The Fosters – Twelve Major Storylines From 3B

By starrymag | April 4, 2016

By: Taylor Gates

 

From Senior projects to the sex offender registry, musicals to mastectomies, and mother-in-laws to foster care laws – Season 3B of “The Fosters” continued the show’s tradition of being relatable yet groundbreaking, intricately weaving important issues through the episodes while still managing to be unabashedly entertaining. Of course, with so many plots, it’s impossible for every single one to be a home run with the entire audience. Something I appreciate and find fascinating with this show is the fact that everybody who watches it loves it for a slightly different reason. The varied stories lend itself to a wide range of viewers, a fan base with personalities, interests and backgrounds as diverse as the show itself. I would like to share with you my personal ranking of some of the major storylines of Season 3B.

 

12. Brallie is Backie

 

Fans are pretty much evenly split on this one, but chalk me firmly in the “no” column. I’ll admit, Brandon (David Lambert) and Callie’s (Maia Mitchell) duet sounded beautiful together and I have no problem with them becoming great friends, but the possibility of a romantic reunion is not something to which I’m looking forward. The constant question on whether they can get over each other is starting to feel repetitive and the storyline feels like it has been drawn out too long at this point. I knew the secret had to come out eventually, but I hope it doesn’t affect Callie’s adoption.

 

11. Brandon’s Bae

 

Cortney (Denyse Tontz) and Brandon’s relationship still feels a bit bland to me and I can’t seem to form a strong feeling on Cortney either way. Cortney may be sweet, but she’s certainly not as interesting as Queen Bitch Talya (Madisen Beaty) or Pot Brownie Lover Lou (Ashley Argota). Even the fact that she has a kid isn’t doing it for me in terms of intrigue. I’m glad Brandon is moving on to more mature girlfriends, but I can’t seem to care much about what happens this couple.

 

10. Romeo, Juliet

and the Third Wheel

 

Mariana (Cierra Ramirez) cheats on Nick (Louis Hunter) right after she gets over the consequences of cheating on Mat (Jordan Rodrigues)? Okay, I understand the logic behind wanting to keep Nick for the space in the warehouse and in the words of Hannah Montana “everybody makes mistakes,” but still…Mariana knows better than to think this is a better solution. We also already have the Cortney/Brandon/Callie love triangle and I think one is enough.

 

9. Connor is a Goner

 

Again, I completely understand there are things that go on behind-the-scenes the writers cannot control. However, the Jude (Hayden Byerly) and Connor (Gavin MacIntosh) breakup was sudden and frankly unfulfilling. Ending it over a Skype call for the vague reason they don’t feel like friends anymore felt strange. It was sad to see such an influential couple (one that shared the youngest gay TV kiss in history) fizzle out without much explanation or lead-up. Considering their ages, it is probably realistic, but disappointing nonetheless.

 

8. Rita’s and there Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day

 

My qualms with Rita’s daughter’s suicide attempt wasn’t so much about the story itself—the complexity and portrayal of the relationship between Rita (Rosie O’Donnell) and Chloe (Marcella Lentz-Pope) was fantastic and suicide is something that does need to be addressed—but it was poorly executed. I completely understand that there are time restrictions and numerous other storylines to include in a short amount of time, but the fact that this storyline was basically introduced and resolved within one episode felt rushed for something so serious. Also, maybe I’m overreacting since I’m such a sucker for Callie/moms interaction, but it felt odd and a little out-of-character that Callie would have gone to the motel without Stef or Lena accompanying her.

 

7. #Lexi4Prez

 

The Student Council election wasn’t an awful storyline by any means, as the return of Caitlin Carver’s Horrible Hayley was quite a treat and the Lexi/Mariana debate had some of the most savage burns ever. But seeing Mariana and Lexi (Bianca A. Santos) get catty was a bit of a disappointing cliché. It felt generic at times, like something that could have happened on any teen show and lacked the originality that usually sets “The Fosters” apart. It also felt a little pointless as Lexi and Emma seem to have dropped off the face of the Earth since its end.

 

6. The Kiss Heard Round the School

 

“The Fosters” has proved time and time against that they’re willing to take risks and the Monte/Sally storyline was no exception. At first, it seemed like we were dealing with an inappropriate teacher/student relationship and when the plot first broke, there was some criticism about having Monte (Annika Marks) fall in with the “promiscuous/predatory bisexual” trope. However, this show being full of twists and surprises, the audience finds out Sally (Pepi Sonuga) was the one attempting to kiss Monte. This plot would not have been nearly as successful if not for Annika Marks’ execution. She brings a vulnerability, humanity and earnestness to Monte. She never coming across as a villain, but rather a troubled, highly confused woman who can’t seem to stop making mistakes. Although the resolution of this storyline was a bit shaky (Why did the school board side with Monte?), the fact that it brought in Sally’s prejudiced parents allowed the show to showcase the unfortunately relevant discrimination and assumptions LGBTQ people often automatically face simply for their sexual orientation. I hope this is not the last we see of Sally. I would love to see Lena become a healthy mentoring influence for her.

 

5. The Ghost of Ana Past

 

Ana relapsing was crushing and realistic. Ana (Alexandra Barreto) has been such a dynamic character from the beginning and undergone one of the most extreme character developments since the beginning of the show. While she’s made an insane amount of progress from the days of stealing money from Mariana to buy drugs, she’s not perfect. Sometimes it takes situations like these to remember just how far she has come and just how much drug addiction still affects people great deals of time later.

 

4. Are You There God? It’s Me, Jude.

 

This storyline with Jude questioning his sexuality gotten a lot of unnecessary backlash. Sexuality is fluid and Jude is still incredibly young. It’s normal to question things and some people don’t figure it out until much later in life. Maybe he is bisexual, maybe he’s not, but I for one am glad they’re letting him go on a journey to find out. I also love the fact that he seems to be toying with religion in the finale. I have always been impressed with this show’s complicated, mixed portrayals of religion: first with the Riveras, then Frank and Frank’s pastor and most recently Mariana wishing to be the godmother of Isabella. The fact that “The Fosters” addresses these issues in a variety of ways is something I love and I hope we see Jude continue to research faith and explore his beliefs of a higher power.

 

3. Callie, Jack, and the Fost and Found App

 

Callie is another character that has experienced insane amounts of character growth. This season, it was amazing to see her spread her wings and become a leader and role model. Her Fost and Found app shows her passion, intellect and the fact she is really trying to make a difference. Her struggling with Justina (Kelli Williams) in the reform bill was a nice pairing with this storyline because it reminds us that even though she is so smart and informed, she still does not know everything. The audience got to learn more about the inner-workings and corruption of the foster care system along with Callie, too, which is groundbreaking information for most. The inclusion of Jack (Tanner Buchanan) was absolutely heartbreaking and necessary. The amazing thing about this show is that it makes audiences feel things not just on a fictional level, but on a real-world scale, too. I have no doubt viewing this show has educated and spurred many people to action to help change foster care for the better in their own communities.

 

2. Where’s Olivia Benson When You Need Her?

 

3B gave Jesus (Noah Centineo) his most difficult, intriguing storyline by fa, and Noah handled it with such grace. I was skeptical about Gabe’s (Brandon Quinn) appearance at first what with so many biological parents popping up on this show, but the writers managed to make it fresh and touch on yet another controversial topic: the sex offender registry. Nothing is ever black-and-white on this show and exposing some of the problems with the sex offender registry was a bold move that paid off.

 

1. Cancer Be Damned

I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t looking forward to the Stef (Teri Polo) getting cancer storyline. I was afraid it would be melodramatic, depressing and overall bring the dramedy tone “The Fosters” has mastered down. I was wrong. So incredibly wrong. Instead of going the traditional route of hospitals and medical tests, “The Fosters” took the unique approach of focusing on the body image and confidence issues that go along with getting a mastectomy. It also revolved around how the cancer and operation affected Stef’s family, specifically her mother and wife. Bow down to the Holy Trinity consisting of Teri Polo, Sherri Saum and Annie Potts.