The Fosters – First Impressions

By starrymag | January 26, 2016

By: Taylor Gates

 

 

The Fosters is finally back on the newly renamed Freeform!

 

The premiere starts out with Brandon (David Lambert) playing Disney Hall while Stef (Teri Polo) looks on, smiling proudly. Stef watching Brandon play the piano was one of the very first scenes in the pilot and I love how the show keeps subtly weaving in similar shots throughout the series. No matter what crazy drama this family may go through, this show is grounded by family and love—the one thing that will never change.

 

Stef and Lena (Sherri Saum) lock eyes and share a tender look, a relief considering the marital problems that littered the first half of the season. Callie (Maia Mitchell) has flashbacks of the night she and Brandon had sex, her face showing a mixture of guilt at the secret and sadness at the impossibility of she and Brandon ever pursuing anything romantic again considering she’s now officially adopted. A similar look flashes across Brandon’s face too, perhaps sharing Callie’s sentiments.

 

The next morning, Brandon accidentally walks in on Callie while she’s doing her hair in the bathroom. Brandon tells Callie she’s going to do great at her Fost and Found speech and Callie congratulates him on his concert. Brandon reveals a professor from Julliard has invited him to final callbacks in New York, but worries the family’s financial situation won’t allow him to attend. Callie optimistically tells him he never knows what might happen and encourages him to share the good news with the moms. Brandon asks how AJ (Tom Williamson) is doing, seeing how his grandmother has just passed away. Callie informs him that he’s sad—apart from his brother, she was the only family he had.

 

A teary-eyed AJ stands in the middle of what used to be his grandmother’s room, in shock that all of her things are already cleared away. His brother (Chris Warren) comes in, telling him that they needed the room for someone else’s grandma. Shortly thereafter, Mike (Danny Nucci) joins the two them, saying that he talked to the funeral home and told them whatever their grandmother’s insurance won’t cover he will pay.

 

Mike takes the last box from the room out to his car, accidentally dropping a picture frame on the way. When he goes to pick it up, he sees it’s a picture of AJ and his brother. In a snap decision to protect AJ’s brother, he calls someone from the police department to tell them not to bother running the DNA on the pen sent in for the hit-and-run case.

 

Lena walks into the kitchen where Stef is sorting the mail. Stef tells her she looks nice, asking if she dressed up for Monte. Ouch, someone is still salty. Frustrated, Lena tells Stef she said she was fine with her going back to work. Stef replies that she doesn’t really have a choice. Stef sighs upon finding a bill that says the insurance company is refusing to pay for her second mammogram. Although it’s not outrageously expensive, with Jesus’ plane tickets and Callie and Jude’s legal bills, she’s afraid they’re not going to be able to keep up.

 

Stef’s mom, Sharon (Annie Potts) comes through the door, revealing she’s just been on a walk. She nosily asks what Stef is doing and Stef reluctantly tells her about her second mammogram. Sharon insists that she needs a second opinion, but Stef begs her to leave it alone before going to answer the door. Sharon doesn’t, of course, taking advantage Stef’s absence by sitting down and sifting through the documents. Stef yells that it’s illegal to go through other people’s mail. “You’re not other people,” Sharon replies, unfazed, “You’re my daughter.” I wonder where Stef gets her stubbornness from.

 

Monte (Annika Marks) is at the door, looking hesitant and a little frightened. Stef greets her coldly before inviting her inside. Stef, Monte and Lena sit in the living room and Monte says that she wanted to apologize face-to-face for the kiss. She tells them that if they want her to resign from Anchor Beach, she will.

 

Callie makes an impassioned speech about the importance of foster kids being able to communicate and speak up about the issues they’re facing. One of the kids in the crowd, Jack (Tanner Buchanan), turns to Jude (Hayden Byerly), suspicious about whether Callie is for real. Jude assures him that she definitely is.

 

Back at the house, Jesus (Noah Centineo) greets a surprised Emma (Amanda Leighton). She asks him why he’s not in Colorado and Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) informs her that he’s flunking out. Annoyed, Jesus says he’s just finding the classes difficult, but he doesn’t want everyone to know that. Mariana reveals that she’s running for Junior class President and Emma is her campaign manager. She rambles about how Junior year is the most important year to impress colleges with grades and extracurricular. Jesus pretends to fall asleep as she talks.

 

The doorbell rings and it turns out Lexi (Bianca Santos) is back from Honduras, much to Mariana and Jesus’ excitement and Emma’s dismay. Brandon comes inside and upon seeing both Emma and Lexi, says it’s like an ex-girlfriend convention. He then throws colossal amounts of shade, asking Jesus if he wants him to invite Hayley over too.

 

After Callie’s speech, Jack comes up to her, angry she’s not doing more to help kids in corrupt, privatized foster homes. She calmly says that she’ll address the issue, as it’s close to her heart as well since Kiara has suffered because of it too, but suggests that he post on the page to spread the word. He says that his foster family already hates him, and his social worker works for the company so he doesn’t care either.

 

A businesswoman, Justina Marks (Kelli Williams), steals Callie away for a moment, saying she has $50,000 she wants to invest in Callie. Callie looks understandably shocked.

 

Monte nervously walks into Lena’s office, asking if she and Stef discussed whether they want her to leave Anchor Beach or not. Lena says that they agreed it would be best if she stayed, much to Monte’s surprise. Lena makes it very clear that they’re not friends, just colleagues.

 

Jude goes over to Connor’s (Gavin MacIntosh) house, where all his things are packed up and ready to be taken to his mom’s house. Connor says he’ll be back to visit his dad in a month. Jude tries to be strong, but begins crying a little, saying nothing will be the same without him. Connor apologizes, saying he really wants to stay, but he can’t because his father is never going to change.

 

At the police station, a coworker hands Stef a fingerprint analysis. He says even though Mike told him not to bother, he had already run them, and that they match their suspect. Stef’s jaw drops when she sees what the prints were on: a pen from the place AJ’s grandmother was staying.

 

Mike walks in carrying a few cups of coffee and Stef immediately begins interrogating him. She asks him if they’re AJ’s prints and pushes to know if that’s the reason he told her to drop the investigation. Mike tells her the prints aren’t AJ’s, but they belong to Ty, AJ’s brother. Stef asks Mike if he was planning on burying all his evidence, but Mike says they don’t know anything for sure. He says that he was just starting to get through to AJ and he’ll never trust him if he has his only family member arrested. “What about my family? Our family?” Stef demands. She gets emotional, telling Mike about all the pain Mariana, Jesus and Ana have been through because of this. Seeing her point, Mike asks if they can at least wait until after their grandmother’s funeral to arrest Ty. Stef says that if Mike tells AJ about any of this, he’ll tell Ty and Ty will be long gone. Mike says he’s aware of that, and Stef reluctantly agrees they can wait a bit before angrily storming off.

 

Lexi joins Jesus in the bathroom, asking him if he remembers all the times they used to make out in there. She asks if he’s still seeing Emma and he replies that he’s single. Lexi says she is too, and they share a flirtatious look.

 

Justina joins Stef, Lena, and Callie in their backyard to talk about advancing Fost and Found, telling Callie she’s the spokesperson the foster care community needs. She says that she has the resources Callie needs in order to expand and get her message out. Lena is a little hesitant about all of this, as this is Callie’s senior year and she has a lot going on.

 

Haunted by what Jack told her, Callie asks Justina if she knows about the problems surrounding privatized foster companies. She replies that she does, and it is a problem they can address, but right now they need to keep looking at the big picture. She says they can’t trust every kid that comes asking for help. Callie says she knows this, but there was something about this kid that reminded her of Jude. Justina tells Callie to give her his name and she’ll see what she can do. I’m still not sure that I trust Justina…

 

Stef spies Sharon sneaking through the backyard and asks her what she’s doing. Sharon says she’s taking another walk, which makes Stef suspicious.

 

Lexi and Emma disagree on which photo Mariana should use for her campaign posters. Lexi says she should go for sexy, but Emma encourages her to go for the smarter, nerdier look. Lexi says that look is boring, but Emma snaps that she doesn’t think caring about what’s important is boring. Mariana desperately tries to keep the peace, but Emma storms out.

 

Lexi remarks that Emma is too intense, but Mariana says that although she’s thrilled Lexi is back, she thinks she should just stick with Emma as her campaign manager. Lexi unconvincingly tells Mariana that she understands and there are no hard feelings between them.

 

Justina tells Callie she looks forward to working with her before making the call to see where Jack, the kid Callie has a soft spot for, has been placed.

 

Stef follows Sharon down the street and it turns out she has been hanging out with her boyfriend, Will (Rob Morrow) in a camper on these little “walks.” Stef is less than thrilled.

 

Stef, Lena and Sharon all sit at the kitchen counter. Stef interrogates Sharon, asking her why she wouldn’t want to introduce her boyfriend to them. Sharon says it would be awkward since he’s young, plus it’s just a fling, nothing serious. Stef isn’t buying it. She keeps prying, asking if it’s because he’s homophobic. Sharon is insulted at the suggestion, finally breaking down and telling her it’s because he’s not a fan of government and Stef is a cop. “My mother is dating an anarchist,” Stef says, rolling her eyes. “Brilliant.” Sharon says the heart wants what is wants and that the sex is great, making Stef want to vomit.

 

Lena changes the subject, asking what they’re going to do about Jesus. Stef is leaning towards letting him stay home because he’s homesick, but Lena thinks they should make him go back and honor his commitment. “Yeah, that’s not gonna work,” Mariana says, casually passing through the kitchen.

 

Stef and Lena go talk to Jesus. Stef rips the headphones off Jesus’ ears because she’s a savage, saying they know he’s flunking out. Jesus says he’s going to kill Marina and that he didn’t want to tell them because he was ashamed. Lena says that would make sense, but that she called Flintwood and he was doing great at school, demanding to know what’s really going on. Jesus says the kids at the school were pressuring him to take steroids, and that he finally gave in and did a few times, but he hated how they made him feel. He says he can’t go back unless he wants to keep taking steroids or rat out all his classmates to his coach, which will make them hate him. Stef says that he’ll stay at home and go back to Anchor Beach, but Lena says that’s not possible because there’s a waiting list to get in and he’s not on it.

 

Callie tells AJ she’s sorry about his grandma, but at least he still has Ty. She tells him about Justina’s offer, but admits she doesn’t think she’s cut out to be a role model. AJ tells her that of course she can be a role model and after all she doesn’t really have a choice, comparing her to Peter Parker having to be Spider-Man. He then gets the courage to ask her to go to a comic convention with him.

 

Monte informs Lena there will be an opening in the Junior class soon so Jesus can return to school. Lena says there are other kids on the waiting list, and she wouldn’t feel comfortable with Jesus skipping to the front just because he’s her son. Monte says it’s not up to her and that she’s thrilled Jesus will be joining them back at Anchor Beach tomorrow.

 

Callie walks into the house to see Jack playing video games on their couch. Callie asks Jude why he’s there, and Jude sassily says he invited him since Connor is moving and he needs to make new friends. Callie tells Brandon that she went to see AJ. Brandon says that if either of them start dating other people, they should tell one another so they don’t have to find out from someone else. Callie agrees. Sharon passes through the kitchen and Brandon stops her to ask her financial advice since she was very successful in the stock market.

 

At the funeral home, Mike and the home employee go off to talk about the bill while AJ and Ty sit and talk on the couch. Ty says he has to bolt right after the funeral because the cops have been looking for him, questioning him about the hit-and-run he was involved in. AJ asks where the accident was and what the car he hit looked like, putting the pieces together that it was Mariana and Jesus he almost killed. AJ says Mike knows about the accident, but doesn’t know it was Ty or else he would’ve arrested him by now. Ty tells AJ that he has to run away with him or he will never see him again.

 

Lena tells Stef her concerns about Jesus jumping the line for Anchor Beach, worried that the school could lose their charter. Stef doesn’t think it’s a big deal considering how much she does for that school and the fact that nobody will ever find out. Sharon interrupts them, telling her about the conversation she had with Brandon. Brandon asked her to invest the money he has in his savings. He got invited to Julliard callbacks, but he doesn’t even plan on trying out since he doesn’t think they could possibly afford it. Sharon didn’t have the heart to tell him that even her investing skills probably wouldn’t be enough to make the kind of money he needs.

 

The phone rings and it’s a doctor’s office telling Stef the mammograms she sent them are ready. Stef says she never sent her mammograms to that office, but Sharon reveals that she did. Stef is horrified, asking if anyone has the ability to send her medical records around town. Sharon says no, they have security questions, such as her mother’s maiden name. “It took me a second, but then I remembered,” Sharon informs them. Annie Potts is a comedic genius, and I’m so happy we’ll be seeing more of her this season. Stef says the doctors want her to have an ultrasound and biopsy, but that doctors just order those to make money, so she’s not going to have them done.

 

The Adams-Foster clan plus Sharon and her new beau go out for dinner. Sharon says everyone can order whatever they want because they’re celebrating Callie’s adoption, Brandon’s music debut, and Jesus’ first day at school. Stef says they’re also celebrating Brandon’s Julliard audition. Lena tells Brandon that Sharon told him about his audition. She promises that, if he gets in, they’ll figure out the money. Brandon selflessly says that soon they’ll have four kids in college and it’s not all about him.

 

Sharon’s boyfriend starts ranting about the judicial system, making everyone extremely uncomfortable. Sharon changes the subject, saying how parched she is, making Brandon go get her a champagne cocktail from the bar. Lena notices that Jude is moping a bit and asks him if he is okay. Lena, being supermom, reads his mind and promises him that he’ll see Connor again soon. She puts an arm around Jude’s shoulders and says she doesn’t quite understand why Connor is leaving. Jude says that Connor’s dad just doesn’t get it and he never will.

 

Brandon goes to get Sharon’s drink and ends up flirting with the young bartender (Denyse Tontz). He spies a piano in the corner of the room and asks what it’s for. She says they used to have someone come in and play at happy hours, but that he got fired because he was always drunk. He admits that he plays a little.

 

AJ asks Callie if she feels different now that she’s adopted. She says she feels safer, especially knowing that she and Jude won’t be separated again.

 

Brandon goes and makes use of the restaurant’s piano. The Adams-Foster table cheers him on and Sharon and her boyfriend even getting up to dance. The bartender and her boss listen, impressed by the music. Perhaps Brandon will get a job playing there and make a little cash for Julliard?

 

Callie tells AJ that she wants to go to the comic convention with him.

 

Lena begs Stef to go get a second opinion on her mammogram—she’s too important to all of them to lose her.

 

The next day, Lena goes to Connor’s house to talk to his father Adam (Chris Bruno). Lena begs him not to give up on his son. Adam says that he isn’t giving up on Connor, and that he never would. Lena backtracks, not wanting to insult him, instead telling him not to let Connor give up on him.

 

Callie goes into Brandon’s room, telling him that she and AJ are going to the comic thing next weekend. She says she doesn’t know if it’s a friendly or romantic thing, but she thought she should let him know. Brandon thanks her for telling him, but it’s super awkward.

 

AJ and Ty hop on a bus together, driving away from Mission Bay.

 

Callie and Jesus help Mariana hang up campaign posters, but Mariana spies Lexi hanging up one of her own. Jesus feels super uncomfortable and darts out of there.

 

Connor’s dad walks into Lena’s office, telling her he needs his transcripts. He informs her he tried to get Connor to stay, but it’s too late. In the hallway, he runs into Jude, sincerely apologizing for driving Connor away. They both tear up and share a hug.

 

After school, Jack is at the Adams-Foster residence again. He asks Callie if she talked to anyone about him. She replies that she mentioned it to a lady she worked with, but nothing more. He reveals that he got taken out of his foster home and put into a group home, which sucks even worse. Jude, trying to make him feel better, asks if he wants to stay and play games. Jack considers it, but passes, trying to push Jude away. Shortly thereafter, Callie welcomes Justina into their house so Mariana can help her set up her administrator’s Fost and Found account.

 

Stef, Lena and Sharon are all at the doctor’s office waiting to hear the news about Stef’s tests. The doctor says the biopsy reveals that Stef has abnormal cells in her breast, also known as Stage 0 cancer. The doctor starts recommending treatments as Lena takes Stef’s hand, but Stef spaces out, floored and devastated by the news.

 

Callie slumps into bed with her laptop, checking the comments on her Fost and Found page. One of them asks if she had sex with her foster brother. Callie’s eyes widen—somebody knows her secret.