“Telling” once again reuses the classic TV trope of the wild teen party. The Fosters kids except for Jude find themselves attending a party at the Derby warehouse. The party provides the backdrop for the drama surrounding these characters to unfold. The way everyone ends up at the derby warehouse is actually pretty natural and isn’t as forced as I thought it would be. However, things escalate for specifically for one character when the cops show up.
So Callie is hesitant to get involved with another cause after being approached about it on the university’s campus. It’s actually funny that the guy who approaches Callie thinks the reason she won’t sign a petition is because she doesn’t care. In reality, she is just heeding Stef and Lena’s advice about staying out of trouble. It’s an interesting storyline to watch play out because Callie is for once exercising restraint. Any other season would have seen Callie diving head first and asking questions later, but it really does seem like she’s grown since the whole prostitution/kidnapping incident. For the past four episodes any drama surrounding Callie has mainly dealt with her relationship with Aaron; something that is completely normal for a high schooler as opposed to getting into cars with suspected murders and breaking and entering into the residence of a potential killer. Things on a television show cannot be status quo forever, so Callie was bound to encounter some sort of drama sooner or later. While I can’t reveal the new cause that piques Callie’s interest, it is extremely timely. From what I can gather, The Fosters seems to be tackling this issue for the rest of season 5A.I’m excited to see how a show of this caliber handles such a controversial topic moving forward.
And then we have Brandon whose relationship with Grace is put into jeopardy with Cortney back in his life. Why Brandon, why? I really don’t get why Brandon continues to feel the need to be Cortney’s knight in shining armor. This is the ex-girlfriend who inadvertently ruined his chances of going to Juillard next year, and yet he still thinks it’s a good idea for her and Mason to crash in Gabe’s room. Has he really learned nothing from his future imploding that he doesn’t think there will be any ramifications? Like I’ve expressed in my previous previews, Grace is good for Brandon. She’s stable, age appropriate, and has her life together. Cortney is a single mother who let a high schooler move in with her and expected him to contribute to the rent while going to school fulltime. We really don’t need to make a pros and cons list to see that Grace is the far superior choice. He told Grace one of the things he liked about her was that she was independent, but he still feels the need to save Cortney. It’s like Brandon’s not Brandon unless he actively has someone to save. He and Callie are a lot alike in that respect except her projects end with her in legal trouble and juvie. Brandon really needs to cut the cord with Cortney because his continued involvement with her, even if it’s strictly platonic, could cost him his relationship with Grace, the one good thing he seems to have going in his life.
Meanwhile, the twins spend most of the episode lying to those around them. Mariana continues to keep her involvement with Derby a secret while Jesus decides to keep quiet about an incident that could prevent him from leaving the house in the future. I’m not really sure why Mariana feels the need to lie. I get that she’s worried Stef and Lena might not have let her practice or tryout for derby, but it feels like an unnecessary lie to me whereas Jesus, who has a serious case of cabin fever, is afraid his moms will continue to keep him under "house arrest." While Stef and Lena may have not been receptive at first, if the moms do find out, it’s going to worse that Mariana lied about it. Why does she feel the need to continue to keep things from her family? When we met her in the pilot episode, she was lying to everyone about being in touch with Ana and fast forward five seasons and not much has changed. It’s frustrating to watch her keep making the same mistakes because she can be a really strong and empowering character otherwise. Jesus, on the other hand, has never really had as much of an issue with dishonesty as Mariana. When he found out about Emma’s abortion, the first thing he did was tell Stef and Lena. I just think he’s going stir crazy being stuck in the house without anyone to socialize with besides the family and Emma. He literally jumps at the chance to do something so mundane. I actually can’t remember the last time Jesus was out of the house doing normal teenage stuff. I think the last time he was just a regular teenager was before his TBI in the season 4A finale. It must be difficult to want things to go back to normal but know they may never be the same.
Elsewhere, Lena struggles when Stef starts to become obsessed with an ongoing case at work. While the case Stef is working on is important, Lena feels like she’s all alone in advocating for Jesus. This isn’t the first time that Lena’s felt like she’s alone. Last season when Lena took time off to take care of Jesus, she felt like the weight of the world was on her shoulders in caring for him. This also isn’t the first time that we’ve seen Stef to be consumed by her work. She is very similar to Callie that respect, but what she’s doing is actually legal. It’s refreshing to see a couple having realistic marital problems be portrayed on television. Usually, the parents are relegated to the background, and if we do see them at all, it’s usually just the line or two here or there. But,
The Fosters is different; it portrays a family with actual and realistic problems. We also get another dinner with the new neighbors, which leads to some hilarious one-liners from Stef. Seriously, drunk Stef is now my favorite iteration of her. This time, things are slightly less awkward as everyone seems to find some common ground.
So don’t forget to watch a new episode of
The Fosters when it airs Tuesday, August 8 at 8 on Freeform. So before you hit the comments, here are a few of favorite quotes :
“Guess who’s going running with the boy next door?” / “You don’t run.” / “Why does everyone keep saying that?” / “’Cuz it’s true.”
“You know, working in fast food is everything I hoped it’d be.”
“A night off from feeding the small nation that is our family. Sounds like heaven to me.”
“Oh my goodness, you’re not Catholic are you?” / “No. I’d spend way too much time in confession.”
“So you are a human who cares about other humans.”
So comment below to let me know your thoughts. What is the next big issue
The Fosters will tackle? Why does Brandon always need to save someone? Will the twins' lies catch up with them? And where has Jude disappeared to?
