The Fosters – If And When

By starrymag | February 9, 2016

By: Taylor Gates

 

This episode starts off with Will (Rob Morrow) cooking with some nasty mushrooms. He says they’re still fine, he just has to cut around the rotten parts, and Sharon (Annie Potts) takes this opportunity to throw some serious shade at Lena (Sherri Saum). She asks why he would risk everyone getting sick from them when he could just get rid of them entirely, clearly alluding to Stef’s cancer and the fact that she’s still dead-set on her getting a mastectomy. This irks Lena, who once again explains why a lumpectomy is a better option, but Sharon remains unmoved, saying it’s always better to be safe than sorry. Stef (Teri Polo) puts an end to their heated debate.

 

Stef, exhausted by Sharon’s constant interference and overbearingness, practically begs Will and Sharon to go on their trip, which hurts Sharon’s feelings and causes her to storm out. She says overdramatic goodbyes to Brandon (David Lambert) and Mike (Danny Nucci), who happen to arrive in the middle of the storm. Stef and Lena unconvincingly reassure them that everything is fine. Stef tells Mike she’s waiting to tell the kids about Ty and the car accident until they can get the arrest warrant. She also informs him that Callie promised to tell her if AJ tried to contact her.

 

Callie (Maia Mitchell) instant messages the commenter who called her Super Callie on her Fost and Found page. The person messages her back, confirming her suspicions that the person who typed it was AJ.

 

Mat (Jordan Rodrigues) sings a song Brandon wrote for their Romeo and Juliet musical like an actual angel and, after a little encouragement, Brandon convinces Mat to play Romeo. Mat suggests that they ask Talya (Madisen Beaty) to play Juliet, as she’s a great actress and has the best voice in drama club. Brandon shoots the idea down considering she’s his ex and their relationship ended badly. He says that she still loathes him and would never agree to do it anyway. They’re going to have to find someone else.

 

Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) asks Callie her opinion on what she should wear in order to get more votes for Junior class president. Callie isn’t really playing attention and doesn’t fake her interest very well. She’s too busy talking to AJ, concerned about his well-being when he says he can’t call her.

 

Jesus (Noah Centineo) and Nick (Louis Hunter) barge into their room shooting Nerf guns at each other, mortifying Mariana, who’s only wearing a bra. She yells at them to put their toys away since Ana (Alexandra Barreto) and the baby are coming over. Callie asks Mariana if she can track the location of someone who’s messaging her on Fost and Found. Of course Mariana can, because she’s a genius. Nick and Jesus take their game back into Jesus’ room. Jesus explains that Ana is their birth mother, prompting Nick to ask Jesus if he wants to meet his birth father—he could be Pitbull or Mario Lopez. Jesus playfully shoots him with a dart, but it’s obvious his comment has made him curious.

 

Stef is typing up Ty’s arrest warrant and Mike is confused as to why she’s including AJ’s name, too. She explains that aiding and harboring a fugitive is a crime and they don’t really have a choice. Mike gives him the benefit of the doubt, saying maybe AJ (Tom Williamson) doesn’t know what Ty did, but Stef tells him to be realistic; they wouldn’t have taken off 24 hours before the funeral if they didn’t know the cops were getting close. Mike continues to plead AJ’s case, saying that he could be tried as an adult since he’s seventeen years old and has a prior record. Stef says that she feels bad, but he’s old enough to know the consequences of his actions.

 

Mariana reveals that the IP address is coming from somewhere in San Diego. Callie says that before she tells moms, she’s going to try to get him to come home. Mariana catches Ana and her cousin Adriana (Yvette Monreal) up on all the latest drama, especially the tension between her and Lexi. Adriana asks if she was Jesus’ girlfriend once upon a time, and Jesus says yes, but they probably won’t get back together. Mariana goes to put their snacks back in the kitchen and Jesus sees this as an opening to ask Ana about their birth father. Ana says his name was Gabriel and they met at a party, but she doesn’t know much beyond that since their hookup was a one time thing. She apologizes, saying she’s not sure where he is now or what happened to him, but Jesus shrugs it off, assuring her it’s no big deal.

 

Sharon hugs everyone goodbye before getting into the RV. She’s incredibly sassy, as she always is, thanking most of them for being so welcoming to her. She really milks the fact that they’re her only living relatives and Stef is so done with her dramatics. Too bad for her, the RV won’t start, stranding them at the Adams Foster residence for a while longer.

 

Adriana plays matchmaker, changing Isabella so Mike and Ana can talk. She says they would be a cute couple, making the two of them blush. Mike reveals to Ana that he thinks Ty might have been the driver in the hit-and-run. Brandon, his timing as impeccable as ever, accidentally walks through the room, hearing the whole conversation.

 

Stef semi-playfully asks Sharon what she did to sabotage the RV, but Sharon said she would never want to stay in a place where she’s so unwelcome. Stef says she’s always welcome, but her opinions are not. The kids leave, wanting to avoid the awkward encounter. Callie whispers to Mariana that she’s meeting with AJ the next afternoon.

 

Mike tells Brandon that nobody else knows about Ty and that he should keep it a secret from the other kids. He says that maybe Brandon was right all along about AJ, but Brandon surprisingly comes to AJ’s defense. He says AJ was in a tough position considering Ty is his family. Mike says he committed a crime, but Brandon reminds him that he did too with the fake IDs. Brandon tells him that he didn’t give up on him so he shouldn’t give up on AJ either—you should always fight for your family.

 

Adriana goes to Jesus’ room to say goodbye, hesitantly telling him more details about his birth father. She says that her father just tired him to work construction, but she doesn’t think that Ana knows. She thinks that Gabriel was more than just some random guy—he was Ana’s boyfriend, and she can probably figure out where he’s working.

 

At Anchor Beach, Mariana is doing some last minute campaigning and Talya tracks Brandon down. She says Mat told her about their project and she would love to be Juliet. Brandon, caught off guard, says she should come to the open auditions they’re holding. Tayla warns him to prepare to be blown away.

 

Callie runs into her old boss, Rafael (Alberto De Diego), at a cafe. He compliments her on Fost and Found and congratulates her on her adoption, but she’s not here to chat. She promises they’ll catch up soon before hurrying outside to look for AJ. Has he blown her off?

 

Mat is livid that Brandon told Talya they’re holding open auditions. He says that they have to be professional and cast the best actor no matter what conflicts or past they may have with them. Brandon says they have to have open auditions now or else Talya will know he lied to her and Mat reluctantly agrees.

 

Jude (Hayden Byerly) and Jack (Tanner Buchanan) are playing video games agai, and Jude goes to get a snack. Callie arrives home and meets Jude in the kitchen, asking if Jack is his new best friend. Jude says Jack seems to be more interested in his Xbox than him. She asks how Connor is doing, which is a sore subject for Jude. They’re still a couple, but LA might as well be a different planet. Jude goes to join Jack in the living room, two sandwiches in hand, but he’s nowhere to be found.

 

Nick and Jesus park outside the construction site Adriana told him about. Nick sees a man that could be Jesus’ father, but Jesus refuses to go talk to him. Nick wants to yell out his name, but Jesus sternly tells him to drive away. Will stops Jesus as he’s walking by, asking him to hand him a socket wrench. Jesus says he admires his ability to fix cars and Will replies that his father was a mechanic. Jesus reveals he thinks his dad works in construction, but doesn’t actually know. Will says a man’s relationship—or lack of relationship—with his father helps to define who he is. Jesus pushes, asking if he’s implying he should get to know his dad, but Will says that has to be his decision.

 

Jude searches for Jack in his room, but to no avail. He tells Sharon he left without a goodbye, which Sharon finds odd. “He’s odd,” Jude clarifies. Sharon goes to Stef and Lena’s room to put laundry away and spies Jack sleeping on their bed. Jude freaks out, asking what kind of person climbs into random people’s beds. Jack apologizes, embarrassed, saying he came up to use the bathroom, but he was tired and it looked comfortable. Jude continues ridiculing him, calling him Goldilocks and telling him not to come back. Sharon and Callie chastise him for his outburst, but Jude replies that Jack is too weird. Callie says that people used to think they were weird too, and that he can’t take out his sadness about Connor out on Jack. Jude considers this, feeling ashamed of himself.

 

Callie tells Mariana that AJ didn’t show—maybe he saw her with Rafael and got spooked. As if on cue, AJ (Tom Williamson) calls her. He apologizes for leaving without a goodbye and Callie says she, Mike, and everyone else really miss him. He says he and Ty are crashing with some friends, but the neighborhood is a little sketchy. Callie begs him to come home, but he says he can’t do that to Ty. He quickly wraps up the call, saying he has to go because the guys he’s staying with don’t know he’s using their phone for a long-distance call. Callie is confused, as the IP address for the person she’s been IMing is in San Diego. AJ says he hasn’t been on Fost and Found. Callie has been duped.

 

Callie shows Stef the number AJ called her from, thinking it’s an Arizona area code. Callie says it sounds like he really wants to come home and she’s afraid he’s going to get in some real trouble if he stays with Ty. Stef thanks her for doing the right things and says that hopefully they can connect the phone number to an address and go get him.

 

Mike asks Stef to give AJ a chance to come home before she arrests him, but Stef says it’s too risky—she made that mistake last time and Ty got away. Mike says he shouldn’t be punished just for standing by his brother. Plus, Brandon has made a ton of mistakes and they still give him second chances. Stef growls not to compare their son to someone who almost killed her children. Lena says that perhaps Mike is right. Stef says that, while she always takes her opinions seriously, especially recently, this isn’t up for discussion. She’s going to get AJ without or without Mike.

 

The next morning, Mariana asks Brandon about their auditions. Brandon tells her not to even think about auditioning because Mat is playing Romeo. Mariana says that she wouldn’t even have any time to be in his musical once she’s Class President. “Cocky,” Jesus replies. “Not cocky: confident,” Lena corrects. Callie catches a piece of toast like a total boss. This whole scene is a tribute to girl power.

 

Talya’s Juliet audition is admittedly pretty stellar. Mat tells her they’ll let her know soon, but it’s clear she’s been the best one so far. Mat smugly tells Brandon sometimes he just has to suck it up and do the right thing. Mariana walks in, saying that Lena gave her a head’s up on the election. Lexi won, so now she’ll have free time and would love a chance to be in their musical. The second she opens her mouth, it’s clear she’s perfect for the part. Mat tells Brandon no way they’re casting her, but Brandon uses his own words against him: “sometimes you just have to suck it up and do the right thing.” Mat finds Mariana in the hallway. He admits he doesn’t want her in his musical, but she was hands down the best Juliet, and asks her to join their cast.

 

Jack comes over to Jude’s house and Jude apologizes for how he acted towards him. Jack says he would understand if Jude doesn’t want to hang out with him anymore, but Jude feels like Jack doesn’t really want to hang out with him since all he ever wants to do is play video games. Jack says that he really likes hanging out with Jude and being at his house—he’s so lucky he has such a great family. Jude tells him not to give up and that it will happen for him eventually, too.

 

Brandon meets Callie in the hallway, asking if AJ knows Stef is going to pick him up. Callie says he doesn’t, but she can tell he wants to come home, he just doesn’t have the heart to leave his brother. Brandon spills what he overheard, saying AJ could get in a lot of trouble for helping a fugitive. Callie excuses herself to go call AJ and warn him.

 

Ty (Chris Warren) answers the phone, yelling at AJ and demanding to know what he told Callie. He swears he didn’t say anything, but Ty tells him to grab his stuff because they’re leaving. AJ says he can’t run anymore, but it’s okay if he goes. But it’s too late. The cops enter the house, arresting Ty. Stef locks eyes with AJ, sending him a silent plead to go along with what she’s saying. She announces that, although AJ obviously knew nothing about Ty’s hit-and-run, they’ll have to take him in for running away. Mike is waiting outside and shares looks with both AJ and Stef as they walk out. They each last no more than about two seconds, but they communicate so much and are full of mixed emotions.

 

Jesus walks onto a construction site, going up to who he thinks is his father. The man turns out not to be Gabriel, but points him in the right direction. Jesus lies, saying he is 18 years old and interested in getting a job there. The man hires him and Jesus walks over to Gabriel (Brandon Quinn), saying that he was instructed to help him. Gabe initially looks a little suspicious, but shrugs it off and starts working with Jesus.

 

Callie demands to know why Stef didn’t tell her that Ty was the driver from the accident. Stef says she couldn’t, but Callie feels betrayed. She feels like she never should have said anything because now AJ could go to juvie. Stef thinks AJ will see she was just trying to be a good friend, but Callie isn’t so sure. Stef confides in Lena that she warned AJ to keep quiet about his knowledge pertaining to Ty’s accident. She also apologizes for snapping earlier. Lena asks her what she meant when she said she’d been taking her opinions to heart lately. She thought they had agreed she wouldn’t do anything as serious as a mastectomy if she didn’t have to. Stef silently walks over to the drawer where she stashed the report about having HBOC. She hands it to Lena, who reads it in shock. Stef explains that it’s probably not a question of if she’ll get cancer, but when.

 

Stef sits down with Sharon, explaining that with this new information, she doesn’t want to risk anything. She says she’s chosen to get the double mastectomy, which is a relief for Sharon. However, instead of reveling in her victory, she asks Stef what she can do for her to help. Stef asks her to stay because they’re all going to need her, and Sharon assures her she’s not going anywhere.

 

Sharon sits alone outside the RV, breaking down. She tells Will he should go on the trip, but she’s going to stay since Stef needs her. Will says he’ll head out first thing in the morning and admits that the RV was never really broken—he just pretended it was so she wouldn’t leave Stef in the middle of a fight. Sharon laughs and playfully smacks him, asking him what he sees in her. Will says she’s beautiful and has a young spirit. He says that this isn’t just a fling for him and he’ll be back to get her after his trip whenever she’s ready. These two are such relationship goals.

 

Callie IMs whoever is impersonating AJ, demanding to know who it is. The person doesn’t reply and slams their computer. It turns out the imposter is Jack, who is catfishing Callie on Jude’s computer. Now we’re all dying to find out just how this plays out next week…