S05.E03: Contact

[possibilities]

Callie and Aaron go on their first date.

 

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That's the episode description I found at the Freeform website, but it hardly seems adequate. Other plots include: Anchor Beach's battle over privatization, dinner with the new neighbors, Jude and Noah confront each other about video games and pot use, Brandon and Grace have a tiff, Mariana takes an interest in roller derby.

I don't like writing episode descriptions, so I apologize for the inadequacy of what I came up with.

 

---

I'm super annoyed that Stef's and Lena's approach to Jesus is to just leave him home doing nothing, instead of actually trying to help him or even pay attention to him. Lena just looks stupid here. She's afraid of his violent outbursts but her answer is to do nothing? Stef at least wants to get him tested and assessed, to see if he can get an IEP and return to school, but she's also doing basically nothing to address his situation. It's like they don't even notice any of the kids until they have a crisis. It's gotten really annoying.

I did like Lena teasing Stef about Tess, though. Normally I don't like teasing, but that was somehow funny to me. Stef being rattled like that was amusing in a way I didn't anticipate.

I thought Callie was unreasonable-- she asked Aaron to plan everything and then she was upset when he did. But at least they worked it out. And she declined to get into trouble with Mariana, despite being heavily baited. On the other hand, Aaron telling her to wear a dress was pretty gross.

Mariana has not learned anything, but then again it's also true that her parents tend to drag their feet on any decision, so probably if she had asked them, they'd have been so slow to decide that she would have been years into the future before anything happened.

The evil Board of Directors and Acting Principal are so villainous, it's almost funny. I wish we could see Girls United instead of this, but if we're going to see this, why aren't more of the parents organizing to keep the charter? Do the kids have to do everything around here? I guess it's because this is a show for teens, but it is kind of nuts. Also: "we don't care if you want to pay two principals"? Really?

The rest of STEAM blaming Mariana when they were complicit is annoying.

Brandon and Grace are Brandon and Grace. I hate her pouting and I hate his acquiescence, but I'm not a teen. And at least they worked it out.

Jude and Jesus should talk to each other instead of Jude using the game and Jesus checking for a non-existent conversation with Emma. They should talk to ANYONE. Is this how people really live? Never talking to anyone about anything until it blows up? I can't stand it. I don't know how anyone could stand it.

I might be getting too old for this.

Edited July 26, 2017 by possibilities

[FrumiusManxome]

(Copied my comment from reddit) 

Callie continues to piss me off. She freaking asks Aaron to plan everything and then gets mad when he does. And worse yet, if it really did bother her why didn't she say anything to Aaron? Like the dress thing. Instead of just saying hey, I'm not cool with dresses when he told her to wear one or pushing him to reveal details because of her discomfort she let the issue fester and made the date miserable. Also why in the world after everything that has happened is she allowed to date right now anyways? I'd have her on lockdown focusing only on herself. Dating is a privilege she does not deserve.

And speaking of communication issues Grace pissed me off too. If you're worried that Brandon only wants you for sex then just ask him??? Instead she threw a fit about him not wanting to jam when it was not outside of the realm of possibility that she just wanted to have sex when, like Brandon said, the night before 'studying' didn't actually mean studying. And if she wanted to do more than have sex why didn't she actually hang out with him after he suggested talking instead of sending Brandon mixed signals about what she wanted by blowing him off entirely? I'm glad that Brandon is starting music again though. Maybe now we'll have more interesting plots with him again. I am so sick of his dating plots.

Speaking of dating plots, I'm happy that Noah and Jude finally seem to be on their last legs. It could have been cute, but the entirety of their relationship was overshadowed by the weed thing. Also, I like how Jude is apparently addicted to his game when this episode is the first time we've seen him play the thing since the Connor days.

Mariana continues her downward spiral. I appreciate what she's trying to do, but she doesn't consider consequences at all. Yeah, privatization sucks and you'll be pushed out if it happens, but her mother is literally the VP of the school and she's really putting Lena at risk with all of this. Related to that, while I think Drew might be able to suspend the Steam club I don't think he could eliminate Prom? Like that would be a parental uproar that they cannot afford right now.

Also I find this whole private school thing so confusing and tedious. Drew is literally a temporary admin, how is he getting any say whatsoever in any of these proceedings? He was brought in as a temp because Lena was out. Outside of the fact that Monte hadn't actually resigned yet, how would he have become principal after Monte was forced out over Lena being interim principal like she was before Monte was even hired? Isn't he only under contract for a short amount of time? So how did he come in with this plan to privatize the school with a temporary contract?

Tess dinner was kind of fun. I hate how Lena got snippy over Tess just trying to be nice. She thought it was funny to make little comments about it before, but as soon as Tess got there she started acting gross. And Lena being overwhelmed with/scared of Jesus is why they should have put him in the goddamn treatment center in the first place.

Emma is being gross as well. Yes, Emma let's not only continue the trend of poor communication on the show in general let's continue your specific problem of lying to Jesus rather than being honest with him. Because that worked so well when you hid the abortion even when Jesus was at a point where you could tell him.

This show is just so dumb. Oh my god.

38 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I'm super annoyed that Stef's and Lena's approach to Jesus is to just leave him home doing nothing, instead of actually trying to help him or even pay attention to him. Lena just looks stupid here. She's afraid of his violent outbursts but her answer is to do nothing? Stef at least wants to get him tested and assessed, to see if he can get an IEP and return to school, but she's also doing basically nothing to address his situation. It's like they don't even notice any of the kids until they have a crisis. It's gotten really annoying.

Lena has always been this way though. Like when Stef really needed to make a now or never decision in regards to the breast cancer. Lena bogged them down circling the same options over and over then too while Stef already had a decision. She takes forever to do anything because she's "weighing her options" when really she's usually just hoping to sidestep the problem by avoiding it until something else changes and she no longer has to do anything. 

 

38 minutes ago, possibilities said:

I thought Callie was unreasonable-- she asked Aaron to plan everything and then she was upset when he did. But at least they worked it out. And she declined to get into trouble with Mariana, despite being heavily baited. On the other hand, Aaron telling her to wear a dress was pretty gross.

I was so annoyed with Callie. She's always so difficult and exhausting. That date was so painful for me to watch because Aaron was clearly trying but Callie allowed her discomfort to get in the way instead of just telling Aaron what was up. 

And I thought the dress thing was just Aaron's way of saying dress fancy. Like he didn't mean anything by it, but to most people 'wear a dress' means you're going somewhere a little more upscale. He did wear a suit after all. 

Edited July 26, 2017 by FrumiusManxome

[LisaM]

I am so happy that the show is not focusing on Callie Saves the World and Puts Herself into Jeopardy that I'm willing to overlook a lot. I liked this episode because it focused on the characters and not on the ridiculous Super Callie plots. However, I do not understand why Stef and Lena are not actively trying to work with Jesus as opposed to letting the status quo become the new normal. We should at least see Jesus in some sort of ongoing therapy - physical, occupational, behavioral, etc...  - for the TBI. Lena's non-action really surprises me. Do something!

I really thought it would be Callie who would be joining the roller derby so I liked that it was Mariana instead. Of course, she continued her devious ways by signing Lena's name instead of asking permission to join. I loved seeing the drone drop the newspapers; too bad that the club got caught and the guys blamed Mariana. 

I do not see the appeal of Noah and Jude at all. Since when is Jude addicted to video games? I only recall him playing with the game set that Connor gave him way back in an early episode. I do, however, like Jude trying to help his sister with her mission. 

Brandon and Grace = meh but Grace is so much more age and personality appropriate for Brandon than any of his other girlfriends. I also like how she recognized that he was running away from music after the SAT debacle. 

Loved the awkwardness of the dinner with the neighbors. I thought that Frank found Stef and Tess cuddling on the couch and sent Stef to see the priest? The dinner conversation didn't sound as if the cuddling actually happened? Did I mishear it or are they trying to say that Stef was the one with the crush on Tess and that Tess was not interested back then?

Surprised that we didn't see a bunch of Nick's father's high powered lawyers at the School Board meeting since the main purpose of privatizing Anchor Beach is to make a ton of money for their group? I don't understand how Drew is still there given that Lena is now back from her leave? The board member's threat to Lena makes me think that her future at Anchor Beach is limited. Perhaps she can train for a career working with TBI individuals? 

I'm not sure how I feel about the Callie/Aaron dinner. Despite the way that Callie acted, at least she wasn't trying to save the world and didn't end up in juvie, so I can live with it. 

It sure looks as if the show is done with Mike Foster. Given that he is no longer Stef's partner and that the Hot Dad role is being filled by Gabe right now, I don't see how he fits other than as Ana's boyfriend (and that may well be ending too). 

[Lady Calypso]

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

I'm super annoyed that Stef's and Lena's approach to Jesus is to just leave him home doing nothing, instead of actually trying to help him or even pay attention to him. Lena just looks stupid here. She's afraid of his violent outbursts but her answer is to do nothing? Stef at least wants to get him tested and assessed, to see if he can get an IEP and return to school, but she's also doing basically nothing to address his situation. It's like they don't even notice any of the kids until they have a crisis. It's gotten really annoying.

I'm in the same boat. So, Jesus hasn't been going to school for a few months, he's been home alone as there's been no mention of an alternate caregiver besides Gabe, and their decision in not sending him to school, though right because of his aggression, is to have him do nothing at home? Great parenting there, guys. I know Callie's issues have taken up your time here, but Jesus matters too. Honestly, Stef's been more helpful for him than Lena has. She's now too busy with fighting for the school, but what about her son? Who's fighting for him to get better? The show has really dropped the ball on this TBI storyline. They address the issues to an extent, but they also do nothing that feels realistic. The problems they have don't include solutions. 

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

I thought Callie was unreasonable-- she asked Aaron to plan everything and then she was upset when he did. But at least they worked it out. And she declined to get into trouble with Mariana, despite being heavily baited. On the other hand, Aaron telling her to wear a dress was pretty gross.

So, so dumb that Callie got upset when Aaron planned everything when she basically gave him the ok to. I rewatched the scene and although Callie didn't outright say "yeah, you plan everything", she didn't say anything when Aaron said that he would make the plans. And then she got upset when he...made the plans? Ok, granted he was in the wrong for making her food choices and then choosing the wrong movie (dude, maybe an action movie isn't the best idea for a first date), but Callie getting upset was...odd. At least they talked it out in the end. That's progress for Callie. Not a whole lot of progress, but still better. 

7 hours ago, possibilities said:

Mariana has not learned anything, but then again it's also true that her parents tend to drag their feet on any decision, so probably if she had asked them, they'd have been so slow to decide that she would have been years into the future before anything happened.

Mariana basically gets to make all these bad choices and then she wonders why they blow up in her face and she gets told no. She was told not to distribute the papers, she does it, and then gets STEAM cancelled and possibly prom. Then she forges her mom's signature and is probably going to end up in more trouble. Lena/Stef may have said no, but they also could have said yes. She didn't even ask them, so she'll never know what their answer would have been. I mean, I'm pretty sure both would have tried to talk her out of it, but Mariana's always been the one to not back down and give up. She could have found a way to convince them to give it a chance. 

7 hours ago, FrumiusManxome said:

And speaking of communication issues Grace pissed me off too. If you're worried that Brandon only wants you for sex then just ask him??? Instead she threw a fit about him not wanting to jam when it was not outside of the realm of possibility that she just wanted to have sex when, like Brandon said, the night before 'studying' didn't actually mean studying. And if she wanted to do more than have sex why didn't she actually hang out with him after he suggested talking instead of sending Brandon mixed signals about what she wanted by blowing him off entirely? I'm glad that Brandon is starting music again though. Maybe now we'll have more interesting plots with him again. I am so sick of his dating plots.

Grace was a little more than frustrating here. I've liked her thus far, but this episode, her communication skills were terrible. Stop being passive aggressive and tell him how you really feel! Though, he's not the one to actually suggest talking. Grace was getting nowhere with Brandon's "what do you want to talk about" and confused doe eye look, and I think she was past the point of communicating effectively because of her anger. Stupid, but they worked it out, at least.

Brandon/Callie sibling scenes are always good. I wish there wasn't that underlying fear of the show trying to hook them up again, or else I'd enjoy them more. 

Poor communication seems to be a running theme this episode. Hopefully that can change.

Emma not talking to Jesus? Girl, don't do that. Though I totally get it. Unfortunately, many people take this method and it really does suck. Jesus also overhearing Lena telling Stef about her fear with Jesus was poignant. That has to be rough to hear that your own mother is afraid of you.

Drew technically doesn't have the only say anymore since Monte's still the principal, so I doubt prom would be cancelled because of Mariana distributing papers. I don't know why him and Evil Board Lady suddenly turned into Disney villains. All they needed were mustaches to twirl.

Noah/Jude still doesn't appeal to me as it should. Noah annoys me with his whole "I need to get high for my anxiety" and Jude's just a little bit of a jerk. 

[ShadowFacts]

I'm irritated that Mike and AJ are both MIA.  They deserve at least a passing mention, or have I missed that?

[UNOSEZ]

57 minutes ago, ShadowFacts said:

I'm irritated that Mike and AJ are both MIA.  They deserve at least a passing mention, or have I missed that?

Nope still on a magical vacation because apparently aj doesn't need to be in school and... I dunno I keep waiting for at least a mention when I don't see either of their names in the credits.... As much as I've never liked  Aaron because he's always cone off as smug and sleazy to me fir basically chasing down a younger girl who was in a relationship even tho he was told to stop... That date wasn't his fault he did try... That said I'm looking FWD to the break-up... Marianna gonna Marianna... Lena was in bad form all episode from passive aggressive teasing to outright snippy to Tess... Tho before Tess mentioned it had stef really even given much input on what to do with Jesus... Drew is a Disney villian you can tell by how dark his beard is... Callie Brandon scene was nice except with those two we're always one long glance or shoulder to cry on moment from the danger zone... I don't care about Jude.... Bring back mike and aj... I like Callie's art school friend she seems cool. 

[Chewy101]

4 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Brandon/Callie sibling scenes are always good. I wish there wasn't that underlying fear of the show trying to hook them up again, or else I'd enjoy them more. 

I hate their scenes, because I don't trust them. Eeyore and Sad Sally are going to hook up again, as soon as there are enough hearts to break when they do it. They are both monsters, and I don't get why people are endlessly pursuing them. 

[Cassandre]

6 hours ago, Lady Calypso said:

Then she forges her mom's signature and is probably going to end up in more trouble. Lena/Stef may have said no, but they also could have said yes. She didn't even ask them, so she'll never know what their answer would have been. I mean, I'm pretty sure both would have tried to talk her out of it, but Mariana's always been the one to not back down and give up. She could have found a way to convince them to give it a chance. 

That's why they always say that she could be a lawyer. She knows how to convince people, so I didn't get why she didn't just ask.  When she wanted to be Isabella's godmother her moms didn't want her to get baptized at first. And then they listened to her and changed their mind. Besides if Brandon is the golden boy, Mariana's like the queen in that house. She does whatever she wants.

 

4 hours ago, UNOSEZ said:

Lena was in bad form all episode from passive aggressive teasing to outright snippy to Tess... Tho before Tess mentioned it had stef really even given much input on what to do with Jesus... 

Nope. She always think that everything is fine. I don't know why she suddenly seems so concerned about Jesus. I love Stef and Lena but they are incredible sometimes. 

 

6 hours ago, ShadowFacts said:

I'm irritated that Mike and AJ are both MIA.  They deserve at least a passing mention, or have I missed that?

I miss Aj . I understand he's no longer Callie's boyfriend but I thought they could show us a little something of his life with Mike.  They do deserve a mention. To let us know that they're at least still alive....

Edited July 26, 2017 by Cassandre

[FrumiusManxome]

5 hours ago, Chewy101 said:

I hate their scenes, because I don't trust them. Eeyore and Sad Sally are going to hook up again, as soon as there are enough hearts to break when they do it. They are both monsters, and I don't get why people are endlessly pursuing them. 

Literally me. I hold my breath every time they speak. I cannot enjoy any of their 'sibling' moments because it has happened before. Several times. They spend time as siblings, everything is cool, they're making progress and then bam! They end up making out because one of them chipped a nail. 

[marceline]

I thought I would hate the Callie/Aaron stuff but I had the exact opposite reaction This was another example of Callie having to learn how to be honest about her needs and wants and to trust that her honesty wouldn't drive someone away. Last week it was the moms. This week it was Aaron. 

The funny thing is that I hated Aaron's date as much as she did. I'd have Noped! out the minute he refused to tell me the name of the movie.

[possibilities]

Honestly, I would have lost my temper when he told her to wear a dress, and then again when he ordered her food for her. But it's true that Callie needs to learn to speak up for herself, and he did listen when she did so. I think it's a pretty realistic teen level of relationship problems, and in a way it's role model behavior to see them actually work it out. It's just hard for me to enjoy seeing it because I'm not a teen and that isn't really what I want from the show. But it seems like that they're making teen dating the focus right now.

Mike is still Brandon's dad, so they could have him around if they wanted to, without it being too contrived.

Edited July 27, 2017 by possibilities

[tennisgurl]

*Sigh* At least Callie was actually dealing with a real teenager issue, instead of more Callie Saves the World annoyance. Really, Aaron might have crossed a line making up a whole date and not letting Callie have any say, but Callie told him that's what she wanted, how was he supposed to know anything else? I'm not a fan of Aaron (he was way too quick to hit on a girl he knew had a boyfriend) but I don't think he was being an asshole in this scenario. I suppose its another sign of Callies trust issues. Girl needs all of the therapy.

I was so into this Jesus story, but now its just frustrating. Why aren't Lena and Stef helping him? Just making him sit around the house being bored and upset cant be helping him. Even if he's not up to school, they could find SOMETHING for him to do to keep himself intellectually and physically active.

So, first Jude is addicted to pot, now he's addicted to video games? Have they just decided he's going to be a walking, talking After School Special? Maybe focus on he and Mariana bonding over their school protests? We got a quick Jesus and Callie scene, now maybe we can mix things up some more?

The dinner was pretty hilariously awkward. Lena telling the kids about her supposed ex was petty, but it made me laugh.

[Perfect Xero]

This show reminds me in so many ways of the show Parenthood, in particular the Adam/Kristina branch of that family. Jesus's TBI is now their version of Max, with the parents having no response to anything other than shrugging their shoulders and talking among themselves about how difficult it is.

[ShadowFacts]

4 hours ago, Perfect Xero said:

This show reminds me in so many ways of the show Parenthood, in particular the Adam/Kristina branch of that family. Jesus's TBI is now their version of Max, with the parents having no response to anything other than shrugging their shoulders and talking among themselves about how difficult it is.

Yes, but Parenthood somehow sustained my interest more.  Some of the characters were annoying and did stupid stuff, but I mostly looked forward to seeing the storylines play out.  This show is not at that level and as mentioned above, the focus is teen dating now and I'm not that into it.  Mariana used to be my favorite kid and now she's just making all the wrong turns, a la Callie.  At least they have shown Mariana in therapy.

[possibilities]

One thing I did like is that I think they deliberately let people wonder if Callie's problem was that she didn't really want to date Aaron at all, and once it got official maybe that was why she was freaking out. And they resolved it decisively that that was not what was bothering her at all.

Jesus should absolutely 100% not be just hanging around at home all day with nothing to do . That is absolutely ridiculous, and a total TV contrivance. And the idea that Lena would not want to talk to his doctors about his condition is such a bizarre thing, I have no idea how they even thought it up. It makes no sense. It doesn't even add to the drama in any way. They could show Jesus having trouble, and working at rehab, and Lena being afraid and at a loss when he has violent outbursts, and them not knowing what to do. Sometimes you don't know what to do. But to not even try, not even once, to talk to his doctors about it, and reject the  notion that talking to the doctors about it is even a possibly good idea? That's just flat out bizarre. He's not that far from the injury happening. He would be being monitored as a matter of routine at this point in the recovery process. Even freaking Brandon made some effort to learn something about TBI, and neither of his moms did? Even when Lena was staying home with him full time? I'm not even sure it's legal for them to not want him to be assessed for an IEP. Unless they are officially homeschooling him (and they seem to be doing nothing even remotely of the sort), they have to be showing some kind of medical evaluation to explain what he's doing for recovery, and why he can't be in school.

Lena's pattern of avoiding problems is the thing I dislike about her most.

I would think that after the violent outbursts started to scare her, she'd be even more intent on addressing it. I mean, for godsake, he could hurt himself again, or one of the other kids. It's dangerous to just ignore this situation.

No one even notices Jude exists anymore, either. No wonder he's checked out.

[ShortyMac]

38 minutes ago, possibilities said:

Jesus should absolutely 100% not be just hanging around at home all day with nothing to do . That is absolutely ridiculous, and a total TV contrivance. And the idea that Lena would not want to talk to his doctors about his condition is such a bizarre thing, I have no idea how they even thought it up. It makes no sense. It doesn't even add to the drama in any way. They could show Jesus having trouble, and working at rehab, and Lena being afraid and at a loss when he has violent outbursts, and them not knowing what to do. Sometimes you don't know what to do. But to not even try, not even once, to talk to his doctors about it, and reject the  notion that talking to the doctors about it is even a possibly good idea? That's just flat out bizarre. He's not that far from the injury happening. He would be being monitored as a matter of routine at this point in the recovery process. Even freaking Brandon made some effort to learn something about TBI, and neither of his moms did? Even when Lena was staying home with him full time? I'm not even sure it's legal for them to not want him to be assessed for an IEP. Unless they are officially homeschooling him (and they seem to be doing nothing even remotely of the sort), they have to be showing some kind of medical evaluation to explain what he's doing for recovery, and why he can't be in school.

Lena's pattern of avoiding problems is the thing I dislike about her most.

I would think that after the violent outbursts started to scare her, she'd be even more intent on addressing it. I mean, for godsake, he could hurt himself again, or one of the other kids. It's dangerous to just ignore this situation.

THIS!!!!!!!!!!!! 

[KaveDweller]

I can't remember why it is Mariana isn't on the trip with Steam. Didn't she help them win at their last big competition. I can't remember anything happening after that to explain her leaving the club. Am I totally blanking on something?

[Perfect Xero]

Didn't Mariana have to quit the team because of the ADHD meds? Or did the team just kick her off because she was being so awful to all of them? One of those things. Maybe both.

[Chewy101]

On 7/26/2017 at 7:43 PM, possibilities said:

Honestly, I would have lost my temper when he told her to wear a dress, and then again when he ordered her food for her.

All I saw him saying was, "I am taking you somewhere nice, but you want me to surprise you, so I can only give a hint." If she had shown up in jeans, I'd be shocked if he batted an eyelash. Her issues found him bossy, but he was just trying to be cute. And the meal? Well, I saw the same thing. She always had a veto, but she gave him a chance to run the show. She is a monster who punishes everyone who tries to do nice by her. Why do people keep trying with her.

[KaveDweller]

On 7/28/2017 at 1:11 AM, Perfect Xero said:

Didn't Mariana have to quit the team because of the ADHD meds? Or did the team just kick her off because she was being so awful to all of them? One of those things. Maybe both.

Oh, yeah, I guess the ADHD meds explanation makes sense. I totally forgot that whole storyline.

[SnarkyMcSnarkerson]

I took the Callie/Aaron issue to be that he planned the date as she asked, but she never asked for it to be secret. I don't mind if my date plans what we do, but tell me what it is cuz I hate surprises.

[possibilities]

But she could have told him that, and he would have backed down and told her the details. He has been pretty consistent about listening when she gets real with him. If she had said: "I don't like surprises, just tell me where we're going and what we're doing" I can't imagine he'd have refused. Some people would find the mystery fun. I'm not one of them, but I can say that. If Callie had told him what was bothering her as soon as it started bothering her, they could have had a fun night, but she waited til later because she has trouble speaking up.