S02.E01: Things Unknown

[Bobcatkitten]

I almost turned off the show when the social worker showed up to take Callie. Completely unrealistic manufactured drama. It is turning me off to this otherwise good show that they can't seem to get details right at all.

 

As for the Dad I think I would prefer that he never knew she existed. That would then be interesting to see if they want to have a relationship and he wouldn't just automatically be the bad guy who abandoned his daughter. 

[smrou]

OK, so it's good that they're not dropping the Brandon/Dani drama. But I hope they wrap it up and she'll be gone after this season because I still don't like her. Telling Brandon to get over the fact that they slept together... wow. Yeah, hi, Dani: sex tends to make things complicated, even more so when you're a teenager. Which you are not. Ugh

I found that scene so disturbing.  First Dani--a grown woman--has sex with Brandon--essentially a child.  Then she uses his father's instability to persuade him to keep silent about it.  I left that scene even more convinced than before that Dani is a predator and should be treated as such.  Blech.  

 

I think this episode was missing what, IMO, is the best part of the show: Stef and Lena together.  I don't care what they're doing - talking about the kids, cooking dinner, fighting, whatever, but I really like both actresses and enjoy watching them do their thing.

Yeah, I can always use more Stef and Lena and this episode was light on it.  They have such a natural chemistry together and I love watching it.

[clemmyb]

I found that scene so disturbing.  First Dani--a grown woman--has sex with Brandon--essentially a child.  Then she uses his father's instability to persuade him to keep silent about it.  I left that scene even more convinced than before that Dani is a predator and should be treated as such.  Blech.  

 

Yes, this.  She's mentally ill--and a predator, and I can't imagine that the show won't deal with that in a real way.  I know that the drama has definitely been ramped up, but this is also a show that has not shied away from some very real, very hard stuff.

 

I loved the moment where Lena explained to Stef about Mariana's hair and related it back to her own youth.  I think one of the things that this show does so well are those little moments between characters, and I'm always so happy to see characters talking about race/ethnicity and identity in real, accessible ways.

Edited June 18, 2014 by clemmyb

[Windstar]

I wasn't super excited about this season opener, in fact I forgot it was on until I looked at my recording list and saw it was the episode being recorded.  It was ok, way too much manufactured drama for my liking, what with the social worker coming in right at dinner time, the foster mom locking her in, the judge ignoring Stef.  But, in the end it was ok.  I still like Wyatt better than Brandon for Callie, and can't stand Dani.  I am with you guys who don't think Mike actually killed Ana, but I would like to see that all wrapped up. And how did I miss that the principal is actually gone?  What happened there?  Who decided it was a good idea to put Lena, the mom of one of the boys who did the crimes, in charge? It was her keys that let them in to use the photo copier thing, right? 

 

All in all, the ep was ok, not "must see tv" for me like it used to be, but I guess I will stick around, if only to read the snark here....

[peachmangosteen]

I have to say…I loved the first season of this show, it seemed to hit so many emotional notes without hammering at them or finding the easy answers, but god, it's practically unwatchable now.  So much forced drama.  I'll hang for another couple of episodes, hoping it gets better, but yikes. 

 

I really need to rewatch the first half of season 1 because I'm not sure if it was actually good or not. 1B and this ep really have me wondering if it has in fact always been this bad and I was just really excited initially or something. Otherwise I just don't understand what happened. There has to be a new team bts or something. Or I guess maybe ABC Family stepped in.

[izabella]

Ugh, I thought this was nearly unwatchable.  Why must they ramp up the drama to 11 in each and every episode? 

 

It wasn't enough that Callie was taken out of the house at night by a social worker; they had to make her temporary foster parent someone who locks her into her room and has bars on the windows.

 

It wasn't enough that Brandon was beat up; they had to make him unable to play piano.

 

It wasn't enough that Dani is some kind of bad news for Mike; they had to make her have sex with Brandon and swear him to secrecy "for Mike's sobriety."

 

It wasn't enough that Mike yelled at Ana and fell off the wagon; they had to turn it into a "did he beat her up/kill Ana?" plot.

 

It wasn't enough that Callie has a bio-dad she knew nothing about; bio-dad has to surreptitiously show up at her job.

 

And on and on.  These rapid-fire, super-dramas ruined this show in 1B, and I see that they're only getting worse and worse with it.

 

Why can't they just tell a story about a blended family doing ordinary things?  There is plenty of drama in that.  And it's the kind that I fell in love with when the show first started.  Show me the small life, ordinary experiences of an extraordinary family!  Make the characters bigger than life, not some crazy crap that overwhelms the characters.  I dislike and don't care about the crazy crap, and I'm starting to not care about the characters anymore. 

 

I loved the moment where Lena explained to Stef about Mariana's hair and related it back to her own youth.  I think one of the things that this show does so well are those little moments between characters, and I'm always so happy to see characters talking about race/ethnicity and identity in real, accessible ways.

 

I loved that, too, and wish they would have more of these kinds of "dramas" on the show rather than the over-the-top constant manufactured DRA-MUH!

[alexvillage]

What Dani is has not to do with mental illness. She is a predator. She is manipulative. We (a broad "we")  need to stop using mental illness as an explanation for all the ills in the world. I know many people who have mental illness and things are not black and white. There is already too much stigmatization and now a potential sexual abuser will be lumped together with people who, in most cases, do try to deal with their issues and rarely hurt other people? 

 

No, predators, sexual abusers are not mentally ill. They are predators and sexual abusers. It is a choice - a bad choice. It is about their character, not mental health

[clemmyb]

What Dani is has not to do with mental illness. She is a predator. She is manipulative. We (a broad "we")  need to stop using mental illness as an explanation for all the ills in the world. I know many people who have mental illness and things are not black and white. There is already too much stigmatization and now a potential sexual abuser will be lumped together with people who, in most cases, do try to deal with their issues and rarely hurt other people? 

 

No, predators, sexual abusers are not mentally ill. They are predators and sexual abusers. It is a choice - a bad choice. It is about their character, not mental health

 

I think we're going to have to agree to disagree here.  Definitely didn't mean to offend, though.

[alexvillage]

 

Definitely didn't mean to offend, though.

But you did. Statistics show that the overwhelming majority of mentally ill people are not likely to harm others, they are likely to harm themselves. And linking sexual abuser with mental illness is scientifically wrong. Maybe you are thinking about pedophilia, which is a serious disorder, but Dani is not a pedophile, since Brandon is not pre-pubescent. 

 

Dani manipulated Brandon. Most of us have manipulated others at least once in our lives. If you haven't, we will. Or we may have tried and failed. By your logic, we are all mentally ill (not that this should be shameful, but it is not statistically true)

[LisaM]

I did like when Stef referred to Callie as "my daughter" when she rescued her from the temporary foster home.

[aunt jen]

Forgive me for being dumb, but I feel like I missed a scene somewhere. It went straight from Stef nearly holding the judge hostage and him warning her, to her picking up Callie. Stef later said something about the judge wanting a clean trail. Did I miss a scene, or did a big implication go over my head? It's bugging the hell out of me.

[Geo]

Was it suggested that he was a violent drunk with Stef? Or was his violence just because of Ana?

 

 

It was never stated in the show what kind of drunk he was but I am 100% certain he wasn't violent before because Stef would NEVER, EVER put up with that. If he tired to get violent with her she would have kicked his a** and then dragged him to divorce court quicker than he could blink. Also, we know that Stef let Brandon spend time with him after the divorce and that would not be the case if Mike had shown any violent tendencies at all.   I agree with the others on here who think that Mike argued with Ana but did not fight with her.  

 

I actually don't mind the Mariana hair storyline.  I think it is very realistic and touches on two issues that affect teenage girls: Wanting to fit in and racial identity.  Plus, it finally gives her a story other than "OMG cute boy!"

 

Can we send Brandon to Military camp too?  Please?

 

I like the idea of Callie having a half-sister except I am now concerned that we will be seeing lots of jealous Jude.  I don't want to see another rift in their relationship because at this point Callie and Jude and Stef and Lena are the only reasons I am watching the show.

 

Stef was pure awesome. That is all.

[Eeksquire]

 

And how did I miss that the principal is actually gone?  What happened there?  Who decided it was a good idea to put Lena, the mom of one of the boys who did the crimes, in charge? It was her keys that let them in to use the photo copier thing, right?

I think we were meant to understand that, following Vico (Viggo? Still not 100% sure what the kid's name is) and [unnamed coconspirator]'s attack on Brandon, that the principal was let go for not getting that Vic[gg]o was the REAL aggressor/problem child and not precious Brandon Foster.  (I'm sorry, but I cannot with him.  His entire character bugs - I think because the actor has three settings: 1. hangdog; 2. strident; or 3. blank.)

 

ET fix egregious spelling error.  Stupid wrist brace.

Edited June 18, 2014 by Eeksquire

[maraleia]

So Jude's birth certificate confirms this information:

Jude's birthday is November 17, 2000 and his full name is Jude Jacob Adams Foster now.

Lena's middle name is Elizabeth and she was born August 30, 1975

Stef's full name is Stefanie Marie and she was born April 14, 1972

His birth certificate was registered on Dec. 7, 2013

So that puts the timeline at Spring of 2014 on the show by my calculations.

[clemmyb]

I think we were meant to understand that, following Vico (Viggo? Still not 100% sure what the kid's name is) and [unnamed coconspirator]'s attack on Brandon, that the principal was let go for not getting that Vic[gg]o was the REAL aggressor/problem child and not precious Brandon Foster.  (I'm sorry, but I cannot with him.  His entire character bugs - I think because the actor has three settings: 1. hangdog; 2. strident; or 3. blank.)

 

Well this is the best thing I've seen today.

[wonderwoman]

"Why can't they just tell a story about a blended family doing ordinary things? There is plenty of drama in that. And it's the kind that I fell in love with when the show first started. Show me the small life, ordinary experiences of an extraordinary family! Make the characters bigger than life, not some crazy crap that overwhelms the characters. I dislike and don't care about the crazy crap, and I'm starting to not care about the characters anymore"

This! is the kind of story I've fallen in with on so many shows. Some went to hell in the 2nd second season, then disappeared; "Life Unexpected" and "Dirty, Sexy Money" are but 2 examples. Others, "Switched at Birth," continue to disappointment.

So frustrating. And sorry for the quotes, but I can't seem to access full posting features using an Ipad -- also frustrating:)

Edited June 19, 2014 by wonderwoman

[vmayo]

Tara, you are so right! Greg Grunberg would have been GENIUS casting.