The Fosters – Rehearsal

By starrymag | March 15, 2016

By: Taylor Gates

 

Callie (Maia Mitchell) testifies for her friend Daphne (Daffany Clark) in order that she might regain custody of her daughter. She notes that, although Daphne has made mistakes, she’s worked really hard to get her life back on track for the sake of her daughter. She tells Tasha’s (Chare’ya Wright) current foster parents that it’s nothing against them—she herself was a foster child who now has a wonderful family—she just feels Daphne has earned another chance. Plus, if her own mother were still alive and capable of raising her, she would want to be with her.

 

The foster parents’ lawyer (Kovar McClure) asks Callie a few questions, bringing up Daphne’s past transgressions, including how she beat up Callie in juvie and kidnapped Tasha from the park. Callie argues that she’s not that person anymore, but the judge doesn’t seem completely convinced.

 

Lena (Sherri Saum) tells Stef (Teri Polo) she’ll meet her at the doctor’s office. She wants to be there to emotionally support her while they pump her breasts with saline. Stef regrets not just getting breast implants with the mastectomy, as she’s not looking forward to going under the knife again.

 

Lena tells Stef she doesn’t have to get implants at all if she doesn’t want to, but Stef fears it will damage their sex life and her self-esteem even further. Lena promises it will just take some time to get used to seeing herself differently and she will find her attractive no matter what. Stef reminds her that everybody already thinks she’s butch—being flat-chested would only make that worse. Lena says screw them, she should do whatever makes her happy.

 

Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) and Jesus (Noah Centineo) walk into the moms’ room. Stef thinks Mariana’s shorts are way too short and Lena tells Jesus his pants are hanging way too low. The twins roll their eyes before handing them letters from Elena, Victor, Ana and the two of them to help Gabe (Brandon Quinn) get off the Sex Offender Registry. Since they can’t give them to Gabe themselves, they ask Stef and Lena to help get them to him.

 

Back at the courthouse, the judge says she’s extending her custody ruling in favor of the foster parents for thirty days. In that time, Daphne must find employment and prove she can financially provide for Tasha. Callie tells Daphne this is good—she’s getting another chance. Daphne breaks down crying, saying there’s no way she can find a job that will take care of both herself and Tasha without food stamps. She’s losing hope that she’ll ever get her child back.

 

At Romeo and Juliet rehearsal, Mariana spies Mat (Jordan Rodrigues) playing tonsil hockey with Zoey (Anna Grace Barlow). She tells them to get a room before making out with her own boyfriend, Nick (Louis Hunter). Jesus sees this and is disgusted. Mariana is rightfully annoyed by Jesus’ pathetic set-building skills. Brandon (David Lambert) pulls Mariana aside, saying everyone is off-book and doing great except his leads.

 

Mariana blames it on Mat’s relationship with Zoey being a distraction for him. Mat thinks it’s because Juliet is supposed to be a virgin while Mariana is playing her like a slut. Hurt, Mariana excuses herself to go to the bathroom. Nick and Mat start to confront each other, but Brandon breaks it up before things gets too heated, trying to keep every aspect of his play under control. Zoey tells Nick that Mat had a good reason to break up with Mariana: she cheated on him.

 

Stef goes to Gabe’s house, delivering the packet of letters the twins gave her. Stef bluntly asks if he has any interest in getting to know the twins, but Gabe says he has no idea how to be a parent. Stef assures him that’s not what they’re looking for—they already have parents. Gabe says he would like to get to know the twins, but he’s not sure what he has to offer.

 

Callie interviews Justina (Kelli Williams) for her Senior project. Justina tells her story, explaining what got her into foster care. When she was young, she had a friend named Lizzy who was in foster care. They became such good friends that Justina gave Lizzy her Mrs. Beasley doll. One day, social services placed her back with her birth mom. The birth mother eventually lost custody again, and they lost her in the foster care system. The system took her from a house where she was happy, safe, and loved and wouldn’t even let her take the Mrs. Beasley doll with her.

 

Callie tells Justina she’s an amazing person and Justina tells her she’s just as incredible. Callie asks her if there are any openings for Daphne at her office, but Justina says there’s nothing available at the moment.

 

Cortney (Denyse Tontz) visits Brandon at the rehearsal warehouse, wanting to check out the sets. Brandon says there’s not much to check out, which insults Jesus. Stef walks in with Gabe in tow. Gabe is basically here to save this play’s scenery from being a hot mess. Stef recognizes Cortney from the Smokehouse, who says she’s just there to check out the space to see how many bar areas they’ll need for show night. Brandon finds this encounter super awkward considering their relationship goes beyond coworkers so he walks Cortney out as soon as he sees an opening. Brandon thanks her for covering, but Cortney understands—she has a kid, she’s not exactly the most eligible bachelorette. Brandon says it won’t be a problem, as his moms are cool. Plus, he wants her to really meet his parents, not just in passing. Stef spies the two kissing by the car.

 

Jesus and Gabe build a platform together. The conversation leads to them talking about their relationships with their sisters. Gabe says he and his sister don’t talk anymore. After he went to prison, his whole family pretty much wrote him off. Plus, she has kids so he can’t exactly come around for birthday parties. Jesus asks if the only reason Gabe didn’t try to contact them was because he couldn’t. Gabe reveals that he told Ana not to have the twins at all. He was in jail and he didn’t think she could take care of them on her own. He says nothing good came out of their relationship. Stef announces that it’s time for Jesus to go home and Gabe offers to stay and finish on his own.

 

Stef and Lena tell Brandon to join them in the living room. Stef, in her typical blunt fashion, tells Brandon she saw him sucking face with Cortney in the parking lot. He admits that they’re dating, but it’s a new thing. Stef says since she’s older and he’s still a minor, they need to wait to have sex until he’s officially eighteen years old. Brandon is salty and melodramatic, asking if they’re going to throw Cortney in jail for some “heavy petting.” [eye roll] Stef and Lena tell him he just needs to focus on school and Juilliard. He defends himself, saying he’s being super responsible by writing music to a whole play and he’s probably like the only one done with his Senior thesis project. Snaps for you, Brandon.

 

Mariana complains about how mean Mat and Zoey are being, but Callie is pretty much ignoring her and not doing a great job at hiding it. She tells Mariana she’s trying to track down Justina’s friend and Mariana goes over to help her search. They come across a website they think might be helpful and watch a video. In it, Justina tells the same story she told Callie about Lizzy, but this time she says all the events happened to her in her own life.

 

Mariana storms into the room where Mat is rehearsing with Brandon. She’s angry that Mat told Nick that Mariana cheated on him, but Mat promises he didn’t. Brandon suggests that, even so, he should probably tell Zoey to keep her mouth shut.

 

That night, Lena tells Stef about Karen, an Anchor Beach art teacher who went through some of the same things Stef did a few years ago. She also had a friend who opted to “go flat.” Lena wonders if Stef would like to talk to them—they would be open, as they were in a support group for women who had breast cancer. Lena says that, while she realizes Stef is a private person who doesn’t technically know these women, maybe she should think about it. It could help and Lena doesn’t know what to say anymore to comfort her.

 

Brandon goes to talk to Mariana, who feels awful and scared Nick is going to break up with her. Brandon assures her that everybody makes mistakes and he doesn’t think Mariana is a horrible person. Plus, he has no right to judge as he lost his virginity to someone and regrets it, too. A somber Callie overhears this while brushing her teeth.

 

Karen and Ellen talk to Stef and Lena in the kitchen about their experiences after surgery. Karen loves her artificial implants, but Ellen doesn’t feel like she’s missing out on anything without them. Karen got her nipples tattooed on and Karen got a tattoo of a peacock across her chest—a beautiful symbol of self-expression, confidence and immortality. They both offer to show Stef. Lena thinks this will be very helpful, but Stef is more reserved. However, the two strip their shirts off with no hesitation. Karen even offers to have Stef and Lena touch the implants in order to gauge how they feel. After some hesitation, they both do. Of course, right when Lena is taking her turn giving them a squeeze, Jesus walks in. Lena yells that it’s a medical thing, but Jesus—scarred for life—sprints up the stairs anyway.

 

Callie tells Justina she found the video of her while trying to track down Lizzy, asking why she wouldn’t want her to know she was a foster kid too. Justina explains that she wasn’t. At fundraisers, unless you tell a story as your own people will just listen politely and not be impacted by it. But if you make it personal, people will open their hearts and wallets. Callie accuses her of just using her to get money, but Justina says she’s using it for good. Money gets things done and Callie is using her as well for Fost and Found. Justina borderline blackmails Callie, reminding her she’s depending on Justina to get Daphne a job.

 

At rehearsal, Mariana talks to Nick. She says cheating was one of the worst things she’s ever done and it was a one-time mistake. She also understands if Nick doesn’t want to see her anymore. Nick says he was just surprised. He asks her to promise if she’s ever not feeling their relationship, she just end it; he would rather be hurt than surprised. Mariana says he has a deal, but she doesn’t think he has anything to worry about.

 

Callie takes some pictures of Daphne and Tasha together at the park before the social worker tells Daphne her time is up. Daphne says that every time she says goodbye to Tasha feels like it could be the last. Callie promises it won’t be, saying she got Daphne a job working for Justina. Daphne jumps into Callie’s arms, thanking her for her help.

 

Cortney and Callie run into each other in the parking lot, walking in the warehouse together. Callie is there to take some pictures of the cast and Cortney is going to help paint. While Brandon leads Cortney to the sets, Callie notices a baby tag on Cortney’s keyring.

 

Jesus and Gabe work on sets some more. Jesus asks Gabe why he’s helping since he clearly doesn’t even like him. Gabe asks why he would think that and Jesus reminds him Gabe said he didn’t think anything good came out of his and Ana’s relationship. Gabe assures Jesus that he didn’t mean it like that. He’s here because he wants to get to know Jesus, but Jesus is going to have to help him when he messes up or says something wrong. Stef interrupts, telling Jesus it’s time to leave. Gabe says he’ll come back after he grabs a bite to eat and everyone else is gone. Gabe thanks Stef for letting and helping him get to know Gabe.

 

Mat apologizes to Mariana for what Zoey did, telling her that Wyatt told Talya and Talya told Zoey about her and Wyatt. Mariana thanks him for the apology even though it’s not his fault. The two sing their duet together before kissing. Brandon applauds, saying they finally have believable chemistry. Mat and Mariana smile at each other awkwardly, old feelings clearly resurfacing.

 

Stef goes into the kitchen where Lena is washing dishes at the sink. Stef reveals that she has decided to get the implants, but that’s not all. When Lena turns around, she sees that Stef has gotten a dramatic haircut. Stef worries Lena will hate it, but Lena reassures her that she loves it and finds it super sexy. Stef thinks it’s her own version of Ellen’s peacock tattoo. She reveals she’s always wanted to cut her hair short, but she was afraid people would call her a dyke. She hates that she has internalized homophobia, but she realized that breasts and long hair don’t make her a woman. Plus, who cares if people thinks she’s butch? She needs to let go of the fear and look how she wants to look—and she’s never felt more feminine. Lena says that her new hair is turning her on, and the two go upstairs to have a little sexy time before dinner.

 

Mariana goes to get her script she forgot at the warehouse, running into Gabe who is still working on sets. Mariana thanks him for all his help and invites him to opening night. He would love to come, but he doesn’t want to make Ana or her parents uncomfortable. Mariana reminds him they wrote letters for him, and he thanks her for writing one as well. He says he’ll be at the play and compliments her on her singing. He reveals her biological grandmother also had a beautiful voice.

 

The police barge in, saying the automatic alarm went off. Gabe panics, realizing he forgot to turn it off. Mariana explains that they’re just rehearsing for a play and her boyfriend’s dad own the place and she can call him right now. The police still insist on seeing their IDs, which is bad news for Gabe.

 

Brandon flips through the pictures Callie took, telling her they turned out wonderfully. Callie asks Brandon if Cortney has a child, as her keyring had a card for a baby store on it. Brandon admits she has a two-year-old and Callie asks if he’s ready to play stepdad. Brandon says it’s none of her business, but Callie says she just wanted to stop him from doing something else he’d regret. She admits she heard him talking to Mariana the previous night. Brandon informs her he wasn’t talking about Callie—he was talking about Dani. He explains that, after a few beers, he had sex with her. Callie says it wasn’t sex, it was rape, just like what happened with Liam. Brandon insists statutory rape is different and he never said no. Callie tells him it was still wrong and Dani took advantage of him. Brandon says that both the moms and his dad know and Dani got arrested for what she did.

 

Callie says that he shouldn’t feel ashamed about what happened. She used to feel ashamed about what Liam did to her, but it’s how their rapists should be feeling, not them. Brandon asks Callie if she’s okay and Callie says that it wasn’t until being with Brandon that she felt she could be intimate with someone without feeling ashamed and guilty. They both say they don’t regret what they did before embracing each other.

 

The police arrest Gabe for being unaccompanied with a minor. Mariana tries to stop them, but Gabe tells her he’ll be okay. He tells her to call Stef while the cops lead him out.