The Fosters - Christmas Past - Review: "Merry Christmas"

Review Guide
Episode 2.11 Christmas Past - Advance Preview & Review
Episode 2.12 Over Under - Advance Preview & Review
Episode 2.13 Stay - Review
Episode 2.14 Mother Nature - Review

The Fosters - Christmas Past - Review/Recap

I have been waiting a long time for The Fosters to return, and it finally did last night! It was such a heartfelt Christmas episode. The episode though did feel out of order, as we revisited the past, but the episode did end with us catching up with where we left of last season so it did all work out in the end.

Jude
This episode was a big one for Jude. He wasn't in it a whole lot, but he did have some very interesting scenes. After overhearing Lena and Stef talk about how half siblings are not whole siblings he storms off. All Jude has ever wanted was a family where they will accept him even if he isn't blood related. Even though they do accept him as part of the family he knows he will never be fully related to them. He is very sensitive to the matter, and he shows this during the episode. Jude goes into a shop and decides to steal a bracelet which Callie was looking at earlier. He wanted to make her happy as she hasn't been adopted yet. You can see he is willing to go to extreme lengths for his sister, and would do just about anything for her. She also would do the same for him.

Their bond is beyond strong, and it is such a beautiful brother sister relationship.Even when Callie's sister got introduced previously they both became stronger from it. Jude does later return the bracelet after having a heart-warming chat with Lena about jealousy. He does actually help Lena to see that her half brother and her are more alike than she thought. It is moments like the chat between Lena and Jude where the Fosters is at its best. I do think out of all The Fosters Jude is the one every single one of them can connect with easily, he is the most caring out of The Family and even gives some good advice. Luckily for Jude the woman at the shop lets him have it for $40. So everything turned out well for him in the end.

Mariana and Jesus
This episode Jesus wanted to enter a competition to win $250, the aim of the competition was to have the best decorated house. Obviously Jesus being Jesus had no idea how to be creative since his parents wouldn't give him money to buy more decorations. So he enlists Mariana's help. This is another example of how strong a brother and sisters bond is. Mariana though wouldn't help unless she got paid, but the house looked magical once it had been fully decorated. Seeing it really got me in the festive mood. My decorations are going up this weekend! Jesus has stiff competition from their neighbour Mr. Nesbit who has won the past three years.

It turns out though that Mr. Nesbit is a lonely old man alone for the holidays, and doing the competition was the only thing that made him happy. He had children, but didn't want to visit them as he only felt at home where he was. Jesus felt sorry for him (so did I) and took his name out of the competition. What I have always liked about Jesus is how he always shows compassion toward people, although he could be a bit less of douche when it comes to girls. I did initially think Jesus might invite Mr Nesbit over for Christmas dinner so he can at least have company over Christmas, but he sadly didn't bring it up. Mariana and Jesus do also receive some foster gifts, but I am thinking that they were probably from Anna. You have to give some credit to Anna for not giving up on them.

Callie, Brandon and Daphne
The episode opened with a "Brallie" kiss, as shippers would normally call them. I personally don't want to see them two together. I much prefer Wyatt over Brandon, and I do get a bit tired of seeing them two together, but maybe that is just me. They work best as brother & sister. Their personalities shine through when they are not worrying about what the other one is thinking. This episode is a prime example of that. There is no denying that they have a strong bond, and this episode showed that. I do love seeing them together, but just as family. I just absolutely hate it when their relationship takes centre stage, luckily most of season 2 hasn't focused on their relationship and neither did this episode(much). The most exciting part we saw of them was when Daphne called saying she needed to meet.

She had taken her child from the playground. I did think though that maybe the side story for Daphne shouldn't have been used in a Christmas episode, maybe another episode but none the less I did like it. It was so sad though to see her daughter crying when she was walking up to the foster parents door. Daphne wanted to take her away. She desperately wants her daughter back, and I really felt for her. In the end Daphne drops the daughter off and runs away, the good thing is that nobody saw her, so it won’t go against her. Right at the end of the episode Callie gave Brandon his gift, it was a metronome. It was a fitting gift for him as he loved to play the piano, and Callie still thinks he can.

Lena, Stef and Sharon
A Big chunk of the episode was spent focused on them. Stef and Lena are having money woes, and after Stef's dad died she is still pretty down. She finds out that her father had $150,000 stashed away, and that her mother Sharon has it. Stef didn't approve off it as she knows that her mother will only throw the money away on something pointless where as she would use the money to put towards the kids college funds. This then causes an argument between them over the dinner table. It wouldn't be The Fosters without a little drama. Would it? Lena and Stef also have an argument at the dinner table. I have to mention that I am getting slightly tired of seeing them argue. It is very rare in an episode of The Fosters that something that happens doesn't turn into an argument.

I don't know why they can never give each other the benefit of the doubt, instead of always ending up leading things into a heated argument. I thought the Christmas episode would be light on drama, but I guess I was wrong. In the end it turned out Sharon had already invested into college funds for the kids, which was meant to be a surprise for Stef. She should have had faith in her mother to do the right thing, instead of having a go at her. The last thing Stef needs is to lose another parent. The present though did mean so much to Stef. Stef worries a lot about her mother, and after losing her father feels she needs to keep her mother close; she doesn't want to lose anyone else, so typically she over does it on worry. After that moment, the drama was over, and then it focused on the good old family having a pleasant Christmas morning.

Summary
A lovely episode of The Fosters, it really did make my day watching it. There was the typical drama from the family as usual, but the moments that really stood out were the small interactions between the pairings of characters. Whether it was Marianna and Jesus or Stef and Lena, each of them scenes were enjoyable to watch, and really heart-warming. I can't wait for the season to start again in January!

Be sure to check back in January for Ben's review of 2.12! And my review of 2.13! Until then have a lovely Christmas :)

About the Author - Robert Fruin

Robert is a sixth form student from the United Kingdom, who is currently studying IT, Media and Business Studies. Robert is a huge fan of the ended ABC series LOST, he has seen it many times over and has even visited some of the filming locations for it. Robert mainly watches drama series such as Game Of Thrones and Person of Interest, but has a soft spot for the comedy The Middle. Some other shows he watches are The Walking Dead, Arrow and The 100. Some other interests include cycling, photography and kayaking. Robert will be reviewing Z Nation,The Librarians, Sons Of Anarchy, Intruders, The Fosters and Aquarius. Feel free to connect with him on any of these social media sites.

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