S02.E03: Play

[maraleia]

 

Stef and Lena go on a babymoon, leaving Brandon and Callie in charge of the house. Brandon’s bandmates pressure him into having a few friends over to hear their new sound, but when Mariana and Jesus find out, the night turns into an all-out rager. Determined to follow Stef and Lena’s rules, Callie tries to police the party but fails miserably. Jude finds himself in an awkward game of spin the bottle. Meanwhile, Lena tries to reconnect with Stef, who is finding it hard to relax on their weekend getaway.

 

[KaveDweller]

Stef and Lena go on a babymoon, leaving Brandon and Callie in charge of the house.

 

Well that seems even dumber than using Timothy's sperm before having a contract.

[CPP83]

Well that seems even dumber than using Timothy's sperm before having a contract.

 

 

Did you always know you could tell the future?

 

Wow, I guess this episode was an exercise in how to stuff nearly every single stereotypical "the kids are home alone and left in charge while the parents attempt to 'rekindle' the romance" sitcom bs into an hour. What fun... 

 

Really, the control freak otherwise known as Stef didn't have Mike drive by just to check on things during the evening? This was their best way of "bonding" Brandon and Callie together as brother and sister? Oy.

[methodwriter85]

   Damn if I wasn't rooting the hell out of Jude and Connor. If the show actually does go there, and it's not just an umpteenth "kid has crush on his straight best friend" storyline, I'll be impressed as hell. Even Justin on Ugly Betty was at least in high school before they went with the gay/bi/whatever storyline. The little actor playing Jude is selling the hell out of his crush, as well.

[GildedLily]

I think tonight puts to rest the idea that the show is moving on from Brandon/Callie. Yes we had a lot of exposition about them finally acting like siblings. But she was silent when both he and Wyatt referred to her as his sister. And then we had her telling Lou how gifted he is and how much he needs the band. And then we had him singing freaking Outlaws while she beamed. Endgame on.

I think what we are about to get is a break from Brandon pursuing Callie. I suspect for the next go around he's going to be involved the band/with Lou and she's going to be the one who comes to him. I don't think she and Wyatt are long for this world. Between her family drama and him likely wanting to take things further, that's going to blow up and soon.

Jude and Connor slay me. Loved Connor insisting they adhere to the rules of spin the bottle.

I love Mariana i. a supporting comic role but don't care much about her dance team story.

That was a slightly creepy undertone to the preview for next week. My inner eighth grader Simply can't handle Jack from Dawson's as anything other than an upstanding guy.

Edited July 1, 2014 by GildedLily

[Lady Calypso]

I hope that the show is moving away from the Brandon/Callie romance because I'm really starting to dig them as siblings. I think a romance with him is far from what she needs right now. When they both turn eighteen and are moved out of the house, then fine, go right ahead. But right now, I like their sibling relationship. I loved Callie calling Brandon out for being an ass. He used to be that good kid who would have tried to stop the party. Not that I mind the change, because it's clear he's going through a rebellious stage, but it's just odd to see Callie as fighting to control the party. But it's nice, although I could tell Wyatt wasn't having a good time. At least he was trying to be a good sport about it and he tried to fix the window (which didn't seem to work...that made me laugh).

 

Part of me is really glad Jude and Connor didn't end up kissing. That would have been way too cliche on top of all the cliches in the episode already. I really am rooting for those two to work it out, but I'm kind of on the fence on whether Connor is straight or if he might be gay. He seemed into the kisses with the two girls, but seemed unsure with Jude but he still wanted to follow the rules, and he snuck out to see Jude. So...maybe?

 

Also, how in the hell did LOU know Brandon's song? I wish she just stuck to backup vocals or something because that was too much for me. 

 

In other news, Mariana has to take care of her 'friends' who couldn't care less about her, Jesus has sex with that dancer, and Stef and Lena have a heart to heart about their relationship.

[Milaxx]

I can't believe that the show finally lightened up. I know it sounds crazy in an episode where there was continued exploration of Jude's sexuality, Mariana being Mariana and covering for her stupid friends who could care less about her, Jesus sleeping with one of Mariana's friends and more Brandon/Callie will they/won't they, but for once I didn't feel like impending doom and gloom was coming. It was fun watching Callie trying to contain the party, Brandon doing something foolish that teenagers actually do and all the kids trying to cover up with that fake call at the end.  I'm sure they'll be back to form next week,but this week made me smile. I even laughed when the window fell in at the end cliche though it may have been.

[CPP83]

I'm kind of on the fence on whether Connor is straight or if he might be gay

 

 

I actually think that Connor may be bi-sexual. He could like girls but he could also like boys, probably something he doesn't like to or want to admit, except that he's now falling for Jude and it's getting a little obvious to his father.

[omgsowicked]

Well, I'm glad nothing too bad happened, just a broken window. These promos have been so over the top, like someone's going to die, lol.

 

The spin the bottle story was very textbook but I was loving it because I knew they where they were going with it. I love what they've been doing with Jude and his sexuality/gender but I'm also very curious about Connor. He seemed uncomfortable about the issue when they were talking about it at school, yet snuck out and went over to his house against his dad's wishes, and was reluctant but agreed to follow the rules when they had to kiss each other (I liked that the girls were completely unbothered by it, too, though they were pretty chill to begin with).

 

Is he straight and just trying to be supportive, is he curious, is he bisexual or gay but suppressing it due to his father's views? I have a feeling it's the last one but I'm glad it's not so clear cut because this has become my favorite story of the show. I'm also so relieved that Connor's dad didn't catch them kissing, though I feel it'll happen at some point. Also, they mentioned that Connor was staying with his dad that weekend... I wonder if he's been spending more time with his dad lately, hence why he's been more uncomfortable around Jude. I hope we meet his mom and learn about his home life.

 

That band guy telling Marianna she's not like those girls and never will be... even though he said it wasn't because she was Latina, you know that's all she's thinking. Ugh, it makes me so sad, seeing her try to fit in with those brats. But still, it's a good story to tell.

 

Jesus was kind of useless in this episode. All he really did was have a rebound hookup with one of the dance team girls. I'm guessing that Emma will want to get back with him and the dance girl will reveal that she's pregnant soon after.

 

@GildedLily, I agree, I think if and when Brandon/Callie starts up again, she'll be pursuing him. But I'm really enjoying them being platonic and sibling-like so hopefully they'll hold off on that for a while. I also like that Brandon and Wyatt seem to be getting along well, too. *sigh* Everything is better when Brallie's on the backburner.

 

I'm glad Lena and Stef are in a better place now but I really wish they had talked about how Stef constantly ignores Lena when it comes to Brandon.

[possibilities]

I hope we meet his mom and learn about his home life.

Yeah, all I think we know about this mom is that she has headaches and doesn't like him to have friends over because of it. As a person who used to have incapacitating migraines, I get it, but it makes for a less than friendly picture of what he's up against in the parent department.

 

Can someone remind me where Wyatt is staying? All I remember is that he came back hoping to stay with a friend, the friend's parents refused, so he was living in his car. How did that get resolved? And btw, I've re-glazed a window, and it honestly isn't that hard. But I guess it's better for the story if the teen fix didn't work.

 

Jesus and Kathryn used a condom; I really hope that there's no pregnancy story there.

 

Jude is so excruciatingly relatable that every time he's on screen I can hardly breathe. I'm certain I was not anywhere near to the same galaxy as him when it comes to levels of adorable, but his story is like one long lonely flashback but with the promise of a possibly much happier conclusion. And they are teasing us for real now! Not only with the aborted test kiss, but also when he started to say why Connor's dad doesn't like him, and then the older kids got distracted and he didn't get to finish what he was saying.

 

That said, I liked the girls who came to visit with Jude. They were way better friends than the scum Mariana is chasing. Connor's dad walking in to see Jude alone with two girls-- did that confuse him, or convince him even more that Jude is gay? I admit I guffawed.

 

Did the Stef and Lena tension come out of nowhere? I thought they set up a real conflict with how Stef does end runs around Lena in the parenting role, but they played it like their only real issue was they just didn't get enough time to relax and focus on each other without kid crises or something.

 

I love seeing the siblings act like siblings, as when they tried to fake the phone call together.

[Perfect Xero]

The kids threw a house party while their parents were gone and the biggest things that happened were that two sober teenagers had consensual sex and used protection, and a window was broken? Given the issues that these kids normally deal with, it's probably fortunate that they didn't somehow get involved in a human trafficking ring while one of the kids developed an eating disorder.

 

I wasn't quite sure if the scene where Brandon took Jesus's drink from him was supposed to be some sort of knowing wink to Jake T. Austin's issues with alcohol.

[truthaboutluv]

I really am rooting for those two to work it out, but I'm kind of on the fence on whether Connor is straight or if he might be gay. He seemed into the kisses with the two girls, but seemed unsure with Jude but he still wanted to follow the rules, and he snuck out to see Jude. So...maybe?

 

 

Correct me if I'm wrong, but Jude and Connor are only 12-13 right? It's entirely possible that Connor himself doesn't know if he's gay, straight or bi. Some people are fortunate to know exactly who they are fairly young and there are many people who go through high school, sometimes even college and later before accepting the truth about their sexuality.

 

I think it's great that there is a question mark about Connor. It reminds me of Ugly Betty, with Justin who his whole family had long accepted that he was likely gay, was convinced he liked a girl before getting together with the guy he at first was competing with for said girl. I still crack up remembering Betty's reaction when Justin said he had a crush on a girl. 

Edited July 1, 2014 by truthaboutluv

[galax-arena]

Also, how in the hell did LOU know Brandon's song? I wish she just stuck to backup vocals or something because that was too much for me. 

She was following along with him. IIRC, she was really only echoing the chorus. I didn't find it implausible that she as a musician would be able to do that, just like that one other band guy was capable of following Brandon's lead on his own musical instrument, whatever it was (wasn't paying attention).

 

I liked how relatively lighthearted this episode was. At least the party episodes; I really could not stand most of Lena and Stef's scenes, because it seems like all they ever do now is fight. Yeah, they kissed and made up at the end, but they've done that before and revert back to fighting in the next ep. Okay, it might be realistic to show a couple fighting, but it's not entertaining for me as a viewer to watch over and over and over again. I watch The Fosters for my cheesy heartwarming family drama fix, dammit. 

Edited July 1, 2014 by galax-arena

[izabella]

I can't believe that the show finally lightened up.

 

Me, too, but I was so happy they did!  And I loved them showing the kids developing as a family while doing "normal" things.  That's the show I want to see.

 

But, you're right.  The promos show a return to the sturm und drang.

[SilverLake0315]

Can someone remind me where Wyatt is staying? All I remember is that he came back hoping to stay with a friend, the friend's parents refused, so he was living in his car. How did that get resolved? And btw, I've re-glazed a window, and it honestly isn't that hard. But I guess it's better for the story if the teen fix didn't work.

 

Isn't he staying with Callie's friend Daphne?

[maraleia]

Daphne can't have anyone living with her so Wyatt could only stay for that one night. One of the reasons why she has to live alone is so she can get her kid back and the other thing she has to do is have a job. The state is paying for most of her living expenses so she can get established. As for Wyatt, I have no idea where he is living.

 

I loved this episode although there wasn't enough of Stef and Lena. I also feel like they are glossing over their issues and they need more sexytimes.

 

The kids banding together even though Callie wasn't happy about the party was really cool to see and with all the crazy antics going on during the party they should be glad that the window was the only thing that broke.

 

I wonder if Connor has divorced parents because it hasn't been made clear because at first Connor said he couldn't have anyone over because of his mom's migranes and later on Jude was said to have been at Connor's house.so maybe that meant Connor's dad's house. Anyway, I wish the show would clear that up as well as where Wyatt is living.

[Tara Ariano]

New viewer Allison has a lot of very salient questions about the show!

[alexvillage]

I did not like this episode, except for Jude. I like anything that kid is in. And the actor is really good, seems very young but doing an incredible job with probably the most complex character on the show.

 

I, too, was confused about the tension between Stef and Lena. It seemed a bit forced, or as if some scenes were cut and all of a sudden it is almost unbearable to live together - and it was equally strange how fast they seemed to have resolved things. I also find myself disliking Lena more and more, since the urgent need to get pregnant.

 

I know the show is heavy on all the drama about everything and everyone but I still prefer the overload of issues to a teen cliche party

[Kat]

 

Damn if I wasn't rooting the hell out of Jude and Connor. If the show actually does go there, and it's not just an umpteenth "kid has crush on his straight best friend" storyline, I'll be impressed as hell.

Fingers crossed that "The Fosters" continues to handle this story line with grace and aplumb. 

 

I think Wyatt IS still living on Daphne's couch, even though she's not supposed to have anyone at her place. I'm assuming this might become a storyline later. Also, my love affair with Wyatt's hair continues full speed ahead.

[KaveDweller]

I wonder if Connor has divorced parents because it hasn't been made clear because at first Connor said he couldn't have anyone over because of his mom's migranes and later on Jude was said to have been at Connor's house.so maybe that meant Connor's dad's house. Anyway, I wish the show would clear that up as well as where Wyatt is living.

 

When someone (one of those girls maybe) asked if Conner was coming, Jude said he was "at his dad's this weekend." Which I think means divorced parents, and probably explains why Connor spending time at Jude's hadn't been an issue before.

[Geo]

 Given the issues that these kids normally deal with, it's probably fortunate that they didn't somehow get involved in a human trafficking ring while one of the kids developed an eating disorder.

Shhhhhhh!!!!  Don't give them any ideas!

 

I get this is a show with teenagers so it's probably some sort of law or something that they have to include a party episode but.....ugh.  I realize teenagers are not known for making wise decisions or thinking rationally but did they really think they could throw a party....Outside.....with a ROCK BAND and nobody would find out?!?  I'm sure all of their neighbors would be more than happy to give Stef and Lena the details.  Oh well, at least it's done and overwith.  Box checked.  Move on.

[ShortyMac]

 I also find myself disliking Lena more and more, since the urgent need to get pregnant.

 

Same here, she gets pissy over everything lately. If Stef breathes the wrong way, she gets the stink-eye.

[Geo]

On the plus side.....I'm really hoping that drunk girl throwing up in the Mom's room will finally make them get rid of that stupid bed.  :-)

[Zima]

Wyatt is such a good boyfriend! Playing bouncer all night, cleaning up broken glass, fixing windows. Also, he's gorgeous. Callie is a lucky girl.  Does anyone else think that the angst between Brandon and Callie ended too quickly? Brandon was soooo in looooove with her, and now he seems totally over it, and calling her a good sister. I know it's tv and all, but the whole situation just rings so untrue to me. 

 

I don't like Lou, and I think Brandon has a better voice than she does. I guess I'm just biased because I can't stand that R&B type of voice, but there it is.

 

As others have said, I liked this episode and how light it was. Of course, I knew that the kids were going to get caught in the end, but it was fun while it lasted :)

[GildedLily]

Wyatt is such a good boyfriend! Playing bouncer all night, cleaning up broken glass, fixing windows. Also, he's gorgeous. Callie is a lucky girl. Does anyone else think that the angst between Brandon and Callie ended too quickly? Brandon was soooo in looooove with her, and now he seems totally over it, and calling her a good sister. I know it's tv and all, but the whole situation just rings so untrue to me.

:)

I don't think Brandon is over her. I think he hit bottom and is trying to move past the Callie thing which made a lot of stuff spiral out of control for him because he thinks she's totally done. And he's trying to make her happy and give her what she wants (like his little,speech before their first kiss)- which she's said over and over is to be a Foster. I think that's why he's calling her a good sister, not because he really sees her like he sees Mariana.

If you look at the episode in the larger scheme, yes he called her his sister. But he also sang their song after she instructed him to play (sorry I don't buy he knows one song only), glanced at her multiple timed during the song when she appeared in the background after his new love interest joins him, then went up to her and said I know that first song was ours...before she cut him off.

They can't have him playing the Im still in love with you card every ep and looking sad every time she appears like the entire back end of 1B. It would get old and annoying (it already did for some people). But if we can see him trying, maybe not entirely succeeding, but actually trying to move on from her/start something with Lou and then Callie eventually struggling with the realization that he's moving on and not just waiting for her to change her mind, that's more interesting story and levels things with them a bit.

I'm sure another big Brallie moment will happen by the end of the season. I just think it will be Callie not brandon making the love declaration or initiating the next big, epic kiss-- especially now that Jude is securely a Foster. I don't see the writers just letting their chemistry die. Lou is a plot point/roadblock to Brallie. And really so is Wyatt although he's more central obviously. I'd love to see it all really simmer and build though 2A and 2B before we get back to Brandon/Callie. The biggest issue with them was that they fell too hard, too fast out of the gate InThe first season. If we had a slower build from cautious friends to trust to romance, I don't think people would be as sick of them. I still ship them but I do see how the pacing was bad.

Edited July 2, 2014 by GildedLily

[NoNeinNyet]

My problem with this episode was that I spent the whole thing worrying about it being a huge parole violation for Callie. The idea of Lena and Stef leaving five kids alone in the house while one of them is a foster child on parole whose custody status in currently up in the air was just a bit too much for me to look past. Not even Wyatt's hair could distract me from the fact that I couldn't buy into the basic premise of this episode.

[LisaM]

 

My problem with this episode was that I spent the whole thing worrying about it being a huge parole violation for Callie. The idea of Lena and Stef leaving five kids alone in the house while one of them is a foster child on parole whose custody status in currently up in the air was just a bit too much for me to look past. Not even Wyatt's hair could distract me from the fact that I couldn't buy into the basic premise of this episode.

This is a very good point which I didn't even think of until I read your comment.

 

I wasn't expecting too much from this episode because I thought it would be overly teen-centric. I did crack up at Callie's No Entry signs as well as she and Wyatt on toilet patrol. I also liked how all five of the kids were working together just like siblings. At least Jesus used a condom this time. Very interested in the Callie/sister and Jude/Connor storylines; no interest in the Jesus/Emma/Hailey triangle or the Mariana finding her identity ones (unless the latter is less teen-centric).

 

I can appreciate Lena and Stef having communication issues - I just wish that they had referred to some of them: co-parenting Brandon with Mike, giving Lexi the pill, the Timothy debacle, the baby, etc...

 

I think they are going to keep teasing Brallie till the end of the series to keep those Brallie fans from tuning out. I just hope that it isn't endgame and that Callie will be adopted. I'm really most interested in seeing how the Robert Quinn family situation plays into it. Perhaps she will be adopted and still have a relationship with at least Sophia? I definitely do not see her ever moving from the Fosters and leaving Jude.

[vixenbynight]

I think they are going to keep teasing Brallie till the end of the series to keep those Brallie fans from tuning out. I just hope that it isn't endgame and that Callie will be adopted.

Agreed. Again, Callie needs a family over pursuing Brandon. I'm enjoying the growing sibling relationship that's developing between those two. It's about supporting each other as siblings, but that's my particular viewpoint. Brandon's definitely going to have a relationship with the singer in the band.

Callie would never consciously choose to leave Jude for another family. Never. She has a half-sister, but her family will always include Jude.

Edited July 3, 2014 by vixenbynight

[stopeslite]

 

Given the issues that these kids normally deal with, it's probably fortunate that they didn't somehow get involved in a human trafficking ring while one of the kids developed an eating disorder.

No kidding. Since Mariana was searching for the one drunk friend for half of the episode, I was convinced she was going to find the friend passed out and nearly dead and they'd have to call 911 and maybe the friend would be dead anyway and it would be an afterschool special episode about why not to drink. So glad they didn't go there. 

[Turkish]

Stef and Lena need to keep an eye on Jesus. I am convinced that kid is going to have a child of his own before he finishes high school and they will end up having to raise that kid as well. 

 

I'm still waiting for Stef and Lena to have a real conversation about the actual problems that we are all seeing instead of the contrived one created for this episode.

 

And either Braille is endgame or the writers will keep teasing it to keep that fanbase tuned in. Supposedly, they are a large portion of the audience that watches this show.