S04.E10: Collateral Damage

[Tara Ariano]

Quote

Callie and the family set up a Justice for Jack booth at a music festival in hopes of stopping Justine's foster-care bill, but Callie's advocation for both Kyle and Jack puts her in danger. Meanwhile, tensions between AJ and Aaron escalate; and Mariana flees from the festival after seeing Nick, leading the family to frantically search for her.

[TVForever]

I'm beginning to think Callie just might be too stupid to live. Yet another bad decision, and this one might really cost her.

Edited August 30, 2016 by TVForever

[Aliconehead]

My god how dumb is Callie?  Never get into a car with some dude you just met but this is the second time this season. 

Yay for for consequences for Brandon. 

I am liking the new Jesus, hope he survives. 

[JaggedLilPill]

Shit. That finale was crazy. They had me thinking Doug Harvey was going to end up killing Sophia. Which who knows what would have happened had that woman not stopped him.

Of course I should have known after watching these types of shows for most of my life that he would be a red herring. I didn't figure out it was the grandson until Callie decided to get in the car with him and then when she got the call from Aaron, it solidified it. I'm glad AJ walked away from Callie, although his interactions with Aaron were kind of OTT. That being said, I get his frustration. I don't think Callie is trying to intentionally hurt AJ, but if the shoe were on the other foot, I'm not sure how okay she would be with it if AJ were hanging out with a girl who kissed him and was clearly interested and then whom he admitted he might date if he weren't with Callie. Ouch. 

I think I have a cold heart because I really couldn't muster up sympathy for Brandon when Lena told him he wouldn't be going to Julliard.  Whoops.

It took me until this half to warm up to NC as Jesus, but I'm now sold. His concern and love for Marianna was played beautifully. And I like him and Emma together, too. I felt bad for Marianna too. True, a lot of what she did contributed to her own situation, but poor thing was traumatized over Nick. I hate that there wasn't any follow up from that from Lena & Stef. And now she'll be dealing with the fallout of this. Not excusing her for taking Jesus's pills, and Jesus made the choice to punch Nick, but this all stems from Nick breaking into their house, with a gun, and threatening to kill himself in front of Marianna. I am worried for Jesus. Not that they'll kill him, but a TBI is serious.

I'm sure Jude is off doing something stupid as we speak because The Foster children seem prone to bad decision making.

See ya next half! 

[ShortyMac]

Everything is a wreck!

JESUS!!!!!!! *cries* Please, be okay! (I know they won't kill him off)

Callie gets in a car with a stranger/murderer, yet another incredibly stupid decision. In other news, water is wet. Next...

Cierra Ramirez and Noah Centineo killed it in this episode. Twins FTW.

Stef's and Lena's steamy scene, handcuffs and all...HOT. SOS. Should've been longer.

I wonder how Stef's meddling in Malloy's case is going to develop in 4B.

Loved that bit of Stef/Callie.

So glad that creepy guy didn't hurt Sophia.

Not cool of Callie to out Aaron as trans.

Not happy about there being trouble with AJ and Callie. I think they're really cute together.

Loved seeing Lou return.

That's awesome that Mat got into Berklee in Boston.

Jude has been grounded for the weed and chooses to do it again with Noah at the festival. Smart.

I’m glad that Brandon finally has some consequences, but I’ve always loved his passion for music and that part of him, so, I feel bad because Julliard is all he’s ever wanted.

And now, the long-ass hiatus until 4B begins...

Edited August 30, 2016 by ShortyMac

[Lady Calypso]

Man, this finale left NOBODY in a good position at all.

First off, Stef is in a tricky situation, where she's being threatened and blackmailed by the Shady Detective. The good thing is that she made the steps toward talking to IA and confessing before the Detective could, which she should still do, even with how this finale ended. It's better to get ahead of it than let someone blackmail you. At least she's following her instincts, BUT that means she'll probably lose her job (unless going to IA will let them just demote her, or if she drops the entire thing). And now with all of her children in various states, I wonder if she'll even want to go to that meeting. 

Brandon doesn't get into Julliard because of the SAT cheating. Surprise, surprise. I felt only half bad for him (because it's his dream and he's worked hard), but I mostly cackled. 

Mariana's overdosing on Jesus' pills. Hopefully she gets the help that she needs. I knew she was hallucinating him the moment she saw him the first time. I knew he couldn't have gone out of his house, especially since he wouldn't have known where to find her. I see the whole thing with Mat going to Boston plus Nick just caused a severe reaction with the pills that she was taking. 

Jesus was really trying to do the best thing for Mariana. But now it looks like his TBI is not going to heal and I wonder what's going to happen to him. I wonder if he'll develop speech issues now, or whatever else is located in the frontal brain. I'd be a little surprised if the premiere happened and he was just fine. I know they have the Callie thing to deal with, and now the Mariana overdose and the Brandon not getting into Julliard, but it would be nice to stick to this storyline for Jesus. Plus, we already had a fakeout with Old Jesus with the car accident. Not that I want Jesus to be permanently injured, but it's a type of storyline that isn't explored. If there is a disability/permanent injury, it's either established before the series, or it's a paralysis storyline. But honestly, I'm just going to expect that they'll keep him in the hospital for a few scenes and then he heals at home before he's back to normal. I do think NC could handle this type of storyline, though. 

As for Callie, she's an idiot. I really worried for Sophia when Creepy Guy Harvey started following her. I thought she might get stabbed because of Callie, but I'm so happy she got away. I wonder if we'll see Robert in 4B. It would be nice for him to show up again. As for Callie, idiot. Don't get in a car and trust this guy that he saw Mariana. I knew that was a trick, I knew it. I just didn't figure he was the murderer until she got in the car and then we cut to Mariana/Nick. 

Also not sad that Callie and AJ broke up. It's better off for you, AJ. Callie's too complicated. Good for Mike for keeping an eye out for AJ, though. I don't know why Callie had to out Aaron as trans, and I don't know why AJ had to get so aggressive. I know he has some anger issues, but damn. 

I will say that this is the first finale where I actually am interesting in all the hanging plot points and might be excited to watch 4B. 

Edited August 30, 2016 by Lady Calypso

[maraleia]

So the only thing we didn't find out is if Stef and Lena actually officially separated or if the buyers just walked away unless I missed that part.

[ShortyMac]

12 minutes ago, maraleia said:

So the only thing we didn't find out is if Stef and Lena actually officially separated or if the buyers just walked away unless I missed that part.

Nothing was said about it. It is not done with and will be picked back up in 4B.

[angora]

SO MUCH DRAMA.  How is every member of this family not constantly on the verge of a heart attack?

Oh, Callie.  Why do you have to do such hugely-reckless dumb things?  Not sure how she's gonna get out of this one.  Use her phone surreptitiously, maybe, or can Stef and Lena track her from her phone?  Don't think anyone saw her leave.

Loved Mike reassuring AJ that he was family no matter what.  Aw.

I rolled my eyes hard at Brandon getting into Julliard two seconds after his post-all-nighter Moonlight Sonata audition, but I really felt for him when he started crying and hugged Lena.  I hope he finds a way to keep pursuing his music (through OTHER means, though - I don't want a magic fix to get him back in.)

Okay, so all the Callie-AJ-Aaron stuff:

• I don't advocate solving problems with violence, but AJ did have every right to be mad.  Aaron was out of line, and I've been generally unimpressed with a lot of his behavior re: Callie, ever since he started "teasing" Callie about doubting the existence of her boyfriend.
• NOT cool to tell someone about another person's gender identity without their knowledge.
• Regardless of the snappish "that's really ignorant" way she went about it, I was annoyed with Callie for jumping on AJ, because at first, I thought that was exactly why she brought up Aaron being trans, to "prove" why AJ shouldn't be jealous.  After that scene, I grumbled something along the lines of, "Um, yeah, being trans doesn't mean he can't be into you, Callie!  Did you learn nothing from Cole?"  (I suppose the intention was to say that, as a trans guy, Aaron was no stranger to threats of violence and would be upset by someone using his small stature to intimidate him, and how dare AJ threaten to beat him up.  I can't think of any other relevant reason Callie would've brought it up, but my kneejerk reaction was definitely that she meant AJ didn't have to worry BECAUSE Aaron was trans.)
• On a related note, AJ was the one to point out that Cole was into Callie back in the LGBT prom episode, so relaxing when he finds out Aaron is trans feels like backtracking for him.
• Finally, I'm sensitive to harassment Aaron has received because of his gender identity, and again, I wouldn't have wanted AJ to fight him, but AJ's anger had nothing to do with that and everything to do with how Aaron was acting.  He can be trans AND be disrespectful of boundaries with a girl who has a boyfriend.  The two aren't mutually exclusive.

Poor Mariana and poor Jesus.  ITA that Cierra and Noah both brought it this episode.  I knew we were in for something when the previouslies not-so-subtly brought up Jesus's mention that he was at an increased risk for seizures - hope he's okay.

[ShortyMac]

21 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

Jesus was really trying to do the best thing for Mariana. But now it looks like his TBI is not going to heal and I wonder what's going to happen to him. I wonder if he'll develop speech issues now, or whatever else is located in the frontal brain. I'd be a little surprised if the premiere happened and he was just fine. I know they have the Callie thing to deal with, and now the Mariana overdose and the Brandon not getting into Julliard, but it would be nice to stick to this storyline for Jesus. Plus, we already had a fakeout with Old Jesus with the car accident. Not that I want Jesus to be permanently injured, but it's a type of storyline that isn't explored. If there is a disability/permanent injury, it's either established before the series, or it's a paralysis storyline. But honestly, I'm just going to expect that they'll keep him in the hospital for a few scenes and then he heals at home before he's back to normal. I do think NC could handle this type of storyline, though. 

Don't read if you don't want spoilers.

Spoiler

http://www.tvguide.com/news/the-fosters-summer-finale-peter-paige-interview-jesus-fate/?ftag=TVG_Twitter

First things first: Why did this happen to Jesus?

Peter Paige: I don't think of it as Jesus saying goodbye. I think of it as 10 episodes of Jesus' actions coming back to haunt him.

So we should still have hope, right?

Paige: Yes. You should have hope that there will be more Jesus. I'm not sure that Jesus will be the same person. He'll be the same actor. He's had a traumatic brain injury and then he got hit square in the of the head. He was lucky enough to avoid major consequences to the nail in the head, but I'm not sure he's going to escape those consequences this time.

***

Goodness. Really sad and heartbreaking for Jesus and the family, but, it will definitely be a great story line and something that's not tackled often on TV.

[possibilities]

Whew!
I'm wrung out.

I agree Noah Centineo is working out very well.

I was so annoyed that Brandon got into Juilliard. On TV everyone always gets into Juilliard, and I just felt like it was stupid, especially after that ridiculous audition. But then they had him get disqualified because of the SAT scam, and I was more OK with it. Plus, when he cracked, I felt like that was the first time I've seen the actor show us anything other than his patented hangdog pout, so that was a good thing. I actually felt something-- his sadness, I guess-- he was such a kid in that moment, you could see him kind of fall backwards in time in a way.

I love when the kids call Lena "mama"-- something about it makes me melt. Jesus asking about his meds was the first time this episode that I noticed it, and I don't know why, but it felt so sweet.

The Stef-Lena sex scene seemed exploitive to me, but I was OK with it despite that. I just wish they didn't think you have to be Lena's style of model gorgeous to be hot. Stef was completely covered up and Lena was in her undies.

I was really scared for Sophia. I strongly suspected the guy was not the murderer, but he was not backing down and she legitimately had no idea what he was talking about so didn't know how to calm him down at all. 

I wish they hadn't made AJ make violent threats. It's just unnecessary. He could have been jealous and gotten angry and expressed that without them resorting to the stereotype of the violent black male. I think Callie was wrong to out Aaron, all she had to say was that AJ was being a jerk using his size to intimidate someone and threatening violence. Frankly, I think that's break up worthy on its own, even though I agree that Aaron was flirting overly much and AJ's jealousy itself was not unreasonable. He has been defending Callie to Mike, and he felt insecure, and I can understand that. But use your words, and not to make threats. Callie is not your property and physically intimidating people is not OK.

I know they wanted her to out Aaron so they could have the conversation where they establish the idea that it's ignorant that Aaron being trans meant AJ was no longer jealous, but they could have made the same point just by Callie dating Aaron after the break up, since it looks like that's what's going to happen next.

I understood more why they had Jesus attack Nick. But it's unfortunate that once again it's the kid of color, while all of white Brandon's crimes are white collar and even when he's the most out of line he's never acted out physically at all. Though I guess with Mike as his father, Brandon is actually half-Latino, but they sure have never made even the slightest hint that Brandon has any connection to that at all, which is kind of weird now that I think of it. Or am I making it up that Mike is Latino? I feel like I'm not, but I can't remember why. Something from season 1, maybe? I'm confused. Hmmn. "Mike Foster" as a name doesn't really support my idea. Hm.

I hadn't thought of Stef being about to confess about covering for Mike. I thought she was going to report Gray for threatening her. I realize now that I might be wrong, though. What I don't know is how Gray would prove she lied. It's a guess, right? He wasn't there. So I thought he was trying it to see if she'd panic and back down. I guess we'll wait and find out. Maybe she will confess AND give her evidence about Gray and all the other things she's found during her investigations. And she and Brandon can face consequences together. On the other hand, if she gets away with it and does make detective, I will miss the uniform. Though I get it about "poly blend" Hee.

Jude as a bad boy makes me laugh. I'm sorry, I don't mean it in a disrespectful way, and I kind of like what they are doing. It's a good plot line for him and I think the acting is decent as well. The chemistry between him and the kid playing his bf is really convincing. But it's like that thing of once you've seen someone in diapers, part of you will always see them as an innocent babe. We didn't see Jude in diapers, but it was just last week that we had those flashbacks of him in his babyface. The contrast gives me the giggles.

What to say about Callie? She was stupid to get in the care, but this time it came from being trusting, not rebellious. I wonder how the threat from Justina will play out, and whether what happened to Sophia will bring Robert back into the story, because it was being mistaken for Callie that got Sophia in trouble. Maybe Callie will confess about the toothbrush when she finds out about Sophia's experience.

I don't think they said anything to follow up on the "divorce"-- I noticed boxes lying around, but that was the only reference to the house-selling story that I noticed.

Did anyone catch when the show comes back? Will it be this fall, or do we wait til winter?

I liked that they did not make Nick violent towards Mariana. He was obviously using poor judgment and I'm not giving him a pass for the gun or the fire or any of his other terrible behavior. But there is a really dangerous stereotype that people with mental health issues are violent towards others, and it's actually rare; people with psych labels are MUCH more likely to be targets of violence, not perpetrators of it.

For the same reason, I was very relieved that the hoarder guy who Callie thought was the murderer and who Stef called crazy a couple of episodes ago (I was mad at Stef for that, by the way), did not actually hurt Sophia and is now shown NOT to be the murderer of the woman Kyle is accused of killing. I was starting to get very worried that the show was going to be giving us a double whammy of "mentally ill people are violent"-- what the guy did cornering Sophia was scary and wrong and not OK, but he didn't actually touch her, he was upset but he honestly in his messed up way was trying to talk to her, and he thought she was Callie, who did after all break into his house and steal from him. He was not acting right, but then AJ just threatened to beat up Aaron just for flirting, and that's not right either.

Like with Nick-- terrifying, very bad, should not have done, and needs help. But not a murderer, and not a monster. Thank you, show, for being willing to show this, and not just go for the stereotype.

Edited August 30, 2016 by possibilities
multiple clarifications and corrections despite prior proofreading

[Lady Calypso]

8 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Did anyone catch when the show comes back? Will it be this fall, or do we wait til winter?

I didn't catch it, but I imagine Season 4B will come back in January. I imagine they'll start filming again for that in the next month. 

[FrumiusManxome]

37 minutes ago, ShortyMac said:

Everything is a wreck!

JESUS!!!!!!! *cries* Please, be okay! (I know they won't kill him off)

Callie gets in a car with a stranger/murderer, yet another incredibly stupid decision. In other news, water is wet. Next...

Cierra Ramirez and Noah Centineo killed it in this episode. Twins FTW.

Stef's and Lena's steamy scene, handcuffs and all...HOT. SOS. Should've been longer.

I wonder how Stef's meddling in Malloy's case is going to develop in 4B.

Loved that bit of Stef/Callie.

So glad that creepy guy didn't hurt Sophia.

Not cool of Callie to out Aaron as trans.

Not happy about there being trouble with AJ and Callie. I think they're really cute together.

Loved seeing Lou return.

That's awesome that Mat got into Berklee in Boston.

Jude has been grounded for the weed and chooses to do it again with Noah at the festival. Smart.

I’m glad that Brandon finally has some consequences, but I’ve always loved his passion for music and that part of him, so, I feel bad because Julliard is all he’s ever wanted.

And now, the long-ass hiatus until 4B begins...

That was my immediate reaction when Callie told AJ. Like, that was none of AJ's business. Just because Aaron seems to be living it up does not mean he wants all of his past out there for anyone to hear or know.

I felt really, really bad for Brandon. The ONE thing I've supported this kid on is his Music. Even when his plots got boring as all get out, I still appreciated what he was doing. It's nice to see some consequences, but this felt a bit too much. There was no reason that kid would have taken the SATs again. His score counts either way, he wouldn't want to risk getting caught and colleges take the highest score. I don't buy a kid who not only got his $1000 back, but a near perfect SAT score bothering with it. The only person who knows is Brandon, who isn't intimidating in the least and who doesn't have any leverage to force him to take it again in the first place since if it came out he's going down too. 

2 minutes ago, angora said:

SO MUCH DRAMA.  How is every member of this family not constantly on the verge of a heart attack?

Oh, Callie.  Why do you have to do such hugely-reckless dumb things?  Not sure how she's gonna get out of this one.  Use her phone surreptitiously, maybe, or can Stef and Lena track her from her phone?  Don't think anyone saw her leave.

Loved Mike reassuring AJ that he was family no matter what.  Aw.

I rolled my eyes hard at Brandon getting into Julliard two seconds after his post-all-nighter Moonlight Sonata audition, but I really felt for him when he started crying and hugged Lena.  I hope he finds a way to keep pursuing his music (through OTHER means, though - I don't want a magic fix to get him back in.)

Okay, so all the Callie-AJ-Aaron stuff:

• I don't advocate solving problems with violence, but AJ did have every right to be mad.  Aaron was out of line, and I've been generally unimpressed with a lot of his behavior re: Callie, ever since he started "teasing" Callie about doubting the existence of her boyfriend.
• NOT cool to tell someone about another person's gender identity without their knowledge.
• Regardless of the snappish "that's really ignorant" way she went about it, I was annoyed with Callie for jumping on AJ, because at first, I thought that was exactly why she brought up Aaron being trans, to "prove" why AJ shouldn't be jealous.  After that scene, I grumbled something along the lines of, "Um, yeah, being trans doesn't mean he can't be into you, Callie!  Did you learn nothing from Cole?"  (I suppose the intention was to say that, as a trans guy, Aaron was no stranger to threats of violence and would be upset by someone using his small stature to intimidate him, and how dare AJ threaten to beat him up.  I can't think of any other relevant reason Callie would've brought it up, but my kneejerk reaction was definitely that she meant AJ didn't have to worry BECAUSE Aaron was trans.)
• On a related note, AJ was the one to point out that Cole was into Callie back in the LGBT prom episode, so relaxing when he finds out Aaron is trans feels like backtracking for him.
• Finally, I'm sensitive to harassment Aaron has received because of his gender identity, and again, I wouldn't have wanted AJ to fight him, but AJ's anger had nothing to do with that and everything to do with how Aaron was acting.  He can be trans AND be disrespectful of boundaries with a girl who has a boyfriend.  The two aren't mutually exclusive.

Poor Mariana and poor Jesus.  ITA that Cierra and Noah both brought it this episode.  I knew we were in for something when the previouslies not-so-subtly brought up Jesus's mention that he was at an increased risk for seizures - hope he's okay.

Took the words right out of my mouth in regards to the whole AJ/Callie/Aaron thing.  AJ had a point about Callie defending Aaron over him. AJ did say something rude, true, but Aaron has been blatantly flirting with Callie (they also kissed) not just when AJ's not around, but he also has the gall to throw his little lines in when her boyfriend is right there. That says a lot about how much respect Aaron has for their relationship (though Callie shares some blame for that too). And Aaron was very rude when AJ spoke to him. AJ kept it somewhat respectful until Aaron tried to be a smart-aleck about it. I also got the impression that's why Callie brought up the fact that he was trans. It felt very "See, now don't you feel silly!!" I also don't understand what Aaron being trans had to do with AJ insulting him in the first place? Like AJ didn't know he was trans, and the 'little man' comment was a general insult?? Aaron might be sensitive about it, but AJ didn't mean it as a reference to that so Callie's indignation felt unnecessary. I'm glad they're done. Callie has been dragging him down for months now. 

I feel bad for Nick.. They've set this whole storyline up as if we're supposed to feel bad for Mariana. Don't get me wrong, I do feel for her, but Nick is a sick individual who has seemingly gotten better even with Mariana lying to him, who now is going to get in trouble for a twisted set of circumstances. He made a poor decision violating his house arrest, but I don't really want him excessively punished for it since he is still acclimating to regular life again. 

I wonder where we're going with Jesus' story. I knew they dropped it too quickly.

Noah just got upgraded to Legitimate Bad Influence. Before now he was just the boyfriend who let Jude make his own decisions. Now, he's actively encouraging Jude to violate his parents' rules. I hope we get a serious talk with Jude soon. He's really spiralling out.

I'm assuming we're saving Callie's arrest for 4B for maximum drama. Callie getting all upset about things not working out when she tries to help irritated me. They don't work out Callie because you sabotage along the way. I do not understand how she legitimately thought she could get away with posting Justina's private information online through easily traceable means. And breaking into that man's house was ridiculous for several reasons, the biggest being EXACTLY what Aaron told her; who cares if you DNA proof when it's inadmissible?? 

[LisaM]

I'm trying to remember...was it Callie who opened Justina's mail or was it Daphne who was working for Justina at the time? Also - didn't Mariana post the check online using AJ's computer - with Callie sitting next to them? In other words, there is potential for more people than just Callie to end up in legal jeopardy. 

I really thought that Sophia was in real physical danger. Good use of the lookalike actress -- and smart move to have the key players in the Justice for Jack shirts -- so that they all stood out at the festival and Callie/Sophia looked alike from the back. 

Almost every secret from the past few seasons has come out -- with the exception of Lena changing Jude's grade. I'm guessing that this one will come out at some point as well. 

I thought it was well done. Looking forward to the Jesus storyline the most because I think it has the most potential  - and will involve the most people (the family, Gabe, Ana, perhaps the bio grandparents from the bakery, Emma, Nick). So glad that they brought on Noah Centineo; he has been a real find. 

We were this close to getting rid of Brandon...and then they reeled him back in. :)

[buckboard]

None of Brandon's family and friends -- other than Lena -- know about the SAT test, right?  It's going to be interesting how he explains to everyone that he isn't in fact going to Julliard.  I suppose he can lie again and say the college made the mistake.  Did he even apply to another school?  And wouldn't they learn about his cheating, too?  Maybe he can get his job back as a pianist in the cocktail lounge.

And isn't Callie also a senior?  There hasn't been any talk about her going to college.  

[omgsowicked]

Oh shit! This was a really good episode.

I didn't suspect the grandson until the end but regardless, getting into a stranger's car is such a no-no. Convenient that they identified a second set of DNA on the murder weapon now, huh? Good thing Callie has that longsleeve shirt on because she's gonna have to tuck and roll on out of that car. LOL. Seriously though, I wonder what will happen to her... she won't be killed off but I can't imagine she'll get away scot-free.

I'm glad AJ broke up with Callie, as she's been playing real stupid re: Aaron (would she be cool with some girl flirting with him?), but I hate that it was over Aaron's gender identity. AJ had a legitimate reason to be frustrated, so I don't like that they made it about Aaron being trans and AJ being ignorant. He didn't know about it (and Callie had no right to share his business in the first place) and his behavior wasn't related to that at all. But now he's the bad guy and Callie's totally in the right? Meh. Happy Mike told AJ he was family and reassured him he always had a place in his home.

Jesus! I was concerned about lasting trauma from the nail gun incident but I'm glad they did it this way, actually... kind of tricked us into thinking he was All Better only to have it come back big time. I haven't seen Noah's acting outside of this show but so far, he seems very capable, so this could be a good turn for the character (development-wise, I mean). Continue to love him and Mariana together. So glad he and Emma told Stef that Mariana was taking his pills, no more sneaking around with that. This is the second time she's messed around with Jesus' pills (and this time she mixed them with alcohol), guess they need to be locked up. Pleasantly surprised that Nick wasn't actually trying to hurt Mariana but he's gonna be in a lot of trouble, especially after unknowingly exacerbating Jesus' injury. Hmm, seems Old Nick has grown on me a bit, lol.

I figured Juiliard wouldn't work out, as I didn't think they'd be letting go of regular cast members, but I wasn't expecting the SAT thing to come back up. Hurrah for consequences. I didn't sympathize with him much on that note but I did appreciate the acting... his sad little, "OK," was well done. Will this affect his high school records, too? I don't remember what Lena said about that. I wonder what he'll do now. I kind of want him to spin out of control but I'm sure it'll be more moping. And what's his relationship status now? Did he get the letter before Cortney did, has he even gone back to the apartment yet? Will this be what gets him to break up with her, as he did the SAT thing to get her money (though she didn't force him to)?

I was surprised when they showed the Stef/Mike shooting in the "previously on" section... that was a while ago! I don't even remember how exactly they covered it up and if they really should have been fired for it. Hopefully the whole cover up of the murder and the molester will outweigh the cover up of the shooting. Speaking of, now I'm totally confused... is the molestation part not actually relevant now that we know it's the grandson behind the murder? The car wash guy didn't vouch for Kyle in order to keep himself off the sex offender list, and he molested someone else who's being kept quiet in order to not have his parents deported... Stef's still doing the right thing but it's not related to getting the kid out of jail now, right? But then why is the detective covering it up, is he an old family friend of the grandson or something?

I'm so glad that woman showed up in the bathroom because I don't know what that guy was planning to do to Sophia. In retrospect, he probably wasn't going to do anything, just pester her until he got the answers he wanted. But since she didn't have them...

Totally forgot about Jude going off with Mr. Bad Boy Church Kid for the rest of the episode, haha. No one cared where he was. I thought Jude and Noah would be cute together but it's interesting to have a seemingly squeaky clean kid be a horrible influence.

Lots of interesting stuff set up for the next block. I'm very excited for it!

[ShadowFacts]

I had to sleep on this one a bit.  Overall enjoyable.  Lots of rock 'em sock 'em action.  Like, too much.  I don't even know what is the worst thing that happened, probably Jesus' head injury status, but Callie's with a murderer, so a tie?

One of my takeaways is that most of them suffer from impulsivity.  Callie obviously.  Mariana is under the influence (and by the way, has two biological parents with addiction histories, so hello?  she needs treatment).  Jesus taking Nick into his own hands.  Stef decides to have the IA meeting with no consultation with Mike, or Lena.  Lena tells Brandon on the spot that his life's dream is crushed, with no input from Stef.  Stef should have been there for that, there was no need to do it then and there. 

My guess is Callie will end up saved by somebody, Stef probably, but she will have recorded the grandson's confession on her phone.  So then it will all have been worth it . . . not.  Maybe she will finally have a wake up call as to her recklessness when she finds out Sophia was impacted because of her.  MVP of the episode for me was the random woman in the restroom who shouted the guy off Sophia.  Totally agree with possibilities that it's good they didn't go down the road of the violent mentally ill danger twice in one episode. 

I wonder if Stef saying she was done with the uniform was foreshadowing?  She's in jeopardy of losing her job if everything comes out.  Interesting that she mentioned she's been wearing it for 20 years -- in many departments, she could retire after that long.  I know two cops who did that, one took on part-time private security, one didn't have to work at all.  Stef and Lena are always in dire financial straits so she would have to do something else. 

[MaryHedwig]

Quote

MVP of the episode for me was the random woman in the restroom who shouted the guy off Sophia. 

My hero. I hope she was able to stay and be a comfort to Sophia.

Edited August 31, 2016 by MaryHedwig
typo

[LisaM]

1 hour ago, ShadowFacts said:

know two cops who did that, one took on part-time private security, one didn't have to work at all.  Stef and Lena are always in dire financial straits so she would have to do something else. 

I wonder if the show is planning to go in this direction? Have Stef leave the force for private security work? It could open the door to different dramatic environments while still keeping Mike on the force. 

Completely agree with Shadowfacts above about Lena breaking the news to Brandon - which crushed his world - without first talking to both Mike and Stef. 

I really liked how they used Sophia - and her uncanny resemblance to Callie - for a key plot point. Now Sophia's somewhat overprotective mother will never let her out of the house again. I was sure that Sophia was going to be harmed; nice fakeout, Show. 

I like the cliffhangers with Brandon, Mariana and particularly Jesus. I'm hopeful that, once Callie gets saved, the emphasis will shift off of her for a season and on to Jesus who really hasn't had a meaty storyline beyond his girlfriend drama. With Noah in the role, it is likely that he could pull it off. 

I also hope that we've seen the last of Cortney and Mason.

[North]

I'm actually okay with Lena telling Brandon, simply because she already knew the whole situation.

Telling Stef and Mike would open up Brandon to not only learning he lost his dream but also recriminations from his other two parents at the same time.

He did bring this all on himself but the gentlest way of finding out that Juilliard was gone was from the parent who had all the facts and wasn't going to go off on him.

Having said that, Lena is going to have to explain how she already knew and didn't tell Stef.

[marceline]

11 hours ago, FrumiusManxome said:

Callie getting all upset about things not working out when she tries to help irritated me. They don't work out Callie because you sabotage along the way. I do not understand how she legitimately thought she could get away with posting Justina's private information online through easily traceable means. And breaking into that man's house was ridiculous for several reasons, the biggest being EXACTLY what Aaron told her; who cares if you DNA proof when it's inadmissible?? 

 

Exactly. Callie uses other people's drama as a way of distracting herself from her own. Helping the other person is actually secondary to making herself feel useful and in control. She needs to cut the savior bullshit and tend to her own garden.

[LisaM]

Did Lena ever tell Stef that Brandon had taken the SATs for someone else? 

[North]

7 minutes ago, LisaM said:

Did Lena ever tell Stef that Brandon had taken the SATs for someone else? 

They never showed her telling Stef.

They were pretty distracted by everything with the house so I think right now Lena is the only one who knows what Brandon did.

[LisaM]

1 minute ago, North said:

They never showed her telling Stef.

They were pretty distracted by everything with the house so I think right now Lena is the only one who knows what Brandon did.

I think you are correct. That is going to be a major relationship bombshell dropped into the Lena/Stef marriage. 

[North]

32 minutes ago, LisaM said:

I think you are correct. That is going to be a major relationship bombshell dropped into the Lena/Stef marriage. 

I'm wondering how Stef is going to react.

[possibilities]

I'm impressed that this show does in fact bring back all the buried stuff that we think at the time people are getting away with. That they don't do it right away actually makes it even better. In life, that's how it works, sometimes-- things look like they've blown over but until it's dealt with truly, you never know when it might come back. At this point, I think Lena's tampering with Jude's test results must be coming soon as well. She and Stef both losing their jobs would be a lot, but it's not like they haven't been bending rules right and left while paying lip service to facing consequences for the kids.

And if their kids are going to start graduating from Anchor Beach soon (and maybe Jude will get kicked out because of the test falsification), moving Lena to another job might be useful anyway. Stef can do private security (still a uniform!), and maybe Lena can work in some other capacity with kids.

We haven't seen Rita or Girls United in a long time. Maybe they'll bring that setting back in some capacity also.

I'm also wondering what the fallout will be for Callie. The guy she stole the toothbrush from might not press charges, but it doesn't seem like Justina will ever go away voluntarily. I also think that Justina doesn't want to give up her only leverage, so when she sees that Callie isn't intimidated, she will have to decide if it's really going to help her case to get Callie into trouble-- more publicity to the Jack situation would certainly result. And if Callie had given in to the threat, there's nothing that says Justina would have stopped threatening her anyway. It's not like she failed to "get Callie in trouble" over the check disclosure out of the goodness of her heart-- she must know it is a risky move for herself as well. Can you imagine the headlines?

"A group of former foster kids get together to risk their own safety in order to expose Justina's plot to profit off of a system that is hurting other foster kids, including resulting in the death of their friend Jack"-- Justina doesn't want to go up against the photo of AJ, Callie, Mariana (with an accompanying photo of Jack, R.I.P.) being taken from their homes and sent to juvie, and have their campaign of Justice4Jack get even more publicity. The Adams-Foster family may break a lot of rules, but they also would make a really compelling media firestorm that would showcase a lot of issues and causes if exposed.

Edited August 30, 2016 by possibilities
punctuation, baby!

[Perfect Xero]

Only on this show can a police officer be distracted from chasing a suspected murderer who is following her daughter's sister by news that her other daughter is missing, high on her son's medication, and that her mentally ill ex-boyfriend had broken his house arrest.

Speaking of Nick, he somehow got from his house to that music festival and found Mariana in, like, 5 minutes.

17 hours ago, possibilities said:

I understood more why they had Jesus attack Nick. But it's unfortunate that once again it's the kid of color, while all of white Brandon's crimes are white collar and even when he's the most out of line he's never acted out physically at all. Though I guess with Mike as his father, Brandon is actually half-Latino, but they sure have never made even the slightest hint that Brandon has any connection to that at all, which is kind of weird now that I think of it. Or am I making it up that Mike is Latino? I feel like I'm not, but I can't remember why. Something from season 1, maybe? I'm confused. Hmmn. "Mike Foster" as a name doesn't really support my idea. Hm.

I hadn't thought of Stef being about to confess about covering for Mike. I thought she was going to report Gray for threatening her. I realize now that I might be wrong, though. What I don't know is how Gray would prove she lied. It's a guess, right? He wasn't there. So I thought he was trying it to see if she'd panic and back down. I guess we'll wait and find out. Maybe she will confess AND give her evidence about Gray and all the other things she's found during her investigations. And she and Brandon can face consequences together. On the other hand, if she gets away with it and does make detective, I will miss the uniform. Though I get it about "poly blend" Hee.

David Lambert is half Puerto Rican, according to Wikipedia, so that's maybe what you're thinking of? Danny Nucci's parents (again via Wikipedia) are Italian and French Moroccan and almost every role that I've seen him in before this show had him playing a person of Italian heritage, so I think that between that and the Foster name Mike is probably an Italian/Anglo white guy.

I'm not sure how Gray would even be able to find out that Stef covered for Mike? I don't recall them ever telling anyone, why would they, wouldn't that defeat the entire purpose?

Why did the guy who paid Brandon to take the test take it again himself? Like, he was okay with cheating the system, but Brandon tells him to take it himself, so he does?

The show can bring things back for the past, but it often makes little sense how they do so and just seems like drama for the sake of drama rather than being organic to me. It's like the restraining order suddenly coming back up to block the adoption, but only after the entire custody dispute with Robert Quinn had already played out. How is it possible that it survived both a State investigation and the very wealthy Quinn's lawyers undiscovered but randomly popped up again out of nowhere?

[tennisgurl]

See Jude. This is why you shouldn't do drugs. You go off to do weed, and while your getting high, your sister will go off with a murderer, your other sister will wander off having drug hallucinations, one brother sees his future fall apart, and your other brother is either dead or probably brain damaged. Drugs are bad kids! 

Seriously, its almost darkly comedic how much crazy shit happens to this one family. In just one day, we have threats, stalkings, possible murders, break ups broken dreams, fighting police corruption, and the continued downfall of Jude into pot smoking moody teen. This is just ridiculous at this point. I cant even keep track of how much drama has happened to this family, and how many topical issues they have been involved in, in a pretty short amount of time. 

I am glad that AJ broke up with Callie. Callie is clearly into Aaron, and AJ knows it. Maybe he could have been nicer to Aaron, but he was pretty pretty much hitting on Callie right there in front of him, and he is a teenager, so I can forgive him getting pissed off. Its too bad because I thought that AJ was good for Callie, but their break up is probably for the best, for several reasons. For one thing, they might not be actual foster siblings, but they are kind of like foster...cousins or something. They are in the same big extended family, so it does make their dating a bit awkward. But, and much bigger issue here, Callie needs to deal with her issues before trying to be in a relationship. Like, big time. Mike called it pretty well. Also, Mike has turned out to be a pretty good foster dad. Go figure. 

While on the subject of Callie, COME ON GIRL!!!!She was making bad calls left and right, capping off a season of white knighting, flirting with a guy who is not her boyfriend, breaking laws, and putting herself into actual mortal danger, all because she would rather deal with other peoples problems than her own. And in this episode, she outs Aaron as trans without asking him, acts like him being trans means he cant be into her (which he clearly is) and then starts giving AJ a lecture on trans issues, after she used it as a reason why he isn't a threat to him, WHILE ALSO telling AJ that she would probably be with him if it wasn't for AJ! And then she goes off into a car with a guy she does not know, who is connected to a murder case. Wonderful idea there Callie. Why dont you just get a ride from the guy in the unmarked white van on the other side of the street, driven by that guy all in black with a twirly mustache, offering you candy? I have always defended Callie, but I just cannot right now. 

On the other hand, I actually feel bad for Brandon in this episode. Its good he is facing consequences for his stupid choices, but thats pretty harsh. Brandon's music has always been one of his most sympathetic traits, and now his dream is going down the toilet. He actually came off like a kid when he hugged Lena. 

NO! Not Jesus! Ironically, he has probably been the best behaved kid this season! I mean, compared to the other kids. I dont think he is actually dead, as if they wanted to kill Jesus they would probably have killed him when they switched actors, but it does not look good for him. I think he will probably suffer from some brain damage issues next season, which sounds depressing as hell, but could be pretty compelling, in a classic Fosters "everything goes wrong for these people" way. The actor is doing a great job, and I like him a million times more than old Jesus. Please be ok!

Edited August 30, 2016 by tennisgurl

[ShadowFacts]

27 minutes ago, Perfect Xero said:

The show can bring things back for the past, but it often makes little sense how they do so and just seems like drama for the sake of drama rather than being organic to me. It's like the restraining order suddenly coming back up to block the adoption, but only after the entire custody dispute with Robert Quinn had already played out. How is it possible that it survived both a State investigation and the very wealthy Quinn's lawyers undiscovered but randomly popped up again out of nowhere?

Yes, and I won't be surprised if Stef and Lena's divorce filing charade doesn't come up sometime in the future.  I mean it's a clear misuse of the legal system, acting in bad faith and there are actual victims of their misconduct, so it should be addressed, but sooner rather than in future season(s) for unrelated reasons.

6 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

Seriously, its almost darkly comedic how much crazy shit happens to this one family. In just one day, we have threats, stalkings, possible murders, break ups broken dreams, fighting police corruption, and the continued downfall of Jude into pot smoking moody teen. This is just ridiculous at this point. I cant even keep track of how much drama has happened to this family, and how many topical issues they have been involved in, in a pretty short amount of time. 

My usual complaint is that serial dramas often move at a snail's pace, but this too much in the other direction.  In this episode it was totally unnecessary to even have Jude there, he should have been kept home, but of course then he would have had Noah drop in anyway.  Is it possible all this rushing of story is because the next season will be the last? 

[evilolive]

Quote

I feel bad for Nick.. They've set this whole storyline up as if we're supposed to feel bad for Mariana. Don't get me wrong, I do feel for her, but Nick is a sick individual who has seemingly gotten better even with Mariana lying to him, who now is going to get in trouble for a twisted set of circumstances. He made a poor decision violating his house arrest, but I don't really want him excessively punished for it since he is still acclimating to regular life again.

Yes to all of this.

I feel for Mariana as well, she had a traumatic experience that no one should have to go through. Still, Nick's illness getting worse coincided with Mariana deceiving him about the status of their relationship - she is responsible for her actions and they had a big impact on Nick. She was dismissive of Nick and misled him about her feelings when they were dating, then when he was in the hospital she continued to lie to him.

Mariana has a tendency to be deceitful when it suits her, it's a character flaw.

Quote

Almost every secret from the past few seasons has come out -- with the exception of Lena changing Jude's grade. I'm guessing that this one will come out at some point as well. 

It won't. She got away with it at the time, and there's no way it can come out now. Lena spelled out her moral code in this episode - you do what you have to for the sake of your family, even if it means playing the system.

It *could* come out that Monty let Jesus jump the waiting list for Anchor Beach when he came back from wrestling school. Lena said at the time Anchor Beach could lose its charter. I don't think that's likely to come out either - they drop storylines all the time.

Or it could come out that Lena didn't speak up Brandon for the SAT thing, but that won't happen either. Brandon is the one living with the consequences, Lena is in the clear.

Spoiler

(Although in an interview with Peter Paige, it turns out it's only a suspension and he's going to be able to reapply next year - which I'm pretty peeved about)

Lena and Stef could BOTH be in trouble for filing for divorce to keep the house (another of Lena's bright ideas to protect her family by bending the rules) - but I'd be willing to bet on that secret not coming out either.

These people get away with a lot, because they are the Lucky Ones. They don't get away with as much as the super-rich, but they know how to game the system and they get away with some pretty shady behaviour as a result. To my mind, it's the entire message of the show - it's fine to do whatever the hell you like as long as you're taking care of the people you count as family.

Quote

She and Stef both losing their jobs would be a lot, but it's not like they haven't been bending rules right and left while paying lip service to facing consequences for the kids.

I kind of wish that this would happen because it would be satisfying to see them get their just desserts, but it won't. More likely, they will both be rewarded for shady acts committed out of the noble desire to protect and promote the interests of their family. I would not be too surprised if, by the end of the series, the Adams Fosters will still be in that house and both Lena and Stef will have been promoted - Stef to detective and Lena to Principal of Anchor Beach. Or they could keep them in the exact place they started, which would still be a good outcome in this day and age.

[Lady Calypso]

37 minutes ago, tennisgurl said:

NO! Not Jesus! Ironically, he has probably been the best behaved kid this season! I mean, compared to the other kids. I dont think he is actually dead, as if they wanted to kill Jesus they would probably have killed him when they switched actors, but it does not look good for him. I think he will probably suffer from some brain damage issues next season, which sounds depressing as hell, but could be pretty compelling, in a classic Fosters "everything goes wrong for these people" way. The actor is doing a great job, and I like him a million times more than old Jesus. Please be ok!

The one thing that I realized is that Jesus' TBI puts the show in a slightly difficult spot for me. On the one hand, they can do the Fosters thing and have Jesus' brain injury heal up after a certain number of episodes. Sure, he can struggle for a bit, but they can totally make him fine and yay, things work out in the end! Or they can have it on an either permanent or semi-permanent basis, where he does struggle with this for more than five episodes. But if they do that...will people compare this to the Brandon hand injury? Thinking about it, Brandon had his hand injury at the end of season 1. We come back in season 2 to find out that he'll never play professionally ever because his hand is that damaged. We get sad and pouty Brandon. Except oops! Look, they can solve it through surgery and yeah, Brandon struggles for a bit, but his hand heals and he's able to go for Julliard and play to his heart's desire again. Yet again, Brandon gets everything and Jesus gets punished and severe consequences. 

I know it's a bit unfair to compare the two, but I can't help but see that Brandon always gets left off easier. Not as easy as Callie, but pretty darn easy. But Jesus has never had it easy on this show, not like the others. So for him to get a TBI for a stupid and reckless mistake, but not illegal like Brandon's many mistakes, and having it be possibly permanent? Well, that just stinks. Hell, we know that Brandon will probably just reapply to a music school, even if it's not Julliard, and he'll go off next year. So, he takes a year off and probably teaches music instead, where he'll come across a musical genius who helps him to get back into Julliard. And it's probably a girl that he falls in love with. Whoopee. 

So as much as I like that Jesus is getting a meaty storyline, it's just going to suck if he can't get a Super Special Surgery like Brandon to speed up the healing process. But I am impressed that they did show some consequences here, because I knew Jesus was being too reckless after a brain surgery. His moms didn't even warn him to be more careful for a while. They let him run around and stuff. 

[LisaM]

I am so hoping that, once Callie is rescued from the murderer in the car - and deals with the Justina threat - that she takes a back seat for awhile so that the focus can shift to Jesus with his nail in the brain issues, Mariana with the pills, Jude with the pot and the boyfriend and even Brandon losing his dream. All of this would be more interesting than White Knight Callie finding another issue to champion. 

I am also eager to see how Stef and Mike react to Lena withholding the info about Brandon/SATs from them -- only to have the whole thing blow up in their faces. Can't be good.

[tennisgurl]

5 minutes ago, Lady Calypso said:

His moms didn't even warn him to be more careful for a while. They let him run around and stuff. 

As awful as the events of this whole episode/two hours have been, I hope that this is all a MASSIVE wake up call to Steff and Lena. All of their kids are struggling and making bad choices, some of their kids are in actual danger, and now they are all possibly facing real consequences for mistakes they made while Stef and Lena were busy with other issues (even Jude, who is probably in the least amount of actual trouble, is clearly going down a bad path, and the moms seemed to have hardly punished him). I am not saying that Callie going off with a murderer, or Brandon losing Julliard, or Jesus getting a a nail in the head, or Mariana becoming a drug addict, or Jude becoming a pot head with a Bad Influence Boyfriend (holy crap this season was eventful!) was all on them, and lord knows working two already stressful jobs while keeping their finances afloat, their marriage functioning, and trying to parent five teenagers, all of whom have a crap ton of baggage, sounds amazingly difficult, but I feel like they need to tighten ship here and start paying more attention to what the kids are doing when they arent looking. It will be tragic if one of the kids actually loses their life or gets seriously hurt because of a stressful year for the family. 

[possibilities]

This episode did illustrate that Lena keeps things from Stef-- important things-- and not just the other way around. They both think they know best, and are above both the law and interpersonal discussion or negotiation. I don't know what Mike would say, but I half expect Stef to think Lena did the right thing by not telling anyone about Brandon's SAT fraud. She may think it was good to keep her from being put in the same position Lena was, of having to choose between ethics and loyalty to her son. Although honestly, I suspect there will be one of those forgiveness things white guys get when they break the law-- Brock Turner is getting out of jail soon, have y'all heard? Because he's a very good boy! -- because Brandon returned the money and "told the kid to retake the test" and somehow magically the kid did so, TPTB will decide that he has learned his lesson and no longer needs to be sanctioned. It's not even that I mind a non-punitive system of justice that relies on restoration instead of permanent life-ruining, but if they are going to pile on THIS MUCH drama, they need to do more than shrug every time it happens.

It's kind of funny how Jude is the person in the least amount of trouble right now. He's "gone bad" but he's still doing proportionately light-weight normal teenaged stuff, and has had nothing whatsoever to do with murder or death or immanent threat thereof. Poor kid! He's having a total meltdown in his own way but literally no one notices and even if they did, it would be totally eclipsed by the much higher drama of his siblings. He's not even using pot he gets off the street! The stuff he smokes is medically approved, non possibly adulterated or any other such after school special kind of uh-oh dangerous thing. And he isn't going to need money to buy it, so there won't even be any shoplifting either. Again, the whitest of white collar rebellion for the white side of the clan.

Referring to something someone said upthread, I just wanted to note (because I'm a stickler for this kind of thing, so bear with me and please don't feel scolded): all 5 Adams-Foster kids are sisters and brothers to each other now, no longer "foster" siblings. Adoption makes it official and takes away the distinction between those who are birth-related siblings and those who are not. So, for example, Mariana is Jude's sister now, just like Callie. Their individual relationships may differ because of history and personality, but they're not "foster siblings" anymore. /end stickler stuff.

Edited August 30, 2016 by possibilities

[tennisgurl]

9 minutes ago, possibilities said:

It's kind of funny how Jude is the person in the least amount of trouble right now. He's "gone bad" but he's still doing proportionately light-weight normal teenaged stuff, and has had nothing whatsoever to do with murder or death

I know right? Even Judes Troubled Teen Issues are so adorable compared to all of his siblings. His brothers and sister are like "I got addicted to drugs and a stalker is after me!" or "I faked the SAT to pay for my grown up girlfriends lawyer!" or "I keep recklessly almost getting myself killed chasing murderers!" or "I accidentally shot myself in the head with a nail gun while trying to deal with my father issues, and now might have brain damage protecting my sister from her mentally unstable boyfriend who was also my BFF!" While Jude...has been smoking pot and is considering having sex for the first time (or did they end up having sex? So much happens every episode I struggle keeping track)! Which really are issues that need to be addressed, but its such normal teenager stuff! Poor kid actually might end up having real issues by the end of next season (video prostitution? shooting up heroin? gang ties? With this show, who knows?), and no one will notice due to all his four older siblings constant drama. 

[buckboard]

The scene where Noah offers pot to Jude and Jude, although he knows he's not supposed to, seems unable to say no to pot and then walks away with Noah, almost as if he is already stoned.  It seemed like a scene out of the cult classic "Reefer Madness."

[marceline]

6 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

On the other hand, I actually feel bad for Brandon in this episode. Its good he is facing consequences for his stupid choices, but thats pretty harsh. Brandon's music has always been one of his most sympathetic traits, and now his dream is going down the toilet. He actually came off like a kid when he hugged Lena. 

 

I feel bad for him too. For storyline purposes, I'm happy to see consequences but it's not like he acted out of malice. He signed up to be a tutor and ended up being offered money he desperately needed. He wasn't trying to game the system for fun he just seized an opportunity and now he loses the thing he's been working for most of his life. 

ETA: Something that I really loved about this ep was Mike telling AJ that they were family and that no matter what they always will be. One thing this show does well is remind us how much these kids want and need to hear that even when they are Callie and AJ's age.

Edited August 31, 2016 by marceline

[Chewy101]

On 8/29/2016 at 9:36 PM, possibilities said:

Like with Nick-- terrifying, very bad, should not have done, and needs help. But not a murderer, and not a monster. Thank you, show, for being willing to show this, and not just go for the stereotype.

Well, if anything happens to Jesus, I am betting no one will care that he was only defending himself. Because he broke off his ankle cuff and was around Maryana at all, he is going down.

[Chewy101]

3 hours ago, marceline said:

8 hours ago, tennisgurl said:

On the other hand, I actually feel bad for Brandon in this episode. Its good he is facing consequences for his stupid choices, but thats pretty harsh. Brandon's music has always been one of his most sympathetic traits, and now his dream is going down the toilet. He actually came off like a kid when he hugged Lena. 

 

I feel bad for him too. For storyline purposes, I'm happy to see consequences but it's not like he acted out of malice. He signed up to be a tutor and ended up being offered money he desperately needed. He wasn't trying to game the system for fun he just seized an opportunity and now he loses the thing he's been working for most of his life. 

He did it for a girl, because he is a musical genius but an absolute dumbass at life. I'm worried now he will go back to the girl since Juilliard is out. Maybe he can go to Berkeley with Matt.

[LisaM]

Quote

Maybe he can go to Berkeley with Matt.

I thought that when Lena found out about the SATs, she told him that college would be out for him period? I can't see another college accepting him - at least for the 1 year period that Peter mentioned in an interview - with a record of academic fraud. Perhaps since music college is out, he ends up going on tour with Lou's band and gets a recording contract?

[ShadowFacts]

14 minutes ago, LisaM said:

I thought that when Lena found out about the SATs, she told him that college would be out for him period? I can't see another college accepting him - at least for the 1 year period that Peter mentioned in an interview - with a record of academic fraud. Perhaps since music college is out, he ends up going on tour with Lou's band and gets a recording contract?

I wonder how Julliard found out about this at all, not to mention so quickly.  A point was made about the fact that Julliard does not require the SATs.  I suppose he could have chosen to have his score reported anyway.  I think there would have been an investigation by the College Board or whomever, of which Brandon would have been notified.  Maybe Mariana snatched that out of the mail, too.

[Scarlett45]

16 hours ago, marceline said:

 

I feel bad for him too. For storyline purposes, I'm happy to see consequences but it's not like he acted out of malice. He signed up to be a tutor and ended up being offered money he desperately needed. He wasn't trying to game the system for fun he just seized an opportunity and now he loses the thing he's been working for most of his life. 

ETA: Something that I really loved about this ep was Mike telling AJ that they were family and that no matter what they always will be. One thing this show does well is remind us how much these kids want and need to hear that even when they are Callie and AJ's age.

I don't feel badly for Brandon regarding the SAT situation. Cheating on a standardized college entrance exam is a HUGE DEAL, and he knew or should've known had he been caught his academic career was down the toilet. He was old enough to know better and acted for monetary gain. He didn't desperately need the money to survive, he wanted to "help Courtney". It's times like this it's good to see Brandon check his privledge- he has every right to be hurt and disappointed (even cry), but there are consequences to dishonesty, and if he were a kid in a position like AJ's (minority/poor/no parents/foster kid etc) he may have thought twice about it as he would've known the rules would ALWAYS apply to him. 

[ShadowFacts]

3 hours ago, Scarlett45 said:

I don't feel badly for Brandon regarding the SAT situation. Cheating on a standardized college entrance exam is a HUGE DEAL, and he knew or should've known had he been caught his academic career was down the toilet. He was old enough to know better and acted for monetary gain. He didn't desperately need the money to survive, he wanted to "help Courtney". It's times like this it's good to see Brandon check his privledge- he has every right to be hurt and disappointed (even cry), but there are consequences to dishonesty, and if he were a kid in a position like AJ's (minority/poor/no parents/foster kid etc) he may have thought twice about it as he would've known the rules would ALWAYS apply to him. 

Good points.  I think that the kids all get unintended consequences from Lena's moral code that she said out loud this episode, and Stef's militant tendencies like how she urged Callie on about her causes.  Both of those viewpoints have to be tempered with a lot more analyzing of future consequences.  Collateral damage is a good title for the episode.

[maraleia]

I think they should have Brandon eat crow and go to community college and get a job that pays real money so he can help out the family/save for a potential four year institution.

[auntiemel]

On 8/29/2016 at 10:21 PM, omgsowicked said:

 I wonder what he'll do now. I kind of want him to spin out of control but I'm sure it'll be more moping.

Line of the century! :D

[Chewy101]

8 hours ago, maraleia said:

I think they should have Brandon eat crow and go to community college and get a job that pays real money so he can help out the family/save for a potential four year institution.

I'm just afraid this well deserved eating crow will lead him back to the weird irresponsible cougar leech. This idiot needs to focus on school.

Edited September 1, 2016 by Chewy101

[LisaM]

My complete spec is that Brandon will be discovered by some record industry guru and find another way to develop his music career besides Juilliard. 

[evilolive]

16 minutes ago, LisaM said:

My complete spec is that Brandon will be discovered by some record industry guru and find another way to develop his music career besides Juilliard. 

I'm on board with this. Not something I particularly want to watch (I'd rather see him get a more rounded education and go to a conservatory later), but storywise preferable to him getting to go to Juilliard after they explicitly stated he wouldn't get to go.

That's just cheating and in the past seasons The Fosters was above such shenanigans, or at least they used to be more artful about it.

[luckyroll3]

I'll be cool with the AJ/Callie break up only if they promise to still let AJ have at least 1 shirtless scene each episode.

Despite hating Brandon, I was so happy for him when he found out he got into Julliard.  I'm a sucker for kids getting into college after all the years I've worked with College Bound programs.  But I was also happy when his bad behavior finally came back to bite him in the ass.  He's gotten away with way too much, and it's only when something you've had your heart set on gets taken away that you understand why it was a problem, so this needed to happen.  Too bad he also didn't get the one-two punch of the girlfriend confronting him about the letter.

[Court]

I'd be thrilled if we never saw Cortney again. 

Callie, Callie, Callie! I just want to shake some sense into that girl. She needs to stop being so impulsive.