S03.E17: Sixteen

[Tara Ariano]

Mariana and Jesus disagree about how to celebrate their sixteenth birthdays. Meanwhile, Jude's excited to visit with Connor for the weekend; and Callie and Brandon agree not to bring their new significant others home.

[Aliconehead]

Anna oh Anna. I hope this is not the first step to a mega relapse spiral. Hopefully she will sober up and get back on the program. Poor Gabe being blamed. Anna made her own choices, not his fault in my opinion. Next week looks bad for him.

I am over Callie and Brandon. Brandon just sucks.

Poor Jude. His first dick pic followed by his first breakup. It's been a rough week for him. And FYI Jude, Connor was misinformed, most girls don't like dick pics. Penises are just not attractive or some thing we randomly like to receive.

[ShortyMac]

Anna oh Anna. I hope this is not the first step to a mega relapse spiral. Hopefully she will sober up and get back on the program. Poor Gabe being blamed. Anna made her own choices, not his fault in my opinion. Next week looks bad for him.

I am over Callie and Brandon. Brandon just sucks.

Poor Jude. His first dick pic followed by his first breakup. It's been a rough week for him. And FYI Jude, Connor was misinformed, most girls don't like dick pics. Penises are just not attractive or some thing we randomly like to receive.

 

This.

 

I loved the Stef/Jesus scene. Just loved it. <3 And when Jude went to the moms' room and they just shared that look at the end.

 

I also liked the end. Sweet family moments.

 

Brallie ruins everything. I'm so sick of seeing them be awkward around each other. So tiresome and annoying. They'll be a finale cliffhanger yet again...I'd rather them get together at this point so we can move. on. already.

Edited March 8, 2016 by ShortyMac

[KaveDweller]

It occurred to me how much Brandon's bartender girlfriend looks like Callie.  And that girl has the weirdest logic. Brandon is "mature" because he has to deal with not being able to have sex with his sister? Um, sure.  All girls get turned on by shit like that. 

 

I liked the Jude/Jesus, Callie/Jesus, and Callie/Jude sequence of scenes. 

[lofidelity]

So that's two simultaneous plots in which someone accused of improper sexual contact with a minor (or someone who is just barely not-a-minor) turns out to be innocent, because duh it was totes consensual or duh the person who accused them of abuse was lying, all while Brandon, high schooler and actual victim of statutory rape, hooks up with yet another adult woman, and no one is concerned.  Cool.  Cool cool cool.

[KaveDweller]

So that's two simultaneous plots in which someone accused of improper sexual contact with a minor (or someone who is just barely not-a-minor) turns out to be innocent, because duh it was totes consensual or duh the person who accused them of abuse was lying, all while Brandon, high schooler and actual victim of statutory rape, hooks up with yet another adult woman, and no one is concerned.  Cool.  Cool cool cool.

 

Does anyone on the show (other than Callie) know about who Brandon's hooking up with? Cause I don't really see Steph and Lena being cool with it when they find out.

[izabella]

AJ is the smartest of the bunch.  He saw what was what with Callie and Brandon, and decided he wanted nothing to do with it.  Hooray for someone using some common sense!

 

Where was this birthday party?  The backyard?  Don't these people have neighbors who would complain about both a skate park and loud music blaring?

[ShortyMac]

Where was this birthday party?  The backyard?  Don't these people have neighbors who would complain about both a skate park and loud music blaring?

 

Nick's dad's warehouse.

[omgsowicked]

Really loved the Jesus/Stef and Jesus/Callie scenes. "When have Jesus and I ever talked?" Maia could have looked right into the camera after saying that and I would have lost it, heh. But yeah, I'm glad they're starting to have a relationship. And I liked the story about little Jesus wanting Stef and Lena to marry a guy so he could have a dad, how they wanted to give him what he needed from that, etc. It helps explain his spiraling over Gabe, and also helps make up for Stef's blowup at him in the last episode. Oh, and the Jesus/Jude scenes were good as well. Yeah, I think Jesus was a winner for me in this episode... really warmed up to the new actor, I'm excited about him and his stories now.

 

Groaned at all the Brandon/Callie weirdness. I get that they're teenagers but the way they're acting, their discussions, are basically making it so neither can truly move on. Callie's constantly made to feel guilty about being with AJ, Brandon's all, "don't bring your dates home, or to parties I'll be at." I hope they ease up on this or put them back together soon because this mopey in-between thing is wearing thin. Brandon's girlfriend seems pretty dumb, saying his "sacrifice" was brave. Chuckled at the way AJ's actor delivered the "do you think I'm a slut?" line to Callie.

 

Ana showing up high... I think Gabe doesn't know she's an addict, so he didn't know a beer would set her off. And she probably wanted to make a good impression after all that time, so she didn't refuse the drink. He wasn't high or anything when he dropped off the gifts, so I don't think he had anything to do with her getting high. Also, after Gabe's plea to keep the kids away from him, he was hanging out around them a lot tonight.

No surprise that he'll get caught with one of them in a future episode, based on the promo.

 

Jude/Connor... I liked the coming of age part of the story but the breakup felt a little weird. And Jude seemed pretty cold about it. I don't know, I'll have to watch it again. I used to adore them but I'm glad it's over because the magic is gone for me.

 

Both relieved and disappointed by the Monte/Sally thing. Relieved because I'm glad Monte wasn't preying on the students, and disappointing that someone would make a life ruining accusation like that. I think Monte's stupid for not getting it on record first, considering it could destroy her career, but hopefully Sally does the right thing and comes clean. I wonder if we'll keep following Sally's story, if her parents disown her or something.

[lofidelity]

Does anyone on the show (other than Callie) know about who Brandon's hooking up with? Cause I don't really see Steph and Lena being cool with it when they find out.

Oh, maybe not.  For some reason I thought Stef or one of the siblings knew about it (although maybe not about the kid) but when I had the 10PM rerun on, I realized he was hanging out with her alone.  And it's not like he can count on Callie to be a voice of reason.

[angora]

I wish they hadn't gone the false-accusation route with Sally and Monte, but at least they didn't have Sally scheming to ruin Monte's career or lashing out because she'd been rejected.  Given how scared she was of her parents finding out about her sexuality, I can buy that she panicked and tried to get ahead of the situation by saying that Monte kissed her before Monte had a chance to tell them what happened (I'm guessing Monte didn't tell Sally that she wasn't going to tell her parents or make a report?)  Then, everything spiraled out of control with her parents insisting Monte be fired, but she was still too scared to come clean.  More understandable and less cliche.  Hopefully Lena's able to get through to her and convince her to tell the truth.

 

Good on AJ for realizing how messy things were between Callie and Brandon and getting out of there.  I have such a soft spot for that kid, and I don't want to see him get hurt over Brallie.

 

ITA on the Jesus-Jude, Jesus-Callie, and Jude-Callie scenes.  Everyone was great there.  Poor Jude and poor Connor.  *sigh*  I guess we'll always have the pinky-holding at the movie theater.  (Stef-Jesus was lovely, too.  I like how sympathetic she was to the fact that Jesus wanted a dad in his life.)

[gesundheit]

Really loved the Jesus/Stef and Jesus/Callie scenes. "When have Jesus and I ever talked?" Maia could have looked right into the camera after saying that and I would have lost it, heh. But yeah, I'm glad they're starting to have a relationship. 

Not too much, though, they might fall in love!

 

I wish they hadn't gone the false-accusation route with Sally and Monte, but at least they didn't have Sally scheming to ruin Monte's career or lashing out because she'd been rejected.  Given how scared she was of her parents finding out about her sexuality, I can buy that she panicked and tried to get ahead of the situation by saying that Monte kissed her before Monte had a chance to tell them what happened (I'm guessing Monte didn't tell Sally that she wasn't going to tell her parents or make a report?)  Then, everything spiraled out of control with her parents insisting Monte be fired, but she was still too scared to come clean.  More understandable and less cliche.  Hopefully Lena's able to get through to her and convince her to tell the truth.

The one thing I was wondering was why Lena was such a sleuth about it, while Sally's homophobic/biphobic parents had no questions about why Sally was surfing a dating site in the "girls who like girls" category. Denial is powerful, I suppose!

 

Anyway, the show pulled off a hell of a delicate balance there, avoiding both the bisexual predator and the evil-manipulative-teen making false accusations tropes. While obviously Sally shouldn't have done that, it didn't last long before she got figured out (and admitted it to an authority figure) and her reasoning was completely sympathetic.

 

I read that Little-Jesus asking about whether his moms could also marry a man was based on a question one of the showrunner's sons asked her about her and her wife. That'll stick with you!

[jaytee1812]

Brallie ruins everything. I'm so sick of seeing them be awkward around each other. So tiresome and annoying. They'll be a finale cliffhanger yet again...I'd rather them get together at this point so we can move. on. already.

I was neutral on Braillie until recently but now they're just annoying.

[marceline]

I found Mariana's party kind of creepy. Those girls inviting the boys upstairs for some bumping and grinding then standing there like they were working the bunny Ranch was kind of sickening.

 

And yes, please put a final end to Braiille. It has run its course.

[ShadowFacts]

 

The one thing I was wondering was why Lena was such a sleuth about it, while Sally's homophobic/biphobic parents had no questions about why Sally was surfing a dating site in the "girls who like girls" category. Denial is powerful, I suppose!

 

The parents may have thought their daughter was just trying to find out as much info on Monte as possible.  Or they are in denial.  Could be both.

 

 

I found Mariana's party kind of creepy. Those girls inviting the boys upstairs for some bumping and grinding then standing there like they were working the bunny Ranch was kind of sickening.

 

I did not like that at all.  I'm surprised Stef and Lena were all cool about it, and Mariana's grandparents should have reacted more negatively I would think.  I am probably just too old for this show anymore (I'm definitely not in the Freeform target demo) but having Mariana and her friends look like Kardashians, and Callie and AJ in bed at home while Brandon is in the garage with his girlfriend, plus poor Jude dealing with his boyfriend's sext, well, it turned me off.

[rue721]

Brandon's "I'll allow it!" at the breakfast table made me laugh. And then when he whined to Callie that he forbade her from bringing anyone home -- who died and made him king? But tbh, both those scenes made me laugh. For some reason, I actually find it really endearing that he's such a putz.

 

Courtney is insane, though. Who in the world meets a high schooler with a sister/ex and thinks, "boyfriend material"? She needs to drop Brandon like a bad habit.

 

AJ and Callie were irritating me in this episode. Callie is the new Jesus, I guess. Nothing but boring ~romantic~ storylines for her.

 

Jude was too harsh with Conner, imo. I thought they actually *liked* each other, but I guess he was just interested in Connor because of proximity? That seems unbelievable to me, but that's what it seemed like he was saying during the breakup convo. And he sure hasn't been treating Connor like a "friend."

 

I guess those kids at the Pride Prom were right, and Connor was just asking to get his heart broken, by dating a guy who was so reluctant to commit.

 

Jesus is so much better and more interesting now! The new actor is doing great. I felt pretty sympathetic toward him when he was upset about Mariana getting her way about the party, and feeling like he was being overshadowed by her and basically rejected/forgotten by his friends/family. I'd never really thought about it before, but Mariana *is* always shining so much brighter than he is, and I can see how it would make him feel bad.

 

Poor Ana, it was so sad to see her lose it at the party. She seemed so excited to see Gabe again, and she probably took the beer he offered because she wanted to hang out with him and make things right with him again -- and things must have spiraled out from there. I don't really think that that's anyone's "fault," including Gabe's. Her choices were all understandable, but she's *so* fragile.

 

Mariana was adorable in that scene at Gabe's apartment. I felt for her when she asked if he remembered running into her, and he said, "of course!" and when she was bragging about how persuasive she is and how people say she should be a lawyer. I really liked Gabe for getting Jesus the toolbelt and Mariana that lawyer mug, too -- considering how little he knows them, those were genuinely thoughtful gifts.

 

I found Mariana's party kind of creepy. Those girls inviting the boys upstairs for some bumping and grinding then standing there like they were working the bunny Ranch was kind of sickening.

 

Yeah, I agree. Mariana and Jesus also looked like they were in costume or something. A gold lame skirt with a sequin top? A gigantic, golden tie dye T-shirt? And what teenager has free reign over a warehouse where he can host a rock opera, build a professional-looking skate park, and throw a prom-style fancy party all at the same time? Idk, it was all a little over the top for me.

 

I am probably just too old for this show anymore (I'm definitely not in the Freeform target demo) but having Mariana and her friends look like Kardashians, and Callie and AJ in bed at home while Brandon is in the garage with his girlfriend, plus poor Jude dealing with his boyfriend's sext, well, it turned me off.

 

It wasn't that I was disgusted by all the sex storylines so much as I just don't care. The dating storylines are (and have always been) the show's weak link, imo. The family stuff is so much more interesting. Mike and AJ's relationship is a lot more interesting to me than Callie and AJ's, for example.

 

The exception for me is that I do like some of the kids' friends (or at least find them interesting) -- like Connor, Wyatt, Sally, Matt, and even Talia. And I tend to like the storylines about Mariana and Brandon's ambitions, too (like Mariana joining the dance team or Brandon melting down at Idyllwild).

[izabella]

Maybe I led a sheltered life growing up on the south side of Chicago (!), but so much sex is ridiculous.  All of these kids are sexually active, except for Jude (for the moment), and they're all between 15 (now 16 for the twins) and 17.  While there were some kids in my high school that were having sex, it wasn't like everyone over the age of 15 was, nor was it weird to not want to have sex while in high school. 

 

I'm definitely out of this show's demographic, but I think it is so, so wrong that these kids hardly ever hear a word about being emotionally ready and mature enough to handle sex.  Condoms, sure, they have a bowlful and give them out like candy.  Discussions about what it means emotionally?  I recall one conversation with Jesus, that's it.  No one even had the, "Gee Mariana, you had sex for the wrong reasons with Hair Guy.  Maybe you ought to give some thought to WHY you are so insecure that you decided to have sex with a near stranger to make yourself feel better because your boyfriend wasn't ready to have sex yet.  And maybe you will want to give some thought to what sex means to you before you rush into it again."

[Glade]

I'm really disappointed with how the Monte plot ended.  Not only are they presenting the "kids just lie about being abused and accuse poor innocent adults!" bullshit again, they also sidestepped the fact that Lena should have given it extra credence and informed the board that actually, Monte sexually harassed her at work by kissing her against her wishes and then told a bunch of people about it. Lena is a pretty derelict mandated reporter.

 

Gabe obviously wasn't drunk or high when he dropped off the presents for J/M, so I don't think it's his fault or that he gave Anna anything other then a beer.  Anna's parents have displayed their creepy sense of moral entitlement again, by suggesting that because he may have gotten drunk or high with Anna, that means he deserves to be on a sex offender list...it's not a drug offender list.  And I guess the baby was being taken care of by some unknown party while Anna was "passed out" at home?  I don't think it's fair to Anna or the baby that her relapse has such high stakes due to her raising an infant daughter.

 

I am glad that Stef has turned a new leaf with Hesus, telling him they want to build up his self-esteem rather then scream put-downs in his face and threaten to violently assault him.  But I was hoping for some sort of apology mixed in there.  It was sad that his own party got derailed by Mariana, and despite Callie's nasty quip (I'm sure if Marriana had said she didn't want any "boys or drama," Callie wouldn't have called that sexist,) I think it was very understandable that he didn't want a repeat of the Quinceneira or to be confronted by one or more of his exes.

 

Nick really is dragging this show down, robbing it of it's realism, since now he is so magically super-rich that he can transform a dusty old warehouse into whatever he wants.

 

It was nice seeing Jude and Hesus interacting again, since they are room-mates and it helps both of their characters.  We need to see more sibling relationships then just the usual three pairings.  But there are plenty of books, like the Guide To Gay Sex that he could look at rather then porn.  Connor and Jude did seem to become genuine friends before their romance gradually started, and I don't know that it's actually been established that there aren't any other gay boys in his class.  It's sad to see them breaking up.  Jude doesn't quite know what he wants yet. 

[KaveDweller]

It was nice seeing Jude and Hesus interacting again, since they are room-mates and it helps both of their characters.  We need to see more sibling relationships then just the usual three pairings.  But there are plenty of books, like the Guide To Gay Sex that he could look at rather then porn.  Connor and Jude did seem to become genuine friends before their romance gradually started, and I don't know that it's actually been established that there aren't any other gay boys in his class.  It's sad to see them breaking up.  Jude doesn't quite know what he wants yet. 

 

It seemed like they were friends before they even knew they were gay, so I thought they felt a real connection. But long-distance must be hard at that age, so I'm not surprised it's not lasting.

[bybrandy]

 

 

Nick really is dragging this show down, robbing it of it's realism, since now he is so magically super-rich that he can transform a dusty old warehouse into whatever he wants.

I kept waiting for one of the skater kids to get seriously hurt or for the cops to be called..  I just feel like there has to be something nefarious about this empty warehouse of convenience.   

[lofidelity]

I kept waiting for one of the skater kids to get seriously hurt or for the cops to be called..  I just feel like there has to be something nefarious about this empty warehouse of convenience.   

Yeah, when Nick was like, "My dad won't mind, he'll just be glad someone is finally using it."  Why is your horrible dad, who is apparently so cutthroat he made you eat a burger till you puked to teach you a lesson about wastefulness as a small child, hanging on to this empty warehouse that neither he nor any of his business associates seems to have a use for?  I mean, everything on this show is unrealistic, so it could just amount to nothing, but that definitely made me wonder what the hell Nick's dad does for a living. 

 

The parents may have thought their daughter was just trying to find out as much info on Monte as possible.  Or they are in denial.  Could be both.

Or Lena could be wrong.  Sally's parents specifically called Monte out as bisexual, and said Monte's profile indicated she was looking for men and women -- that means, at the very least, Sally could have signed up for the site as a dude and found Monte's profile.  But you can also just browse on some dating sites, or fiddle with different options for what your searches will return, which means that Sally also could have found Monte's profile if she was just idly searching for people with different preferences to see who was out there, or if she didn't indicate a gender preference.  Again, I know everything on this show is unrealistic, but when Lena said Sally must have been on the site as a woman looking for women, I wondered if it was going to turn out that Lena was wrong, and that Sally had seen Monte's profile for some other reason.

[fauxphysician]

In the previews for the next episode-- didn't we see Callie looking at  a dip stick (from a home pregnancy test)?!!  It was just a quick image, but that's what I think I saw. Like many in this forum I've feared that the writers would just HAVE to introduce a pregnancy/scare/story line for these two, and if so--given their predictable behavior-- they'll attempt to resolve it in secret. I'm thinking, 'scare', since the Show's  done the morning after pill s/l and I doubt they really want to risk popularity/ratings with an actual abortion.  

[ShortyMac]

In the previews for the next episode-- didn't we see Callie looking at  a dip stick (from a home pregnancy test)?!!  It was just a quick image, but that's what I think I saw. Like many in this forum I've feared that the writers would just HAVE to introduce a pregnancy/scare/story line for these two, and if so--given their predictable behavior-- they'll attempt to resolve it in secret. I'm thinking, 'scare', since the Show's  done the morning after pill s/l and I doubt they really want to risk popularity/ratings with an actual abortion.  

 

The stick you saw was Callie holding a toothbrush.

[fauxphysician]

OOOps!  Thank you, Shorty Mac. Guess what they say about eye witness accuracy is true!

[LisaM]

Finally watched last night. Loved all of the family interaction scenes: Jesus/Jude; Callie/Jude; Jude and the moms, and especially Stef/Jesus. This is why I watch the show. I also really liked Stef and Lena discussing the Monte/Sally situation and Stef's observation that Sally looks a lot like Lena. Cracked up when Callie said that she never talks to Jesus. Also liked Mariana trying to help Gabe.

 

Poor Ana - two steps forward and one backwards but I guess that is very realistic for someone who has had her level of addiction. Her breakdown and comment that she lost the twins as a result of her parents calling the cops on Gabe (which I have to watch again) was terrific. I really liked Gabe bringing the presents for the twins but I fear that he will end up in legal trouble as a result - likely caused by the grandparents. Where is Ana's baby?

 

Thought the Sally/Monte situation was very well done. I had the sense that Sally was lying about the kiss; I could not see Monte risking her career in this way. I hope that they show us the resolution of this storyline.

 

Now for the bad: I cannot stand the entire R&J storyline. I keep thinking that Bradley pushed it into the show in order to showcase his real life show. Cannot stand Nick even though the character has been okay for the past episode. I'm sure it is because the actor is too old. The Brandon/Cortney storyline is beyond ridiculous; just wait till the moms find out that Brandon is dating an older woman with a child and that the woman still lives with the ex. This is the same Brandon who told Callie that they could not tell anyone about their night together - he then goes and tells Cortney thus ensuring that another person knows their secret. So annoyingly stupid. I've started fast forwarding through the Brandon/Cortney scenes. Also not thrilled with AJ/Callie but not as vehemently opposed as with Brandon. I did like how AJ picked up on the strong vibes between Brandon and Callie and split.

[Gulftastic]

Nick looked Michael Douglas in Basic Instinct at the party. Why on Earth did they cast someone so old looking? Especially when Marianna is such a wee thing.

 

And once more, poor baby Brandon gets told just how amazing he is. This time it's because he's stopped sleeping with his sister. Well done, Brandon, you bloody hero!

Edited March 13, 2016 by Gulftastic

[Perfect Xero]

And what teenager has free reign over a warehouse where he can host a rock opera, build a professional-looking skate park, and throw a prom-style fancy party all at the same time?

 

One who is actually a 30 year old Internal Affairs detective who is infiltrating the Foster Adams inner circle as part of the case that IA is building against Stef and Mike.

[lofidelity]

Okay, wait, has anybody asked why Jesus and Mariana had to have the same birthday party anyway?  Why couldn't he have gone to the skate park with his five bros like he wanted, and Mariana could have invited people to the house or whatever for a party-party, like normal people?  I'm sure there's some unavoidable conflict with twins over who gets to decide which dinner mom makes on the night of their actual birthday, or which restaurant the family goes out to, or whatever -- but who forces their high school age twins to have the same birthday party with friends?

Edited March 14, 2016 by lofidelity

[Lady Calypso]

Okay, wait, has anybody asked why Jesus and Mariana had to have the same birthday party anyway?  Why couldn't he have gone to the skate park with his five bros like he wanted, and Mariana could have invited people to the house or whatever for a party-party, like normal people?  I'm sure there's some unavoidable conflict with twins over who gets to decide which dinner mom makes on the night of their actual birthday, or which restaurant the family goes out to, or whatever -- but who forces their high school age twins to have the same birthday party with friends?

 

It's definitely a fair point to make. I mean, I might be able to see it as a way to not disappoint either twin by having a joint birthday. You know, nobody has to choose which party to go to, or which party to have first, if it needs to be supervised by a parent or someone. Although that ended up happening here, so it didn't totally matter in the end. Realistically, I would say that having separate birthdays at sixteen makes more sense, and it makes less problems with the twins. But at least they ended up doing something they both liked, even for a little while. 

 

Noah is really coming in on his own as Jesus. I'll be honest and say I had been a loyal Jake T Austin fan, but honestly? I feel more warmth from New Jesus than I did from Jake's Jesus. It feels like this Jesus gets along better with family, he's less egoistical and smug like I feel Jesus was half the time, and I'm way more invested, especially since now he interacts with everyone. That being said, no to Jesus/Lexi. I want Jesus to be single for a while...a long while. Plus, Lexi still bugs me a lot. She's so mean spirited and I don't really buy her friendship with Mariana anymore. 

 

I feel bad for Ana. I know we'll get the story once she's not high anymore, but it can't be easy to be a recovering addict, especially since we know how bad she really was. Her parents are understandably upset, and I think it'll all get worked out with Gabe eventually, but Mariana was sweet for doing that for Jesus, and he really does deserve it. I'm also glad Jesus and Stef have made up. Jesus' scenes with everyone really made the episode. I used to like Jesus a little bit, more for his potential with storylines. Now, he's fast becoming a favourite, next to Mariana and Mike. Everyone else kind of annoys me in different ways. 

 

So, Nick still looks really old and I can't wait until he leaves, but they are certainly building up for a backstory with him, aren't they? They're totally going to introduce his dad and it's going to make us feel sorry for Old Nick, right? Nick has already established his dad as rich, and probably mostly absent, judging by all the presents and stuff he gets. I mean, a fancy car, really? I'm just simply not interested in hearing a sob story from him. But on the other hand, yay for Jesus having friends? Everyone else has had friends, but Jesus has only really had girlfriends. 

 

I fast forwarded through anything Callie/Brandon related. I just don't care anymore about their drama. 

 

I'm glad Lena got through to Sally. Well, at least she started to. If she actually does anything will be determined next episode.