S04.E02: Safe

[Tara Ariano]

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The Adams Foster household's on lockdown in their own home following the crisis at school; and Callie and Brandon anxiously wait for their mothers to address their behavior in Idyllwild. Meanwhile, Stef's furious when she discovers Brandon snuck out to help Cortney move.

[ShortyMac]

That was another suspenseful episode. I was so nervous when Nick showed up in Mariana's room.

Jude's "Am I the only one who's not having sex?" made me laugh. These kids are SO open about sex in front of the moms.

The press release said that Stef and Brandon would have a "major blowup," so that scene was disappointing. 

That scene with Callie posing as Justina was funny.

I am SO glad that Nick wasn't able to kill himself. Mariana was traumatized enough. Thank God Callie walked in and saved Mat. Loved seeing Jesus comfort her after. I really like Noah as Jesus.

Loved that Stef/Jude scene.

Yeah, what are Stef and Lena going to do about Callie and Brandon? 

The promo looked good. I think this is gonna be a great season.

Edited June 28, 2016 by ShortyMac

[Valny]

50 minutes ago, ShortyMac said:

Thank God Callie walked in and saved Mat. 

I'm just glad he wasn't the one to save Marianna because it looked like they were setting up that way. I was predicting Nick would kill himself instead of hurting Marianna....but nope.  And it looks like  

Spoiler

Marianna visits him wherever he ends up.

That was a pretty good ep. I kept saying, when the hell is Nick going show up to Marianna? I guess they just wanted to build it up as much as they could.

So many fakeouts.  I liked the one where Lena is climbing up the attic and Stef pops out.  Did that make anyone jump? I didn't.  And it was also pretty funny when Jesus skidaddled after looking up the attic and I suppose thinking of the rats Stef was talking about. And even Brandon looked pretty freaked out/scary when he heard a noise in the garage when he went to get his keyboard. Nice not locking the door like your Mom told you B.

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The press release said that Stef and Brandon would have a "major blowup," so that scene was disappointing.

I really liked all the things she said to him outside of Cortney's(sp?) place.  And maybe because I didn't have my glasses on but at first I thought it was Cortney's ex that Brandon saw out the window. Oooh but it was so much better is was Steph.

 I knew the clip of Marianna getting out of the shower looking shocked would not be because of Nick.

When Marianna said, "I'm exhausted....," I thought, what the hell did you do all day that you need to take a nap?!!  :)

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The promo looked good. I think this is gonna be a great season.

  It did.  Looking forward to a good one.   Did anyone see who the person that Callie slapped?

On a hair note, I like Stef's hair so much better when it's combed over as opposed when she has the part of the side. No like. She reminds me so much like the country singer, Lorrie Morgan....Teri Polo could definitely play her if they ever did a biopic.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Valny

[Lady Calypso]

For an episode that was definitely out of its norm (a lot of horror-type tropes), it was actually pretty good. I actually held my breath during a couple of tense moments.

Hearing about what happened to Jack's body was actually pretty heartbreaking, but at least they got his ashes and got to bury them.

I also want to know what they're going to do about Callie and Brandon. They either have to find a way to close that door without destroying the family, or they have to get Callie unadopted so Callie and Brandon can be together. 

The Callie posing as Justina was really needed in such an intense episode. 

The Brandon/Stef scene was decent. They got a lot at least out on the table...and then Brandon makes the split second decision to live with Courtney, because he's mad at Stef. You can see in his eyes as he looks at the house after he tells Stef that he's moving out. It's almost like an "oh shit, what did I just say" moment that he can't take back. I guarantee he'll be moved back home by the midseason finale, but maybe getting out of the house and learning some adult lessons will be good for him. Maybe it'll stop him from being a bigger brat than he already is. 

Man, Nick's actor has the crazy eyes down packed. You know, I actually felt sympathy for him. He really is troubled and needs help. I'm just happy he didn't want to hurt anyone else, and it's a shame he wanted to kill himself. I'm so happy it was Mariana who talked him down and got the gun away. Jesus comforting Mariana afterward was so sweet. 

Mat was there for literally 10 seconds; he really didn't need to be there in any way, besides another fakeout.

[Valny]

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That scene with Callie posing as Justina was funny.

Snakey the snake! :) 

[AmandaPanda]

I really enjoyed this episode. It definitely made me jump a couple of times. I'm very easily startled, though, so that wasn't surprising. I hope Mariana gets some counseling, stat. That must have been completely terrifying. Loved Jesus comforting her later. I like Noah a lot better as Jesus than I ever liked Jake.

I hope they resolve the Callie/Brandon drama soon. I'm so over it. Callie also needs some counseling. Most importantly, though, she needs her moms to reassure her that they aren't going to unadopt her. 

[LisaM]

I thought this was an excellent episode but I'm never hiring Stef to secure my house from intruders. :)

The actor playing Nick did a great job. The last scene with he and Mariana was excellent.

I think that I liked it so much because it completely focused on the family -- as opposed to Jesus' girlfriends, Anchor Beach, Brandon's band, etc...I'm glad that Mariana was supportive of Callie. I hope that we quickly get past the unadopt question. 

On a completely shallow note, I wasn't loving Stef's hair in this episode.

[omgsowicked]

Interesting episode, with the horror elements and suspense. I figured nothing would happen until the end, though, so I was kind of "whatever" about most of that stuff. After the last episode, I thought Nick would be dunzo but I was still surprised when he turned the gun on himself. I'm glad he didn't kill himself, and though I still can't get past the fact that the actor looks too old to be playing a teenager, I'm curious to find out what's going on with him. And I'm worried that Mariana may not have meant everything she said to him, which could make things worse when he gets out of jail. Another sweet scene with the twins at the end.

As soon as Brandon and Stef started talking about him being 18 and "so long as you live at my house, it's my rules," I was like, "aw, here it goes". Gotta say, those two play mother and son spectacularly. I'm hoping that him moving out and this potential "un-adopting" business doesn't mean yet another Brallie reunion is in the works. I get that they want to milk it for all it's worth but come on. Let this child be adopted and secure (and in therapy), please! Also, I like how immediately after Stef and Lena decide not to let the kids know about Brallie, Mariana finds out. Geez.

Lena says she wants a security system and Stef is like, "nah, we're good". Dude. You swept the house, put the kids on lockdown, had a cop car out front, and Nick still got in. Get a security system.

I was slowmo-ing through the post-show promo...

Spoiler

Was the guy who was kissing Callie on the beach the actor who played Noah on (the now canceled) Faking It? Difficult to tell. Regardless, Callie and AJ were making out in this episode, so I wonder what happens between them. Same with Jude and Taylor, since he's asking someone else out.

Excited to see Gabe again. I usually enjoy all the parent/child plots and relationships but I'm particularly intrigued by Jesus and his birth father. It looked like Stef was surprised/concerned to see Jesus hugging him... hope nothing bad happened.

[Perfect Xero]

3 hours ago, Valny said:

I really liked all the things she said to him outside of Cortney's(sp?) place.

I thought they were really crappy things for Stef to say to her clearly emotionally damaged son who has been a victim of both rape and violent assault within the last year. 

She even told him that she'd stop discounting his emotional state and acting like he'd had things easy after the whole AJ thing, but that went right out the window and she directly blamed him for everything because, apparently, Callie is more vulnerable by virtue of being a girl or in foster care, or having better hair ... First rate parenting.

Sadly Brandon moving away from Stef is the healthiest thing he could probably do after she said that, it won't be treated that way by the show because his only presented options are his sometimes mess of a father or his sketch girlfriend that he bought a house for.

Edited June 28, 2016 by Perfect Xero

[Anisky]

We definitely don't know if Courtney is okay with Brandon moving in though-- that usually happens way, way later in a relationship-- so I wonder if that's going to be a problem. He just assumed it was OK, but it might not be.

[Cassandre]

Brandon being Brandon and Stef being Stef, that couldn't end well. Brandon had a point though. About the restraining order. They should have talked about how he felt about Callie zillion years ago and discuss about it and put it on the table. We could have escaped this Brallie nonsense. Anyway I can't wait for him to come back in tears to his mommies. I secretely hope this is happening.

[LisaM]

Presumably Stef and Lena do not yet know that Brandon gave his hand settlement money to Cortney for the house. That'll end well. 

[ShadowFacts]

I'm with Stef.  Brandon needs space and freedom to do as he pleases, fine, move out. I don't think it's bad parenting to insist on respecting her rules about safety (even though her own security skills were a bit lacking), or being accountable.  He knew he was being a moron, hence getting all unhinged when he saw Mom coming up the sidewalk.   Courtney and "her" house might have a few downsides, though. 

[Eeksquire]

So... it doesn't occur to Callie and Mariana that hacking into Fost and Found is a bad plan? I bet no one will be able to figure out that it was them!

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We definitely don't know if Courtney is okay with Brandon moving in though-- that usually happens way, way later in a relationship-- so I wonder if that's going to be a problem. He just assumed it was OK, but it might not be.

Brandon, Brandon, Brandon... I'm sure he felt entitled to because he more or less paid for the place, but there's no way this ends well.

I thought the Mariana-Nick confrontation was really well done, except that for a moment, I thought Mat would walk into Mariana's room and Nick would shoot HIM.  I'm not a huge fan of Mat, but still: that would have been too much.

[luckyroll3]

AJ:  Will they be able to trace all this stuff back to my computer?  Can I get in trouble for this?

Mariana and Callie:  Of course not!

Me:  <shaking head> Stupid kids.  Like y'all couldn't wait on more day to go to a public library or something, instead of using the computer of a kid who is trying to stay out of jail/juvie to do some really illegal shit.

Edited June 28, 2016 by luckyroll3

[ShadowFacts]

38 minutes ago, luckyroll3 said:

AJ:  Will they be able to trace all this stuff back to my computer?  Can I get in trouble for this?

Mariana and Callie:  Of course not!

Me:  <shaking head> Stupid kids.  Like y'all couldn't wait on more day to go to a public library or something, instead of using the computer of a kid who is trying to stay out of jail/juvie to do some really illegal shit.

Mariana should definitely know that AJ can be left holding the bag on this, being shown to be very tech-savvy.  It was disappointing to see her do that, but of course the Adams Foster kids usually skate after doing stupid crap.  I hope Lena and Stef will step in to prevent AJ from taking the fall. 

[Perfect Xero]

The IT guy or whoever they were talking to was pretty dumb. "Uh, um, let me think and list all the pets I own. Nothing suspicious here."

"Oh, wow you own a snake! What's his name?"

"Snakey the snake. Oh, also, don't send my new password to my email that you have on file, send it to my assistants hotmail account, no way that any of this is setting off any alarm bells for you, right?"

[izabella]

I admit I wasn't too excited about this episode.  The suicide/guns/PSA doesn't really work for me on these types of shows.  I know it's important, but I just felt sorry for Nick and that's it. 

I was glad that Stef and Brandon had a discussion - I have to side with her.  Brandon and Callie are both dumb and stupid and continue to do dumb and stupid things constantly, together and on their own.  I'm surprised they both managed to live this long.

I am liking new Jesus more and more, and everyone else less and less. 

[luckyroll3]

Also, Brandon's an asshole.

[MaryHedwig]

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For an episode that was definitely out of its norm (a lot of horror-type tropes), it was actually pretty good. I actually held my breath during a couple of tense moments.

Someone needs to teach Marianna how to take a shower: later, rinse, repeat.  She looked like she was cooling off under a waterfall in Maui.

[truthaboutluv]

16 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

I thought they were really crappy things for Stef to say to her clearly emotionally damaged son who has been a victim of both rape and violent assault within the last year. 

She even told him that she'd stop discounting his emotional state and acting like he'd had things easy after the whole AJ thing, but that went right out the window and she directly blamed him for everything because, apparently, Callie is more vulnerable by virtue of being a girl or in foster care, or having better hair ... First rate parenting.

Sadly Brandon moving away from Stef is the healthiest thing he could probably do after she said that, it won't be treated that way by the show because his only presented options are his sometimes mess of a father or his sketch girlfriend that he bought a house for.

Exactly why I have checked out. Poor damaged Callie - always protect her and make sure she is constantly told how much the moms love her no matter what because she's the only vulnerable child in this equation. Honestly I can't stand Callie and think from the moment she manipulated Brandon the obvious stooge into the rescue mission of Jude that almost got them killed, she's been a damn blight on that family. And yes I recognize this is massively unpopular.

[marceline]

How nice of the show to give us a comical yet ridiculous view of identity theft. How many times do these kids break a law in order to get what they want? They break into places, violate restraining orders, sell pills, kidnap and hide children, etc... It's getting harder and harder for me to think of these kids as the "heroes."

[Perfect Xero]

On June 28, 2016 at 0:55 PM, izabella said:

I was glad that Stef and Brandon had a discussion - I have to side with her.  Brandon and Callie are both dumb and stupid and continue to do dumb and stupid things constantly, together and on their own.  I'm surprised they both managed to live this long.

If they both do stupid things constantly (which they do) then why is Stef putting "90%" of the blame on Brandon?

 

On June 28, 2016 at 6:03 PM, marceline said:

How nice of the show to give us a comical yet ridiculous view of identity theft. How many times do these kids break a law in order to get what they want? They break into places, violate restraining orders, sell pills, kidnap and hide children, etc... It's getting harder and harder for me to think of these kids as the "heroes."

Morality is relative to the protagonists on this show, everything they do is understandable or justified unless it clashes with the wishes/actions of another of the main protagonists, then there's a weighted lottery to see who is wrong.

[MaryHedwig]

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If they both do stupid things constantly (which they do) then why is Stef putting "90%" of the blame on Brandon?

Let's assume the reason is an intentional one of great and thoughtful writers.

Brandon is Stef's biological son. I think it is easier to be harder on your own flesh and blood than someone else's child. Also, Brandon is the eldest and a boy, both reasons to be treated differently in some families. I am sure that Stef has some ambivalence and guilt about Brandon. Brandon would not even have existed if Stef had embraced her identity sooner- at least not as an offspring of Mike. Brandon reminds Stef of the path see left behind.

I agreed that Brandon is very emotional damaged and has reason to be. If I were his parent, I would be spending much more time encouraging him in his musical career.

Edited June 29, 2016 by MaryHedwig

[izabella]

1 hour ago, Perfect Xero said:

If they both do stupid things constantly (which they do) then why is Stef putting "90%" of the blame on Brandon?

I think she expects more from Brandon.  It would be interesting for them to explore why, and how it impacts her relationship with Brandon. 

[BookThief]

19 hours ago, omgsowicked said:

And I'm worried that Mariana may not have meant everything she said to him, which could make things worse when he gets out of jail.

Of course she didn't mean it! She might have meant it before, but at that point she was just trying to talk him down from potentially killing her or himself. I'd hope this is a relationship deal breaker. Hopefully he will also receive lots of therapy in jail (if that is where he is indeed ending up) but surely their relationship is dunzo at this point.

[Scarlett45]

1 hour ago, izabella said:

I think she expects more from Brandon.  It would be interesting for them to explore why, and how it impacts her relationship with Brandon. 

To me it's obvious "why", Brandon has two biological parents (although Mike is an alcoholic) who love him very much, he's never been abandoned or left to starve like Mariana and Jesus. He's never had a parent pass away like Callie and Jude. Before Dani he had never been a victim of sexual assault like Callie. To Steph, Brandon is an abled bodied heterosexual white man with THREE parents who love and adore him, he doesn't need the TLC the other children need. He hasn't been told time and time again he's unwanted or unlovable. He's supposed to have it together. 

While Steph's views have merit, Brandon may not have the same emotional needs as the other kids but he DOES have them (something Lena seems to have understood). And yes also Brandon is the result of her spending years pretending to be heteronormative....her treatment of him is tied up in that. 

I loved the idea of burying Jack's ashes under Frankie's tree. Jude has such a kind heart and sweet spirit. Poor Jack. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by Scarlett45

[ShadowFacts]

57 minutes ago, BookThief said:

Of course she didn't mean it! She might have meant it before, but at that point she was just trying to talk him down from potentially killing her or himself. I'd hope this is a relationship deal breaker. Hopefully he will also receive lots of therapy in jail (if that is where he is indeed ending up) but surely their relationship is dunzo at this point.

I hope he gets more than jail therapy, which is probably non-existent.  He said he was hearing voices, he is possibly seriously mentally ill and not just troubled and with a terrible father (this show sure has a lot of messed-up fathers).  He needs secure detention and serious treatment for possible schizophrenia or something like it.  Even if they backtrack or soft-pedal that, he threatened Mariana with a gun.  The adults will have to double down on the security measures if he gets out anytime soon; he's really a danger to himself and others.

[Perfect Xero]

3 hours ago, MaryHedwig said:

Let's assume the reason is an intentional one of great and thoughtful writers.

Sadly I never know with this show. As it's the same one where Stef, a police officer, blackmailed a stable and fit parent into surrendering custody of his child and faced no repercussions. Where Mike shot and killed an unarmed man and got away with it. Where Callie publicly lumped the judge who was holding up her adoption (for entirely legitimate concerns about her safety) in with her rapist and he applauded her in court for it. And on and on ...

[loveoutloud]

What boggles my mind is the fact that we are on season 4 and Brandon says Callie has been in their life for a year. A YEAR. This is longest effing year that I have ever heard of, damn. 

LOL. 

[truthaboutluv]

Not to mention the most drama-filled. This doesn't surprise me because I'm pretty sure Callie and Jude had barely been with the Fosters for two months when Stef and Lena made the decision to adopt them. And I remember thinking back then that that was very fast for such a big decision. The show has been like speed with all the drama, while time never seems to move.

Edited June 29, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[ShortyMac]

45 minutes ago, loveoutloud said:

What boggles my mind is the fact that we are on season 4 and Brandon says Callie has been in their life for a year. A YEAR. This is longest effing year that I have ever heard of, damn. 

LOL. 

A true timeline would make it about 18 months since the pilot, which I attempted to outline here:

http://forums.previously.tv/topic/40739-s03e19-the-show/?do=findComment&comment=2076144

But now that Stef said that Jude is 14 (he turned 13 in 01x16), his birthday passed (11/17), so, it's November at least, I guess. Who knows?

Brandon said he was "17, almost" in 02x12 and now he's 18 in Season 4. lol

[KaveDweller]

54 minutes ago, loveoutloud said:

What boggles my mind is the fact that we are on season 4 and Brandon says Callie has been in their life for a year. A YEAR. This is longest effing year that I have ever heard of, damn. 

LOL. 

You should watch Orphan Black, they just finished their 4th season and supposedly 6 months have passed since the series started.  It's kind of crazy when shows do stuff like that.

[Glade]

22 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

I thought they were really crappy things for Stef to say to her clearly emotionally damaged son who has been a victim of both rape and violent assault within the last year. 

She even told him that she'd stop discounting his emotional state and acting like he'd had things easy after the whole AJ thing, but that went right out the window and she directly blamed him for everything because, apparently, Callie is more vulnerable by virtue of being a girl or in foster care, or having better hair ... First rate parenting.

Sadly Brandon moving away from Stef is the healthiest thing he could probably do after she said that, it won't be treated that way by the show because his only presented options are his sometimes mess of a father or his sketch girlfriend that he bought a house for.

I totally agree.  She has slipped back into the easy old pattern of blaming Brandon for poor, innocent Callie's misfortunes.  And I thought Stef was supposed to have learned something in the anger management class she taught, but it looks like she is just going to randomly go off on her kids all the same.  Lena was right, she never should have gone over there to pick this fight/escalate the situation in the first place. Especially when the actual criminal was still hiding out in her house the whole time she was standing on his girlfriend's porch screaming.

Acknowledging that this issue, and the massive amount of untreated trauma their kids (including Brandon after he was raped, violently assaulted, and grew up dealing with his alcoholic father and parent's divorce) have gone through is beyond their ability to handle alone would really be much more mature then trying to double down on childish punishments as if yelling and taking away electronics is really going to resolve what went on between Brandon and Callie.  They need therapy. 

 

I also hope that Nick's case will go towards treatment, not prison.  He would undoubtedly become much more mentally ill behind bars, and since there is no proof that he ever took a gun to school, the charges would presumably just be arson, and possibly up to his abusive asshole father to decide whether to press those charges or not.

Edited June 29, 2016 by Glade

[maraleia]

The only reason why I agree with Stef about Brandon is because he was the one who initiated things with Callie when she was at her most vulnerable. He's also the one who kept it up time and time again and he knew the rules about foster kids before his mom's brought Callie and Jude into their home.

[Court]

I, for one, would love to pretend Callie/Brandon never happened. I think forgetting about it sounds fantastic.

[ShortyMac]

41 minutes ago, maraleia said:

The only reason why I agree with Stef about Brandon is because he was the one who initiated things with Callie when she was at her most vulnerable. He's also the one who kept it up time and time again and he knew the rules about foster kids before his mom's brought Callie and Jude into their home.

Brandon is annoying. I can tolerate him much better when his storylines don't revolve around Callie (although, I don't like Cortney and that plot, either). While I don't agree that Brandon deserves all of the blame for this Brallie mess (it takes two, Callie didn't have to reciprocate his feelings), I do agree with Stef that Callie was vulnerable and had way more to lose by being in a relationship with him. He should've understood that when she told him, "just having this conversation could get me and Jude kicked out" in 01x05 and plus, Stef reminded him early on that foster siblings were not allowed to date. She and Jude could've been taken from the house and maybe Stef and Lena would've lost their foster license, while his life would've been relatively unaffected.

[Scarlett45]

7 hours ago, ShortyMac said:

Brandon is annoying. I can tolerate him much better when his storylines don't revolve around Callie (although, I don't like Cortney and that plot, either). While I don't agree that Brandon deserves all of the blame for this Brallie mess (it takes two, Callie didn't have to reciprocate his feelings), I do agree with Stef that Callie was vulnerable and had way more to lose by being in a relationship with him. He should've understood that when she told him, "just having this conversation could get me and Jude kicked out" in 01x05 and plus, Stef reminded him early on that foster siblings were not allowed to date. She and Jude could've been taken from the house and maybe Stef and Lena would've lost their foster license, while his life would've been relatively unaffected.

Yes. Brandon needs to acknowledge that he comes from a place of privledge where entertaining his "feelings" don't threaten his ablity to have a stable home. For Brandon, how he "felt" was the most important thing, well that's because he's never had to worry about having a safe roof over his head. While I don't think Brandon is a "bad kid" or would EVER coerce Callie or anyone else into sex, there's a reason foster siblings aren't allowed to date. The power imbalance is too great. (Besides the emotional drama in the home.) Nothing Brandon could do could jeopardize his place in Mike or Steph's lives (even Lena's at this point), when he and Callie started this flirtation the same couldn't be said for Callie. 

And I think that's where Steph and Brandon are having this disconnect, Steph can ONLY see his privledge, and Brandon can only see his feelings. I can't recall if Steph ever articulated to Brandon where she was coming from, she expects him to get it and obey. Given Steph is the adult and the parent, the effort is on her, but that's not her skill set. She would do well to include Lena in these convos. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by Scarlett45

[truthaboutluv]

Even if one wants to put it all on Brandon as starting the flirtation (and let's ignore that Callie sought him out at the wedding, right after being told by Lena and Stef that they wanted to adopt her and Jude and she damn well knew what she was doing in my opinion), what about everything since? Like kissing him the second she thought the adoption wouldn't go through because of her father, reaching out to him anytime she's vulnerable or needs someone, kissing AJ, ANOTHER foster brother (oh I forget, technically he's not her foster brother because he's Mike's adopted son but let's ignore that that technically makes him Brandon's foster brother). Like at what point is ANY of this mess on Callie's head as well? It's funny that her own brother Jude seemed to be the only one who ever held her accountable for her shit and basically called her out on being self destructive and ruining shit. 

Lena and Stef long dropped the fucking ball in their parenting in my opinion, if many of these kids', not just Brandon and Callie, actions are anything to go by. And that's largely because they really never deal with shit. It's one drama after another that they just sweep under the rug, yell for a bit about and that's it. Now of course this is also on the writers and their treating this show like it's on speed with all the damn crap that's happened but that's why I checked out and long stopped caring about Callie's great adoption. I am sorry, I will never buy this absolute necessity and importance for Callie to be adopted by Lena and Stef once they introduced a father for her that one, is perfectly fine as a parent and two, lost out years of his kid's life because he didn't know about her. Not when I am not seeing the great and amazing parents Lena and Stef are. Just telling their kids they love them so much is not enough. 

At this point, I think it'll be best to just have Brandon go off to Julliard or Berkeley or something and let it be. Because we all know Callie will find some other way to fuck up and be a mess and they can blame it on that person again because after all, only Callie is such a damaged and vulnerable child. 

Edited June 29, 2016 by truthaboutluv

[izabella]

Callie has a pattern of falling for foster brothers, so this epic love she feels for Brandon is based on her dysfunctions. 

Brandon has a savior complex and has a pattern of falling for damsels in distress.  The epic love he feels for Callie is based on his dysfunctions.  

Stef doesn't see this pattern, or at least, does nothing to address it and try to help either of them.  Lena might see these patterns, but she hasn't really addressed them either.

[ShadowFacts]

2 hours ago, truthaboutluv said:

Lena and Stef long dropped the fucking ball in their parenting in my opinion, if these many of these kids', not just Brandon and Callie, actions are anything to go by. And that's largely because they really never deal with shit.

That says it all, in my opinion.  They let everything slide.  They don't follow through.  Brandon and Callie go off to hang glide in Mexico, I think without passports so they couldn't get back without the moms' help.  What happens?  Not much.  They usually get a not-so-stern talking to, and that's about it.  It's great that the kids have loving parents and siblings and a stable home, but it's not enough.  When they screw up, they need more than a hug.  They have few limitations on their comings and goings, and most of them can't handle that much freedom, because they keep on doing the stupidest thing in a given situation.  Like what the girls just did with Justina's website.  There will be consternation from Stef and Lena no doubt, but not much more.  So what do they learn?

[Lady Calypso]

There is definitely fault to be had with all parties. Callie may be more emotionally vulnerable and has more to lose, but she is entirely accountable for her actions. It may not be anyone's fault that the two fell in love, but Callie has made her own questionable choices, such as sleeping with Brandon just because she thought the adoption wouldn't go through. Stef, Lena, and Mike all needed to figure out how to handle this situation back when it first presented itself barely a month into Callie starting to live with them. They never did, and they assumed Brandon and Callie would just stop and move on, but that's harder on two teenage kids who are supposedly in love with each other (and they probably do love each other). Stef and Lena can be really good parents and they love all their children, there's no doubt about that. But their parenting style when it comes to certain situations need to change. 

Sadly, the only thing Stef needs to do for Brandon is let him be an adult and see how difficult it is at eighteen years old. He's not only moving in with Courtney and having to figure out his own living expenses, but he now has a child to help take care of. I don't think he'll last long, so he's going to learn how to be an adult quickly. Brandon, though, has some emotional issue to work out, for sure. With his dad being an alcoholic, his rape, and all this pressure being put on him just for being the biological and stable child, I do think that he needs therapy. Maybe not as much as Callie and Jude, but he's been expected to be the perfect child and he's not. He's privileged for sure, and he has three loving parents that care for him, but that doesn't mean he doesn't come with his own demons. They may not be as significant as the other kids, but he still needs a change in discipline. 

[Bobcatkitten]

Speaking of their bad parenting - sitting around joking about how Jesus left school to have sex? Not funny. Not something Jude should be finding cool. But they said nothing.

Also, I just can't get into new Jesus. He is so much larger and older than everyone else - including Brandon - that it throws everything off for me.

[Lady Calypso]

35 minutes ago, scribe95 said:

Also, I just can't get into new Jesus. He is so much larger and older than everyone else - including Brandon - that it throws everything off for me.

Funny enough, Noah, Jesus' new actor, just turned 20, so he's actually one of the younger actors. His height does make him seem a lot older.

Actually looking up all the kid actors' ages, I'm surprised they're all under the age of 23. Actually, what surprised me the most is that the actor for Nick, Louis Hunter, just turned 23. I legitimately thought he was in his late twenties trying to play a teenager. I know they're almost all still older than teenagers, but still relatively young compared to most actors playing teenagers in television. 

[ShadowFacts]

45 minutes ago, scribe95 said:

Speaking of their bad parenting - sitting around joking about how Jesus left school to have sex? Not funny. Not something Jude should be finding cool. But they said nothing.

Also, I just can't get into new Jesus. He is so much larger and older than everyone else - including Brandon - that it throws everything off for me.

Yeah, agreed, they shouldn't be role modeling that for Jude.  I guess we're supposed to think it's cool that they can be all open and talk about sex freely.  But I'm not on board with it.  You don't leave school to screw and then have it be joke material in front of your mom. 

These kids need to get busy with jobs and volunteering.  Those are the tried and true ways to keep kids out of trouble.  Get them too busy to be doing sex, drugs and computer hacking.  I know we've seen Callie at her job and Mariana at the bakery and Brandon at the bar (is that a good place for him?), but we should see them more often, or at least occasionally.  There would still be time for them to have drama and inappropriate relationships to entertain us, but at least it might look like they were growing up a little, or not so privileged.  *End sermon*

[KaveDweller]

7 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Sadly, the only thing Stef needs to do for Brandon is let him be an adult and see how difficult it is at eighteen years old. He's not only moving in with Courtney and having to figure out his own living expenses, but he now has a child to help take care of. 

Didn't he already give all his money to Courtney to get her that house? He had a bunch from a lawsuit from his injury or something and was supposed to use it for college. So honestly, he may as well move in with her since he's paying for it. Not that he should be able to force his way in if Courtney doesn't want him there, but I think she'd be cool with it. At least until they break up.

[Lady Calypso]

1 minute ago, KaveDweller said:

Didn't he already give all his money to Courtney to get her that house? He had a bunch from a lawsuit from his injury or something and was supposed to use it for college. So honestly, he may as well move in with her since he's paying for it. Not that he should be able to force his way in if Courtney doesn't want him there, but I think she'd be cool with it. At least until they break up.

Well, he's still going to have to contribute to paying the electric and hydro bills, he's going to have to split groceries between three people now, he's going to have to pay for other little expenses here and there, like Internet and cable. He may have helped to buy the house, but there are now going to be expenses he's never had to think about paying before. I'm sure Courtney will be fine with him moving in, but when they break up, things are going to get messy, and that is something Brandon isn't thinking about. 

And I just remembered that Brandon is working at the bar, along with Courtney, so he'll probably have the money to help pay for those stuff, but I don't know if it's going to be enough. I guess we'll see, but it won't be as easy as he thinks it'll be. I'm 22 years old, recently graduated, and I had to move back in with my family because there's no way I can even afford an apartment on my own at the moment. 

[LisaM]

I'm waiting for the explosion when Stef and Mike find out that Brandon gave his hand settlement money to Cortney for the house.

I was critical of Old Nick last season  - I thought that he looked like a 30 year old playing a 16 year old kid. However, I thought that the actor did a great job with this last episode. I hope that we never see the character again but I thought the actor was terrific.

[izabella]

I agree on the actor playing Nick.  I always found Nick annoying and obnoxious, but the actor had me feeling very sad for Nick by the end.  Good job.

[possibilities]

I think Lena did put a stop to the joking about the kids having sex. She said if they weren't going to watch the movie, they could all go to their rooms. But I agree that discipline is very loose in the household and the kids are under-supervised and under-managed. Cutting school is not a joke, whether you use the time for sex or not. I think we're supposed to think they let it slide because the trauma of the lockdown was "enough for one day" but there is a chronic issue that after the bad behavior du jour, the moms think the kids are traumatized enough that they don't also need to be held accountable, and I'm not seeing that working, because they keep making same or similar mistakes. My guess is that the show doesn't want to solve the problems, because they think the problems are what make the show good. I personally disagree, rather strongly in fact. But I think that's why there's no effort to show the moms being more in charge-- they don't think their youth demo will watch a show where the parents are in charge, or where the kids are functional and not in constant crisis. Teens love the idea of parents who love you and support you and bail you out of your BS no matter what, and you can fuck up all you want, as often as you want, and never have to learn because you have superhero parents who will always rescue you and not even be all that pissed off about having to do it. I mean, Stef gets mad, but she always bails you out an dapologizes later for her temper.