much care for the idea of him and Mariana becoming a thing. Even if Callie is over him, hooking up with your sisters ex is against the girl code!

 

I appreciate how this show never just forgets plot threads and events. I`m glad they are following up on the Jude and Connor shooting, and I continue to love their scenes together. They even touched in Steph and her shooting, which I thought was a great touch.

 

Callie is so very lovable.

 

Steph and Lena relationship stuff, and mostly without angst. I love their relationship, I really really hope stupid Monty and her stupid lips don't add needless drama to their lives.

 

Loved all the call-backs to Callie joining the family, let Callie calling them d*****, and AJ referring to Brandon as the "real kid", just like Callie did. I might be super into AJ, but I like the idea of having another kid, and seeing how far Callie has come.

 

The Meh:

AJ is not super interesting. I like the idea of Mike as a foster parent, and Callie and Jude being more Jesus and Marianna from the pilot, but AJ just is not doing much for me. I feel like we have enough of a cast already, we don't need to spend the whole season with a new guy, who is kind of a wooden actor. But, maybe I`ll warm to him eventually.  

[Bobcatkitten]

Two things - why the heck wasn't Mariana in school?

 

Also, the scene where Callie is walking through the park - did anyone else feel like she was purposefully walking weird so her boobs were out? Took me out of the scene. 

[izabella]

I thought it was summer so Mariana wouldn't have school.  That's why her boyfriend is away on his band tour.

 

Callie needs to go to summer school to catch up so she can graduate on time.  Brandon is at music camp, and Jesus is at his school for wrestling stuff. 

[Makenna]

Two things - why the heck wasn't Mariana in school?

Jude, Callie, and now AJ are meant to be in mandatory summer school, with all their moving around etc, etc they're behind their peers in their studies and testing. And I guess Connor is just not a good student.

[izabella]

Maybe Connor missed a lot of school after he was shot?

[Samantha84]

Also, the scene where Callie is walking through the park - did anyone else feel like she was purposefully walking weird so her boobs were out? Took me out of the scene.

 

The walk was weird and seemed extra by Maia and yes, it took me out of the scene. My 1st reaction was, "why the hell is she walking like that?"

 

Here's the problem I have w. Monte and the writers. Yes, I know that the writers and EP are gay, I am not so I wouldn't presume to know what offends them. BUT Monte can't find a good man so she's gonna try dating women? Sexually works like that? If Monte was bisexual this whole time and she owned it then great but it seems like she's dating women now b/c men didn't work out for her or she hasn't found a compatible one. 

 

Brandon mentioned, twice, that he was on his way to work. Since when does he have a job and where does he work? 

[izabella]

I think Brandon meant work on his composing.

[kaypretzels]

I would love to see Mariana/Wyatt explored. They could connect on a lot of things. And Callie put poor Wyatt through the wringer so hopefully she'd just be happy he'd found someone.

 

I loved the actor who plays her current boyfriend when he was on dance academy but maaaan he's terrible when trying to put on an American accent-- there was another show where he tried to play American and was bad. I think it takes too much for him to concentrate on hiding his Australian accent.

[ShortyMac]

AJ stealing Brandon’s baseball: Who didn’t see that coming a mile away? What a POS to steal from Brandon and the Fosters that have taken him in. I'm glad that it got returned, at least.

 

I agree that Mike getting a fostering licence would not happen in real life because he's only newly sober. 

 

I hate this "Monte kissing Lena and keeping it a secret" plot.

 

I really liked the shooting range stuff and the discussion afterward. Well done.

 

I wonder how Callie’s news of being fired will come out? I like that while Jude has adjusted to Stef's and Lena's care quite quickly (plus, he's their son now), Callie is still hesitant to come to them and trust them, even while being in their care for the better part of a year.

[possibilities]

AJ did run from the drop in center, leaving broken glass and stolen spray paint, and I think that's why Callie is expecting him to run again. She's still mad at him for betraying her trust and getting her fired. Also, she kind of knows his type, since she was there herself, desperate to re-unite with Jude, and ran away for that and then again when things got scary. I don't think she's just projecting, I think she's predicting from both her own and his past behavior. He ran away from his first foster home, he ran from the drop in center, and she feels like she stuck her neck out for him a few times now, so as usual she feels like she has to be in the "responsible adult" role and rein him in.

 

RE Monte, I agree that's not how sexuality works. It's true that sometimes later in life someone will awaken to their true sexuality and discover attractions they never fully realized before, but there is also a subset of idiots who do what Monte is doing, saying stuff like "I can't find a man so maybe I'll try women" and it's super annoying. Maybe it's inside baseball and straight people don't hear it as much, but I can't count the number of straight people who have said that kind of thing to me, thinking I would bond with them over it, but in reality it makes me hate their guts and think they are just total morons. So, no, Samantha84, sexuality doesn't work like that. You are right about that. And it's very annoying. But it's a real thing annoying people do. When I watch the show, I am continually surprised by how gutsy they are about portraying stuff like this, which is really common experience for the subculture to deal with, and which I've never seen portrayed in any mainstream media ever before. I'm kind of pleased to hear that it looks ridiculous to someone who's not a lesbian, because speaking as a lesbian it definitely looks ridiculous to me. It might be that Monte really is awakening to something real that she never felt before. But so far she hits all the bullshit points for someone who is just a tourist. We'll see if it turns into a coming out later in life story, or of they are really going to commit to showcasing the tourist phenomenon and how clueless and annoying it really is.

 

I don't mind AJ, but I do feel some regret that they didn't take in Kiara, if they were going to add a character. It's true that the GU girls were all really interesting and seemed to be well-acted, and so far AJ is kind of wooden. I know he's nervous and trying to hold himself in control, so maybe he'll loosen up if he gets comfortable. But even when he breaks down a little, he doesn't really show much feeling. I hope he isn't just another actor who can't act and it's a deliberate choice. I guess we'll know soon enough. I think it's worth exploring issues he raises, like about how hard it is to place Black boys. And the separation of siblings is a huge thing. I want to know what happened to his brother. I do feel for him, not knowing, and having it seem like Mike isn't really freaking out about it, not worried all that much, etc. That has to be the worst feeling. Can you imagine how you'd feel if one of your siblings disappeared and everyone acted like it was nothing? It can't be good-- either he deliberately abandoned AJ, or he's in trouble. There is really no possible explanation that will make AJ feel like it's okay, and yet everyone around him acts like they don't get that. The loneliness of just that one element of his situation has got to be really crushing.

[Eeksquire]

Question on the AJ storyline: How old is his brother supposed to be? I thought I heard (in the first episode) him say that his brother is older - are we meant to assume/believe that the brother has aged out of foster care? Or are we meant to think that he, too, ran away from his foster family (and if so, wouldn't THAT show up "in the system" when Stef and Mike looked for him)? Or … what? Something about the plotting here has left a bunch of questions unanswered, even when Callie and AJ have had exposition-heavy conversations about the superhero-esque tag that the brothers draw, etc.

[LisaM]

I liked this episode a lot  - especially all of the Stef and Lena scenes and the Stef/Jonnor shooting range ones. I really liked the call back to the pilot when Stef remembered Callie calling them dykes. Also liked hearing Jude call Stef "Mom", which I don't recall happening before. I liked seeing Jenna again - and the comment that Stef and Lena "got Jenna" in her divorce from Kelly. I liked hearing Mike correct himself and refer to Brandon as Lena's son too - major growth for him since the fight in the second episode.

 

Interesting how Mariana's new cousin was introduced with little fanfare. Very pleased to see that it was Mariana's smarts which helped to save the day - both at the bakery and with Callie's new project. Speaking of Callie, I wish that she would tell the moms about being fired from the Center because Callie and secrets is not a good combination.

 

Very pleased not to have any Brandon at music camp scenes. I did like seeing him a bit jealous over Mike's interest in AJ. Regarding AJ, I'm not sure if the actor is wooden or I'm just not feeling the character. I did like how he asked Lena if they sent Jesus away because he did something wrong.

 

If Lena thought that the Monte kiss meant nothing, she should have told Stef at once. I was happy to hear Monte say that Lena didn't kiss her back. Seems like TPTB is drawing it out to create a plot contrivance.

[teenj12]

The way I see it, AJ's kind of placeholding for Jesus, and that's fine with me, because I actually do like his story. Him and Callie have a lot in common and those parallels were certainly displayed in the episode. Their scene together at the end was nicely done. I'll be interested in seeing more of them as friends. I'm still not sure if Mike will go through with the fostering. I can see there being a complication (another parallel to Callie's journey).

 

I actually liked the relaxed vibe of the episode. It didn't feel like the whole world was crashing down. The writers are definitely getting better with balancing things and not making everything overdramatic.  Oh yeah, and the plot with Jonner was a highlight. It's only natural that they'd both have some residual issues from the shooting, and I liked when Jude comforted Conner. Stef talking to the boys was the cherry on top. I like that they had a lot of Stef-Jude this week, because usually they show Jude's relationship with Lena more. Now all we need is some good Lena-Callie solo scenes.

[KaveDweller]

RE Monte, I agree that's not how sexuality works. It's true that sometimes later in life someone will awaken to their true sexuality and discover attractions they never fully realized before, but there is also a subset of idiots who do what Monte is doing, saying stuff like "I can't find a man so maybe I'll try women" and it's super annoying.

 

I kind of thought the "I haven't had luck with a man" thing was her covering from not wanting to admit she had a realization based on her attraction to Lena.  She was still trying to downplay the kiss, but it clearly meant something to her and got her thinking. I certainly agree it would be annoying to really just try dating women she's had no hint of attraction.  But they did show that bonding with Lena as a catalyst and not a bad experience with a guy.

[LeGrandElephant]

Mariana's jingle is a copyright violation, but I doubt the show will get into that.

 

Lena should tell Stef that Monte kissed her, that she didn't like being put in that position and therefore she's not being friendly with Monte anymore. She can say she doesn't want to do anything like file sexual harassment charges but she's also being really clear about work boundaries and them not hanging out casually anymore. Stef would be upset at first but would be fine with it if Lena was honest about it and stuck to that. And then Stef wouldn't push her to have Monte over for dinner. Though really, Stef should have been ok with Lena saying she didn't want to have her boss over for a setup date even if she didn't know about the kiss. That's awkward all around.

 

Didn't someone say in one of these threads earlier that foster kids aren't allowed to share rooms with non-bio-siblings? I remember being surprised though because that seems impractical. (As much as I like the idea of not making them share rooms, if there's already trouble finding enough people to take them in, disallowing room sharing would make it even more difficult to find enough spots.)

 

I hate shows using text messages so much and not making them really big on the screen. I can't read them at all on my old-style TV. Did anything important happen in Mariana's texting?

 

 

Here's the problem I have w. Monte and the writers. Yes, I know that the writers and EP are gay, I am not so I wouldn't presume to know what offends them. BUT Monte can't find a good man so she's gonna try dating women? Sexually works like that?

 

I took that as Monte being weird and making more excuses, not as an actual interpretation of sexuality by the writers, because yes that's not how sexuality works at all. Its obvious she's attracted to Lena but she doesn't want to admit it because it will make things more awkward than they already are, and as part of that she's denying that she's realized she's attracted to women and is acting clueless about it so she doesn't have to admit she's into Lena. No woman dates women just because they're tired of men - but they might date women because they've always been kind of attracted to women and are now single for the first time in a long time and are just starting to act on that underlying attraction. 

 

 

RE Monte, I agree that's not how sexuality works. It's true that sometimes later in life someone will awaken to their true sexuality and discover attractions they never fully realized before, but there is also a subset of idiots who do what Monte is doing, saying stuff like "I can't find a man so maybe I'll try women" and it's super annoying. Maybe it's inside baseball and straight people don't hear it as much, but I can't count the number of straight people who have said that kind of thing to me, thinking I would bond with them over it, but in reality it makes me hate their guts and think they are just total morons. So, no, Samantha84, sexuality doesn't work like that. You are right about that. And it's very annoying. But it's a real thing annoying people do. When I watch the show, I am continually surprised by how gutsy they are about portraying stuff like this, which is really common experience for the subculture to deal with, and which I've never seen portrayed in any mainstream media ever before. I'm kind of pleased to hear that it looks ridiculous to someone who's not a lesbian, because speaking as a lesbian it definitely looks ridiculous to me. 

Or that. Either way, I agree the statements she made (about it not working with men so she'll try women) are ridiculous.

 

I don't mind AJ, but I do feel some regret that they didn't take in Kiara, if they were going to add a character.

 

Would the foster system let a single man take in a teenage girl? (Or is that awful for me to even ask?)

Edited June 26, 2015 by LeGrandElephant

[teenj12]

Mariana's jingle is a copyright violation, but I doubt the show will get into that.

 

Lena should tell Stef that Monte kissed her, that she didn't like being put in that position and therefore she's not being friendly with Monte anymore. She can say she doesn't want to do anything like file sexual harassment charges but she's also being really clear about work boundaries and them not hanging out casually anymore. Stef would be upset at first but would be fine with it if Lena was honest about it and stuck to that. And then Stef wouldn't push her to have Monte over for dinner. Though really, Stef should have been ok with Lena saying she didn't want to have her boss over for a setup date even if she didn't know about the kiss. That's awkward all around.

 

Didn't someone say in one of these threads earlier that foster kids aren't allowed to share rooms with non-bio-siblings? I remember being surprised though because that seems impractical. (As much as I like the idea of not making them share rooms, if there's already trouble finding enough people to take them in, disallowing room sharing would make it even more difficult to find enough spots.)

 

I hate shows using text messages so much and not making them really big on the screen. I can't read them at all on my old-style TV. Did anything important happen in Mariana's texting?

 

 

 

I took that as Monte being weird and making more excuses, not as an actual interpretation of sexuality by the writers, because yes that's not how sexuality works at all. Its obvious she's attracted to Lena but she doesn't want to admit it because it will make things more awkward than they already are, and as part of that she's denying that she's realized she's attracted to women and is acting clueless about it so she doesn't have to admit she's into Lena. No woman dates women just because they're tired of men - but they might date women because they've always been kind of attracted to women and are now single for the first time in a long time and are just starting to act on that underlying attraction. 

 

Or that. Either way, I agree the statements she made (about it not working with men so she'll try women) are ridiculous.

 

 

Would the foster system let a single man take in a teenage girl? (Or is that awful for me to even ask?)

I don't see why not. Don't foster parents have to be ten years oldwer than the child they are trying to adopt anyway?

[GenevieveS]

Didn't someone say in one of these threads earlier that foster kids aren't allowed to share rooms with non-bio-siblings? I remember being surprised though because that seems impractical. (As much as I like the idea of not making them share rooms, if there's already trouble finding enough people to take them in, disallowing room sharing would make it even more difficult to find enough spots.)

....

Would the foster system let a single man take in a teenage girl? (Or is that awful for me to even ask?)

That may have been me about room sharing. It's true in my state, which is not California, and I don't know what the rules are there. Sadly, the rules do not always make sense and do not always make it easy to get reasonable, good people do become foster parents. On the other hand, this particular rule is really focused on keeping kids safe. Giving kids who've been through whatever trauma brought them into care a space that's "theirs" or at least only shared with someone they already know (bio-sibling) can be important to helping them feel safe and to emotional healing. In the scenario where a child has been sexually abused, it's often not known at the time of placement; many times, it's the foster family that first learns of it. And, sometimes, sexual abuse victims act out their own trauma on other children. Note: I'm not saying that everyone who has been abused becomes an abuser. But the risk is there.

 

As far as the foster system letting a single man taking in a teenage girl, I don't know that either. But, I think it is unlikely they would have placed Kiara with Mike because, again, of her sexual abuse history. Placing a teenage girl who's been prostituted in a single man's household sets them both up for really bad things to either happen or be fabricated. When I took a training on fostering kids who'd been sexually abused, they talked about avoiding situations that opened us up the possibility if it even being interpreted as abuse. One of those situations would be leaving the male of the household alone with a teenage girl with a history of sexual abuse.

[luckyroll3]

Question on the AJ storyline: How old is his brother supposed to be? I thought I heard (in the first episode) him say that his brother is older - are we meant to assume/believe that the brother has aged out of foster care? Or are we meant to think that he, too, ran away from his foster family (and if so, wouldn't THAT show up "in the system" when Stef and Mike looked for him)? Or … what? Something about the plotting here has left a bunch of questions unanswered, even when Callie and AJ have had exposition-heavy conversations about the superhero-esque tag that the brothers draw, etc.

They said he had aged out of the system and that he was 19 or 20.